Pivot Point explores the personal experiences of those who have made a life and career in the world of film, music and the arts. We’ll hear from industry pros about how they got started, the hurdles they overcame and the help they received along the way. Joseph’s style of interviewing reveals stories we embrace as our own, finding empathy and encouragement in the creative journey and hopefully help you move closer to your own personal Pivot Point.
John DeNicola is an American songwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", for which he won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as receiving a Grammy nomination, in 1988. In 1989 he was the co-winner of ASCAP Awards' "Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures" for "Time of My Life" as well as for "Hungry Eyes", another song from the film. Listen in as John tells Joseph about his latest release and the early days of analog recording.
How does one become a tech privacy attorney and a musician? How do you go to Mumbai to find your way? This is the story of Alan Chapell. Growing up on the multi-ethnic streets of Stamford, Connecticut, Alan Chapell was exposed to a multitude of music – playing piano and trumpet before the age of six and at age 15 recording with the legendary producer Jimmy ienner (Dirty Dancing, KiSS, etc) Along with his musical success, Alan has carved out a niche as an attorney . . . advising tech companies on privacy issues. When the producers of HBO's Silicon Valley consider creating a character to lampoon your role in the tech space, you know you've made it.
Richard Humann is a Brooklyn-based neo-conceptual artist whose work has been included in the Venice Biennale, represented the United States in the 2017 Karachi Biennale in Pakistan, and has had multiple national and international solo gallery and museum exhibitions. Richard was born and raised in the Lower Hudson Valley region of New York State. He divides his time between Brooklyn and Woodstock, NY. This podcast is not about art, it's about being an artist. Listen to Joseph and Richard talk it up.
Franke Previte: Academy Award and Grammy award winning songwriter, singer, talks with Joseph about his early childhood, selling cars in his driveway to earn money and how (I've Had) The Time of My Life and Hungry Eyes were written and how they found their way in movie Dirty Dancing.
Joseph met Diana at a SAG-AFTRA workshop and have been friends since. Diana is an actor, voice actor and producer. Known for her recurring roles on "The Young and the Restless" and "Days of Our Lives", she has also done a number of TV Commercials. She began working in Group ADR in 2010, on "Eureka", and has been heard on "Alphas", "Defiance", "Code Black", "Quantico", "Midnight Texas", "Into The Dark" and more. The daughter of an avionics mechanic from Sri Lanka and a Danish mother, Diana's unusual ethnic background has granted her a strong sense of culture. Her love of travel began at a young age and she's been to over 30 countries. www,dianalansleen.com
Bill Schnee is an internationally renowned producer, engineer, and mix master. He has received over 125 gold and platinum records and more than 50 Top 20 singles that run the gamut from Barbra Streisand to The Jacksons, Rod Stewart to Steely Dan, and Whitney Houston to Dire Straits. This is my conversation with Bill about his journey and his art. Check out Bill's new book: Chairman at the Board: Recording the soundtrack of a Generation
Today's guest is Nashville music producer, singer, songwriter Aaron Ruiz. Aaron is an artist who has had hundreds of songs placed in tv shows. Joseph and Aaron talk about the work it takes to stay present, dealing with negative self talk and accepting that we are not in control of whether a song is a success or not. www.aaronandandrew.com https://soundcloud.com/skyline-brigade
Meridith and Joseph have a podcast (Are You Waiting For Permission) dedicated to those of us who have stood on the edge, waiting for others to give us permission to pursue our dreams. Today, Joseph interviews Meridith and Joseph about their creative journeys as actors, coaches and podcasters.
Today Cathy and Joseph wrap up their conversation. We learn of Cathy's acting opportunities; how she drove 3 hours each way for her auditions and how she views her creative process.
This week, Cathy and Joseph continue their conversation. We hear how Cathy moved forward with her education and started modeling. We also learn of the one woman who positively impacted her life.
