Podcast appearances and mentions of William Morris Agency

In this engaging episode, Guy spoke with Judy Wilkins-Smith. She shared profound insights into systemic work and the impact of emotional inheritance across generations. She explained how understanding our family patterns and processing inherited emotions can lead to personal transformation and resilience. Judy discussed her journey into this work, its application in both individual and corporate settings, and how events like the pandemic have influenced collective and personal resilience. She emphasized the importance of recognizing our inherent capabilities and turning perceived 'junk' into valuable 'gems'. Judy also introduced her book, 'Decoding Your Emotional Blueprint', as a guide for anyone seeking to transform their life through disentangling multi-generational patterns. Listeners are encouraged to see themselves as the latest in a long line of love letters, full of untapped potential waiting to be expressed. About Judy: Judy is a highly-regarded international, organizational, individual and family patterns expert, systemic coach and trainer. Founder of the US company, System Dynamics for Individuals & Organizations, she is a sought-after motivational and informational speaker for conferences and businesses.  Her credentials read like the Who's Who List of Corporate America. NASA, Microsoft, Pfizer, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, JP Morgan, Kraft Heinz, MARS Petcare North America, MARS LATAM, and the William Morris Agency are just a few of her clients.  Passionate about individual human potential, visionary leadership and positive, accelerated, global change, Judy's work is truly revolutionary. Through her unique ability to understand critical relational dynamics and patterns in personal and organizational systems, she has taken the highly-esteemed healing methodologies of Systemic Work and Constellations to a whole new level for use as powerful new tools for personal growth and organizational transformation. Key Points Discussed:  (00:00) - The NEW AWAKENING is Here — And It's Breaking Ancestral Patterns at Scale (00:50) - Republishing the Episode: A Message from the Host (01:34) - Guest Introduction: Meet Judy (02:08) - The Power of Constellations: A Unique Meditation (02:48) - Understanding Emotional DNA: Inherited Patterns (05:20) - Breaking the Cycle: Transformational Moments (11:42) - Inherited Trauma: The Science Behind It (18:55) - Creating Change: Personal and Corporate Transformation (23:58) - Exploring Shame and Belonging (24:52) - The Power of Little Drops of Love (25:58) - Mastering Self-Perception (27:54) - Body Language and Trauma (29:29) - Unresolved Emotions and Physical Ailments (32:26) - Meta Patterns and Their Impact (37:07) - The Importance of Stretching Yourself (41:09) - Final Thoughts and Book Insights How to Contact Judy Wilkins-Smith:judywilkins-smith.com www.facebook.com/judywilkinssmith www.instagram.com/judywilkinssmith About me:My Instagram: www.instagram.com/guyhlawrence/?hl=en Guy's websites:www.guylawrence.com.au www.liveinflow.co''

#Wolfpack #4 Top 70 California Business Podcasts, #68 on the Top 100 Hollywood Podcastss List. Bestselling author Joel Brokaw has been the grateful beneficiary of a life experience that has helped give him a valuable perspective. Whether growing tomatoes in the social-laboratory of Sweden during the 1970s or working in Hollywood with some of the most famous people on the planet, Joel has had a front row seat to noteworthy cultural and societal developments over the decades. Working in the entertainment industry as a publicist for more than 30 years, Joel learned from some of the best in how artists use their craft and their medium to connect with audiences. Foremost he realized how this connection must be immediate, accessible, uncomplicated yet novel. It had to go beyond the intellect and penetrate on the body and soul. He also observed that the artists with the greatest longevity achieved that through honesty and integrity with their audiences. And many of them taught him the greatest gift—how art created with the right intention can help elevate the human spirit for the highest good. Joel was born as the fourth generation in a show business family. His paternal grandmother's family was a Russian acrobatic dance troupe that performed for European royalty and on the American vaudeville stage. His grand uncle Johnny Hyde discovered Marilyn Monroe. And his super-agent father worked from the mailroom to become chairman of the William Morris Agency. His maternal aunt was Sara Berner, a character/comedic actress whose most notable roles were in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and as a member of Jack Benny's ensemble. https://joelbrokaw.com/ Connect with your host Kaia all Alexander: https://entertainmentbusinessleague.com/ https://twitter.com/thisiskaia  Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A. Get career training and a free ebook “How to Pitch Anything in 1 Min.” at www.EntertainmentBusinessLeague.com SUMMARY In this episode, Kaia interviews Joel Brokaw, author of *Driving Marilyn* and a prominent figure in media and entertainment. We explore his father, Norman Brokaw's, incredible journey from the mailroom of the William Morris Agency to becoming a leading agent for Hollywood icons. Joel shares insights on the profound impact of mentorship in the industry, emphasizing the importance of empathy and genuine relationships. We discuss Norman's revolutionary contributions to television and his ability to transform risks into opportunities for stars. Joel reflects on the evolving roles within media and encourages aspiring creatives to embrace storytelling, highlighting the lasting power of connections in achieving success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we discuss if it makes sense for brands to invest in influencer marketing and creator collaborations with Gabe Gordon, co-founder of Reach Agency.  Gabe shares how his journey from the prestigious William Morris Agency led him to revolutionize brand storytelling through strategic influencer collaborations. Dive into a captivating case studies with Gabe that make the case for why working with creators makes sense for both B2B and B2C brands.Explore the shifting dynamics between brands and creators and why respecting a creator's unique vision can yield remarkable results. Learn about the profound impact of social commerce and the growing influence of creators in both B2C and B2B sectors. Gabe shares how brands are increasingly embracing creators not just as promoters but as integral parts of their business strategy.Check out Gabe's web site - Reach AgencySend us a Text Message, give feedback on the episode, suggest a guest or topicVisit the Remarkable Marketing Podcast website to see all our episodes.Visit the Remarkable Marketing Podcast on YouTube Remarkable Marketing Podcast Highlights on InstagramEric Eden on LinkedIn

Our guest today for episode #119 is Hollywood producer turned Author, David List. A native New Yorker, David List began his career in the mailroom of the New York office of the William Morris Agency, quickly rising to become an agent in their exclusive TV Packaging division. Subsequently, he moved to Los Angeles and segued into film and television production, first as Sr. Vice President of Development and Production, for Dodi Fayed, who later lost his life in an automobile crash with Princess Diana, and then for Albert S. Ruddy, legendary film producer of Oscar-winning films such as The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby. He later founded his own company, RoadDog Industries, Inc., and in late 2022 was the Executive Producer of Miramax's new Fletch film, Confess, Fletch, starring Jon Hamm. He resides in Los Angeles. What Are the Odds, his first novel, is due out on October 22, 2024, from one of America's most respected publishing houses, Blackstone Publishing. He is currently working on his second novel, The Whale Hunter.

In this episode, I spoke with Joel Brokaw about his book "Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw".Norman Brokaw was CEO and Chairman of the William Morris Agency from 1989 to 1997, but his legacy may lie in his ascent from mail room clerk to Marilyn Monroe's personal driver to agent for some of Hollywood's most iconic figures of the late 20th Century: Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Elvis (and Colonel Parker), Natalie Wood, Loretta Young, Clint Eastwood, Danny Thomas, Dick Van Dyke, Berry Gordy, Bill Cosby, Donna Summer, Brooke Shields plus many more. 

Send Kevin a Text MessageIn this episode of "Don't Kill the Messenger," host Kevin Goetz sits down with Gary Lucchesi, the acclaimed producer and former President of the Producer's Guild of America. From his early days as a talent agent at William Morris to his tenure as President of Production at Paramount Pictures, Gary has been a driving force behind numerous hit films. As a producer, his credits include Primal Fear, Million Dollar Baby, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Runaway Bride, among many others. In this insightful conversation, Gary shares stories from his career, discussing the art of assembling the right talent, the power of test screenings, and his thoughts on the future of the film industry.From William Morris to Hollywood Heavyweight (07:41)Gary talks about his early days at the William Morris Agency and the lessons he learned from mentors like Stan Kamen. He shares stories about signing talent like Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Costner.The Paramount Years (17:45)Gary discusses his tenure as President of Production at Paramount Pictures, where he oversaw films like The Hunt for Red October and Fatal Attraction.Saving Fatal Attraction with a New Ending (21:25)Gary shares the story of how a focus group and audience test screening led to a major change in the ending of Fatal Attraction, turning it from a "bummer" into a box office hit.Producing Primal Fear and Discovering Edward Norton (28:21)Gary dives into the making of Primal Fear, discussing the casting process and how Edward Norton's brilliant audition won him the career-launching role over other contenders like Leonardo DiCaprio.Million Dollar Baby and the Road to the Oscars (33:15)Gary shares the journey of making Million Dollar Baby, from the script's origins to Clint Eastwood's involvement to the film's Academy Award.Bringing Andrew Lloyd Weber to the Big Screen (37:08)Gary talks about his time working with Andrew Lloyd Weber and bringing musicals like Sunset Boulevard and Cats to the screen.The Shifting Landscape of the Film Industry (42:38)Kevin and Gary discuss the seismic changes in the film business. Gary shares his optimism about the next generation reinventing the industry.Gary Lucchesi brings his passion for producing, his keen eye for talent, and his deep understanding of the filmmaking process to this conversation with his friend, and host, Kevin Goetz. For anyone interested in the art and business of filmmaking, this episode offers a front-row seat to one of the industry's most accomplished and respected producers.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or connect on social media. We look forward to bringing you more revelations from behind-the-scenes next time on Don't Kill the Messenger!Host: Kevin GoetzGuest: Gary LucchesiProducer: Kari CampanoWriters: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, and Kari CampanoAudio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)For more information about Gary Lucchesi:Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_LucchesiIMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0524342/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-lucchesi-26204127a For more information about Kevin Goetz: Website: www.KevinGoetz360.comAudienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @KevinGoetz360Linked In @Kevin GoetzScreen E

Season 6, episode 43 on the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast with Jeremy Evans, interviewing author Joel Brokaw, youngest son of renowned Hollywood talent agent Norman Brokaw, discussing Norman's life and times from the mailroom at famed William Morris Agency, to driving Marilyn Monroe and confiding in Joe DiMaggio, working with Elvis Presley and Col. Tom Parker, and representing the likes of President Gerald Ford, athlete Mark Spitz, musical genius Berry Gordy, in his book "Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw", describes his life of purpose, selflessness, and revolutionizing the talent agency business and television. Copyright © 2024.  California Sports Lawyer®.  All Rights Reserved (www.CSLlegal.com).

David List, a native New Yorker, began his career in the mailroom of the New York office of the William Morris Agency, quickly rising to become an agent in their exclusive TV Packaging division. Subsequently, he moved to Los Angeles and segued into film and television production, first as Senior Vice President of Development and Production for Dodi Fayed, who later lost his life in an automobile crash with Princess Diana, and then for Albert S. Ruddy, legendary film producer of Oscar-winning films such as The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby. WHAT ARE THE ODDS is his first novel. Visit his website at https://www.thatdavidlist.com/ Spies, Lies and Private Eyes is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers#writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #terrencemccauley #terrencemccauleybooks #bookouture #thrillers #Chicago63 #DavidList #WhatAreTheOdds

David List, a native New Yorker, began his career in the mailroom of the New York office of the William Morris Agency, quickly rising to become an agent in their exclusive TV Packaging division. Subsequently, he moved to Los Angeles and segued into film and television production, first as Senior Vice President of Development and Production for Dodi Fayed, who later lost his life in an automobile crash with Princess Diana, and then for Albert S. Ruddy, legendary film producer of Oscar-winning films such as The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby. WHAT ARE THE ODDS is his first novel. Visit his website at https://www.thatdavidlist.com/ Spies, Lies and Private Eyes is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers#writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #terrencemccauley #terrencemccauleybooks #bookouture #thrillers #Chicago63 #DavidList #WhatAreTheOdds

I was joined by author Joel Brokaw (who collaborated with Tyler Perry on the New York Times Bestseller "Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings") as he now turns his attention to his father Norman Brokaw, the former chairman and CEO of the William Morris Agency, in his new book "Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw". You can find the book at your local bookstore or on Amazon and if you want to get in touch with Joel you can do so at JoelBrokaw.com.Thanks to everyone who took the time to listen to the episode and please remember that the opinions expressed on this show are just that, opinions. If you enjoyed what you heard, word of mouth is still the best way to help, so please tell somebody, but liking, subscribing, and sharing help too. This show is an extension of TheSheist.com and if you'd like to be a guest on the show or have something to tell me, you can contact me at info@thesheist.com or at Sheist Podcast on Twitter. And as usual, be well, stay safe, and have fun no matter where you get your movies!

Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of: Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence. Lisa has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency. And since 2006, she's been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative in New York City. In this episode, we discuss the following: Take almost any bit of data, random or not, and our brain will try to make sense of it…it will try to create a story to explain it. Given that our brains are wired for stories, when it comes to persuading other people, stories are the most powerful tool we have. Don't underestimate the power of stories.   Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

