"I think that people forget that. These small businesses, they're the ones that are sponsoring your sports teams, which are helping with school things, and that are doing fundraisers that are giving back to the community all the time." - Rebecca Bertoldi

When COVID-19 hit, we launched a series to spotlight the small businesses that sustain our communities. Five years on, many are still rebuilding. This highlight episode revisits candid conversations with policymakers, advisors, and owners about what truly helped—and what must happen next.

Top Problems

• Financing gaps & collapsing revenue put leases, payroll, and inventory at risk.
• Technology barriers slowed the pivot to online sales and services.
• Minimal cash reserves left micro and solo enterprises exposed.

Top Solutions

• SBA pathways: PPP (including second draw), EIDL working capital, and SBA debt relief that covered principal and interest for existing borrowers.
• Hands-on technical assistance: devices, training, and coaching to move operations online and reach customers.
• Community-led purchasing: direct takeout, gift cards, curated boxes, catering, and pop-ups to keep dollars local.

Show Guests

• Julie Clowes, District Director, Small Business Administration's San Francisco District Office
• Tim Russell, Program Director, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
• Sharon Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
• Pierre Coeurdeuil, Director of Advising & Education, SFMade
• Amanda Fried, Chief of Policy and Communications, Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco
• Adam Fowler, founding partner, CVL Economics
• Kristin Houk Owner of All Good Pizza, TATO, Café Alma
• Rebecca Bertoldi, Rebecca Bertoldi Marketing
• Pooja Rajani, Director of Programs, En 2 Action
• Laurie Thomas, Executive Director, Golden Gate Restaurant Association
• Shannon Walter, Manager, Blue Plate SF
• Jeff Trenam, Owner, Blue Plate SF
• Michelle Pusateri, Owner, Nana Joes Granola
• Andrea Baker, Founder, En 2 Action

Show Hosts

• Eric Estrada / Co-Host/ VOC
• George Koster/Producer/Host Voices of the Community

Why listen
You’ll hear what it really took to survive: from emergency capital and city tax relief to e-commerce pivots and neighborhood solidarity. Owners share the stress, the ingenuity, and the lessons they want every community to remember.

Take action
After you listen, do one thing to strengthen your local economy:
• Order direct from neighborhood restaurants and makers (skip third-party delivery when you can).
• Buy gift cards or curated boxes, book local catering for meetings and events.
• Donate or volunteer with the support organizations featured in this episode.
• Share this episode with a friend who loves small businesses as much as you do.

🎧 Listen now | 📺 Watch the episodes | 💬 Get involved!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

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Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

“We talk about that nihilistic mindset… what it means to grow up in a community that has that mindset and how that affects them. You have to be honest with them, though, that this is real. This is why y’all are dying.” - Anthony Rodriguez

Part two features Barbara Albertson, Michael Tubbs, youth panelists, and educators discussing Stockton's remarkable transformation from America's most miserable city through genuine community engagement, crime reduction strategies, educational reform, and grassroots organizing efforts.

Episode Guests:

• Barb Alberson—Senior Deputy Director for Policy & Planning, San Joaquin County Public Health Service
• Michael Tubbs—Former Mayor, City of Stockton
• Brandon Leake—Founder & CEO, Called To Move
• Tama Brisbane, co-founder & director, WOW Inc.
• Anthony Rodriguez—Teacher, Marshall Elementary School, Instructor, Summer Success & Leadership Academy
• Rhodesia Ransom, co-founder of Sow A Seed, California Assembly Person for the 13th Assembly District
• Tafari Lee—Youth Leader, Stockton
• Tyla Lovely Cotton—Youth Leader, Stockton
• Johnny Barrios—Youth Leader, Stockton

Hosts:

• Eric Estrada (associate producer),
• George Koster (creator, series host)
• Michael Fitzgerald (Stockton Town Hall host and retired Stockton Record reporter)

Your voice matters! Support these Stockton nonprofits featured in this highlight episode along with the entire documentary series! They are vital for economic growth, community health, and empowering future leaders. Watch, listen, and share this crucial episode with your networks, local officials, and community development funders.