Cathy is a first generation Vietnamese American born and raised in Seattle, WA. To say that Cathy grew up under difficult circumstances is an understatement. Her story is one of hard work, perseverance and survival. Cathy graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Washington all the while working as a genetic researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She earned her second degree in Graphic Design & Illustration. Cathy worked her way through various design specialties for Fortune 500 companies and found her sweet spot as an e-commerce User Experience (UX) / Product Designer. Cathy has appeared in GRIMM, LEVERAGE and is a recurring guest star for a series to be announced soon as well as a recurring guest star on an animated series. www.cathyvu.com
Matt McNally was working in the advertising world for over 2 decades when he decided that his life needed a shift. How did he go from the ad world to the world of culinary arts? Matt is the chef of Laurel's Catering, a catering company he and his wife Laurel started. They are in Napa, CA. www.laurelscatering.com.
In part 2 of Joseph's conversation with Stacy Widelitz, we hear how Stacy handle the stress of being a film composer, how he shape-shifted to a country song writer and his latest adventure as a photographer.
Stacy Widelitz is a composer, songwriter and photographer. He co-wrote the Dirty Dancing song, "She's Like The Wind" with Patrick Swayze. Today we hear how Stacy got his start as a pianist, songwriter and now photographer.
Barrington is an author and screenwriter who writes speculative fiction that explores how people respond when their world — or their place in it — changes. Her work has been optioned and won prizes like Amazon Studios' Best Screenplay Award, Screencraft's Cinematic Short Story Competition Grand Prize, and DreamAgo's Pen & Pellicule Writing Fellowship. She has published fiction in literary journals like Sycamore Review, Colorado Review, The Drum and Women of Horror, Volume 3 and I co-wrote for an upcoming episode of Creepshow on AMC's Shudder Network. https://barringtonsmith.net In this conversation Joseph and Barrington touch on topics of value and belonging.
Today we hear the story of Fidan Aghayeva-Edler, pianist. She is a pianist based in Berlin, Germany, currently focused on performance of contemporary music and improvisation. She was born in Azerbaijan, moved to Norway and then Berlin. Fidan tells us about the joy she has when performing and the journey she's taken to get there.
Thomas Laub is a producer currently represented on Broadway with David Byrne's American Utopia (Special Tony Award). Past work includes Slave Play (Tony Nomination), Seven Deadly Sins, and the site-specific Myths & Hymns. Upcoming: Douglas Carter Beane's Fairycakes, Selina Fillinger's POTUS, and Plaza Suite starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. Founder of Runyonland Productions and entertainment revenue management firm Standing Room Theatrical Solutions.
Katie Leigh is a voice actress, best known for her roles as Sunni Gummi in Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Zuzu in Poppy Cat, Alex in the first two seasons of Totally Spies!, and as Connie Kendall in the Focus on the Family radio program Adventures in Odyssey since 1987. This is her story.
Today's episode you'll hear Joseph talk about his decision to change markets - from NYC to Los Angeles; how a scoring rejection caused to him to reconsider his dreams and how he received the opportunity to compose the underscore music for American Sniper.
For the first episode of Pivot Point in year two, Joseph continues with an exploration of his own journey. This Pivot Point explores his years in Nashville, his time working at Belmont Church, his unsuccessful production company and how he dealt with difficulties in his personal life. This two-part series starts where he left off in bonus episode #4. Want to know more about his earlier journey? Listen to bonus episodes 1 - 4 in year 1.
Award-winning composer Sherri Chung is on Pivot Point today. Her music can be heard on Batwoman, Riverdale, Blindspot and The Red Line. She composed the music for Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase and The Last Husband. She is a pianist, vocalist, conductor and orchestrator. Her theme music to Kung Fu is heard in the podcast intro.