Two pedestrians collide fatefully. by maxicue. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Joe slid through the crowd on the street, not in a hurry, just enjoying it, like it was some kind of game, call it Body Avoidance, a challenge of finding the gaps just large enough to pass through untouched while the bodies continued moving in somewhat predictable ways, though the unpredictable could always happen, adding to the challenge and the fun, that quick burst bypassing the unexpected shift. He loved this game ever since moving to New York, at first when he worked at a copy place in Grand Central Station (nearby where he happened to be sliding through at the moment), especially busy streets around there, especially at rush hours and lunch, and further challenged when he carried heavy packages of copies destined for publishing houses, often pocketing the cab money given to him to walk even farther through more busy streets carrying those burdens. And then when he became busboy and then waiter at the restaurant at Max's Kansas City, a punk club with the music upstairs and the restaurant where he worked downstairs, sliding through crowds of kids his age on weekend nights. It felt like a kind of dance, especially at the club, even with his own special tempo. This time though, for the first time ever as far as he could recall, he collided with someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere, his height of six and a half feet always helping his vision and his traversing perhaps missing her much smaller frame, at least a foot shorter, probably closer to a foot and a half, but more it seemed like she stepped into the narrow passage he'd found as if on purpose, finding the perfect moment for collision. But of course that would have been impossible, her knowing when to get in his way, when he'd happen to be sliding through at that very moment, unless fate could be considered purposeful. “Asshole,” the young woman growled from the concrete in which his impact sent her, landing on her ass and a hand that prevented something worse like concussion and scraping it for the trouble. With him stopped standing over her, the crowd flowed around the sudden impediment like cattle somehow avoiding stampeding, though less animal and more human since the flow went both ways. He looked down at a blonde waif, skinny and frail, her t shirt and jeans too big for her and looking well past new, the t shirt white with a band logo he was unfamiliar with showing every stain, and there were many, the jeans showing a small right kneecap where the cloth had frayed. The navy peacoat, too warm for the balmy, almost summerlike weather unusual this early in the year, splayed open. “I'm so sorry,” Joe exclaimed, and when his stretched out hand was avoided by her, he insisted, “Let me help you up.” She finally allowed his large hand to take hold of her small slim one aiding her to standing. “I didn't see you,” he added. “Obviously,” she smirked, adjusting her stuffed and scuffed red backpack on her shoulders. “Hungry?” he asked. “I could eat,” she half smiled. He guided her across the street and to the end of the block where one of the last of the Horn and Hardarts automats existed and put coins into the slots for her tuna sandwich and chips and for his egg salad. He bought her a Coke and he got coffee. She used the toilet there to clean her scrape amongst other things since she took a while, which worried him, thinking she might have run off, but of course she didn't, having food waiting for her. “I'm Joe,” he told her. “Jenny,” she replied before filling her mouth with a bite of sandwich. They said nothing for a while since she devoured her food, obviously needing it. “Anything else?” he asked. “Maybe a pie? The lemon meringue looked tempting.” “Okay if we share?” he asked. “That's fine.” “Uhm, are you going to stay?” He looked at her, saw her eyes pooling and she sniffled. “Please?” Her smile nearly broke his heart when she replied, “Nowhere better to be.” “Good. After we eat, let's get that scrape taken care of.” “Okay.” They stayed, talking over the small empty plate. “Where are you from?” he asked. “The Twin Cities. Minneapolis.” “No shit! Me too!” “No shit!” “No shit. Where?” “Robbinsdale.” “Golden Valley.” “No shit?” “No shit.” The two suburbs were neighbors, Robbinsdale more middle class than Golden Valley, which tended to be more upper middle class, a lot of professionals, doctors, lawyers and professors, his dad being of the latter type. Fate. “You work around here?” she asked, since Joe had dressed up in a jacket and tie, the tie loose around his neck. “I used to,” he told her. “I'm actually applying for jobs presently.” “Presently,” she giggled. “Sorry. I tend to talk like I have a stick up my butt.” “No, it's cute.” “Glad you think so,” he chuckled. “How's the job search going?” she asked. “Not great unfortunately. My uncle's an executive at the William Morris Agency, and I hoped that might help, but I guess he's against nepotism. It's possible I'll get a job in their mail room. I applied at other offices, but I'm making a career change, or hoping to, and have got little experience.” “From what?” she asked. “I used to be a waiter at Max's Kansas City.” “No shit!” “No shit.” “Why not stay there?” “I needed a change,” he murmured, unconsciously stroking his arm. Jenny sensing Joe's discomfort regarding the subject wisely ended that line of inquiry. “What's the William Morris Agency?” she asked instead. “It's one of the largest talent agencies in America,” he told her. “Cool.” “Yeah. It's had its perks. Getting turned on to Bowie early because my uncle wrote the contract that signed him. Meeting cool stars at a party at his house upstate. Going to openings like the movie Hair and Apocalypse Now, the last a brand new print and sitting close.” “Is that cool?” she asked. “Pretty cool,” he chuckled. When they left the automat, he told her, “Let's get you some anti-bacteria for your scrape and Band-Aids. I know a drugstore nearby.” “You don't have anything at home?” she asked, surprising him. “Um…you sure?” “I'm sure,” she smiled, and he could see those pretty blue eyes pool again. “I can get something on the way,” he decided. “Great!” Since the drugstore was close by, he went there anyway, and while getting the first aid stuff, she waited for him near the counter. “Need any of these?” she blushed, pointing to the rack of condoms. His cock stiffened in his pants while he grabbed a sixpack of lubricated Trojans. She stayed his hand and grabbed a twelve pack instead. “Holy shit,” he thought. Both were blushing while he made the purchase. They walked over to Grand Central and took the subway south to Fourteenth Street close to where he lived. They entered a door between a couple non-descript store fronts and climbed the stairs three floors, Joe unlocking a door on the left at the top. Fortunately none of his roommates were around in the shared area, probably sleeping since they tended to keep vampire hours, and Joe guided Jenny down a hallway, taking a sharp right and, pushing aside a beaded curtain, gestured her through. He had by far the largest bedroom in the three bedroom apartment, a couple large windows unfortunately facing the wall of another building. Unfortunate not for the view, but for the easy access from the roof to the room, the probable path taken when someone broke in and stole his record collection and his typewriter not long before. Or they could have just walked in, because he knew the probable culprit, since he'd seen the junkie just off St. Marks selling his records, a regular at Max's. “Sorry for the mess,” he apologized, and Joe was a definite slob. “No problem,” she responded. “Beggars can't be choosers.” “Jenny?” “Mind if I take a shower?” she sniffled. “Not at all. Just a second.” He knelt in front of a small cabinet and grabbed a towel for her. “The red door on the right,” he told her. For some reason they'd painted the bathroom a deep red, including the door, the rest of the apartment with white walls. He cleaned up his place while she showered, neatening the books and papers on the coffee table, the table on which he used to type before losing his typewriter, and tossing clothes into a gunny sack he used to tote down to go to the nearest laundromat a block or so away. She returned carrying her clothes and her bag, wearing the towel with it tucked between her cleavage, more of it than he expected, and when she unceremoniously dropped the towel, she sported perky b cup breasts, all the more substantial looking on her petite frame. She was skinny but fortunately not completely starved, no bones jutting out, her belly youthfully firm with just a hint of convexity, and her full bush, being blonde, seemed less substantial than if it were dark. Her waist curved subtly, neither what some would call child bearing hips, but not boyish either. This was definitely a woman. “Like what you see?” she smiled, turning, and showing him a perfect firm round ass. He also noticed muscled thighs and her arms even had some definition. “Wow,” he said. “You're definitely in shape.” “Dreams of being a prima ballerina,” she sniffled. He sat on the bed and patted his lap. “Come here.” “You have way too many clothes on,” she sniffled and giggled. “Come here, Jenny,” he said more forcefully. She sat on his lap sideways. He reluctantly kept his hands off her. “Tell me,” he said. “You don't want to fuck me?” “Of course I do. Tell me.” She sobbed. Only then did he embrace her across her middle, her face ending up against his chest. He could feel the tears wet his shirt. “Tell me,” he repeated. “I…had to,” she choked out. “Had to?” “Your shirt,” she murmured, pulling her head away. “It's okay,” he insisted, gently pulling her head back. “I auditioned over the years to get into ballet school here, but no takers,” she managed to say. “I wanted to be a ballerina but I guess I'm not good enough.” “Best to know I guess,” Joe tried. “It's not that. Oh, okay that kind of sucked, but mostly I wanted to get away.” “From?” “Everything!” “Including?” “My mother's cruel disappointment. She'd been a ballerina until she had me. My boyfriend turning out to be gay. Another boy practically raping me instead making sure I was ready. My father…” “Did he…?” “No, but he was working up to it. Probably looked at me like I was my mom when I was her age or younger I guess. He'd be affectionate, too affectionate as it turned out. He touched me where he shouldn't, not directly but close, you know. I guess I didn't believe it, but it turned out he was actually being shy, and eventually brought my hand to his crotch which got me off him immediately. The last straw…I woke up with him in my bed. I screamed and punched like in his diaphragm which took his wind. Maybe I should have punched lower, but I wanted to be nowhere near that, and when I raced out the room, my mother plods over and my dad says some bullshit about me seducing him, and since it was all about jealousy, him being more affectionate to me, and disappointment, she fucking believed him. “I'm of course freaking out, everything…and then this…but I managed to take some breaths, calming down, and told my mom if she wanted rid of me I needed money. They only had a couple hundred around but my mom takes me to her bank, gets me another five hundred, drives me to the bus station, buys me a ticket to New York, my demand, with her credit card. She actually offered one to me, but I told her she'd probably close it and have me arrested or something, and the bitch shrugged. And I'm like, ‘You're a fucking cunt.' And she's saying I'm a useless slut.” “Sorry,” Joe apologized. “I'm the sorry one,” Jenny actually chuckled. “But…it doesn't sound like sex…” Jenny shifted around so that she faced him, straddling his lap. “I got hit on by fucking pimps, Joe, as soon as I got off the fucking bus at Penn station. I'm not as naïve as I look.” “But you don't know me.” “Like you're a psycho? You don't seem the type and in a way I don't fucking care. A rapist probably wouldn't have brought me home. The hotel I stayed at this creepy guy kept staring at me in the lobby and ended up following me to my fucking floor, so I like got out quick out of there, practically running. And I didn't even dare shower there since the shower room was fucking shared and fucking groady. I was actually headed to Grand Central when we collided, thinking I'd try taking a train down to twenty-third, staying at the Chelsea or something, just to do something cool while I was here and still alive. So Joe, I guess you're the best choice I've had so far.” She kissed him, pulling off the jacket he still wore and unbuttoning his shirt. He broke the kiss when he tossed aside the tie, then lifted her and set her on her back on the bed. He finished the unbuttoning and tossed aside his shirt. “Nice,” she smiled, stroking his chest. Joe didn't work out, but being young, just twenty-one, and working hard at his job as a waiter, kept him slim and slimly muscled. He kept his pants on when he made love to her lying beside her on his side. Kisses continued for a while, both enjoying it especially when tongues were involved, her breath tasting of toothpaste and his presumably not offensive, while his hand began exploring the rest of her. The hand took the weight of her breasts, teasingly moving on before a direct attack on her small nipples to linger on her taut belly and moving teasing across her pudendum, through her soft patch of blond hair, before feeling the smoothness of her thighs and the firmness of muscles, and then under her, lifting her slightly by her firm ass, followed by sliding along her back, across her shoulder and returning to her breasts, fingers moving in on her nipples, caressing and tugging gently at each one, making her gasp into his mouth. Only then did he end the kiss, bringing his mouth to the exploration, finding thrills for her at her ear and neck before moving to her breasts and nipples. Once each one had been appreciated for a while, the second sending his hand down slowly, eventually fingers discovering the dampness of her labia, rimming the edges, his mouth followed the same trail as his hand, and when it reached where she wanted it, he shifted his body between her widened legs and his tongue lapped across her clit, the first touch of it, and she lifted her middle and moaned. Both fingers and mouth remained there, working her gradually to her first climax via a man, especially intense when he stroked her g spot, his other hand tugging at her nipples, measuring the squeeze and building on it since she seemed to handle ever more pressure there. “Joe,” she murmured once she recovered, and smiled when he got up and got naked for her. “Oh my,” she commented at his length, on the thicker side, and definitely longer than the two she'd seen by at least a couple inches. “I'll be gentle,” he promised, opening a condom and rolling it on and moving between her thighs. He brought her hand to his cock to guide him, and she brought it where she wanted it and he slowly pushed in. “Oh fuck!” she moaned. “Too much?” he asked reluctantly. “Don't you fucking stop!” she declared. He pushed into one of the tightest sheathes he'd ever felt and realized he wouldn't last and told her. “Just fuck me,” she insisted, her legs wrapping his thighs as emphasis. Going slow probably helped delay the inevitable, seeming to open her up with each deeper stroke. In the end, he nudged at her cervix, thankfully with his cock completely inside her. He'd known girls her size, even taller, where he had to be careful about the impact there, usually no more than an inch to spare, but enough to cause pain. Not this time. Touching it made her growl, but in a good way. He decided to exploit that, grinding into her, pubic bone against pubic bone which affected her clit too, and just pulling out a couple inches before thrusting in. She seemed fine with that, even enjoying it, so he kept it up while his hands drew in to work fingers and thumbs on her nipples. She began meeting his thrusts with lifts, and her hands grabbed his ass cheeks, and she began pulling on his flesh there, wanting longer strokes it seemed, but he waited until she grabbed hard, closing on being painful, her nails thankfully short, he'd learn later she tended to nibble on them when nervous, and he'd actually seen a little of that in the automat, and she pressed against him one more time before announcing her climax with, “Oh my fucking God!” rather loudly at a high growl. And when she loosened her grip, only then did he abandon himself to fully fucking her, long, ever faster strokes for only seconds before he pressed deep, pushing against her cervix, and cumming. “Joe,” she murmured, her hands pushing his chest. “Sorry,” he responded, hugging her to him and turning them over. He'd reached the last of his ejaculations, every one intense, and reached down to hold the condom to his penis while shifting her higher with his legs. “Mmm,” she responded when it slid out. She shivered a little too as if feeling a last echo of her orgasm. “It'll be better next time,” he promised. She chuckled weakly. “What?” he asked. She shifted forward. Since both of their bodies had fairly equal proportions of legs to torsos, she had to scoot up a bit, her legs straddling his abdomen, her damp pussy pressing into it, for her to look eye to eye with him. Her hands pressed his shoulders to put her face above his. “That was several magnitudes better than the last and only fuck I've had,” she explained. “I thought it was making love,” he argued. “Don't be pedantic, Joe,” she smirked, surprising him. “Pedantic?” “You know what I mean.” “Of course, but…” “I'm smarter than I look.” “I don't believe in the dumb blonde myth.” “I've met several, and not all blondes.” “School?” “And fellow dancers, although most were dedicated enough to be smart too I suppose. Learning to put the time in to do the best you can both in dancing and studying.” “Makes sense. So school…?” “I would have graduated this spring if I hadn't had to run away.” “GED?” he asked. “Probably. I don't imagine going to school for one quarter. You?” “School?” “Yeah.” “I went to Bard in upstate New York for a couple years, but quit because it was ridiculous having parents spend that much money for me to study to be a poet.” “You're a poet?” “Not much recently. I thought New York would be inspiring, but mostly it's been distracting. I'm also interested in filmmaking, like the experimental kind, so no more lucrative. I still have a Bolex sixteen millimeter camera which fortunately the thieves never found.” “Thieves?” “The problem with living amongst junkies. Let me show you something.” He lifted his left arm and she caressed a line of marks near his inner elbow area. “Are those…?” “Tracks. Only one is fairly fresh. It's why I quit Max's: too much temptation. Living here too, but right now I can't afford to move. A friend of mine OD'd and died, and another almost did and I ended up keeping him alive. It was the last straw, and I realized that'd be me, or it'd just be a spiral of inertia, all about the next fix and nothing else, so I quit. Luckily I wasn't too strung out and basically hung with my folks for a week when my dad had his sabbatical in DC this past winter. I drank a bit there, but my parents seemed none the wiser. Anyway, when I came back to work planning to keep my tips instead of spending them all, I did okay until I didn't one day, succumbing to temptation, and quit after that.” “When was that?” “A week ago. I've been job hunting ever since.” “Lucky for me,” she grinned and shifted around, pulling off the used condom and handing it to him carefully and he managed to toss it atop his underpants while she enveloped his penis in her mouth. He worried about her lack of experience, mostly worried about her teeth, but she proved quite capable. He nudged her to straddle his face and had to bend his back a little, supported by his arms so fingers weren't available, and mostly kept her pleasure at a quiet purr, not distracting her from her surprisingly effective endeavors. Once she'd got him hard, she bounced off the bed, found a condom and rolled it on with some study and climbed on and guided him back inside her, carefully, stroke by stroke, sending him deep. Once there, she began her ride, this time having the full effect of his entire cock, to the point she needed to bring it back to her slit when it slipped out a couple times, but seemed to get the length of him soon enough and began riding him at a medium fast clip. He watched the roll and bounce of her perky tits before stilling them with his hands, one letting go to guide her hand to her clit. From that she worked herself into a frenzy, finally shifting down and rolling atop him to achieve her orgasm. Fortunately it always took longer for Joe to cum when a woman took the cowgirl position. After, she somehow turned around while he remained inside and moved her body down, and he realized what she wanted, moving from beneath her, clutching her hips, and pulling her into him in a doggy style position. He shifted, letting go of the hips and bringing one hand to her hanging tits and the other to her clit, practically holding her up with the latter hand, and like he had before, let himself go fucking her hard and fast until he came, happily not long after she did. “Fuck Joe,” she commented softly after. “Yeah,” Joe agreed. She did the securing of the condom to his penis and they soon took the same position as they had before, her head resting on his chest. “Can I stay?” she asked quietly and shyly. “As long as you want.” “Thanks.” by maxicue for Literotica. This is the first chapter of a novel. The rest of the published chapters are found at the maxicue library of Literotica. Fate's Embrace: 6 Part Series

Two pedestrians collide fatefully. by maxicue. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Joe slid through the crowd on the street, not in a hurry, just enjoying it, like it was some kind of game, call it Body Avoidance, a challenge of finding the gaps just large enough to pass through untouched while the bodies continued moving in somewhat predictable ways, though the unpredictable could always happen, adding to the challenge and the fun, that quick burst bypassing the unexpected shift. He loved this game ever since moving to New York, at first when he worked at a copy place in Grand Central Station (nearby where he happened to be sliding through at the moment), especially busy streets around there, especially at rush hours and lunch, and further challenged when he carried heavy packages of copies destined for publishing houses, often pocketing the cab money given to him to walk even farther through more busy streets carrying those burdens. And then when he became busboy and then waiter at the restaurant at Max's Kansas City, a punk club with the music upstairs and the restaurant where he worked downstairs, sliding through crowds of kids his age on weekend nights. It felt like a kind of dance, especially at the club, even with his own special tempo. This time though, for the first time ever as far as he could recall, he collided with someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere, his height of six and a half feet always helping his vision and his traversing perhaps missing her much smaller frame, at least a foot shorter, probably closer to a foot and a half, but more it seemed like she stepped into the narrow passage he'd found as if on purpose, finding the perfect moment for collision. But of course that would have been impossible, her knowing when to get in his way, when he'd happen to be sliding through at that very moment, unless fate could be considered purposeful. “Asshole,” the young woman growled from the concrete in which his impact sent her, landing on her ass and a hand that prevented something worse like concussion and scraping it for the trouble. With him stopped standing over her, the crowd flowed around the sudden impediment like cattle somehow avoiding stampeding, though less animal and more human since the flow went both ways. He looked down at a blonde waif, skinny and frail, her t shirt and jeans too big for her and looking well past new, the t shirt white with a band logo he was unfamiliar with showing every stain, and there were many, the jeans showing a small right kneecap where the cloth had frayed. The navy peacoat, too warm for the balmy, almost summerlike weather unusual this early in the year, splayed open. “I'm so sorry,” Joe exclaimed, and when his stretched out hand was avoided by her, he insisted, “Let me help you up.” She finally allowed his large hand to take hold of her small slim one aiding her to standing. “I didn't see you,” he added. “Obviously,” she smirked, adjusting her stuffed and scuffed red backpack on her shoulders. “Hungry?” he asked. “I could eat,” she half smiled. He guided her across the street and to the end of the block where one of the last of the Horn and Hardarts automats existed and put coins into the slots for her tuna sandwich and chips and for his egg salad. He bought her a Coke and he got coffee. She used the toilet there to clean her scrape amongst other things since she took a while, which worried him, thinking she might have run off, but of course she didn't, having food waiting for her. “I'm Joe,” he told her. “Jenny,” she replied before filling her mouth with a bite of sandwich. They said nothing for a while since she devoured her food, obviously needing it. “Anything else?” he asked. “Maybe a pie? The lemon meringue looked tempting.” “Okay if we share?” he asked. “That's fine.” “Uhm, are you going to stay?” He looked at her, saw her eyes pooling and she sniffled. “Please?” Her smile nearly broke his heart when she replied, “Nowhere better to be.” “Good. After we eat, let's get that scrape taken care of.” “Okay.” They stayed, talking over the small empty plate. “Where are you from?” he asked. “The Twin Cities. Minneapolis.” “No shit! Me too!” “No shit!” “No shit. Where?” “Robbinsdale.” “Golden Valley.” “No shit?” “No shit.” The two suburbs were neighbors, Robbinsdale more middle class than Golden Valley, which tended to be more upper middle class, a lot of professionals, doctors, lawyers and professors, his dad being of the latter type. Fate. “You work around here?” she asked, since Joe had dressed up in a jacket and tie, the tie loose around his neck. “I used to,” he told her. “I'm actually applying for jobs presently.” “Presently,” she giggled. “Sorry. I tend to talk like I have a stick up my butt.” “No, it's cute.” “Glad you think so,” he chuckled. “How's the job search going?” she asked. “Not great unfortunately. My uncle's an executive at the William Morris Agency, and I hoped that might help, but I guess he's against nepotism. It's possible I'll get a job in their mail room. I applied at other offices, but I'm making a career change, or hoping to, and have got little experience.” “From what?” she asked. “I used to be a waiter at Max's Kansas City.” “No shit!” “No shit.” “Why not stay there?” “I needed a change,” he murmured, unconsciously stroking his arm. Jenny sensing Joe's discomfort regarding the subject wisely ended that line of inquiry. “What's the William Morris Agency?” she asked instead. “It's one of the largest talent agencies in America,” he told her. “Cool.” “Yeah. It's had its perks. Getting turned on to Bowie early because my uncle wrote the contract that signed him. Meeting cool stars at a party at his house upstate. Going to openings like the movie Hair and Apocalypse Now, the last a brand new print and sitting close.” “Is that cool?” she asked. “Pretty cool,” he chuckled. When they left the automat, he told her, “Let's get you some anti-bacteria for your scrape and Band-Aids. I know a drugstore nearby.” “You don't have anything at home?” she asked, surprising him. “Um…you sure?” “I'm sure,” she smiled, and he could see those pretty blue eyes pool again. “I can get something on the way,” he decided. “Great!” Since the drugstore was close by, he went there anyway, and while getting the first aid stuff, she waited for him near the counter. “Need any of these?” she blushed, pointing to the rack of condoms. His cock stiffened in his pants while he grabbed a sixpack of lubricated Trojans. She stayed his hand and grabbed a twelve pack instead. “Holy shit,” he thought. Both were blushing while he made the purchase. They walked over to Grand Central and took the subway south to Fourteenth Street close to where he lived. They entered a door between a couple non-descript store fronts and climbed the stairs three floors, Joe unlocking a door on the left at the top. Fortunately none of his roommates were around in the shared area, probably sleeping since they tended to keep vampire hours, and Joe guided Jenny down a hallway, taking a sharp right and, pushing aside a beaded curtain, gestured her through. He had by far the largest bedroom in the three bedroom apartment, a couple large windows unfortunately facing the wall of another building. Unfortunate not for the view, but for the easy access from the roof to the room, the probable path taken when someone broke in and stole his record collection and his typewriter not long before. Or they could have just walked in, because he knew the probable culprit, since he'd seen the junkie just off St. Marks selling his records, a regular at Max's. “Sorry for the mess,” he apologized, and Joe was a definite slob. “No problem,” she responded. “Beggars can't be choosers.” “Jenny?” “Mind if I take a shower?” she sniffled. “Not at all. Just a second.” He knelt in front of a small cabinet and grabbed a towel for her. “The red door on the right,” he told her. For some reason they'd painted the bathroom a deep red, including the door, the rest of the apartment with white walls. He cleaned up his place while she showered, neatening the books and papers on the coffee table, the table on which he used to type before losing his typewriter, and tossing clothes into a gunny sack he used to tote down to go to the nearest laundromat a block or so away. She returned carrying her clothes and her bag, wearing the towel with it tucked between her cleavage, more of it than he expected, and when she unceremoniously dropped the towel, she sported perky b cup breasts, all the more substantial looking on her petite frame. She was skinny but fortunately not completely starved, no bones jutting out, her belly youthfully firm with just a hint of convexity, and her full bush, being blonde, seemed less substantial than if it were dark. Her waist curved subtly, neither what some would call child bearing hips, but not boyish either. This was definitely a woman. “Like what you see?” she smiled, turning, and showing him a perfect firm round ass. He also noticed muscled thighs and her arms even had some definition. “Wow,” he said. “You're definitely in shape.” “Dreams of being a prima ballerina,” she sniffled. He sat on the bed and patted his lap. “Come here.” “You have way too many clothes on,” she sniffled and giggled. “Come here, Jenny,” he said more forcefully. She sat on his lap sideways. He reluctantly kept his hands off her. “Tell me,” he said. “You don't want to fuck me?” “Of course I do. Tell me.” She sobbed. Only then did he embrace her across her middle, her face ending up against his chest. He could feel the tears wet his shirt. “Tell me,” he repeated. “I…had to,” she choked out. “Had to?” “Your shirt,” she murmured, pulling her head away. “It's okay,” he insisted, gently pulling her head back. “I auditioned over the years to get into ballet school here, but no takers,” she managed to say. “I wanted to be a ballerina but I guess I'm not good enough.” “Best to know I guess,” Joe tried. “It's not that. Oh, okay that kind of sucked, but mostly I wanted to get away.” “From?” “Everything!” “Including?” “My mother's cruel disappointment. She'd been a ballerina until she had me. My boyfriend turning out to be gay. Another boy practically raping me instead making sure I was ready. My father…” “Did he…?” “No, but he was working up to it. Probably looked at me like I was my mom when I was her age or younger I guess. He'd be affectionate, too affectionate as it turned out. He touched me where he shouldn't, not directly but close, you know. I guess I didn't believe it, but it turned out he was actually being shy, and eventually brought my hand to his crotch which got me off him immediately. The last straw…I woke up with him in my bed. I screamed and punched like in his diaphragm which took his wind. Maybe I should have punched lower, but I wanted to be nowhere near that, and when I raced out the room, my mother plods over and my dad says some bullshit about me seducing him, and since it was all about jealousy, him being more affectionate to me, and disappointment, she fucking believed him. “I'm of course freaking out, everything…and then this…but I managed to take some breaths, calming down, and told my mom if she wanted rid of me I needed money. They only had a couple hundred around but my mom takes me to her bank, gets me another five hundred, drives me to the bus station, buys me a ticket to New York, my demand, with her credit card. She actually offered one to me, but I told her she'd probably close it and have me arrested or something, and the bitch shrugged. And I'm like, ‘You're a fucking cunt.' And she's saying I'm a useless slut.” “Sorry,” Joe apologized. “I'm the sorry one,” Jenny actually chuckled. “But…it doesn't sound like sex…” Jenny shifted around so that she faced him, straddling his lap. “I got hit on by fucking pimps, Joe, as soon as I got off the fucking bus at Penn station. I'm not as naïve as I look.” “But you don't know me.” “Like you're a psycho? You don't seem the type and in a way I don't fucking care. A rapist probably wouldn't have brought me home. The hotel I stayed at this creepy guy kept staring at me in the lobby and ended up following me to my fucking floor, so I like got out quick out of there, practically running. And I didn't even dare shower there since the shower room was fucking shared and fucking groady. I was actually headed to Grand Central when we collided, thinking I'd try taking a train down to twenty-third, staying at the Chelsea or something, just to do something cool while I was here and still alive. So Joe, I guess you're the best choice I've had so far.” She kissed him, pulling off the jacket he still wore and unbuttoning his shirt. He broke the kiss when he tossed aside the tie, then lifted her and set her on her back on the bed. He finished the unbuttoning and tossed aside his shirt. “Nice,” she smiled, stroking his chest. Joe didn't work out, but being young, just twenty-one, and working hard at his job as a waiter, kept him slim and slimly muscled. He kept his pants on when he made love to her lying beside her on his side. Kisses continued for a while, both enjoying it especially when tongues were involved, her breath tasting of toothpaste and his presumably not offensive, while his hand began exploring the rest of her. The hand took the weight of her breasts, teasingly moving on before a direct attack on her small nipples to linger on her taut belly and moving teasing across her pudendum, through her soft patch of blond hair, before feeling the smoothness of her thighs and the firmness of muscles, and then under her, lifting her slightly by her firm ass, followed by sliding along her back, across her shoulder and returning to her breasts, fingers moving in on her nipples, caressing and tugging gently at each one, making her gasp into his mouth. Only then did he end the kiss, bringing his mouth to the exploration, finding thrills for her at her ear and neck before moving to her breasts and nipples. Once each one had been appreciated for a while, the second sending his hand down slowly, eventually fingers discovering the dampness of her labia, rimming the edges, his mouth followed the same trail as his hand, and when it reached where she wanted it, he shifted his body between her widened legs and his tongue lapped across her clit, the first touch of it, and she lifted her middle and moaned. Both fingers and mouth remained there, working her gradually to her first climax via a man, especially intense when he stroked her g spot, his other hand tugging at her nipples, measuring the squeeze and building on it since she seemed to handle ever more pressure there. “Joe,” she murmured once she recovered, and smiled when he got up and got naked for her. “Oh my,” she commented at his length, on the thicker side, and definitely longer than the two she'd seen by at least a couple inches. “I'll be gentle,” he promised, opening a condom and rolling it on and moving between her thighs. He brought her hand to his cock to guide him, and she brought it where she wanted it and he slowly pushed in. “Oh fuck!” she moaned. “Too much?” he asked reluctantly. “Don't you fucking stop!” she declared. He pushed into one of the tightest sheathes he'd ever felt and realized he wouldn't last and told her. “Just fuck me,” she insisted, her legs wrapping his thighs as emphasis. Going slow probably helped delay the inevitable, seeming to open her up with each deeper stroke. In the end, he nudged at her cervix, thankfully with his cock completely inside her. He'd known girls her size, even taller, where he had to be careful about the impact there, usually no more than an inch to spare, but enough to cause pain. Not this time. Touching it made her growl, but in a good way. He decided to exploit that, grinding into her, pubic bone against pubic bone which affected her clit too, and just pulling out a couple inches before thrusting in. She seemed fine with that, even enjoying it, so he kept it up while his hands drew in to work fingers and thumbs on her nipples. She began meeting his thrusts with lifts, and her hands grabbed his ass cheeks, and she began pulling on his flesh there, wanting longer strokes it seemed, but he waited until she grabbed hard, closing on being painful, her nails thankfully short, he'd learn later she tended to nibble on them when nervous, and he'd actually seen a little of that in the automat, and she pressed against him one more time before announcing her climax with, “Oh my fucking God!” rather loudly at a high growl. And when she loosened her grip, only then did he abandon himself to fully fucking her, long, ever faster strokes for only seconds before he pressed deep, pushing against her cervix, and cumming. “Joe,” she murmured, her hands pushing his chest. “Sorry,” he responded, hugging her to him and turning them over. He'd reached the last of his ejaculations, every one intense, and reached down to hold the condom to his penis while shifting her higher with his legs. “Mmm,” she responded when it slid out. She shivered a little too as if feeling a last echo of her orgasm. “It'll be better next time,” he promised. She chuckled weakly. “What?” he asked. She shifted forward. Since both of their bodies had fairly equal proportions of legs to torsos, she had to scoot up a bit, her legs straddling his abdomen, her damp pussy pressing into it, for her to look eye to eye with him. Her hands pressed his shoulders to put her face above his. “That was several magnitudes better than the last and only fuck I've had,” she explained. “I thought it was making love,” he argued. “Don't be pedantic, Joe,” she smirked, surprising him. “Pedantic?” “You know what I mean.” “Of course, but…” “I'm smarter than I look.” “I don't believe in the dumb blonde myth.” “I've met several, and not all blondes.” “School?” “And fellow dancers, although most were dedicated enough to be smart too I suppose. Learning to put the time in to do the best you can both in dancing and studying.” “Makes sense. So school…?” “I would have graduated this spring if I hadn't had to run away.” “GED?” he asked. “Probably. I don't imagine going to school for one quarter. You?” “School?” “Yeah.” “I went to Bard in upstate New York for a couple years, but quit because it was ridiculous having parents spend that much money for me to study to be a poet.” “You're a poet?” “Not much recently. I thought New York would be inspiring, but mostly it's been distracting. I'm also interested in filmmaking, like the experimental kind, so no more lucrative. I still have a Bolex sixteen millimeter camera which fortunately the thieves never found.” “Thieves?” “The problem with living amongst junkies. Let me show you something.” He lifted his left arm and she caressed a line of marks near his inner elbow area. “Are those…?” “Tracks. Only one is fairly fresh. It's why I quit Max's: too much temptation. Living here too, but right now I can't afford to move. A friend of mine OD'd and died, and another almost did and I ended up keeping him alive. It was the last straw, and I realized that'd be me, or it'd just be a spiral of inertia, all about the next fix and nothing else, so I quit. Luckily I wasn't too strung out and basically hung with my folks for a week when my dad had his sabbatical in DC this past winter. I drank a bit there, but my parents seemed none the wiser. Anyway, when I came back to work planning to keep my tips instead of spending them all, I did okay until I didn't one day, succumbing to temptation, and quit after that.” “When was that?” “A week ago. I've been job hunting ever since.” “Lucky for me,” she grinned and shifted around, pulling off the used condom and handing it to him carefully and he managed to toss it atop his underpants while she enveloped his penis in her mouth. He worried about her lack of experience, mostly worried about her teeth, but she proved quite capable. He nudged her to straddle his face and had to bend his back a little, supported by his arms so fingers weren't available, and mostly kept her pleasure at a quiet purr, not distracting her from her surprisingly effective endeavors. Once she'd got him hard, she bounced off the bed, found a condom and rolled it on with some study and climbed on and guided him back inside her, carefully, stroke by stroke, sending him deep. Once there, she began her ride, this time having the full effect of his entire cock, to the point she needed to bring it back to her slit when it slipped out a couple times, but seemed to get the length of him soon enough and began riding him at a medium fast clip. He watched the roll and bounce of her perky tits before stilling them with his hands, one letting go to guide her hand to her clit. From that she worked herself into a frenzy, finally shifting down and rolling atop him to achieve her orgasm. Fortunately it always took longer for Joe to cum when a woman took the cowgirl position. After, she somehow turned around while he remained inside and moved her body down, and he realized what she wanted, moving from beneath her, clutching her hips, and pulling her into him in a doggy style position. He shifted, letting go of the hips and bringing one hand to her hanging tits and the other to her clit, practically holding her up with the latter hand, and like he had before, let himself go fucking her hard and fast until he came, happily not long after she did. “Fuck Joe,” she commented softly after. “Yeah,” Joe agreed. She did the securing of the condom to his penis and they soon took the same position as they had before, her head resting on his chest. “Can I stay?” she asked quietly and shyly. “As long as you want.” “Thanks.” by maxicue for Literotica. This is the first chapter of a novel. The rest of the published chapters are found at the maxicue library of Literotica. Fate's Embrace: 6 Part Series