🎧 Listen now | 📺 Watch the episodes | 💬 Get involved!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page.

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

Reinvention in Stockton starts with people. Family, faith, and Black history shape young leaders; high expectations and visible role models invite the whole community to “come together.” Mentorship turns promise into pathways: Phoenix Scholars supports first-gen, low-income students through applications, scholarships, and personal statements, building generational opportunity. Meanwhile, grassroots coalitions coordinate across safety, health, blight, cultural preservation, housing, and inclusion—proving that cross-sector collaboration can lift South Stockton and create momentum for the city at large.

Episode Guests

• Racole Dixon (mother of Michael Tubbs)
• Barbara Nicholson (grandmother of Michael Tubbs)
• Tasha Dixon (aunt of Michael Tubbs)
• Dr. Rebekah Fenton (physician; Phoenix Scholars co-founder with Michael Tubbs)
• Nicholas Hatten—Founder/Executive Director, San Joaquin Pride Center
• Fred Sheil—Administrator, STAND (Substance abusers Taking Action to Neutralize Drugs)
• Dillon Delvo—Co-Founder & Executive Director, Little Manila Rising
• Jasmine Dellafosse—Founding Member, Reinvent South Stockton Coalition

Hosts: Eric Estrada (associate producer), George Koster (creator, series host) and Nick McClendon (associate producer/interviewer)

Your voice matters! Support these Stockton nonprofits! They are vital for economic growth, community health, and empowering future leaders. Watch, listen, and share this crucial episode with your networks, local officials, and arts funders.

🎧 Listen now | 📺 Watch the episodes | 💬 Get involved!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide today

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

In this powerful season finale, guests explore five urgent themes—economic power of the arts, youth-led civic engagement, cultural equity, legislative reform, and creative healing. From museum-building to policy change and correctional programs, they reveal how arts work fuels systemic solutions and community transformation across California.

Show Guests:

+Jackie Melendez-Assistant City Manager, City of Chino

+Tracy Hudak-Director of Field Engagement,California for the Arts

+Josiah Bruny-CEO,Music Changing Lives

+Danielle Brazell-Executive Director,California Arts Council (CAC)

+Kristen Sakoda-Director, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

+Jennifer Laine-Executive Director, San Benito County Arts Council & President of California Arts Advocates

+Shira Lane-Founding Executive Director, Atrium 916

+Dr. Meghna Bhat-Founder,Gula Stories

+Ruben Reveles, Futuristic Chicanx Artist

+Alex Gallardo Valdeolivar-AIC Coordinator/ Instructor, Arts Council of Kern

+ Eric Estrada, Co-Host, Assoc Producer, Voices of the Community

+ Eduardo Robles: Summit Roaming Reporter, California for the Arts and Voices of the Community

+ George Koster: Creator, Host, Producer, Voices of the Community

Your voice matters! Support the arts now! They are vital for economic growth, community health, and empowering future leaders. Watch, listen, and share this crucial episode with your networks, local officials, and arts funders.

🎧 Listen now | 📺 Watch the episodes | 💬 Get involved!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide today

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible-Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small businesses and local government, City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy and our archives: You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch, Listen and Engage in all five series now!

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

"I have been used, abused and silenced within the nonprofit industrial complex... I'm not gonna take it anymore... I'm gonna get mine and my community's gonna get there's this year" - Nikko Kimzin, Kimzin Creative

In Part One of season two of Where Art Meets Impact highlight episode. This episode features inspiring voices from the 2024 California Arts and Culture Summit, which highlights, how artists and advocates tackle three major issues: legitimizing creative careers as real work, integrating arts into health systems, and empowering economic justice through entrepreneurship and guaranteed income. Learn how intentional funding, narrative shifts, and artist-led collaborations are creating systemic change.