Today's guest is Janay Woodruff. Janay is a powerhouse rock singer and songwriter. She hails from St. Louis where she cultivated her love for music at age 9 through the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Known for her laser focus and unshakeable drive, Janay was unsurprisingly tapped to open for FloRida for NOW 96.3 NOW Night Out. The into features her successful song, Diamonds. www.janaesound.com
Kevin Brewerton is a 5 time world kickboxing champion, author, director, actor and painter. His story is one of seeking the truth both in his life and in his art. Kevin's book is called - These Are African Hands-A Memoir. You can find it on Amazon.
Beau Stroupe: Opera singer, actor and coach is my guest this week. Beau and I met 25 years ago in Nashville. A graduate of Manhattan School of Music, Beau's talent provided him opportunities as a professional opera singer. Listen in on how his path changed directions and why. In the podcast intro, hear Beau sing Che gelida manina from La Boheme.
April Cleveland is a director, educator, and the creator of THE EXODUS ENSEMBLE in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which creates wild and immersive theatrical events. April directs fast-paced thrillers across genres, from classics and contemporary adaptations to dystopian new work and large-scale musicals.
Kimber Terry is today's guest. She is know by her stage name, Kimber. She is a singer/song writer from Nashville, TN. From a young age Kimber has always been singing and writing songs. She would even sing her math homework and make the questions into lyrics. Today her lyrics and music go far beyond math equations. Check out her song: Used to Being Used in the podcast intro. For more info on Kimber go to https://www.kimberofficialmusic.com
Adele Cabot is a well-known voice coach in Los Angeles. Her clients are actors who have appeared on Broadway, in regional theatres, and in starring roles in films and on TV. Adele was also an actor and director of plays for many years in New York. She is the head of LAvoiceJOY, a studio she founded where she teaches Linklater Voice for actors and executives (speaking voice). Her MFA in Acting is from Brooklyn College and she is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher. (Designated by Kristin Linklater in 1998.) Adele has taught and coached voice, acting, and acting Shakespeare in many places around the world - including at Shakespeare's Globe in London, Shanghai Theatre School, Shanghai, China, and National Theatre of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. She was the primary Voice and Speech Consultant at Arena Stage in Washington DC. See www.adelecabot.com for more info.
Today Joseph chats with Ed Hooks. Ed is an actor for almost thirty years. He's written several books on acting and became a respected acting coach. He was trained as an actor in New York, where he appeared in many stage plays plus TV Soaps and hundreds of TV commercials for major companies like AT&T, Bounce Fabric Softener, Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, Excedrin, Traveler’s Insurance and McDonald's. In 1996, Ed was invited to teach acting to animators at PDI/DreamWorks in Palo Alto, California, when that company was working on the movie “Antz”, starring Woody Allen. After the film was released, Ed wrote the book “Acting for Animators”, and it was quickly embraced by the entire animation industry. Today, it is available in a revised 4th edition, published by Routledge in London.
Dan Navarro is Joseph's guest this week. Dan is co-author of the song We Belong with his late partner Eric Lowen. Prior to Eric's illness, they toured together for years as Lowen & Navarro. Eric's illness from Lou Gehrig's disease had Dan eventually go solo. You can find Dan on Facebook at Dan Navarro Music.
Accomplished composer for film, television and theater, Cindy O'Connor is Joseph's guest today. You'll know Cindy's music from the show "Once Upon a Time" which ran for seven seasons. She also toured for four yeas as a keyboard player and BG singer with Pat Benatar. Kristen's Poem at Menacing Hedge - Unforgiven. http://menacinghedge.com/spring2021/entry-debeasi.php
Today's guest is Doreen Ringer-Ross. Doreen is best known as a supporter of artists and for her years at BMI (Broadcast Music Inc). She is responsible for starting programs such as BMI's conducting workshop, The Sundance Composer's Lab and many others. This is Doreen's journey.
Bianca Bethune is Joseph's guest this week. She is an actor on movies like Bad Boys ll & Bad Boys for Life and the TV show: Switched At Birth. Bianca and Joseph met at while working on BB4Life. Today she tells her story of how she went from dancing to acting and transitioning from a childhood actor to an adult actor. Bianca also has a podcast called What Else w/ Bianca Bethune.