Two pedestrians collide fatefully. by maxicue. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Joe slid through the crowd on the street, not in a hurry, just enjoying it, like it was some kind of game, call it Body Avoidance, a challenge of finding the gaps just large enough to pass through untouched while the bodies continued moving in somewhat predictable ways, though the unpredictable could always happen, adding to the challenge and the fun, that quick burst bypassing the unexpected shift. He loved this game ever since moving to New York, at first when he worked at a copy place in Grand Central Station (nearby where he happened to be sliding through at the moment), especially busy streets around there, especially at rush hours and lunch, and further challenged when he carried heavy packages of copies destined for publishing houses, often pocketing the cab money given to him to walk even farther through more busy streets carrying those burdens. And then when he became busboy and then waiter at the restaurant at Max's Kansas City, a punk club with the music upstairs and the restaurant where he worked downstairs, sliding through crowds of kids his age on weekend nights. It felt like a kind of dance, especially at the club, even with his own special tempo. This time though, for the first time ever as far as he could recall, he collided with someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere, his height of six and a half feet always helping his vision and his traversing perhaps missing her much smaller frame, at least a foot shorter, probably closer to a foot and a half, but more it seemed like she stepped into the narrow passage he'd found as if on purpose, finding the perfect moment for collision. But of course that would have been impossible, her knowing when to get in his way, when he'd happen to be sliding through at that very moment, unless fate could be considered purposeful. “Asshole,” the young woman growled from the concrete in which his impact sent her, landing on her ass and a hand that prevented something worse like concussion and scraping it for the trouble. With him stopped standing over her, the crowd flowed around the sudden impediment like cattle somehow avoiding stampeding, though less animal and more human since the flow went both ways. He looked down at a blonde waif, skinny and frail, her t shirt and jeans too big for her and looking well past new, the t shirt white with a band logo he was unfamiliar with showing every stain, and there were many, the jeans showing a small right kneecap where the cloth had frayed. The navy peacoat, too warm for the balmy, almost summerlike weather unusual this early in the year, splayed open. “I'm so sorry,” Joe exclaimed, and when his stretched out hand was avoided by her, he insisted, “Let me help you up.” She finally allowed his large hand to take hold of her small slim one aiding her to standing. “I didn't see you,” he added. “Obviously,” she smirked, adjusting her stuffed and scuffed red backpack on her shoulders. “Hungry?” he asked. “I could eat,” she half smiled. He guided her across the street and to the end of the block where one of the last of the Horn and Hardarts automats existed and put coins into the slots for her tuna sandwich and chips and for his egg salad. He bought her a Coke and he got coffee. She used the toilet there to clean her scrape amongst other things since she took a while, which worried him, thinking she might have run off, but of course she didn't, having food waiting for her. “I'm Joe,” he told her. “Jenny,” she replied before filling her mouth with a bite of sandwich. They said nothing for a while since she devoured her food, obviously needing it. “Anything else?” he asked. “Maybe a pie? The lemon meringue looked tempting.” “Okay if we share?” he asked. “That's fine.” “Uhm, are you going to stay?” He looked at her, saw her eyes pooling and she sniffled. “Please?” Her smile nearly broke his heart when she replied, “Nowhere better to be.” “Good. After we eat, let's get that scrape taken care of.” “Okay.” They stayed, talking over the small empty plate. “Where are you from?” he asked. “The Twin Cities. Minneapolis.” “No shit! Me too!” “No shit!” “No shit. Where?” “Robbinsdale.” “Golden Valley.” “No shit?” “No shit.” The two suburbs were neighbors, Robbinsdale more middle class than Golden Valley, which tended to be more upper middle class, a lot of professionals, doctors, lawyers and professors, his dad being of the latter type. Fate. “You work around here?” she asked, since Joe had dressed up in a jacket and tie, the tie loose around his neck. “I used to,” he told her. “I'm actually applying for jobs presently.” “Presently,” she giggled. “Sorry. I tend to talk like I have a stick up my butt.” “No, it's cute.” “Glad you think so,” he chuckled. “How's the job search going?” she asked. “Not great unfortunately. My uncle's an executive at the William Morris Agency, and I hoped that might help, but I guess he's against nepotism. It's possible I'll get a job in their mail room. I applied at other offices, but I'm making a career change, or hoping to, and have got little experience.” “From what?” she asked. “I used to be a waiter at Max's Kansas City.” “No shit!” “No shit.” “Why not stay there?” “I needed a change,” he murmured, unconsciously stroking his arm. Jenny sensing Joe's discomfort regarding the subject wisely ended that line of inquiry. “What's the William Morris Agency?” she asked instead. “It's one of the largest talent agencies in America,” he told her. “Cool.” “Yeah. It's had its perks. Getting turned on to Bowie early because my uncle wrote the contract that signed him. Meeting cool stars at a party at his house upstate. Going to openings like the movie Hair and Apocalypse Now, the last a brand new print and sitting close.” “Is that cool?” she asked. “Pretty cool,” he chuckled. When they left the automat, he told her, “Let's get you some anti-bacteria for your scrape and Band-Aids. I know a drugstore nearby.” “You don't have anything at home?” she asked, surprising him. “Um…you sure?” “I'm sure,” she smiled, and he could see those pretty blue eyes pool again. “I can get something on the way,” he decided. “Great!” Since the drugstore was close by, he went there anyway, and while getting the first aid stuff, she waited for him near the counter. “Need any of these?” she blushed, pointing to the rack of condoms. His cock stiffened in his pants while he grabbed a sixpack of lubricated Trojans. She stayed his hand and grabbed a twelve pack instead. “Holy shit,” he thought. Both were blushing while he made the purchase. They walked over to Grand Central and took the subway south to Fourteenth Street close to where he lived. They entered a door between a couple non-descript store fronts and climbed the stairs three floors, Joe unlocking a door on the left at the top. Fortunately none of his roommates were around in the shared area, probably sleeping since they tended to keep vampire hours, and Joe guided Jenny down a hallway, taking a sharp right and, pushing aside a beaded curtain, gestured her through. He had by far the largest bedroom in the three bedroom apartment, a couple large windows unfortunately facing the wall of another building. Unfortunate not for the view, but for the easy access from the roof to the room, the probable path taken when someone broke in and stole his record collection and his typewriter not long before. Or they could have just walked in, because he knew the probable culprit, since he'd seen the junkie just off St. Marks selling his records, a regular at Max's. “Sorry for the mess,” he apologized, and Joe was a definite slob. “No problem,” she responded. “Beggars can't be choosers.” “Jenny?” “Mind if I take a shower?” she sniffled. “Not at all. Just a second.” He knelt in front of a small cabinet and grabbed a towel for her. “The red door on the right,” he told her. For some reason they'd painted the bathroom a deep red, including the door, the rest of the apartment with white walls. He cleaned up his place while she showered, neatening the books and papers on the coffee table, the table on which he used to type before losing his typewriter, and tossing clothes into a gunny sack he used to tote down to go to the nearest laundromat a block or so away. She returned carrying her clothes and her bag, wearing the towel with it tucked between her cleavage, more of it than he expected, and when she unceremoniously dropped the towel, she sported perky b cup breasts, all the more substantial looking on her petite frame. She was skinny but fortunately not completely starved, no bones jutting out, her belly youthfully firm with just a hint of convexity, and her full bush, being blonde, seemed less substantial than if it were dark. Her waist curved subtly, neither what some would call child bearing hips, but not boyish either. This was definitely a woman. “Like what you see?” she smiled, turning, and showing him a perfect firm round ass. He also noticed muscled thighs and her arms even had some definition. “Wow,” he said. “You're definitely in shape.” “Dreams of being a prima ballerina,” she sniffled. He sat on the bed and patted his lap. “Come here.” “You have way too many clothes on,” she sniffled and giggled. “Come here, Jenny,” he said more forcefully. She sat on his lap sideways. He reluctantly kept his hands off her. “Tell me,” he said. “You don't want to fuck me?” “Of course I do. Tell me.” She sobbed. Only then did he embrace her across her middle, her face ending up against his chest. He could feel the tears wet his shirt. “Tell me,” he repeated. “I…had to,” she choked out. “Had to?” “Your shirt,” she murmured, pulling her head away. “It's okay,” he insisted, gently pulling her head back. “I auditioned over the years to get into ballet school here, but no takers,” she managed to say. “I wanted to be a ballerina but I guess I'm not good enough.” “Best to know I guess,” Joe tried. “It's not that. Oh, okay that kind of sucked, but mostly I wanted to get away.” “From?” “Everything!” “Including?” “My mother's cruel disappointment. She'd been a ballerina until she had me. My boyfriend turning out to be gay. Another boy practically raping me instead making sure I was ready. My father…” “Did he…?” “No, but he was working up to it. Probably looked at me like I was my mom when I was her age or younger I guess. He'd be affectionate, too affectionate as it turned out. He touched me where he shouldn't, not directly but close, you know. I guess I didn't believe it, but it turned out he was actually being shy, and eventually brought my hand to his crotch which got me off him immediately. The last straw…I woke up with him in my bed. I screamed and punched like in his diaphragm which took his wind. Maybe I should have punched lower, but I wanted to be nowhere near that, and when I raced out the room, my mother plods over and my dad says some bullshit about me seducing him, and since it was all about jealousy, him being more affectionate to me, and disappointment, she fucking believed him. “I'm of course freaking out, everything…and then this…but I managed to take some breaths, calming down, and told my mom if she wanted rid of me I needed money. They only had a couple hundred around but my mom takes me to her bank, gets me another five hundred, drives me to the bus station, buys me a ticket to New York, my demand, with her credit card. She actually offered one to me, but I told her she'd probably close it and have me arrested or something, and the bitch shrugged. And I'm like, ‘You're a fucking cunt.' And she's saying I'm a useless slut.” “Sorry,” Joe apologized. “I'm the sorry one,” Jenny actually chuckled. “But…it doesn't sound like sex…” Jenny shifted around so that she faced him, straddling his lap. “I got hit on by fucking pimps, Joe, as soon as I got off the fucking bus at Penn station. I'm not as naïve as I look.” “But you don't know me.” “Like you're a psycho? You don't seem the type and in a way I don't fucking care. A rapist probably wouldn't have brought me home. The hotel I stayed at this creepy guy kept staring at me in the lobby and ended up following me to my fucking floor, so I like got out quick out of there, practically running. And I didn't even dare shower there since the shower room was fucking shared and fucking groady. I was actually headed to Grand Central when we collided, thinking I'd try taking a train down to twenty-third, staying at the Chelsea or something, just to do something cool while I was here and still alive. So Joe, I guess you're the best choice I've had so far.” She kissed him, pulling off the jacket he still wore and unbuttoning his shirt. He broke the kiss when he tossed aside the tie, then lifted her and set her on her back on the bed. He finished the unbuttoning and tossed aside his shirt. “Nice,” she smiled, stroking his chest. Joe didn't work out, but being young, just twenty-one, and working hard at his job as a waiter, kept him slim and slimly muscled. He kept his pants on when he made love to her lying beside her on his side. Kisses continued for a while, both enjoying it especially when tongues were involved, her breath tasting of toothpaste and his presumably not offensive, while his hand began exploring the rest of her. The hand took the weight of her breasts, teasingly moving on before a direct attack on her small nipples to linger on her taut belly and moving teasing across her pudendum, through her soft patch of blond hair, before feeling the smoothness of her thighs and the firmness of muscles, and then under her, lifting her slightly by her firm ass, followed by sliding along her back, across her shoulder and returning to her breasts, fingers moving in on her nipples, caressing and tugging gently at each one, making her gasp into his mouth. Only then did he end the kiss, bringing his mouth to the exploration, finding thrills for her at her ear and neck before moving to her breasts and nipples. Once each one had been appreciated for a while, the second sending his hand down slowly, eventually fingers discovering the dampness of her labia, rimming the edges, his mouth followed the same trail as his hand, and when it reached where she wanted it, he shifted his body between her widened legs and his tongue lapped across her clit, the first touch of it, and she lifted her middle and moaned. Both fingers and mouth remained there, working her gradually to her first climax via a man, especially intense when he stroked her g spot, his other hand tugging at her nipples, measuring the squeeze and building on it since she seemed to handle ever more pressure there. “Joe,” she murmured once she recovered, and smiled when he got up and got naked for her. “Oh my,” she commented at his length, on the thicker side, and definitely longer than the two she'd seen by at least a couple inches. “I'll be gentle,” he promised, opening a condom and rolling it on and moving between her thighs. He brought her hand to his cock to guide him, and she brought it where she wanted it and he slowly pushed in. “Oh fuck!” she moaned. “Too much?” he asked reluctantly. “Don't you fucking stop!” she declared. He pushed into one of the tightest sheathes he'd ever felt and realized he wouldn't last and told her. “Just fuck me,” she insisted, her legs wrapping his thighs as emphasis. Going slow probably helped delay the inevitable, seeming to open her up with each deeper stroke. In the end, he nudged at her cervix, thankfully with his cock completely inside her. He'd known girls her size, even taller, where he had to be careful about the impact there, usually no more than an inch to spare, but enough to cause pain. Not this time. Touching it made her growl, but in a good way. He decided to exploit that, grinding into her, pubic bone against pubic bone which affected her clit too, and just pulling out a couple inches before thrusting in. She seemed fine with that, even enjoying it, so he kept it up while his hands drew in to work fingers and thumbs on her nipples. She began meeting his thrusts with lifts, and her hands grabbed his ass cheeks, and she began pulling on his flesh there, wanting longer strokes it seemed, but he waited until she grabbed hard, closing on being painful, her nails thankfully short, he'd learn later she tended to nibble on them when nervous, and he'd actually seen a little of that in the automat, and she pressed against him one more time before announcing her climax with, “Oh my fucking God!” rather loudly at a high growl. And when she loosened her grip, only then did he abandon himself to fully fucking her, long, ever faster strokes for only seconds before he pressed deep, pushing against her cervix, and cumming. “Joe,” she murmured, her hands pushing his chest. “Sorry,” he responded, hugging her to him and turning them over. He'd reached the last of his ejaculations, every one intense, and reached down to hold the condom to his penis while shifting her higher with his legs. “Mmm,” she responded when it slid out. She shivered a little too as if feeling a last echo of her orgasm. “It'll be better next time,” he promised. She chuckled weakly. “What?” he asked. She shifted forward. Since both of their bodies had fairly equal proportions of legs to torsos, she had to scoot up a bit, her legs straddling his abdomen, her damp pussy pressing into it, for her to look eye to eye with him. Her hands pressed his shoulders to put her face above his. “That was several magnitudes better than the last and only fuck I've had,” she explained. “I thought it was making love,” he argued. “Don't be pedantic, Joe,” she smirked, surprising him. “Pedantic?” “You know what I mean.” “Of course, but…” “I'm smarter than I look.” “I don't believe in the dumb blonde myth.” “I've met several, and not all blondes.” “School?” “And fellow dancers, although most were dedicated enough to be smart too I suppose. Learning to put the time in to do the best you can both in dancing and studying.” “Makes sense. So school…?” “I would have graduated this spring if I hadn't had to run away.” “GED?” he asked. “Probably. I don't imagine going to school for one quarter. You?” “School?” “Yeah.” “I went to Bard in upstate New York for a couple years, but quit because it was ridiculous having parents spend that much money for me to study to be a poet.” “You're a poet?” “Not much recently. I thought New York would be inspiring, but mostly it's been distracting. I'm also interested in filmmaking, like the experimental kind, so no more lucrative. I still have a Bolex sixteen millimeter camera which fortunately the thieves never found.” “Thieves?” “The problem with living amongst junkies. Let me show you something.” He lifted his left arm and she caressed a line of marks near his inner elbow area. “Are those…?” “Tracks. Only one is fairly fresh. It's why I quit Max's: too much temptation. Living here too, but right now I can't afford to move. A friend of mine OD'd and died, and another almost did and I ended up keeping him alive. It was the last straw, and I realized that'd be me, or it'd just be a spiral of inertia, all about the next fix and nothing else, so I quit. Luckily I wasn't too strung out and basically hung with my folks for a week when my dad had his sabbatical in DC this past winter. I drank a bit there, but my parents seemed none the wiser. Anyway, when I came back to work planning to keep my tips instead of spending them all, I did okay until I didn't one day, succumbing to temptation, and quit after that.” “When was that?” “A week ago. I've been job hunting ever since.” “Lucky for me,” she grinned and shifted around, pulling off the used condom and handing it to him carefully and he managed to toss it atop his underpants while she enveloped his penis in her mouth. He worried about her lack of experience, mostly worried about her teeth, but she proved quite capable. He nudged her to straddle his face and had to bend his back a little, supported by his arms so fingers weren't available, and mostly kept her pleasure at a quiet purr, not distracting her from her surprisingly effective endeavors. Once she'd got him hard, she bounced off the bed, found a condom and rolled it on with some study and climbed on and guided him back inside her, carefully, stroke by stroke, sending him deep. Once there, she began her ride, this time having the full effect of his entire cock, to the point she needed to bring it back to her slit when it slipped out a couple times, but seemed to get the length of him soon enough and began riding him at a medium fast clip. He watched the roll and bounce of her perky tits before stilling them with his hands, one letting go to guide her hand to her clit. From that she worked herself into a frenzy, finally shifting down and rolling atop him to achieve her orgasm. Fortunately it always took longer for Joe to cum when a woman took the cowgirl position. After, she somehow turned around while he remained inside and moved her body down, and he realized what she wanted, moving from beneath her, clutching her hips, and pulling her into him in a doggy style position. He shifted, letting go of the hips and bringing one hand to her hanging tits and the other to her clit, practically holding her up with the latter hand, and like he had before, let himself go fucking her hard and fast until he came, happily not long after she did. “Fuck Joe,” she commented softly after. “Yeah,” Joe agreed. She did the securing of the condom to his penis and they soon took the same position as they had before, her head resting on his chest. “Can I stay?” she asked quietly and shyly. “As long as you want.” “Thanks.” by maxicue for Literotica. This is the first chapter of a novel. The rest of the published chapters are found at the maxicue library of Literotica. Fate's Embrace: 6 Part Series