Guests Include:

+ Julie Baker: CEO of California for the Arts

+ Nataki Garrett: Co-artistic Director of One Nation, One Project

+ Chris Appleton: Founder and CEO of Arts Pharmacy

+ Dr. Indre Viskontas: Cognitive Neuroscientist, Scientist, Communicator, Opera Singer and Stage Director

+ Dr. Tasha Golden: Director of Research for the International Arts Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University.

+ Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer-CEO & Founder, Studio T Arts & Entertainment

+ Nikko Kimzin: Founder, Kimzin Creative, an LLC

+ Jamie Hand: Director of Strategic Impact and Narrative Change at Creatives Rebuild New York

+ Nurit Siegal Smith: Executive Director, Music Forward Foundation

+ Marcus Mitchell: Public Administrator, the City of West Hollywood's Arts

+ Eric Estrada, Co-Host, Assoc Producer, Voices of the Community

+ Eduardo Robles: Summit Roaming Reporter, California for the Arts and Voices of the Community

+ George Koster: Creator, Host, Producer, Voices of the Community

🎧 Listen now | 📺 Watch the episodes | 💬 Get involved!

Don't just be a listener; Be a doer!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide today

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible-Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small businesses and local government, City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy and our archives: You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch, Listen and Engage in all five series now!

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

Join host George Koster for part two of our Arts for a Better Bay Area highlights as ten visionary guests tackle some of the big issues facing San Francisco and our arts organizations and creative workforce; Such as downtown vacancies, converting offices into affordable artist homes, changing Hotel Tax Funding of the arts via reforms ensuring transparent hotel‑tax dollars, and showcasing the impact of arts in economic development of neighborhoods like the Mid‑Market along with providing direct grants to artists that revive the city’s cultural heartbeat.

Guests:

• Joshua Simon, Senior Advisor, Community Arts Stabilization Trust
• Kathryn Reasoner, Executive Consultant, Vital Arts
• Richard Raya, Chief Strategy Officer, Mission Economic Development Agency
• Fernando Pujals, Deputy Director,Mid‑Market Business Association
• Jacob Bintliff, Mgr of Economic Recovery Initiatives, SF Office of Economic & Workforce Development
• Laura Poppiti, Program Director, Center for Cultural Innovation
• Meredith Winner, Co-Founder & COO, Building 180/Paint the Void
• Joe Landini, Director / Founder, SafeHouse Arts
• Vinay Patel, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
• Denise Pate, Director Community Investments, SF Arts Commission

Don't just be a listener; Be a doer!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide today

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

Part one of this special episode, in collaboration with Arts for a Better Bay Area, delves into the discussions and insights from the 2023 State of the Arts and Culture Organization Summit. Host Eric Estrada and summit reporter Isa Nakazawa bring you the voices of key panelists and attendees who are shaping the future of the arts in the Bay Area.

Guests:

• Maria Jenson, Creative and Executive Director, SOMARTS Cultural Center
• Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs, San Francisco Arts Commission
• Jonathan Moscone, Executive Director, California Arts Council
• Jenny Cohn, Client Success Manager of TRG
• Jeff Jones, Co-founder, Queer Cultural Center
• Vallie Brown, Director of the City of San Francisco’s Grants for the Arts
• Cary McClelland,Chief Operating Officer & Registered In-House Counsel - YBCA

Don't just listen – get involved!

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide today

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,

Arts Equity, Advocacy, Impact

"Artists, cultural bearers, creatives are essential contributors to the economy… so that arts are not a luxury, arts are not a hobby" – Ron Muriera

This episode of Where Art Meets Impact features Kristen Sakota, Michael Alexander, Ron Muriera, Meghna Bhat, and Josiah Bruny, discussing arts advocacy, economic empowerment, storytelling, arts and health, and youth leadership. They offer solutions including increasing arts funding, strengthening community engagement, advocating for policy change, empowering youth through creative leadership, and integrating the arts into healthcare. Tune in to learn how these leaders are shaping the future of arts and culture in our communities.

For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide today

Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions.

Newsletter: Sign up

to stay updated on future episodes and events

Delve deeper into the Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small enterprises and local government, the City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy, and our archives:You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!,