This week features guitarist, Justin Derrico. Justin is a phenomenal player and is the guitarist sideman for P!NK for over ten years. You can also see Justin play on NBC's The Voice. Joseph met and worked with Justin on P!nk's documentary, P!NK: ALL I KNOW SO FAR debuting on Amazon Prime Video in May. This is Justin's story.
Today's guest is Joanie Diener. Joanie is an Emmy-winning music editor, with extensive experience in both feature films and television. The recipient of thirteen MPSE Golden Reel Award nominations and five wins. Classically trained, she earned a B.A. in Music at UC Berkeley, with continued graduate studies in Musicology at Boston University where she conducted the BU Women’s Chorus. After spending a number of years as a singer/songwriter, an interest in film led to her present career as a film music editor. Joseph and Joanie worked together on the Michael Mann show, Luck
Arranger/Orchestrator Jeff Atmajian is Joseph's guest today. Jeff is a highly sought after arranger and orchestrator for films. His steady clientele are well-known and highly successful composers such as James Newton Howard, Marc Shaiman, Rachel Portman and Gabriel Yared. In the past two years Jeff has been pursuing a more high profile composing career. Recently he scored the 90-minute documentary about the Armenian Genocide called Screamers. Joseph and Jeff first worked together on the Rachel Portman's score for BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE.
Matt Moran is Joseph's guest this week. Matt began his career in entertainment at the age of eight, singing radio jingles and appearing on various children’s television programs and recorded albums. Upon earning a degree in Communications and Film, Matt headed to Nashville, where he spent the next 12 years performing and hosting entertainment events, as well as penning songs for several Grammy-nominated artists, eventually garnering a 36th position on Billboard’s top 200 with his song, “For Freedom.” He recently released his first full-length solo album entitled, “Awakening,” and his music has been featured on Larry King Live, Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly, The View, Comedy Central, and ABC News with Bob Woodruff.
Shie Rozow is Joseph's guest today. Shie is a composer, music editor. He has taken a different path than most leading him to work on over 100 feature films. As a music editor, Shie has earned 17 Golden Reel Award nominations and winning of three. Some of his credits include Avengers: Age of Ultron, Oz: The Great & Powerful and Hustle & Flow. This is Shie's story.
Today's guest is Ari Solotoff, Esq. Yes. Ari is a music lawyer. Joseph met Ari when working on Sinfonia. In need of a music attorney, Ari was referred to Joseph from Lucas Richman (episodes 17 & 18). Trained as a classical musician, Ari focuses his law practice on serving clients in entertainment and intellectual property law, as well as related areas of practice. He represents leading musicians, composers, artists, and other creative entrepreneurs. This is Ari's journey. Ari's website: www.solotofflaw.com.
This week we hear how Don pivots from Hollywood, CA and find himself landing back at Berklee College of Music and developing one of the best Film Scoring music departments in the country. Also - please visit www.chla.org and support Shie Rozow's walk that is happening this Saturday, February 13, 2021 to raise money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. I give you more details about it at the beginning of this weeks show. Thank you. direct link to Shie's support page: http://connect.chla.org/site/TR/DIY/DIY_Fundraising?px=2566762&pg=personal&fr_id=1090
This week on Pivot Point is Don Wilkins. Don and Joseph go way back. In fact, Don was Joseph's teacher and mentor at Berklee College of Music. Don and Joseph have worked professionally on two projects: Hometown, a CBS tv series and The First Killing Frost, an independent feature film. Though Don has taught and mentored hundreds of film scoring students over his 30 year career, Don's initial career path was to be a Hollywood composer. This two part conversation takes you on his journey of Pivot Points.