Today we have a special treat on Slo Mo, diving into the fascinating world of books with Michael Carlisle and Elizabeth Beier, two people responsible for  Unstressable being published. Both Alice and I, want the book to reach as many people as it should. You can help us by pre-ordering the book (https://amzn.eu/d/ipz9OUW) ahead of its international publishing day on May 9th. We get up close and personal with Michael Carlisle, literary agent at InkWell Management, and friend. Not only has Michael represented Pulitzer Prize winners, but his journey from the bustling corridors of the William Morris Agency to InkWell is a story of passion and dedication to the literary arts. Then, we switch gears to chat with Elizabeth Beier, the executive editor at St. Martin's Press. While Elizabeth is known for her sharp editorial eye, there's a playful and distinctly personal side to her that often goes unnoticed. We delve into industry secrets and tips for aspiring writers too! Listen as we discuss: Unstressable Who Michael and Elizabeth areThe challenges of the publishing IndustryHow to get publishedAlice's perspective on becoming UnstressableThe most stressful things in publishing Drivers of the publishing IndustryMo's and Alice's writing processWhy Unstressable got publishedJoin us for this enlightening exploration of the literary world. Whether you're a devoted bibliophile or simply curious about the people behind the pages, this episode offers insights for everyone.YouTube: @mogawdatofficialInstagram: @mo_gawdatFacebook: @mo.gawdat.officialLinkedIn: /in/mogawdatTiktok: @mogawdatX: @mgawdatWebsite: mogawdat.comDon't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

Alan Gasmer was legendary at the William Morris Agency as a top film packaging agent and all around great guy. Turning to producing, one of his first hits was the action packed "Vikings" television series.  This week, Steve interviews Mr. Gasme, learning all about how he came to be such an effective Hollywood player.  

Jenny Frankfurt is the founder of The Finish Line Script Competition, currently in its 7th year. Prior to Finish Line and her work as a script consultant, Jenny was a film and television literary manager/producer at ICM, Handprint Entertainment and her own company, Highstreet Management. She has represented writers and filmmakers around the globe, specializing but not limited to breaking UK, European & amp; Australian writers and directors into the US market. She sold television shows (both reality and fiction), features and staffed television shows for over 20 years. Jenny began her career in representation after graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts by working at the William Morris Agency in New York where she worked for a legendary film, tv and playwright's agent, who represented such writers as Eric Bogosian, William Mastrosimone, Warren Leight, Eric Overmyer and Jon Robin Baitz. Jenny worked at ICM with clients such as Susan Sarandon, Louis Malle, Johnny Depp, Lasse Hallstrom and Will Smith. After deciding management would give her more freedom to produce and influence her client's careers she started working with manager Rick Yorn and clients such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Claire Danes and Benicio Del Toro among others. Finish Line is based on the idea that rewriting is essential to being a successful writer and we provide development notes when requested in order for writers to rewrite and resubmit new drafts (for free) throughout the competition. This mimics a studio, network or production company process and helps the writer prepare for a serious career in the entertainment industry. https://finishlinescriptcomp.com/ Connect with your host Kaia Alexander: https://entertainmentbusinessleague.com/ https://twitter.com/thisiskaia  Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A. Get career training and a free ebook “How to Pitch Anything in 1 Min.” at www.EntertainmentBusinessLeague.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest episode of the Empowerography Podcast, my guest is Marquita Waters. Marquita Waters is a multifaceted performing artist and vocal coach based out of Los Angeles, California.  Marquita has appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show and The Steve Allen Show. She was represented by The William Morris Agency and released music as the critically acclaimed Mia Morrell during the Frank Sinatra era. Marquita is a versatile artist with a remarkable range of musical talent. She has an extensive repertoire in Latin, Jazz, Rock, Top 40, Swing, Country, R&B, Gospel and Reggae. In the last decade she has released Christian pop / R&B singles such as “Christ,” a swing CD called “Gotta Get It Right” and a walk tape. Today she is passionate about training upcoming singers and is a well respected vocal coach for singers of all ages and styles – live and studio performance. In this episode we discuss performing, the story of Mia Morell, vocal coaching, singing, gratitude and humility and imposter syndrome.   Website - http://MarquitaWaters.com IG - http://instagram.com/MarquitaWaters FB - http://facebook.com/MarquitaWaters YouTube - http://youtube.com/MarquitaWaters Purchase the Book - https://amzn.to/2RVnc5o   In this episode you will learn: 1. Three processes to help in with creating your art. 2. What the three P's are and how they can help you. 3. How to deal with creative blocks when you experience them.   "The story of Mia Morel. Well, yes. The story is that Mr.  Okay, at the 500 Club in Atlantic City was really good friends with the Rat Pack." - 00:03:17 "If you do the three P's, I call them, you gotta be purposed. Believing you gotta believe in your higher power. Yeah. You got to do the psychological, you've gotta do the work for yourself and you've got to have the physical, you gotta work here with doing your craft."- 00:24:52 "Never give up." - 00:42:16   THE WORLD needs to hear your message and your story. Don't deny the world of that gift within you that the universe has gave to you. Someone out there needs to hear your story because it will support them in feeling hope, inspired and even transformed. Want to discover how I help my clients get out of their own way, show up and confidently share their message? I would like to invite you to check out my FREE MASTERCLASS REPLAY Start Your Own Podcast: Idea to Implementation Watch Here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7iItDG4qaI

In the latest episode of the Empowerography Podcast, my guest is Marquita Waters. Marquita Waters is a multifaceted performing artist and vocal coach based out of Los Angeles, California.  Marquita has appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show and The Steve Allen Show. She was represented by The William Morris Agency and released music as the critically acclaimed Mia Morrell during the Frank Sinatra era. Marquita is a versatile artist with a remarkable range of musical talent. She has an extensive repertoire in Latin, Jazz, Rock, Top 40, Swing, Country, R&B, Gospel and Reggae. In the last decade she has released Christian pop / R&B singles such as “Christ,” a swing CD called “Gotta Get It Right” and a walk tape. Today she is passionate about training upcoming singers and is a well respected vocal coach for singers of all ages and styles – live and studio performance. In this episode we discuss performing, the story of Mia Morell, vocal coaching, singing, gratitude and humility and imposter syndrome.   Website - http://MarquitaWaters.com IG - http://instagram.com/MarquitaWaters FB - http://facebook.com/MarquitaWaters YouTube - http://youtube.com/MarquitaWaters Purchase the Book - https://amzn.to/2RVnc5o   In this episode you will learn: 1. Three processes to help in with creating your art. 2. What the three P's are and how they can help you. 3. How to deal with creative blocks when you experience them.   "The story of Mia Morel. Well, yes. The story is that Mr.  Okay, at the 500 Club in Atlantic City was really good friends with the Rat Pack." - 00:03:17 "If you do the three P's, I call them, you gotta be purposed. Believing you gotta believe in your higher power. Yeah. You got to do the psychological, you've gotta do the work for yourself and you've got to have the physical, you gotta work here with doing your craft."- 00:24:52 "Never give up." - 00:42:16   THE WORLD needs to hear your message and your story. Don't deny the world of that gift within you that the universe has gave to you. Someone out there needs to hear your story because it will support them in feeling hope, inspired and even transformed. Want to discover how I help my clients get out of their own way, show up and confidently share their message? I would like to invite you to check out my FREE MASTERCLASS REPLAY Start Your Own Podcast: Idea to Implementation Watch Here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7iItDG4qaI

Cyn Posner is bi-cultural and bi-lingual, having been raised in the U.S. by a Mexican mother and American father. She started her career in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles as an agent trainee at William Morris Agency, before jumping to a production house where she wrote and produced her first feature for Amazon entitled ‘Undateable John' and developed a pilot for Warner Brothers.  She now resides in the idyllic colonial town of San Miguelde Allende, Mexico, having recently finished her debut novel, loosely based on a true story… ‘MEXICO TIME' - now available on Amazon. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/happinessjourney/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/happinessjourney/support

Frank Carlisi is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of the ExV Agency, a global PR and personal branding agency, and the Founder of ExV Studios, a creative force in developing unpredictable concepts in unscripted television. He has created an engaging portfolio of content with The William Morris Agency, A&E, Lifetime Network, HGTV, Truly Original, Hearst Media Productions, Wheelhouse Productions, and more. A storyteller at heart, Frank is adept at drilling down to reveal the unique stories of individuals and companies to create authentic messaging. Here, Frank discusses the importance of authenticity in PR, creating unscripted television, and his relationship with ExV Co-Founder Karen Gamba. Key Takeaways:- Frank's unique relationship with his business partner, Karen Gamba- The importance of authenticity in PR- The art of creating authentic unscripted TVEpisode Timeline:2:00 Frank's relationship with Karen Gamba5:00 PR people should strive for vulnerability and connection.6:20 Helping clients become vulnerable7:00 When clients are in denial7:45 How to find new unscripted TV ideas11:00 The role of luck in unscripted TV12:00 Finding authenticity in reality TV characters 14:00 Frank's thoughts on charisma17:00 The aspirational aspect of reality TV20:00 Reality as “comfort watching”22:30 The current state of streaming brands25:30 The big lessons that Frank has learned from creating unscripted TVThis episode's guest:• Frank Carlisi on LinkedIn• ExV's Grow Your Business Masterclass• ExV Agency Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samuel Haskell IV, the 35-year-old son of former Hollywood agent Samuel Haskell III, has been taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on suspicion of murder. The arrest follows the disturbing discovery of a dismembered woman's torso in a dumpster, believed to be connected to the disappearance of Haskell's wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents.    The investigation began when a homeless man searching for recyclables stumbled upon the gruesome find in a dumpster approximately five miles from Samuel Haskell IV's Tarzana residence. Before this discovery, construction workers had reported seeing suspicious black bags near Haskell's home, raising concerns. However, by the time the police arrived, the bags had vanished.    LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez stated, "There was no evidence that allowed the officers to make entry into the home" during their initial visit. But when the dismembered torso matched the description of the bags reported by the workers, a second crime scene was established at Haskell's residence, where investigators uncovered "blood evidence."    Authorities had already received reports of Mei Haskell, 37, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Li, 72, missing before the grim discovery, and their whereabouts remain unknown as of today. The couple's three children were located at school and subsequently placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.    Police believe the dismemberment may have been an attempt to delay the identification process, and they will rely on DNA evidence to determine the victim's identity.    Samuel Haskell IV's connection to the entertainment industry through his father, Samuel Haskell III, is notable. The elder Haskell served as the executive vice president of the William Morris Agency, representing numerous prominent figures in Hollywood, including George Clooney, Dolly Parton, and Whoopi Goldberg. Haskell III retired in 2005 and currently presides over Magnolia Hill Productions.    Haskell III's career also included a stint as the CEO of the Miss America organization, but he resigned amid controversy over emails containing harsh criticism and vulgar comments about past winners.    This arrest is not Samuel Haskell IV's first brush with the law. Records obtained by the LA Times reveal that in December 2008, he faced charges of assault with a deadly weapon, ultimately pleading no contest to battery and receiving three years' probation in 2010.    A neighbor who had a friendship with Mei Haskell expressed concerns about Samuel Haskell IV, stating, "Something seemed so weird. I kept saying to my family, 'Something is wrong with her husband.'"    Samuel Haskell IV is currently being held on $2 million bail at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys in connection with the gruesome torso discovery. The investigation into this chilling murder case continues, with authorities working diligently to piece together the events leading up to this shocking tragedy. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Samuel Haskell IV, the 35-year-old son of former Hollywood agent Samuel Haskell III, has been taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on suspicion of murder. The arrest follows the disturbing discovery of a dismembered woman's torso in a dumpster, believed to be connected to the disappearance of Haskell's wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents.    The investigation began when a homeless man searching for recyclables stumbled upon the gruesome find in a dumpster approximately five miles from Samuel Haskell IV's Tarzana residence. Before this discovery, construction workers had reported seeing suspicious black bags near Haskell's home, raising concerns. However, by the time the police arrived, the bags had vanished.    LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez stated, "There was no evidence that allowed the officers to make entry into the home" during their initial visit. But when the dismembered torso matched the description of the bags reported by the workers, a second crime scene was established at Haskell's residence, where investigators uncovered "blood evidence."    Authorities had already received reports of Mei Haskell, 37, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Li, 72, missing before the grim discovery, and their whereabouts remain unknown as of today. The couple's three children were located at school and subsequently placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.    Police believe the dismemberment may have been an attempt to delay the identification process, and they will rely on DNA evidence to determine the victim's identity.    Samuel Haskell IV's connection to the entertainment industry through his father, Samuel Haskell III, is notable. The elder Haskell served as the executive vice president of the William Morris Agency, representing numerous prominent figures in Hollywood, including George Clooney, Dolly Parton, and Whoopi Goldberg. Haskell III retired in 2005 and currently presides over Magnolia Hill Productions.    Haskell III's career also included a stint as the CEO of the Miss America organization, but he resigned amid controversy over emails containing harsh criticism and vulgar comments about past winners.    This arrest is not Samuel Haskell IV's first brush with the law. Records obtained by the LA Times reveal that in December 2008, he faced charges of assault with a deadly weapon, ultimately pleading no contest to battery and receiving three years' probation in 2010.    A neighbor who had a friendship with Mei Haskell expressed concerns about Samuel Haskell IV, stating, "Something seemed so weird. I kept saying to my family, 'Something is wrong with her husband.'"    Samuel Haskell IV is currently being held on $2 million bail at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys in connection with the gruesome torso discovery. The investigation into this chilling murder case continues, with authorities working diligently to piece together the events leading up to this shocking tragedy. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Samuel Haskell IV, the 35-year-old son of former Hollywood agent Samuel Haskell III, has been taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on suspicion of murder. The arrest follows the disturbing discovery of a dismembered woman's torso in a dumpster, believed to be connected to the disappearance of Haskell's wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents.    The investigation began when a homeless man searching for recyclables stumbled upon the gruesome find in a dumpster approximately five miles from Samuel Haskell IV's Tarzana residence. Before this discovery, construction workers had reported seeing suspicious black bags near Haskell's home, raising concerns. However, by the time the police arrived, the bags had vanished.    LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez stated, "There was no evidence that allowed the officers to make entry into the home" during their initial visit. But when the dismembered torso matched the description of the bags reported by the workers, a second crime scene was established at Haskell's residence, where investigators uncovered "blood evidence."    Authorities had already received reports of Mei Haskell, 37, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Li, 72, missing before the grim discovery, and their whereabouts remain unknown as of today. The couple's three children were located at school and subsequently placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.    Police believe the dismemberment may have been an attempt to delay the identification process, and they will rely on DNA evidence to determine the victim's identity.    Samuel Haskell IV's connection to the entertainment industry through his father, Samuel Haskell III, is notable. The elder Haskell served as the executive vice president of the William Morris Agency, representing numerous prominent figures in Hollywood, including George Clooney, Dolly Parton, and Whoopi Goldberg. Haskell III retired in 2005 and currently presides over Magnolia Hill Productions.    Haskell III's career also included a stint as the CEO of the Miss America organization, but he resigned amid controversy over emails containing harsh criticism and vulgar comments about past winners.    This arrest is not Samuel Haskell IV's first brush with the law. Records obtained by the LA Times reveal that in December 2008, he faced charges of assault with a deadly weapon, ultimately pleading no contest to battery and receiving three years' probation in 2010.    A neighbor who had a friendship with Mei Haskell expressed concerns about Samuel Haskell IV, stating, "Something seemed so weird. I kept saying to my family, 'Something is wrong with her husband.'"    Samuel Haskell IV is currently being held on $2 million bail at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys in connection with the gruesome torso discovery. The investigation into this chilling murder case continues, with authorities working diligently to piece together the events leading up to this shocking tragedy. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

In this episode we talk about overcoming fear of failure with Sarah Amico, Chair of Jack Cooper Holdings, North America's largest car hauling company and Women-Owned Enterprise. We discuss Sarah's journey building a company where she employs thousands of hard working union workers, in the midst of the auto workers strike. Her approach to managing setbacks when she was the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor in Georgia and ran alongside Stacey Abrams, as well as her 2020 senate race, and the bias women face when it comes to risk taking. About SarahSarah Riggs Amico is the Chairperson of Jack Coopers Holding Corp., America's largest North America's largest car hauling company and Women-Owned Enterprise. In this capacity, Sarah oversees the Company's Board, Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Human Capital Development. Prior to joining Jack Cooper, Sarah was the Head of Strategic Planning at APA Talent and Literary Agency in Beverly Hills. Sarah, began her tenure in media at the William Morris Agency in both Beverly Hills and New York across a variety of departments, including The Mailroom Fund, a seed capital fund raised in partnership with AT&T, Venrock and Accel Partners. During her time in the entertainment industry, she worked on initiatives for some of the world's largest and most recognizable brands, including Time Inc., Reader's Digest, Amtrak, Harry & David, and Virgin America Airlines. Sarah received her B.A. in Politics from Washington & Lee University and M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Aside from her Corporate America career, Sarah was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in Georgia, running alongside Stacey Abrams in 2018. Sarah ran again in 2020 for the U.S. Senate. Click here for Sarah's full bio and show notes. If you enjoyed the episode share it with a friend and don't forget to leave us a review. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Check out our VEST Membership and apply today! www.VESTHer.co

David Weintraub Is an Industry Veteran With Over 25 Years Of Experience In All Areas Of The Entertainment Business. He got his start in the industry in the A&R department of Interscope Records and Death Row Records, working with the entire roster of hip-hop superstars.   David then went on to work for Eminem on his first two albums. Shortly after, he moved on to become a talent agent at William Morris Agency and United Talent Agency. And he then left the agency business to become a TV show creator, talent manager, and executive producer in Hollywood.   But his rise in the industry didn't stop there… Since then, David set out to become the producer and creator of some of the biggest hit TV shows on television. Two of his hit TV shows, Sons Of Hollywood and Hollywood Hillbillies, also closely documented his real, raw and unfiltered journey in show business with his clients.   Throughout the years, Weintraub has produced over 1,000 hours of television episodes for some of the biggest networks in the world, such as VH1, A&E, E Entertainment!, WeTv, Bravo, Reelz, Fox, CW, MTV, CMT, Food Network, TLC, HGTV, NICK, TV One, Bet and Discovery.   Some of David's most notable clients include Too Short, Ray J, E40, Mike Tyson, Trisha Paytas, Birdman, Warren G, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, Scott Storch, Dennis Graham, Jermaine Dupri, Tha Dogg Pound, Justin Timberlake, Mount Westmore, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Jeff Bridges, Harrison Ford, Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Scott Disick, Chuck Lidell, Soulja Boy, and Tana Mongeau, just to name a few.   David is the most sought-after pop culture manager and the force behind the representation of many of your favorite Bravo housewives, VH1 Love & Hip-Hop stars, and many other talents from Jersey Shore, The Kardashians, The Hills, 90 Day Fiancé, Selling Sunset, Dancing with the Stars, Too Hot to Handle, and The Masked Singer. ​   In this episode you will take away 3 promising insights (plus many more)   -       How he was able to navigate each level in Hollywood…   -       Why the influencer is the new celebrity.   -       The origins of how he got his feet under himself so fast!       3 of David's Best Quotes!   “You have to show your heart of what you want to do, and I wanted to achieve”   “I wanted to figure out the business”   “It's who you know and who you get your information from”       Follow David:   https://www.dwetalent.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sirdavidweintraub/ https://twitter.com/dwetalent     Buy the Hollywood Handbook: https://thehollywoodhandbook.com/       Watch the FULL Interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wmS6gJiaATE         Other great podcast guest episodes:     Marla Maples on Being Reborn Again and Living on Purpose   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/always-on-the-grow-with-manny-vargas/id1150064033?i=1000613489510   Born to Perform and Persevere with Jaclyn Marfuggi Caprio   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/always-on-the-grow-with-manny-vargas/id1150064033?i=1000610828215       Subscribe and Listen to the Always on the GROW with Manny Vargas Podcast on other platforms:     Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/show/4r7UJnPOK226P61eGCQ1o2?si=3cfa99ca922a4373   Amazon:   https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/81b57b24-ac69-4ee5-a02f-deb817096b4f/always-on-the-grow-with-manny-vargas   Stitcher:   https://www.stitcher.com/show/a-desire-to-inspire-with-manny-patrick       Follow Manny:   http://thisismannyvargas.com   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manny-var... Instagram: @thisismannyvargas https://www.instagram.com/thisismannyvargas/ Twitter: @themannyvargas https://twitter.com/themannyvargas FB: @thisismannyvargas https://www.facebook.com/thisismannyvargas TikTok: @thisismannyvargas     https://www.tiktok.com/@thisismannyvargas

Two pedestrians collide fatefully.by maxicue. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Joe slid through the crowd on the street, not in a hurry, just enjoying it, like it was some kind of game, call it Body Avoidance, a challenge of finding the gaps just large enough to pass through untouched while the bodies continued moving in somewhat predictable ways, though the unpredictable could always happen, adding to the challenge and the fun, that quick burst bypassing the unexpected shift. He loved this game ever since moving to New York, at first when he worked at a copy place in Grand Central Station (nearby where he happened to be sliding through at the moment), especially busy streets around there, especially at rush hours and lunch, and further challenged when he carried heavy packages of copies destined for publishing houses, often pocketing the cab money given to him to walk even farther through more busy streets carrying those burdens. And then when he became busboy and then waiter at the restaurant at Max's Kansas City, a punk club with the music upstairs and the restaurant where he worked downstairs, sliding through crowds of kids his age on weekend nights. It felt like a kind of dance, especially at the club, even with his own special tempo.This time though, for the first time ever as far as he could recall, he collided with someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere, his height of six and a half feet always helping his vision and his traversing perhaps missing her much smaller frame, at least a foot shorter, probably closer to a foot and a half, but more it seemed like she stepped into the narrow passage he'd found as if on purpose, finding the perfect moment for collision. But of course that would have been impossible, her knowing when to get in his way, when he'd happen to be sliding through at that very moment, unless fate could be considered purposeful.“Asshole,” the young woman growled from the concrete in which his impact sent her, landing on her ass and a hand that prevented something worse like concussion and scraping it for the trouble. With him stopped standing over her, the crowd flowed around the sudden impediment like cattle somehow avoiding stampeding, though less animal and more human since the flow went both ways.He looked down at a blonde waif, skinny and frail, her t shirt and jeans too big for her and looking well past new, the t shirt white with a band logo he was unfamiliar with showing every stain, and there were many, the jeans showing a small right kneecap where the cloth had frayed. The navy peacoat, too warm for the balmy, almost summerlike weather unusual this early in the year, splayed open.“I'm so sorry,” Joe exclaimed, and when his stretched out hand was avoided by her, he insisted, “Let me help you up.” She finally allowed his large hand to take hold of her small slim one aiding her to standing. “I didn't see you,” he added.“Obviously,” she smirked, adjusting her stuffed and scuffed red backpack on her shoulders.“Hungry?” he asked.“I could eat,” she half smiled.He guided her across the street and to the end of the block where one of the last of the Horn and Hardarts automats existed and put coins into the slots for her tuna sandwich and chips and for his egg salad. He bought her a Coke and he got coffee. She used the toilet there to clean her scrape amongst other things since she took a while, which worried him, thinking she might have run off, but of course she didn't, having food waiting for her.“I'm Joe,” he told her.“Jenny,” she replied before filling her mouth with a bite of sandwich.They said nothing for a while since she devoured her food, obviously needing it.“Anything else?” he asked.“Maybe a pie? The lemon meringue looked tempting.”“Okay if we share?” he asked.“That's fine.”“Uhm, are you going to stay?” He looked at her, saw her eyes pooling and she sniffled. “Please?”Her smile nearly broke his heart when she replied, “Nowhere better to be.”“Good. After we eat, let's get that scrape taken care of.”“Okay.”They stayed, talking over the small empty plate.“Where are you from?” he asked.“The Twin Cities. Minneapolis.”“No shit! Me too!”“No shit!”“No shit. Where?”“Robbinsdale.”“Golden Valley.”“No shit?”“No shit.”The two suburbs were neighbors, Robbinsdale more middle class than Golden Valley, which tended to be more upper middle class, a lot of professionals, doctors, lawyers and professors, his dad being of the latter type.Fate.“You work around here?” she asked, since Joe had dressed up in a jacket and tie, the tie loose around his neck.“I used to,” he told her. “I'm actually applying for jobs presently.”“Presently,” she giggled.“Sorry. I tend to talk like I have a stick up my butt.”“No, it's cute.”“Glad you think so,” he chuckled.“How's the job search going?” she asked.“Not great unfortunately. My uncle's an executive at the William Morris Agency, and I hoped that might help, but I guess he's against nepotism. It's possible I'll get a job in their mail room. I applied at other offices, but I'm making a career change, or hoping to, and have got little experience.”“From what?” she asked.“I used to be a waiter at Max's Kansas City.”“No shit!”“No shit.”“Why not stay there?”“I needed a change,” he murmured, unconsciously stroking his arm.Jenny sensing Joe's discomfort regarding the subject wisely ended that line of inquiry. “What's the William Morris Agency?” she asked instead.“It's one of the largest talent agencies in America,” he told her.“Cool.”“Yeah. It's had its perks. Getting turned on to Bowie early because my uncle wrote the contract that signed him. Meeting cool stars at a party at his house upstate. Going to openings like the movie Hair and Apocalypse Now, the last a brand new print and sitting close.”“Is that cool?” she asked.“Pretty cool,” he chuckled.When they left the automat, he told her, “Let's get you some anti-bacteria for your scrape and Band-Aids. I know a drugstore nearby.”“You don't have anything at home?” she asked, surprising him.“Um…you sure?”“I'm sure,” she smiled, and he could see those pretty blue eyes pool again.“I can get something on the way,” he decided.“Great!”Since the drugstore was close by, he went there anyway, and while getting the first aid stuff, she waited for him near the counter. “Need any of these?” she blushed, pointing to the rack of condoms.His cock stiffened in his pants while he grabbed a sixpack of lubricated Trojans. She stayed his hand and grabbed a twelve pack instead. “Holy shit,” he thought.Both were blushing while he made the purchase.They walked over to Grand Central and took the subway south to Fourteenth Street close to where he lived. They entered a door between a couple non-descript store fronts and climbed the stairs three floors, Joe unlocking a door on the left at the top. Fortunately none of his roommates were around in the shared area, probably sleeping since they tended to keep vampire hours, and Joe guided Jenny down a hallway, taking a sharp right and, pushing aside a beaded curtain, gestured her through. He had by far the largest bedroom in the three bedroom apartment, a couple large windows unfortunately facing the wall of another building. Unfortunate not for the view, but for the easy access from the roof to the room, the probable path taken when someone broke in and stole his record collection and his typewriter not long before. Or they could have just walked in, because he knew the probable culprit, since he'd seen the junkie just off St. Marks selling his records, a regular at Max's.“Sorry for the mess,” he apologized, and Joe was a definite slob.“No problem,” she responded. “Beggars can't be choosers.”“Jenny?”“Mind if I take a shower?” she sniffled.“Not at all. Just a second.” He knelt in front of a small cabinet and grabbed a towel for her. “The red door on the right,” he told her.For some reason they'd painted the bathroom a deep red, including the door, the rest of the apartment with white walls.He cleaned up his place while she showered, neatening the books and papers on the coffee table, the table on which he used to type before losing his typewriter, and tossing clothes into a gunny sack he used to tote down to go to the nearest laundromat a block or so away.She returned carrying her clothes and her bag, wearing the towel with it tucked between her cleavage, more of it than he expected, and when she unceremoniously dropped the towel, she sported perky b cup breasts, all the more substantial looking on her petite frame. She was skinny but fortunately not completely starved, no bones jutting out, her belly youthfully firm with just a hint of convexity, and her full bush, being blonde, seemed less substantial than if it were dark. Her waist curved subtly, neither what some would call child bearing hips, but not boyish either. This was definitely a woman.“Like what you see?” she smiled, turning, and showing him a perfect firm round ass. He also noticed muscled thighs and her arms even had some definition.“Wow,” he said. “You're definitely in shape.”“Dreams of being a prima ballerina,” she sniffled.He sat on the bed and patted his lap. “Come here.”“You have way too many clothes on,” she sniffled and giggled.“Come here, Jenny,” he said more forcefully.She sat on his lap sideways. He reluctantly kept his hands off her.“Tell me,” he said.“You don't want to fuck me?”“Of course I do. Tell me.”She sobbed. Only then did he embrace her across her middle, her face ending up against his chest. He could feel the tears wet his shirt. “Tell me,” he repeated.“I…had to,” she choked out.“Had to?”“Your shirt,” she murmured, pulling her head away.“It's okay,” he insisted, gently pulling her head back.“I auditioned over the years to get into ballet school here, but no takers,” she managed to say. “I wanted to be a ballerina but I guess I'm not good enough.”“Best to know I guess,” Joe tried.“It's not that. Oh, okay that kind of sucked, but mostly I wanted to get away.”“From?”“Everything!”“Including?”“My mother's cruel disappointment. She'd been a ballerina until she had me. My boyfriend turning out to be gay. Another boy practically raping me instead making sure I was ready. My father…”“Did he…?”“No, but he was working up to it. Probably looked at me like I was my mom when I was her age or younger I guess. He'd be affectionate, too affectionate as it turned out. He touched me where he shouldn't, not directly but close, you know. I guess I didn't believe it, but it turned out he was actually being shy, and eventually brought my hand to his crotch which got me off him immediately. The last straw…I woke up with him in my bed. I screamed and punched like in his diaphragm which took his wind. Maybe I should have punched lower, but I wanted to be nowhere near that, and when I raced out the room, my mother plods over and my dad says some bullshit about me seducing him, and since it was all about jealousy, him being more affectionate to me, and disappointment, she fucking believed him.“I'm of course freaking out, everything…and then this…but I managed to take some breaths, calming down, and told my mom if she wanted rid of me I needed money. They only had a couple hundred around but my mom takes me to her bank, gets me another five hundred, drives me to the bus station, buys me a ticket to New York, my demand, with her credit card. She actually offered one to me, but I told her she'd probably close it and have me arrested or something, and the bitch shrugged. And I'm like, ‘You're a fucking cunt.' And she's saying I'm a useless slut.”“Sorry,” Joe apologized.“I'm the sorry one,” Jenny actually chuckled.“But…it doesn't sound like sex…”Jenny shifted around so that she faced him, straddling his lap. “I got hit on by fucking pimps, Joe, as soon as I got off the fucking bus at Penn station. I'm not as naïve as I look.”“But you don't know me.”“Like you're a psycho? You don't seem the type and in a way I don't fucking care. A rapist probably wouldn't have brought me home. The hotel I stayed at this creepy guy kept staring at me in the lobby and ended up following me to my fucking floor, so I like got out quick out of there, practically running. And I didn't even dare shower there since the shower room was fucking shared and fucking groady. I was actually headed to Grand Central when we collided, thinking I'd try taking a train down to twenty-third, staying at the Chelsea or something, just to do something cool while I was here and still alive. So Joe, I guess you're the best choice I've had so far.” She kissed him, pulling off the jacket he still wore and unbuttoning his shirt.He broke the kiss when he tossed aside the tie, then lifted her and set her on her back on the bed. He finished the unbuttoning and tossed aside his shirt.“Nice,” she smiled, stroking his chest. Joe didn't work out, but being young, just twenty-one, and working hard at his job as a waiter, kept him slim and slimly muscled.He kept his pants on when he made love to her lying beside her on his side. Kisses continued for a while, both enjoying it especially when tongues were involved, her breath tasting of toothpaste and his presumably not offensive, while his hand began exploring the rest of her. The hand took the weight of her breasts, teasingly moving on before a direct attack on her small nipples to linger on her taut belly and moving teasing across her pudendum, through her soft patch of blond hair, before feeling the smoothness of her thighs and the firmness of muscles, and then under her, lifting her slightly by her firm ass, followed by sliding along her back, across her shoulder and returning to her breasts, fingers moving in on her nipples, caressing and tugging gently at each one, making her gasp into his mouth.Only then did he end the kiss, bringing his mouth to the exploration, finding thrills for her at her ear and neck before moving to her breasts and nipples. Once each one had been appreciated for a while, the second sending his hand down slowly, eventually fingers discovering the dampness of her labia, rimming the edges, his mouth followed the same trail as his hand, and when it reached where she wanted it, he shifted his body between her widened legs and his tongue lapped across her clit, the first touch of it, and she lifted her middle and moaned.Both fingers and mouth remained there, working her gradually to her first climax via a man, especially intense when he stroked her g spot, his other hand tugging at her nipples, measuring the squeeze and building on it since she seemed to handle ever more pressure there.“Joe,” she murmured once she recovered, and smiled when he got up and got naked for her. “Oh my,” she commented at his length, on the thicker side, and definitely longer than the two she'd seen by at least a couple inches.“I'll be gentle,” he promised, opening a condom and rolling it on and moving between her thighs. He brought her hand to his cock to guide him, and she brought it where she wanted it and he slowly pushed in.“Oh fuck!” she moaned.“Too much?” he asked reluctantly.“Don't you fucking stop!” she declared.He pushed into one of the tightest sheathes he'd ever felt and realized he wouldn't last and told her.“Just fuck me,” she insisted, her legs wrapping his thighs as emphasis.Going slow probably helped delay the inevitable, seeming to open her up with each deeper stroke. In the end, he nudged at her cervix, thankfully with his cock completely inside her. He'd known girls her size, even taller, where he had to be careful about the impact there, usually no more than an inch to spare, but enough to cause pain. Not this time. Touching it made her growl, but in a good way.He decided to exploit that, grinding into her, pubic bone against pubic bone which affected her clit too, and just pulling out a couple inches before thrusting in. She seemed fine with that, even enjoying it, so he kept it up while his hands drew in to work fingers and thumbs on her nipples.She began meeting his thrusts with lifts, and her hands grabbed his ass cheeks, and she began pulling on his flesh there, wanting longer strokes it seemed, but he waited until she grabbed hard, closing on being painful, her nails thankfully short, he'd learn later she tended to nibble on them when nervous, and he'd actually seen a little of that in the automat, and she pressed against him one more time before announcing her climax with, “Oh my fucking God!” rather loudly at a high growl. And when she loosened her grip, only then did he abandon himself to fully fucking her, long, ever faster strokes for only seconds before he pressed deep, pushing against her cervix, and cumming.“Joe,” she murmured, her hands pushing his chest.“Sorry,” he responded, hugging her to him and turning them over. He'd reached the last of his ejaculations, every one intense, and reached down to hold the condom to his penis while shifting her higher with his legs.“Mmm,” she responded when it slid out. She shivered a little too as if feeling a last echo of her orgasm.“It'll be better next time,” he promised.She chuckled weakly.“What?” he asked.She shifted forward. Since both of their bodies had fairly equal proportions of legs to torsos, she had to scoot up a bit, her legs straddling his abdomen, her damp pussy pressing into it, for her to look eye to eye with him. Her hands pressed his shoulders to put her face above his.“That was several magnitudes better than the last and only fuck I've had,” she explained.“I thought it was making love,” he argued.“Don't be pedantic, Joe,” she smirked, surprising him.“Pedantic?”“You know what I mean.”“Of course, but…”“I'm smarter than I look.”“I don't believe in the dumb blonde myth.”“I've met several, and not all blondes.”“School?”“And fellow dancers, although most were dedicated enough to be smart too I suppose. Learning to put the time in to do the best you can both in dancing and studying.”“Makes sense. So school…?”“I would have graduated this spring if I hadn't had to run away.”“GED?” he asked.“Probably. I don't imagine going to school for one quarter. You?”“School?”“Yeah.”“I went to Bard in upstate New York for a couple years, but quit because it was ridiculous having parents spend that much money for me to study to be a poet.”“You're a poet?”“Not much recently. I thought New York would be inspiring, but mostly it's been distracting. I'm also interested in filmmaking, like the experimental kind, so no more lucrative. I still have a Bolex sixteen millimeter camera which fortunately the thieves never found.”“Thieves?”“The problem with living amongst junkies. Let me show you something.”He lifted his left arm and she caressed a line of marks near his inner elbow area.“Are those…?”“Tracks. Only one is fairly fresh. It's why I quit Max's: too much temptation. Living here too, but right now I can't afford to move. A friend of mine OD'd and died, and another almost did and I ended up keeping him alive. It was the last straw, and I realized that'd be me, or it'd just be a spiral of inertia, all about the next fix and nothing else, so I quit. Luckily I wasn't too strung out and basically hung with my folks for a week when my dad had his sabbatical in DC this past winter. I drank a bit there, but my parents seemed none the wiser. Anyway, when I came back to work planning to keep my tips instead of spending them all, I did okay until I didn't one day, succumbing to temptation, and quit after that.”“When was that?”“A week ago. I've been job hunting ever since.”“Lucky for me,” she grinned and shifted around, pulling off the used condom and handing it to him carefully and he managed to toss it atop his underpants while she enveloped his penis in her mouth. He worried about her lack of experience, mostly worried about her teeth, but she proved quite capable. He nudged her to straddle his face and had to bend his back a little, supported by his arms so fingers weren't available, and mostly kept her pleasure at a quiet purr, not distracting her from her surprisingly effective endeavors.Once she'd got him hard, she bounced off the bed, found a condom and rolled it on with some study and climbed on and guided him back inside her, carefully, stroke by stroke, sending him deep. Once there, she began her ride, this time having the full effect of his entire cock, to the point she needed to bring it back to her slit when it slipped out a couple times, but seemed to get the length of him soon enough and began riding him at a medium fast clip.He watched the roll and bounce of her perky tits before stilling them with his hands, one letting go to guide her hand to her clit. From that she worked herself into a frenzy, finally shifting down and rolling atop him to achieve her orgasm. Fortunately it always took longer for Joe to cum when a woman took the cowgirl position.After, she somehow turned around while he remained inside and moved her body down, and he realized what she wanted, moving from beneath her, clutching her hips, and pulling her into him in a doggy style position. He shifted, letting go of the hips and bringing one hand to her hanging tits and the other to her clit, practically holding her up with the latter hand, and like he had before, let himself go fucking her hard and fast until he came, happily not long after she did.“Fuck Joe,” she commented softly after.“Yeah,” Joe agreed.She did the securing of the condom to his penis and they soon took the same position as they had before, her head resting on his chest.“Can I stay?” she asked quietly and shyly.“As long as you want.”“Thanks.”by maxicue for Literotica.This is the first chapter of a novel. The rest of the published chapters are found at the maxicue library of Literotica.Fate's Embrace: 6 Part Series