Today's guest is Michael Stearns. Michael and Joseph met each other while working together on Alpha, directed by Albert Hughes. Michael is a composer and soundtrack designer/producer. His credits include music and soundtrack production for television, feature films, planetariums, theme parks, twenty two IMAX films and seventeen solo albums. His music has been used for James Cameron’s “The Abyss”, “Titanic” and “Avatar”, as well as music for Disney Films, HBO, ABC, PBS, BBC, Discovery Channel, and Ron Fricke’s non-verbal 70MM films “Chronos”, “Sacred Site”, “Baraka” and “Samsara”. It has also been used by NASA, Laserium, and choreographed by the Berkshire Ballet. Michael has produced the soundtracks to Universal Studio’s themed attractions “Earthquake” and “Back To The Future, The Ride”. He produced the soundtrack to Paramount Picture’s ride film “Star Trek, The Experience” and produced music for World’s Fair/Expos in Korea, Japan and Spain. Michael works in his music and post production studio “The Guest House”, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Today Joseph speaks with picture editor Jett Sally. Joseph and Jett met when working together on NINJA ASSASSIN. Joseph “Jett” Sally is currently cutting Lana Wachowski’s highly anticipated THE MATRIX 4 starring Keanu Reeves. His most recent work can be seen on WORK IN PROGRESS, the unique Showtime comedy series executive produced by Lilly Wachwoski. Jett has also collaborated with the Wachowksis on the popular Netflix series SENSE 8. Jett is known for editing both James McTeigue’s Netflix series, MESSIAH, and his feature film, BREAKING IN.
Sally Boldt is an experienced music editor whose credits include films from a wide array of genres, ranging from Groundhog Day, Hairspray, and L.A. Confidential to American Hustle, Tron: Legacy, and most recently Soul and Watchman. Equally adept at creating a temp score in a period drama as managing the complex logistics of a musical, Sally has skill and expertise that make her a go-to music editor for films of all stripes. Today Sally and Joseph talk about how her career unfolded from unexpected opportunities.
Today's guest is David Seltzer, the writer of The Omen, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (screenplay) and writer/director of Lucas and Shining Through. Joseph met David when working together in NYC on Shining Through. This is David's story.
Last week we left off with Frank having to make a major choice for his career. This week we hear how Frank made that choice and how that influenced his career. This is part two of Frank Montaño's journey.
9 time Oscar nominated re-recording mixer, Frank Montaño is Joseph's guest this week. Joseph and Frank have worked together on The Book of Eli, Alpha, The Revenant and Queen and Slim. Today Frank talks about his early days from being in sports as a boxer to thinking he would be a software engineer as his career choice. Sometimes life feels like it has it's own choices for us. Listen as Frank talks about his pivot points and those people who were there to help him along the way.
Steven Saltzman is Joseph's guest today. He is a multi-talented musician, music editor, author and educator. Today you will hear about Steven's path, how he spent two decades pursuing a dream; first in Boston then in Hollywood. It wasn't until life's circumstances brought him to a crossroads and he became open to other possibilities that he then found his success. Steven has worked on movies like The Revenant, 24 Hours to Live and After, Mary. He's a Golden Reel award winner with seven nominations.
Today's episode is with Kristen Baum. Yes. Joseph and Kristen are married. They are a thing. Today you will hear Kristen's story: where she grew up, how she grew up and how she made her way to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming a film composer. You'll also hear about the pivot points that influenced her to write two novels, publish poems and write and record song cycles.
Albert Hughes, part 2. Last week Albert left us with how he got his first directing job. Today Albert and Joseph continue their conversation. We'll hear who he met at his first job and how that was a pivot point for him. They also go deep into a discussion about the creative mindset. You'll hear about one of Albert's deep dives as he was preparing for The Book of Eli.
Albert Hughes - director of Alpha, Book of Eli, From Hell, American Pimp, Dead Presidents and Touching Evil. In this part 1 of a 2 part podcast, Albert talks about his life growing up in Detroit, how he became interested in film and how his first directing job happened.
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