Step into the extraordinary world of Michelle Danner, an award-winning director and renowned acting teacher. Discover her unparalleled insights as she breaks down acting styles, shares her philosophy, and shares stories working with industry legends like Paul Sorvino. Prepare to be inspired and empowered by her expertise.   My guest, Michelle Danner, and I discuss: Discover Michelle Danner's inspiring journey to becoming an award-winning director of captivating films like The Bandit Hound and Miranda's Victim Unveiling the early influences that shaped Michelle's directorial career, including her father's pioneering role in opening the first William Morris Agency in Paris Join Michelle as she shares her unforgettable experiences working with the legendary Paul Sorvino Dive into Michelle's profound acting philosophy, her personal approach to studying acting, and her passion for teaching others Explore the captivating world of acting styles as Michelle expertly breaks them down Gain invaluable life advice from the iconic Chris Rock he imparted on Michelle Experience a mesmerizing analysis of the critically acclaimed TV show, Succession, through Michelle's unique lens Develop your discerning eye for spotting Oscar-winning performances as Michelle reveals the secrets behind these extraordinary achievements Journey into the fascinating process of creating an independent film, and uncover the relentless efforts required to showcase it at prestigious festivals and secure widespread distribution   You're going to love my conversation with Michelle Danner Michelle Danner Acting Studio IMDB Facebook Twitter Instagram   Follow Jeff Dwoskin (host): Jeff Dwoskin on Twitter The Jeff Dwoskin Show podcast on Twitter Podcast website Podcast on Instagram Join my mailing list Buy me a coffee (support the show) Subscribe to my Youtube channel (watch Crossing the Streams!) Yes, the show used to be called Live from Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show  

In this episode of Beltway Broadcast, your Metro DC Chapter of ATD hosts Lisa Cron. Lisa is a story coach and the author of Wired for Story, Story Genius, and most recently Story or Die. She has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency. In this episode, Lisa offers a revolutionary look at a story as the brain experiences it and shares how to apply it to storytelling when creating training. If you'd like to learn more about Lisa, visit her website.  For more info about the Metro DC Chapter of ATD, visit DCATD.org.  Episode Credits: Series Announcer: Julie Waters Hosts: Christina Eanes, Stephanie Hubka, and Halyna Hodges

Maxim Langstaff is an award-winning producer/writer, the founding visionary of The Wildheart Group, whose work has been represented by the William Morris Agency and International Creative Management. Wildheart's work has been distributed worldwide. Founded in 1995, Wildheart creates, produces, and manages content across international media platforms, whose objective is to ensure its commercial and competitive edge in today's market. Sponsored By: Ugly Chews: http://www.UglyChews.com Warrior Rising: http://www.warriorrising.org Sunga Life: https://www.sungalife.com/ Diesel Jack Media: https://dieseljackmedia.com/ The Neutral Position is Hosted by Nick Palmisciano Nick Palmisciano is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Filmmaker, Founding Board Member of the international rescue non-profit Save Our Allies, and the CEO of the full-service marketing agency Diesel Jack Media. Nick is a Graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and received his MBA from Duke University. He received the prestigious “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the Entrepreneur Organization in 2015 and is a proud recipient of the U.S. Army Ranger Tab. You can find this episode wherever podcasts are streamed:  Itunes: https://apple.co/3MrPlNE Spotify: http://bit.ly/43dBUGS Facebook: https://bit.ly/3mf56wD Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ZRY7Hq TikTok: http://bit.ly/3A0bhrL Nick Palmisciano Facebook: https://bit.ly/43h4erR Twitter: https://bit.ly/40SKQ2N IG: https://bit.ly/40WADlZ Diesel Jack Media Facebook: https://bit.ly/3UnGvlJ Instagram: https://bit.ly/43h4o2r

Come and listen while Host Christina Spoletini interviews a variety of extraordinary women, whom are working to make the world a better place! #DivasThatCare Marquita Waters is a multifaceted performing artist and vocal coach based out of Los Angeles, California.  Marquita has appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show and The Steve Allen Show. She was represented by The William Morris Agency and released music as the critically acclaimed Mia Morrell during the Frank Sinatra era. Marquita is a versatile artist with a remarkable range of musical talent. She has an extensive repertoire in Latin, Jazz, Rock, Top 40, Swing, Country, R&B, Gospel and Reggae. In the last decade she has released Christian pop / R&B singles such as “Christ,” a swing CD called “Gotta Get It Right” and a walk tape. Today she is passionate about training upcoming singers and is a well respected vocal coach for singers of all ages and styles – live and studio performance. As Seen or heard on:  The Tonight Show - CBS - United Artists - NBC - The Nanny https://www.marquitawaters.com/ https://www.facebook.com/MarquitaWaters https://twitter.com/Marquitawaters https://www.youtube.com/user/MarquitaWaters https://www.instagram.com/marquitawaters/ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/marquita-waters/281872081

Beginning her career at the William Morris Agency, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas rose in spite of the boys club of the late 1980's to become one of the top agents in the entertainment industry, guiding the careers of actors such as JULIA ROBERTS, MEG RYAN, JENNIFER LOPEZ, NICHOLAS CAGE, TIM ROBBINS, MADONNA, SUSAN SARANDON, GEENA DAVIS, PATRICK DEMPSEY, JENNIFER CONNELLY, ANDIE MACDOWELL, MATT DILLON, and working with filmmakers such as, JOHN HUGHES, ROBERT ALTMAN, JONATHAN LYNN, ROGER MICHELE, CURTIS HANSON, DARREN STAR, SPIKE LEE among many others. She left agenting in 2000 and became a studio head and later a writer and producer overseeing, and or producing such successful films as 13 GOING ON 30, MAID IN MANHATTAN, BLACK HAWK DOWN, MONA LISA SMILE, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, PERFECT STRANGER, KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL, LITTLE BLACK BOOK, BANDSLAM, THE BOY NEXT DOOR, KIDNAP, SECOND ACT, HUSTLERS, MARRY ME, SHOTGUN WEDDING and the upcoming films, THE MOTHER due out May 2023 and ATLAS due out 2024, along with several highly acclaimed and award winning television series such as THE FOSTERS, GOOD TROUBLE, SHADES OF BLUE, EXTANT, POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS, EMILY IN PARIS, and WORLD OF DANCE. She is JENNIFER LOPEZ'S producing partner overseeing a diverse slate of films and television projects servicing their groundbreaking overall deal at NETFLIX. The Storytellers hosted by Grace Sammon focuses on individuals who choose to leave their mark on the world through the art of story. Each episode engages guests and listeners in the story behind the story of authors, artists, reporters, and others who leave a legacy of storytelling. Applying her years of experience as an educator, entrepreneur, author, and storyteller herself, Grace brings to listeners an intimate one-on-one experience with her guests. Visit Grace at her website www.gracesammon.net. Contact Grace about being a guest on the show, email her at grace@gracesammon.net Follow Grace: On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GraceSammonWrites/ On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/GraceSammonWrites/ On Twitter https://www.twitter.com/GSammonWrites On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-sammon-84389153/ #TheStorytellers #Storyteller #Storytellers # Storytelling #AuhtorInterview #LetsTalkBooks #LeaveYourMark #AuthorLife #StorytellerLife #ArtofStory #AuthorTalkNetwork #BookishRoadTrip #AuthorTalkNetwork #AuthorsOnTheAirGlobalRadioNetwork #author #producer #writer #productionpartner #jenniferlopez #JLO #hollywood #hollywoodagent #hollywoodlegend #movies The Storytellers is a copyrighted work © of Grace Sammon and Authors on The Air Global Radio Network.

Marilyn Monroe broke through as an actress in 1950 with small, but acclaimed roles in All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle. She was then a mistress of Johnny Hyde, head of the William Morris Agency. Hyde negotiated a seven year contract with 20th Century Fox and then unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack. In 1951, Monroe had supporting roles in three Fox comedies: As Young as You Feel, Love Nest, and Let's Make It Legal. With her star on the rise, she received several thousand fan letters a week, and was declared "Miss Cheesecake" by the army newspaper Stars and Stripes. In early 1952 as she began a much-publicized romance with ex-Yankee Joe DiMaggio, Monroe revealed she'd posed nude in 1949, thus getting ahead of the scandal and gaining sympathy from the public. She explained she'd been broke and needed the money and was soon featured on the cover of Life magazine as the "Talk of Hollywood." Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper declared her the "cheesecake queen" turned "box office smash." Wanting to improve her acting, she studied hard with Michael Chekhov. Two of Monroe's films — Clash by Night and Don't Bother to Knock — were released soon after to capitalize on public interest. The films showed her range, as Monroe played a fish cannery worker in the former and a disturbed babysitter in the latter. In Howard Hawks's Monkey Business, she played a secretary opposite Cary Grant. In O. Henry's Full House, with Charles Laughton, she appeared in a passing vignette as a nineteenth-century street walker. Monroe added to her sex symbol reputation by wearing a revealing dress when acting as Grand Marshal at the Miss America Pageant parade, and told gossip columnist Earl Wilson that she usually wore no underwear. By the end of the year, gossip columnist Florabel Muir named Monroe the "it girl" of 1952. When Niagara was released in January 1953, women's clubs protested it as immoral. In some scenes, Monroe's body was covered only by a sheet or a towel, considered shocking by contemporary audiences. The film's most famous scene is a long shot of Monroe from behind walking with hips swaying. Audiences turned out in droves. The next month, Marilyn Monroe was the guest of Dean and Jerry's February 24th, 1953 episode.

Lisa Cron is no fan of how the writing world teaches writers to craft stories. She has several beefs with the standard ways novel writing is taught, including starting your project with "plotting." In this episode, Lisa offers a fresh, practical perspective on the key to writing a compelling story. Lisa has written three books on story, including Wired for Story, Story Genius, and Story or Die. She has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and Court TV, and as a story analyst for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency.   Great Moments in the Episode (5:06) The two things that the writing world has gotten wrong about writing stories. (7:00) Page one of the novel is the first page of the second half of the novel. (10:05) The biggest lie that the writing world tells you: "Use backstory sparingly and only when the reader needs to know something." (14:25) What are "misbeliefs" and the importance of knowing the origin story of the misbeliefs of your main character. (19:20) The art of writing is to take what is inchoate ... and put it into language. (25:35) Story structure is a byproduct of a story well told. And the story polishes the prose, not the other way around. (30:01) Story is story, whether you're writing nonfiction, a memoir, or fiction. (39:03) The mark of a writer is being able to throw stuff away.   (43:08) Words of the Episode Pluviophile -  someone who loves rain and rainy days - and the fresh smell of rain. Mercurial - subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.   Visit Lisa's Website Wired for Story Website   Lisa's Books Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life   Follow Journey Sixty6 https://www.journeysixty6.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub https://www.facebook.com/journeysixty6 https://www.instagram.com/journeysixty6/

Jenny Frankfurt joined us to discuss the Finish Line Script Competition, being a manager, and all sort of fun creative talk. https://finishlinescriptcomp.com ABOUT JENNY Jenny Frankfurt is the founder of the Finish Line Script Competition. Finish Line is based on the idea that rewriting is essential to being a successful writer and we provide development notes when requested in order for writers to rewrite and resubmit new drafts (for free) throughout the competition. This mimics a studio, network or production company process and helps the writer prepare for a serious career in the entertainment industry. Prior to Finish Line and her work as a script consultant, Jenny was a film and television literary manager/producer with her own company, Highstreet Management based in Los Angeles. Highstreet represented writers around the globe, specializing but not limited to breaking UK, European & Australian writers and directors into the US market. She sold television shows (both reality and fiction), features and staffed television shows for almost 20 years. Jenny began her career in representation after graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts by working at the William Morris Agency in New York where she worked for a legendary film, tv and playwright's agent, who represented such writers as Eric Bogosian, William Mastrosimone, Warren Leight, Eric Overmyer and Jon Robin Baitz. From NYC Jenny moved to Los Angeles where she worked at ICM with clients such as Susan Sarandon, Louis Malle, Johnny Depp, Lasse Hallstrom and Will Smith. After deciding management would give her more freedom to produce and influence her client's careers she started working with manager Rick Yorn and clients such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Claire Danes and Benicio Del Toro among others. Jenny tried her own hand at producing the independent feature JOHNNY HIT AND RUN PAULINE, to which Emma Thompson was attached as Executive Producer. Jenny then started working with manager Benny Medina at Handprint Entertainment, representing talent, literary and production clients. She soon became Head of Handprint's Literary Department. --- Learn more from Paul's and Justin's books, both on Amazon! Go Ahead and Ask Creative Writing Life

Today on the show we have award-winning producer, film executive, educator, and industry story analyst Christopher Lockhart. Christopher is renowned for his script editing acumen. He has read over 60,000 screenplays. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and member of the WGA, PGA, and the Television Academy.Chris got his start at International Creative Management (ICM), where he worked as script consultant to legendary talent agent Ed Limato, who represented industry giants such as Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Michelle Pfeiffer, Liam Neeson, and Robert Downey, Jr.He later moved to the venerable William Morris Agency, which merged with Endeavor to form WME. At WME Chris has worked on award-winning projects for A-list clients like Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe, and Rachel McAdams among others.Chris branched off into film producing with the cult horror hit The Collector and its sequel The Collection, which opened in the top ten American box-office. He wrote and produced the award winning documentary Most Valuable Players, which was acquired by Oprah Winfrey for her network. Chris has set up several other projects, including A Rhinestone Alibi at Paramount, and Crooked Creek, a modern noir thriller.As an educator, Lockhart shares his talent and 30+ years of industry experience as an adjunct professor at Screenwriting program and at UCLA.His writing workshop The Inside Pitch was filmed for Los Angeles television and earned him an Emmy Award nomination.Chris and I also teamed up for a new webinar from IFH Academy called How to Become a Hollywood Script Reader from Industry Insiders HOW TO BE A HOLLYWOOD READER is a webinar focusing on the secrets of one of Hollywood's most vital and mysterious jobs.A reader evaluates screenplays and stories, practicing quality control through “coverage” – a written report that judges creative success. The reader wields huge influence that empowers Hollywood chiefs to greenlight film, television, and new media. This webinar examines the core components of coverage, how to write it, and provides tools and pro tips to navigate the reading profession – led by two preeminent Hollywood readers. By pulling back the curtain on this creative process, the webinar also gives writers, directors, actors, and producers a rare look inside the mind of those who decide the fate of their material. Chris prioritizes emotionality and his client's character role and development ahead of the overall story solidity. He shared some tips for new writers, some lessons learned from bad scripts, what goes on behind the agency curtain and the blessing of untapping a story's best version from re-writes.Enjoy my conversation with Christopher Lockhart.

Shepherding Screenwriting Talent Scott Carr, Management SGC   – The Sharkpreneur podcast with Seth Greene Episode 880 Scott Carr Scott Carr was born in Ontario, Canada, where he fell in love with movies and television at a young age. His father, a fisherman and small business owner, was one of the first in his neighborhood to get a satellite dish, and Scott would spend more time than he rightfully should have watching television and learning all he could about the craft and business of movie making - to the extent at which he made his own 90 minute original action film with many brave friends in high school. He collected movies and amassed over 1,200 titles, having his own veritable video store in his college apartment. He majored in Kinesiology and Film Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he also played football and did competitive amateur bodybuilding, and upon graduating, he immediately relocated from Canada to Los Angeles. He eventually got his start in Hollywood in the William Morris Agency mailroom in Summer 2008, where he worked until the merger with Endeavor. He also worked at UTA for 3 years, and spent a year as a development executive at Hollywood Gang Productions at Warner Bros., before starting the literary management company Management SGC where he represents writers and directors in film and television.   Listen to this illuminating Sharkpreneur episode with Scott Carr about shepherding screenwriting talent. Here are some of the beneficial topics covered on this week's show: - How you need to make the right connections to make it the entertainment industry. - Why you should focus on the true representational needs of your client. - How starting and independent business is about realizing you must be self-sufficient. - Why you must build your business off the reputation you created working at other companies. - How to manage cash flow in your business when you don't know when you're going to get paid. Connect with Scott: Guest Contact Info Links Mentioned: management-sgc.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part two of our two part episode with Darren Tyler.  His 20-year career included stints at Vanguard Entertainment and William Morris Agency before founding Platform Artist Management. His clients included Jars of Clay, Third Day, and Kutless. In 2010 he laid that aside to give his full attention to Conduit Mission, which he founded in 2007. In 2010 Conduit Church was birthed. Darren's love for the Scripture and passionate pursuit of truth informs his teaching style. He has become known for his ability to go through the Bible chapter by chapter, while being able to connect it to the events shaping the world around us. He brings an ability to let theology inform our culture and not culture informing our theology. He currently pastors Conduit Church in Franklin Tennessee and we are so glad we got to have a very candid conversation about the church and how often we can form our opinions of who Jesus is by those who hurt us. Don't miss this episode!     Don't forget to like, subscribe and share! and follow our guest! Darren Tyler https://instagram.com/darrentyler?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://www.conduitchurch.com   Follow our hosts Rhonda Velez https://instagram.com/realityoflife02?igshid=h9pdm39br7u https://www.facebook.com/rhonda.velez

This is a 2 part episode with Darren Tyler he  is a former music industry executive. His 20-year career included stints at Vanguard Entertainment and William Morris Agency before founding Platform Artist Management. His clients included Jars of Clay, Third Day, and Kutless. In 2010 he laid that aside to give his full attention to Conduit Mission, which he founded in 2007. In 2010 Conduit Church was birthed. Darren's love for the Scripture and passionate pursuit of truth informs his teaching style. He has become known for his ability to go through the Bible chapter by chapter, while being able to connect it to the events shaping the world around us. He brings an ability to let theology inform our culture and not culture informing our theology. He currently pastors Conduit Church in Franklin Tennessee and we are so glad we got to have a very candid conversation about the church and how often we can form our opinions of who Jesus is by those who hurt us. Don't miss this episode!     Don't forget to like, subscribe and share! and follow our guest! Darren Tyler https://instagram.com/darrentyler?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://www.conduitchurch.com   Follow our hosts Rhonda Velez https://instagram.com/realityoflife02?igshid=h9pdm39br7u https://www.facebook.com/rhonda.velez Jeff Martinez https://instagram.com/jeffdmartinez?igshid=1g13srbadlwb7 Follow our show Recovering PK Podcast  https://instagram.com/recoveringpkpodcast?igshid=kpjgf0n95v9p

Today on the show we have award-winning producer, film executive, educator, and industry story analyst Christopher Lockhart. Christopher is renowned for his script editing acumen. He has read over 60,000 screenplays.  He is also an award-winning filmmaker and member of the WGA, PGA, and the Television Academy.Chris got his start at International Creative Management (ICM), where he worked as script consultant to legendary talent agent Ed Limato, who represented industry giants such as Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Michelle Pfeiffer, Liam Neeson, and Robert Downey, Jr.He later moved to the venerable William Morris Agency, which merged with Endeavor to form WME.  At WME Chris has worked on award-winning projects for A-list clients like Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe, and Rachel McAdams among others.Chris branched off into film producing with the cult horror hit The Collector and its sequel The Collection, which opened in the top ten American box-office.   He wrote and produced the award winning documentary Most Valuable Players, which was acquired by Oprah Winfrey for her network.  Chris has set up several other projects, including A Rhinestone Alibi at Paramount, and Crooked Creek, a modern noir thriller.As an educator, Lockhart shares his talent and 30+ years of industry experience as an adjunct professor at Screenwriting program and at UCLA. His writing workshop The Inside Pitch was filmed for Los Angeles television and earned him an Emmy Award nomination.Chris and I also teamed up for a new webinar from IFH Academy called How to Become a Hollywood Script Reader from Industry InsidersHOW TO BE A HOLLYWOOD READER is a webinar focusing on the secrets of one of Hollywood's most vital and mysterious jobs. A reader evaluates screenplays and stories, practicing quality control through “coverage” – a written report that judges creative success. The reader wields huge influence that empowers Hollywood chiefs to greenlight film, television, and new media.This webinar examines the core components of coverage, how to write it, and provides tools and pro tips to navigate the reading profession – led by two preeminent Hollywood readers. By pulling back the curtain on this creative process, the webinar also gives writers, directors, actors, and producers a rare look inside the mind of those who decide the fate of their material. Chris prioritizes emotionality and his client's character role and development ahead of the overall story solidity. He shared some tips for new writers, some lessons learned from bad scripts, what goes on behind the agency curtain and the blessing of untapping a story's best version from re-writes.Enjoy my conversation with Christopher Lockhart.

As a partner and commercial agent at WPA- Worldwide Production Agency- Trevor Kossack represents directors, cinematographers, production designers, editors and costume designers. Trevor has a passion for those responsible for crafting the images that make movies, television shows and commercials. Trevor first studied medicine in college, but soon realized that he didn't want to be a doctor. He also had family in the entertainment industry and got an entry level job at the William Morris Agency. He found he really enjoyed working in a talent agency. As he switched agencies and worked his way up, Trevor decided he wanted to represent those below the line more than actors or writers. He appreciates what cinematographers, production designers, costume designers and editors need to do to create art, and everyone needs representation to protect their bests interests when they're up for a job. When looking for new talent, Trevor wants to fall in love with the person's work and how it makes him feel. He likes to see real, human stories that draw people in, no matter what the subject. He networks with potential clients at film festivals and industry events, and keeps his finger on the pulse of industry news to find out the latest projects and people on the rise. Trevor enjoys having a good relationship with his clients, and is always looking to create a great “marriage” between a director and a DP. As an agent, Trevor's job is to have conversations with his clients about what's available, what their brand is and how it can be adjusted, and matching the person to the right job. He always respects an artist's choice on the jobs they decide to take, or pass over. Trevor's tips on how to find an agent: Have a reel of your work and feel confident in the work you've done so far, no matter how much experience you have. Make a plan and discuss what your plans are for your career in the next year, and then the next 5 years. Figure out who your influences are, including any and all art, from fine art and photography to architecture or anything else. Remember that getting an agent is just a step along the way. Everyone in the entertainment industry still needs to network and hustle to find their next projects. He's always open to emails, phone calls or taking a look at a potential client's reel. Even if you don't get representation right away, it's always good to stay in touch. Find Trevor Kossack at WPA: https://wp-a.com/ Sponsored by Aputure: https://www.aputure.com/ Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Twitter: @ShortEndz

Today on the Mark 2.0 we sit down with Michelle Danner producer of the soon to be hit film "The Runner" a thriller that premiers on August 19th and has already won 22 awards and 24 nominations at film festivals.Michelle grew up in the industry as her father was an agent with the William Morris Agency and he started the very first William Morris Agency in Paris. She is a world-renowned acting coach, director, producer, actor. Is there anything that she has not accomplished with her life.I encourage you to check out all of Michelle's movies that she has either directed or produced.Here is her IMDb page so you can check out all the films she has directed and produced. You may even catch Michelle playing a small part in some of her films.https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200403/?ref_=ttawd_awd_1I Really enjoyed Hello Herman, The Bandit Hound and Bad Impulse myself and I am looking forward to watching The Runner when it comes out.Here is the Official Trailer for The Runnerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzjlff1fHLsHere is Michelle's YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/c/MichelleDanner_LA/videosHere is Michelle's websitehttps://www.michelledanner.com/As always make sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our channel on YouTube under Mark 2.0 for video versions of the podcast. We can also be found on all audio platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.Here are the links to our social media sites.Twitter- https://twitter.com/M20podcastInstagram-https://www.instagram.com/mark2.0_podcast/Tik Tok- https://www.tiktok.com/@mark2.0podcastFacebook https://www.facebook.com/mark2.0podcastofficial

Live form the Mind Body Soul Spring Release party in Aspen Colorado.  International matchmaker Gabby Aratow gives you her TOP 3 SECRETS FOR DATING SUCCESS.Gabriella Aratow is the owner of Kiss Keeper Introduction Services, a matchmaking company. She started the company after working for a similar company for four years. Gabby is internationally known for her matchmaking skills. She typically works with men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, but has also worked with clients as young as their 20s. Gabby's top three secrets for dating are to take the focus off of finding a person and just enjoy the date, to make sure you look your best, and to be on time."Gabby, an internationally known matchmaker, shares her top three secrets for dating success with a local talk show host, revealing that the key to a good date is simply to relax and enjoy the company of another human being.Find Gaby Aratow here: https://keeperintros.com/ She'll get you a fun date!Administrative: (See episode transcript below)WATCH this episode here: Table Rush Talk Show.Check out the Tools For A Good Life Summit here: Virtually and FOR FREE https://bit.ly/ToolsForAGoodLifeSummitStart podcasting!  These are the best mobile mic's for IOS and Android phones.  You can literally take them anywhere on the fly.Get the Shure MV88 mobile mic for IOS,  https://amzn.to/3z2NrIJGet the Shure MV88+ for  mobile mic for Android  https://amzn.to/3ly8SNjSee more resources at https://belove.media/resourcesEmail me: contact@belove.mediaFor social Media:      https://www.instagram.com/mrmischaz/https://www.facebook.com/MischaZvegintzovSubscribe and share to help spread the love for a better world!As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Transcript: Mischa Zvegintzov Welcome everybody to the table rush talk show. I'm here with Gabby and Gabby. Tell us your last name. aerotow. Gabby Thomas, your company?Gaby Aratow Yeah, my company's called Kiss keeper introduction services.Mischa Zvegintzov Fantastic. And we are here at the Mind Body Soul spring release party. Gabby's got an article here on page 57. We're going to talk all about matchmaking. We're gonna have a ton of fun. But at the end of the interview, Gabby here is going to give you her top three secrets for dating. And Gabby knows her stuff she's internationally known for, for dating and matchmaking and putting people together, right, yeah. Fantastic. So we're gonna have a ton of fun and stay to the end. So you can hear the top three secrets. So yes, you have an article. Gabby here has an article in Mind Body Soul magazine, the spring edition for matchmaking, a unique process of personal discovery. We'll just pull that up close. And I am just dying to know how does one get in the matchmaking business?Gaby Aratow Well, for me, it really was kind of random. I read about a matchmaking company. And I thought, Oh, this is an incredible service. I, I really, really want this service. So I actually pulled out my credit card. And I was about to sign up for this matchmaking service. And then I thought I hadn't worked for a couple of years, I'd been out of the workforce, caretaking somebody sick in my family. And I thought to myself, What am I doing buying this service, I need a job, not a matchmaker right now. So I put my credit card away. And I wrote the company a letter. And I said, I just read about your company. I think this service that you offer is an incredible service. And I think I should come work for you. And they called me the next day. They hired me that week, and I became the top matchmaker at that company for the next four years. And then I left that company and opened up my own matchmaking firm.Mischa Zvegintzov Wow. And when was that? What what what, how long ago? Seven years ago, seven years ago? Yeah, you open your current?Gaby Aratow No, that was two years ago, okay, that I branched off and opened my own matchmaking company. So I work here in Aspen, but I also work nationally. I even can work internationally. But I'd say the majority of my clients are places like New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco. And then I also take people here in Aspen, I have some clients in Telluride. So I do some ski towns, but largely Denver. I work a lot in Denver, but I work a national matchmaking business from right here from from the willekes area of the Roaring Fork Valley.Mischa Zvegintzov That's amazing. And do you have a specific niche within this territory? Like who do you? Who's your favorite to matchmake?Gaby Aratow So, um, I would say the majority of my clients are men, not always, but most of them, they tend to be in their 40s 50s and 60s, but I have a client right now who's 73. And sometimes I've also taken clients who are in their late 20s. Typically, someone in their early 20s isn't looking for a matchmaker. Yes. And, and generally sometimes that, you know, they they have been married before and they're divorced with kids, sometimes they're looking for their first spouse to get married, maybe have children, so it can really run the gamut. And then occasionally, I also take women. And the other thing that happens with me is if I can't take somebody onto my own client list for any particular reason, another thing I do is I match them with the right matchmaker for them. So basically, just about anyone who wants matchmaking services, could give me a call and we could probably get you to the right place.Mischa Zvegintzov Fantastic. And then are you finding typically that you're your 40 5060 year old male? Is he super busy executive? So he's, he's like, hey, I want to offload this to you or what's, how does that what's going on there?Gaby Aratow I definitely have some clients who are used to outsourcing all kinds of things in life, you know, who are very ultra successful. I mean, I would say it runs the gamut, my clients from I had last year I had a parole officer. So you know, he was he was a parole officer who made some extra money on the side through Airbnbs. Yeah, I also have clients who are managers of hedge funds, really big movie producers, lawyers, doctors, so it can really run the gamut in terms of the type of person who comes to me, but I always tell people matchmaking is a luxury service. People who are coming to me generally have some expendable income I don't think matchmaking is the right thing to do. If you're, you know, really struggling to say make rent. Yeah, it tends to be for people with a little bit more, a little bit more comfort in their financial situation.Mischa Zvegintzov Okay, great. That's, that's, that's a good tip, I think. Yeah. When when you started, when you pulled out when you put your credit card back in your pocket, yeah. And you're like, I want to work for you. And they say, okay, and it sounds like you've had success right away. I did. What were like one, what is it? Where you're like, Oh, my God, I found? This is what I was meant to do. Like, how does? You know? Does that question make sense?Gaby Aratow Yeah. You know, when I look back upon my work history, up until this, I almost always had been in some kind of agenting. So I had worked at the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles, working with movie stars, and then went through their merger to W me. I had worked at other agencies before then smaller agencies. It's sort of the theme of nearly everything that I've done is kind of agenting. But at the same time, I'm such a people person. And I'm always interested in people stating lives. So I, even when I was sitting around at William Morris, people would come in and I know we were supposed to be talking about what movies they were in or what movies they wanted to do. But I always wanted to say, but who are you dating? You know, like what's going on in your dating life? So somehow, I've always been, like, very interested in people's romantic lives. And I always have been, I think most matchmakers were just general natural connectors. And even when I was in college, I would say, Oh, you don't my roommate. You know, Alicia, she really should meet that guy, Jim over there. I was always matchmaking. I was always trying to put people together. So you know, now I just realized at a certain point in life, when I saw that, that advertisement, I was like, whoa, this isn't a career. And I didn't know what would happen if I started it. But here I am. And it's all I do. And I have a national and even international reputation. And I speak at matchmaking conferences, and I have an incredible client list with incredible people. And I've gotten a lot of people married.Mischa Zvegintzov That is amazing. Yeah. When you started at your first company, when you started for them, when did you know that I'm onto something, and this is my, this is my niche,Gaby Aratow really quickly, I just, I just maybe if I hadn't gone to do matchmaking, I could have almost gone into casting or something in Hollywood, but I'm just able to, I'm able to sort of get people's vibes very quickly and have an understanding of who they might like to meet. And on top of that, it's not unlike being a real estate and some real estate agent in some ways somebody comes to you and they say, what's important to me is that I live walking distance to a cafe. And what's important to me is I have a backyard. And what's important to me is that I have at least three bedrooms. And I've just very good. I've always been very good at just hearing what's important to people, and being able to, you know, incorporate their wants, needs and desires. And sometimes people will come to me, and I'll have to do a little correction with them. Because what they're asking for, I know just really isn't the right direction for them in the dating world. So there's a little bit of an interplay with me and my clients around making sure that we're on the same page. And if somebody and I aren't on the same page, then they're just probably not the right client for me.Mischa Zvegintzov Yeah. And that's okay. Yeah, that is okay. Yeah. And it sounds like as you said, at the beginning, here, you if they're open, you have a place to send them, you're like, hey, try this service, or meet my other matchmaking friend,Gaby Aratow right? or what have you. Yes.Mischa Zvegintzov What's your favorite story that just comes Top of Mind your favorite story?Gaby Aratow You know, I had this client sign up with me. He was six foot six. He lived in Chicago. He was in his mid 30s. And, and I, you know, I went out looking for him. For women. He was from Czechoslovakia, and background, and I went out looking for him for women. And I found this gorgeous girl from St. Petersburg, who was six foot three. And I when I got her phone number, I called her and I said, you know, I think you might like this guy that I've got as my new client, because you actually even at six foot three could wear a little heel if you wanted to. And he'd still be taller than you. She said, Yeah. She said, Yeah, I'd like to meet him. And I've actually put them she was in Newark, New Jersey. I had originally been looking in Chicago, but I hadn't seen anyone that I really thought was right for him. I found this girl in New York. I called him and said, Would you be open to meeting somebody who maybe didn't live in Chicago? And he said, You know, I'm open. I don't have any ties here. or that are finding me to this city. It's a great city. But it doesn't really matter to me. And maybe someone could move here. So I put them on a video call. He flew to Newark the next weekend, he flew her to him the following weekend. And nine months later, they married in a cathedral in Portugal, in the most absolutely gorgeous wedding. And I'm friends with them on Instagram. And I see all of their beautiful pictures, their walks, that they take a dog that they have. And I tell everybody that if they have a baby, and I think ultimately they will, yeah, she was in her early 30s. I think that that child will very likely be a basketball player. And I really think I should get some season tickets for that one.Mischa Zvegintzov Absolutely. Absolutely. And then I'm going to ask you a one or two more questions. But before we do that, where can everybody find you? What's the best place? Yeah,Gaby Aratow so I have a website. It's keeper intros, like, you're my keeper. I call my company kiss keeper introduction services. So keeper intros.com. And the nice thing too about me is that there's a way that people work with me, which is 100%, free as well, which is if you go to my website, you can enter my database. And it's 100% free, you don't have to give me anything. And then you're in my network so that when I have a client come to me, the first place I look is within my own database. And so sometimes someone will go into my database. And then four months later, six months later, I'll call them and say, you know, someone just signed with me, and I've been looking at your profile, and they'll get set up with my client. And the whole thing is cost them absolutely nothing. The only thing about going in that way is there's no guarantee that you'll get a date with through me. If you want a date through me, you have to get onto my client list.Mischa Zvegintzov Okay, so there's pre entry, and then it's almost like an upgrade orGaby Aratow Yeah, and then there's actually being my client who I'm working on behalf of finding that client dates. But I always need a database. And you never know, you really never know. Yeah, you know, it's always surprising to me who enters my database that maybe I look at when they first enter and I think I don't know if I'll ever be able to send that person out. But lo and behold, eight months later, they're the person that I'm calling. So for people who aren't ready to have a matchmaker working on their behalf. It's, you know, you behoove yourself just to go on into my database, why not? ButMischa Zvegintzov you have to be single, you have to be single, you canGaby Aratow be separated, okay, in the midst of a divorce. That's okay. Okay. But you have to be living separately. Okay. And you have to be single to work with me. Okay. period, period. That's right. And story.Mischa Zvegintzov Okay. Very good. You have to be single at at least separatedGaby Aratow and at least separated on your own. And you have to be earnest and sincere in wanting to meet somebody and have love in your life. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. Yeah.Mischa Zvegintzov And then, again, we're at the spring, Mind Body Soul magazine release party here at the wonderful Tell me again, where we are Capitol Creek brewery, little creek brewery, and you have written an article on us page 57. If anybody wants to go get it, there's the magazine. But quick, if you could tell me, for anybody who's out there dating and maybe they're not ready for a matchmaker service? Or maybe they're doing both? What are your top three secrets? For somebody? Who's who let's say they're new to dating? They're like, I just left my relationship. And I want to get back in the fray or yeah, what are your top three secrets?Gaby Aratow I think one of the most important things is people put a lot of pressure on themselves on a date makes them very nervous. And there's all this focus around well, is this going to be the person? And what are they going to think of me and I, this is very much what my article speaks to, I think it's incredibly important to take your focus off of that. And if you just approach the date, as I'm a human being, connection is natural for human beings, and I'm going to go out, I'm gonna meet another face of humanity. And I'm going to find the place that we connect. That's all it has to be really, that's all it has to be. And what's interesting is once you start stop taking all that, you know, that focus on is this a person and all the pressure that comes with it and you just keep your focus on having a nice time and connecting. Somehow, a lot of that natural stuff will just fall into organic places for you. So I'd say that's number one. Number two, it is important to put your best foot forward when you date. Don't show up you know, sweaty after your workout, without having you know gone home and not to say you have to wear a tuxedo or something like that. But you know, athleisure wear, it's nice. Some of what you wear really depends on where you're meeting if you're going to meet Got a place like a brewery, maybe some nice jeans, and maybe a Patagonia and a nice sweater like the one that you're wearing. But people notice when somebody shows up on the date and there's been no effort put in. So make sure that you know you're groomed nicely, and that you're dressed nicely, even if it's very casual, because otherwise it just sends a bad signal to the other person.Mischa Zvegintzov I love that what a great, great tip. Best Foot Forward. Yeah. And it doesn't need to be over the top. But make sure you put some effort into it to show that you're interested in you care.Gaby Aratow Yeah, I think that that's good. It really does display also that you care about yourself, and everybody wants to be with somebody who takes care of themselves and cares about themselves. Let's see another daily tip that I would have time to think certainly show up on time. Being late is a big no, no, it's even okay to be a minute or two or late. Nobody will penalize you for that. But don't show up too late. If you're going to be late for any reason. When you work through a matchmaker, I don't exchange contacts. So you have to let me know and I'll let them know. But if for any reason you're going to be late on a date, let them know before the date start. In other words, if you're supposed to meet at 6pm, it's better to at 530. Say I'm really sorry, I'm running 15 minutes late. Don't do it after the start date. Make sure that if you're running late, you let them know in advance of the timeMischa Zvegintzov and love it fantastic. I think that that is a great, a great place to end. And I would Is there anything else? Is there anything I was looking I was trying to find your article again? What page did I say?Gaby Aratow I think it's 56 or 57. My article is called a unique process of self discovery. And I really do think that dating you can learn a tremendous amount about yourself through dating. Sometimes people get very discouraged in dating. But if you if you change your perceptions and you go out into the world to intermingle with people as a curious as a as a curious person about who you are and what you learn about yourself through your experiences in life, then you're gonna actually really enjoy your dating process.Mischa Zvegintzov I love that. Yeah. Go with an open mind. growth opportunity. Definitely man talk probably. What can I learn and what can I bring? And yeah, and just enjoy the experience. I love that. Yeah. Thank you so much. Any anything else you want to add before we get back to your day?Gaby Aratow No, I love doing this work. So if anyone thinks that they're interested in a matchmaker, definitely please come talk to me. You know, and I put my heart and my soul into spreading love in the world. This really is my mission to bring love to the world and bring connection to the world.Mischa Zvegintzov Fantastic. And tell everybody again where they can find youGaby Aratow cheaper. intros.com or Gaby at keeper intros.com That's G A B y at keeper intros.com.Mischa Zvegintzov Gabby beautiful. Thank you so much Ton of fun, and hopefully we'll see you again I have okay

How do you face fear? Fake it until you make it? Nicole Packin, owner of Miami Pet Concierge & The Packin Method, joins the show to share how she worked through her fears and self doubt in starting her business. Nicole ran her business for 15 years, then decided to set up in a brand new location, several states away. She gives us some insight into what it's like operating across state lines and why it's critical to stay fresh and up-to-date as a business. Nicole also shares how HOPE is the key to running a successful pet care business. Topics on this episode: * What does concierge mean? * Staying fresh in business * Starting a treadmill service * Overcoming fear * H.O.P.E. Main take away: Running a business takes faith in yourself and trial and error. About our guest: Nicole's career working with animals began in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from the University of Miami with a BS in Communication, Nicole moved to the West Coast to pursue a television career as a writer. While working for William Morris Endeavor (formerly known as William Morris Agency), Spelling Television, and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Nicole began volunteering for The Amanda Foundation, an animal welfare organization. Finding her work with dogs a life changer, Nicole moved back to Miami, Florida, intending to learn all she could about animal welfare in her hometown. Immediately, Nicole began working for the Humane Society of Greater Miami. She was involved in all aspects of the organization's operations and fundraising and helped lead the capital campaign for the organization's Soffer-Fine Adoption Center in North Miami Beach, Florida. In 2007, Miami Pet Concierge was developed and began out of both a labor of love and need. After years of working in and around the animal shelter system, Nicole learned that one of the number one reasons pets were being given up or returned was “time,” or lack thereof. With this knowledge, Nicole started a business to help pet owners become great pet parents. With just a little guidance, education, and support, Nicole has had the opportunity to work hand and paw with thousands of amazing domesticated animals and their families, caring for and teaching them how to cohabitate peacefully. Having moved to Dallas, Texas, to be closer to family, Nicole will begin her new "pet" project in August 2022 with The Packin Method. Dallas' ONLY mobile Canine Gym will work to better dogs' mental, emotional, and physical health by providing treadmill workouts, massage & bodywork, and dog walks. Combining her years of rehabilitative and animal behavior studies and understanding that dogs need both mental and physical stimulation to be well-balanced, Nicole created a service that would combine both in a temperature-controlled environment and bring the service to her clients. When not running Miami Pet Concierge and The Packin Method or in school, Nicole is an active volunteer at Canine Companion for Independence and Operation Kindness. She is married and is the proud momma to Slater (Russian Blue mix), Kevin & Jenny (Spinone Italiano's). Links: The Packin Method: https://www.facebook.com/thepackinmethod Miami Pet Concierge: https://www.facebook.com/MiamiPetConcierge Give us a call! (636) 364-8260 Follow us on: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsitterconfessional/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/petsitterconfessional/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/psconfessional) Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com (mailto:feedback@petsitterconfessional.com) Full show notes and transcript (https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/XXX)

Dustin Rosen is the founder and managing partner of Wonder Ventures, a top-tier pre-seed firm based in LA. He's been an early investor in companies like Whatnot, Clutter, Arcadia and Honey. He previously founded a venture-backed startup in LA and started his career at the William Morris Agency, where he helped launch their first venture fund.This was a special episode because Dustin has been one of our closest collaborators at Notation, and our journeys have very much mirrored each other's as we've built our respective firms. We discuss Dustin's decision to launch Wonder Ventures back in 2014, as well as his experience as a solo GP, the evolution of the LA tech ecosystem, SPVs, secondary and much more.

Today on the show we have legendary film producer Cary Woods. Cary Woods is a film producer best known for producing worldwide blockbusters such as Scream and Godzilla, the beloved independent films Kids, Cop Land, and Gummo, and modern classics like Rudy and Swingers.Woods is also responsible for producing the breakthrough features of such notable directors as James Mangold, Doug Liman, M. Night Shyamalan, Alexander Payne, Harmony Korine, and Larry Clark, as well as the screenwriting debuts of Jon Favreau, Kevin Williamson, and Scott Rosenberg.Woods' filmography features a lineup of A-List actors, including: Robert Downey, Jr., Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Mike Myers, Laura Dern, Heather Graham, Ray Liotta, Burt Reynolds, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Broderick, Courteney Cox, Timothy Hutton, Andy Garcia, Neve Campbell, Sean Astin, Michael Rapaport, Jean Reno, and Steve Buscemi.Born and raised in the Bronx, Woods graduated from the USC Gould School of Law before beginning his career at the William Morris Agency (now WME). As an agent, Woods represented - and in many cases introduced audiences to - the likes of Gus Van Sant, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Connelly, Milla Jovovich, Charlie Sheen, Matt Dillon, Todd Solondz, and most prominently, Gregory Peck.At WMA, Woods also represented many of the industry's most successful stand-up comedians including Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay, Gilbert Gottfried, Sandra Bernhard, Tommy Davidson, and Jackie Mason.After developing the Indie favorites Heathers and Drugstore Cowboy as an agent, Woods accepted a position at Sony Pictures Entertainment (the parent company of Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures) as a Vice President - Office of the Chairman, reporting directly to Peter Guber. Woods later segued to a production deal at Sony, resulting in the release of a succession of iconic films, including So I Married An Axe Murderer, Rudy, Only You, and Threesome.After starting his own production company - Independent Pictures - the explosive release of the 1995 cultural phenomenon Kids (starring then-newcomers Rosario Dawson and Chloe Sevigny) began a streak of culturally significant, critically-acclaimed independent films produced by Woods under his banner.The next few years saw the releases of Citizen Ruth (the first film from future two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne), Beautiful Girls (which introduced American audiences to Natalie Portman), and Swingers (springboarding Vince Vaughn to comedy mega-stardom).His 1996 film Scream (the most successful film of "Master of Horror" Wes Craven's career) marked a turning point for the entire genre, grossing over $170 million and setting a box office record that would stand for 22 years. The film instantly and single-handedly pivoted horror toward postmodernism, spawning a massive billion-dollar franchise (consisting of successful sequels, a TV series, toys, and Halloween costumes), as well as inspiring countless knock-offs in the years since.Gummo - the directorial debut of Kids' screenwriter Harmony Korine - received the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. Bernando Bertolucci, the famed director of Last Tango in Paris, praised the film, calling it "The one revolutionary film of the late 20th century."In 1998, the first US-produced entry of the iconic Godzilla film franchise would become Woods' and Independent Pictures' single highest-grossing film, earning nearly $400 million.Woods would go on to serve as co-Chairman, and Chief Creative Officer of Plum TV, in which he was a founding partner. Broadcasting in the nation's most affluent markets (i.e. Aspen, the Hamptons, Miami Beach), the luxury lifestyle network would go on to earn eight Emmy Awards.Enjoy my conversation with Cary Woods.

In the latest edition of Search for Meaning, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback hosts Ken Lindner, a super-agent and author.In this wide-ranging discussion, Lindner—author of the recently-released book "Aspire Higher"—delves into his childhood struggle with weight and self esteem. He and Rabbi Yoshi examine how that struggle shaped not only Lindner's amateur athletic career, but his ascendance as an agent to some of the top news personalities in the United States.Lindner details how his father's long work weeks led him to develop feelings of insecurity and un-love-ability, which in turn led to toxic emotions, binge eating and bad decisions. At the age of 4, Lindner was so frustrated with his father for his perceived lack of attention and approval that he threw a brick at him. "My aim was as bad as my judgement," says Lindner, who thankfully missed.The two reconciled and bonded over paddle tennis, which led to Lindner's emergence as a tennis phenom in Brooklyn, where he beat the famed Bobby Riggs. As his confidence grew, he developed discipline and cultivated an even-keeled disposition. He also fell in love with learning. He mastered his emotions, and as he read more broadly, began to examine how control of one's emotions or desires relates to what Judaism says about strength and power."I believe every day is a Rosh Hashanah or a Yom Kippur," he tells Rabbi Yoshi. "We should assimilate information every day—what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong, and how to be better."As Lindner's emotional intelligence and curiosity grew, he began to understand his father more: A Polish immigrant with only the barest of educations, he had lost his father at an early age and worked as he did so that his son could have the education he never did. Lindner discusses his father's role in the establishment of department store T.J. Maxx, and how that led him to a serendipitous encounter with Sam "Cookie" Weisbord, who persuaded him to work at the William Morris Agency, instead of at a law firm that had the agency as a client.From Bjorn Borg and Vitas Gerulaitis, Air Supply, and Kate Kapshaw, to Lester Holt, Mario Lopez, Colin Cowherd, and Megyn Kelly, to local talents Christine Devine, Dallas Raines, and Pat Harvey, Lindner and his team have worked with a laundry list of stars. He has espoused his positive life choice psychology both in "Aspire Higher" and "Career Choreography," which has its roots in his own experience.While not officially a client, he's even counseled Rabbi Yoshi. Over a lunch early in their relationship, he suggested to the then Head of School at Wise School that he should apply to be the Senior Rabbi at Stephen Wise Temple. Rabbi Yoshi will be celebrating seven years in that position this year, and he will be honored for his 10 years of service to the Wise community at the Wise Gala on May 7.

On the debut episode of our new 'Behind The Industry' series we chat with Rob Markus who is a partner and music agent at WME. In his role Markus oversees the music division's Latin group and primarily focuses on international deals for WME artists. Markus' clients include Depeche Mode, J Balvin, Faith No More, Incubus, Juanes, Kygo, Nine Inch Nails, Slash, and Toto, among others.  Markus has been heavily involved with the international expansion of the Lollapalooza festival brand into Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.  He joined the William Morris Agency in 2004, and transitioned to WME in 2009 following the agency's merger with Endeavor. He previously ran EMI and Virgin Records in Hungary, and also set up EMI Music Publishing in Eastern Europe. Markus runs the Personal Appearance Trainee Program, and was named to various Billboard Power Players lists.  Enjoy this candid and fun chat and get a cool insight into the world that drives the music! 

It's no secret that touring is the lifeblood of most modern-day musical artists. But while most fans only see the finished product — a head-bobbing performance at Coachella or a sold-out nightclub — few get a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work being done by professionals like Kevin Shivers, a partner in WME's music division. Let this interview with Kevin be your inside look at what goes into the live performances that fuel the entire music industry.Kevin has been with WME since 2008 after a stint in Hollywood. While with WME, he's worked with stars such as Tyler The Creator, Summer Walker, Kid Cudi, and plenty more on their touring strategies. Of course, Kevin's world — much like every other industry — was dealt a massive blow during the past two years. But with live shows seemingly back (knock on wood), Kevin has his eyes toward the future.And the future is an even better fan experience, says Kevin. NFTs, virtual concerts, removing the frictions of going to a real-life show — these are all ongoing evolutions that will better connect superfans with their favorite artists. We covered this near-term future in our interview, plus a whole lot more.Episode Highlights[2:15] How Kevin Broke Into The Entertainment Business [4:00] How Has the Music Business Changed In The Past Two Years? [5:25] The Go-Forward Plan For 2022[6:40] What Spurred Tyler The Creator's Big 2021[9:35] What Data Goes Into Entering New Touring Markets [13:10] Festival Strategies With Artists[14:56] How Has Streaming Changed Touring Trajectory[17:10] The Biggest Touring Mistake[18:30] Social Media's Influence On Touring[19:30] Touring Difference Between Hip Hop And R&B[21:02] How Kevin Measure Success For Himself [23:00] Why Kevin Is So Vested In Mentorship[25:19] Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Within The Music Industry [28:46] The Impact Web 3.0 Will Have On The Music Industry[31:20] Will Virtual Concerts Replace Live Shows?[32:30] Five-Year Predictions For Music Touring[34:43] How Many Days Will Kevin Spend At Shows In 2022?[35:40] How Do You Find The Next Musical Star?Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Kevin Shivers, Instagram: @bellmeadallstar  Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop's biggest players by reading Trapital's free weekly memo. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands_____Transcription: The Future Of Live Music with Kevin Shivers, Partner at WMEKevin Shivers 00:00You gotta ask yourself after arenas, then what? Where are you going after that? I mean, like, you know, you might already have that plan in your head, but like these careers are, it's a marathon, not a sprint.Dan Runcie 00:18Hey, welcome to the Trapital podcast! I'm your host and the founder of Trapital, Dan Runcie. This podcast is your place to gain insights from the executives in music, media, entertainment, and more, who are taking hip hop culture to the next level. Today's episode is with Kevin Shivers. He's a partner at WME, and he represents some of the biggest artists in the game like Tyler, the Creator, Summer Walker, and more. We talked about how he was able to maximize the big year that Tyler had last year. I feel like Tyler headlined so many music festivals, and had so many appearances. Kevin talks about what it took to make that happen, especially given how turbulent things were with COVID, and all of the restrictions and variants that came through and how he was able to still make it happen. We talk more broadly about music festivals in the strategy that Kevin has for making sure his clients can get certain buildings on the roster. We also talked about Summer Walker and how he was able to do the same for her. Then, we talked more broadly about what it's like as a black executive, especially in representing artists. There are not too many people at agents that are at Kevin's level that look like Kevin, so we talked about that. Some of the advocacy work and mentoring and giving back that he's done and he's prioritized in his career, and so much more. It was great to have Shivers on here. I hope you enjoy this. Here's my chat with Kevin Shivers. All right, today, we got one of the most powerful agents in the game. Kevin Shivers partner at WME. Welcome to the pod, feels like we're long overdue.Kevin Shivers 01:49Thanks for having me, Dan. It's a pleasure. Dan Runcie 01:51Yeah, it's funny because I feel like this time of the year, I always see the festival posters come up for all of the music festivals. And I'm sure you've seen the one where they replace the names of the festivals with the agencies that they're all part of. And whenever I see the WME, I'm like: Man, Kevin was on his game this year. Kevin Shivers 02:10It's definitely not all me, man. There are so many great agents at work here. Happy to be a part of this team. Dan Runcie 02:15So you've been in the game for a while now. But let's take a step back. Because I know you've been working at the agency for some time. But what was it that first attracted you to the business?Kevin Shivers 02:27I had to say it was my mother. When I was a kid growing up, my mother would drag my brother out of movies every weekend. And that's the first time in my head where I got: Wait, I would love to work in entertainment because I love the movie so much. My mother loves movies so much. Even during COVID, she was still going to the movies. And that's like the really, my first interest into the business. When I graduated from high school, I went to college at University of Texas. I majored in film with the plan of moving out to LA and being a producer. And I did move out to Los Angeles, I started interning at The Weinstein Company at the time. And then I went on to this Company Cost of Beanie films, they had a deal at Weinstein. And from there, I kind of entered into the film business, and I got my first taste into: This is not for me, this is not what I want to do in my life. Partly because I was really bad at my job, like I tried, but I didn't want to read 30 scripts a week. This is not what I wanted to do. And then I pivoted, I left there. And I went to this place called Cats Media Group, which is like they did TV sales. And I knew that, that wasn't long term. And I went there to stay in Los Angeles, and to figure it out. And from there, I figured out I wanted to be an agent and WME. I had some experience in music and in Austin like going to shows. I knew a promoter, this guy Charles Adler, Ramsay Three. And at the time, it was the William Morris Agency. And that's my first interest into entertainment. Dan Runcie 03:56Nice. And I feel like the past year and a half, almost two years now. It's probably been unlike any other time period since you've been in this. What's that been like for you?Kevin Shivers 04:05You mean like COVID, and the ways impacted shows? It's been wild, right? Like if I go back to 2020, there was so much going on in the picture of even the world and in all of our lives. You had George Floyd, you had Trump and you had COVID and uncertainty. So 2020, being an agent, it was moving shows from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. That doesn't work for all the social things that are going on in the world to 2021. The first six months were kind of the same of 2020, and the first light in the tunnel I think was Rolling Loud, like Rolling Loud played, and then Lollapalooza was maybe a week or two later. And then you start seeing Austin City Limits and Outside Lands playing off in some tours. And then we started; it started to make sense, then Omicron came along, and we're like back for a period of time back at square one. But it seems like 2022 is gonna bring a lot of joy, you know. Shows are planned, Superbowl is happening in a few days, Pro Sports are going along. So it seems a lot of positivity.Dan Runcie 05:10What do you think will be different for 2022 and 2023 thereafter? Because I feel like it'll be this gradual shift where eventually things will start to feel like the touring schedule is maybe back to somewhat of what it was before COVID. But how long do you think that will really be like? What do you think will be the first year that we can look back at and say: Okay, this is the first year that doesn't feel like it was impacted in any way?Kevin Shivers 05:36I think there's some hope in 2022. If we just changed the way that we're thinking that this is the new world. Things might pop up, the virus might flare back up and flare back down. But let's try to figure out how to move forward. I think I'm starting to see that people are out and about in shows, they are playing sports, you know. The NFL season went through the whole season, they had ups and downs. And I think that like we're starting to see some positivity, lots of hope for 23. Hopefully 23, we get back to some sort of, or we get to some sort of a new normal, where we're living in this new world, and we're just going with the punches.Dan Runcie 06:12I hear that. So I think the good thing for you though is that even, until we got to that point, you've been moving a lot. And I know that Tyler the Creator is one of your bigger clients and 2021 was a big year for him. Headlined a bunch of festivals, dropped his album. What was it like making sure that everything could line up and that you could have everything set for him despite everything else that was going on with the touring business?Kevin Shivers 06:38First of all, I want to say Tyler's a star and a one of a kind of talent, and he knows exactly what he wants. I'm lucky to be a part of his team, and he has an excellent team around them. It starts with the managers Chris and Kelly Clancy, who are amazing people. The business manager, Joe Colone, amazing lawyer, my partner James Ruby, who does International Day watch after her at the agency and all the other people that touchTyler. But 21 was a great year; we got the headline target the headlines for festivals, but it was also we had some goals from, it was also challenging. First thing is the record comes, the record is amazing and it's also finding a window when we can go on sale when COVID is not surging, and I think that the team and I,we all got lucky because we found a window.We knew Tyler was going to headline Lollapalooza and the goal was after you get all the media, the media hype coming from Lolla. We knew he was going to bring an amazing show; that Monday after Lolla, finding that window where we can go on sale and luckily for us, no COVID spikes out Lolla, nothing crazy. And there's no COVID spikes in the world. So that was the first thing, right? I think the second thing when we thought about touring, is trying to find the markets for him to play Tyler, somebody that wants to push the envelopes. And we ended up putting up 35 arenas, breaking in some new markets. I saw last night a show in San Diego. He was like: I could have done 50 shows. I mean, granted, it was nice to have, you know, the tour. And I was like: Okay, we'll see how you feel at, like, night 33 or something. But we were able to break into new markets. Columbus, Vegas, El Paso, Pittsburgh, to name a few. I think the third thing is that Tyler really, really wanted to give the fans the ultimate experience. This is the lineup: Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples, Kal Uchis. And I think the last thing is, you know, making sure that we hit the sweet spot in pricing. So we, you know, give the fans a place where they can feel happy, a place where they can buy tickets, but also maximizing the gross, keeping ticket sales in the gross. And this was a joint effort with the managers, Chris and Kelly, Michelle Bernstein, who's an excellent marketing ticketing person and AG team led by Cody over there.Dan Runcie 08:56Talk to me a bit more about the new markets and picking those.You mentioned in Pittsburgh, you mentioned El Paso. What are the data that insights are the field that you look for when you're like: Hey, this is somewhere that we want to consider going to that we haven't gone before. And if we do it, is this the type of venue that we should go in this market as opposed to somewhere like LA or New York where he's already proved himself? Kevin Shivers 09:20Well, I think there's a few things, so one is whenever Tyler, any of my clients, I'm always trying to figure out, I want them to play as many places that they can. Just reach all the fans and maximize the opportunity we're on the road because if it's a Tyler recording or whoever it is, or Cody, you're not gonna get to see them every single year. That is a unique experience. But to answer your direct question, it's one looking at the data if it's from Spotify, or our past sales. Two is looking at the markets and seeing if there's a building or venue that makes sense like Columbus. We know that's a place, there's a college town where Tyler's played there before, played there, sold out. I think a smaller room on the onsale, knew there was demand, didn't realize, I mean, the Columbus sales are insane. But this didn't realize like: Wow, that's, I mean that is really like that's a smaller market that has turned into a market, right? I think it's looking at our diverse lineup of talent on the bill, you know, going to a place like El Paso and looking at: Oh, there's probably going to be some Kali fans, and Vince fans and Teezo fans, right? That's a good place. And that's also a place that doesn't get a lot of entertainment. So like, and that ended up being like a home run. So it's like, kind of looking at the whole picture of what you got and talking to a lot of people that are smarter than you in kind of coming up with a plan. And also just working with good people that have a point of view.Dan Runcie 10:47What are the trade-offs that you have to make for those kinds of decisions? Because I imagine that there's the ones that do cross the threshold to be like: Okay, let's make this happen. But you know, kind of like you were saying before, it's tough to try to do 50 shows in a specific short amount of run or whatever it may be. What are some of those considerations you may have to make in terms of the markets that you can't pick? Or the ones you know, that you may not be able to put in this time, right?Kevin Shivers 11:11I think there are a few things. One, it's like really talking to your clients and letting them know, we might, we're going to try to go in this market. This possibility, it might not go the way that we want, but we have to, to me if you're not trying if you're not putting risk on the line, and what are we doing, right? It's like, I'm actually somebody who's okay with failing, right? And I'm not saying that we fail or anything, but I'm okay with doing that risk for the bigger reward. So it's like really, really like getting in there and talking to them about, you know, the strategy, right? And like, the goal, I think the goal should be like, when you go out every two, three years is gaining new fans, gaining that new network.Dan Runcie 11:50Right, especially now. I feel like for someone like him, it's probably been interesting. I know, you've been with him to see the rise and just to see how the fan base has continued to evolve over time. So I imagine he probably even sees things where he's like: Okay, these are the Tyler fans that ,you know, have been with me since the Globin days. If I go to this city versus, you know, you go to this other city. They may not have discovered me as much until Flower Boy or something like that. I'm sure he does. Yeah, it's fascinating. And I think with him too, if we talk a bit more about the festival side of things, he obviously was a headliner, as you mentioned, his Lollapalooza show was broadcasted. I didn't go to the show, but I was able to see it through Hulu, because they had it coming through there. When you're trying to have someone like him, obviously, you have many different artists and they have different levels that they may want to perform at. And ideally, you want to have everyone maximizing and performing at the highest level or being like the highest row on that festival poster. But for someone like Tyler, is it going into the year like: Hey, headline or buster; if we can't be a headliner for this festival, we're not going to do it. Or does it depend on who some of the others are? What are those conversations like? Kevin Shivers 13:07I think when you start a campaign with any artist, it's just like sitting down with the team and figuring out what the goals are, right? And it's all a trajectory and building on the last. I think you want to, the goal is always to build on the last time you were out, to build on the last year, right? And having that conversation. And you know, different artists have different things. Some people want to specifically target these particular festivals, or you know, you're going out in his window, and you could maybe use a festival to route in and out to get the gross-up for the whole tour. It's just like, really just, it's really spending time with the client spending time with the manager to find out, figure out what the goal is in maximizing the opportunities.Dan Runcie 13:49Is it any tougher to do that though? The way that artists can just rise so fast now, especially in the streaming era. Because I know that there's normally the standard, you know, you do your clubs, you can do a, you know, ballrooms or amphitheaters, and then maybe if you get to arenas or stadiums, that's their trajectory. But with people just getting so big, so fast, does that change the dynamic? Or it's like: Okay, how do you still balance what they may have done last time and use that as a reference point versus how quickly they can rise in this era?Kevin Shivers 14:19I mean, look, you have to have a point of view, and you have to have a plan. And you have to have some thoughts, right? And I think that people can really jump up really, really quickly. But we like to use this thing: don't skip steps, right? You know, sometimes if, you know, you can go play in an arena, why not go play multiple nights at a smaller room and build the momentum, build a buzz, meet people on the streets, leaving, not being able to get to the show. So that when you come back around, you still have gas in the tank. I mean, there's no one size fits all plan. It's like, you have to just know who you're working with, spend time and really kind of draw that. Draw that sketch up and map it out and let it listen. A plan is just a, it's just a roadmap. It can be amended along the way. There's no like set in stone thing, but other than like, no knowing where you want to go, knowing what you think, you know, going to be doing the next year, the next five years. That is what's most important.Dan Runcie 15:13That makes sense. And that reminds me of something I heard. I think it was Olivia Rodrigo, who said in some recent interview when he announced her tour. And someone must have asked her something along the lines of: Hey, you had one of the biggest years in pop music this past year, could you have done arenas? And I think she said that same line, you said: I don't want to skip any steps. This is where that is. So I think that's something that definitely rings true. And we're seeing examples of that.Kevin Shivers 15:39Yes. And you gotta ask yourself after arenas, then what? Where are you going after that? I mean, like, you know, you might already have that plan in your head, but like these careers are, it's a marathon, not a sprint.Dan Runcie 15:49So what do you think are some of the mistakes that artists can make? Like, I mean, you don't have to drop any names. You don't got to put anybody on blast. But is there anyone that you think maybe made a touring misstep? Or there's something where you can look back and be like: Ah, if they had done that a little differently, things could have worked out a little bit, you know, whether it's better or worse, or however for them.Kevin Shivers 16:09I think sometimes when people overthink it and end up doing nothing, that's like a bummer for everybody. That's a bummer for the artist. That's a bummer for the fan, that's a bummer for the culture, like, like you're hot, you're popping right now. We really need to see you really, really need to see you show up and pull up on us and see what you have. I think that, that's a mistake, not a mistake, but that's just a bummer for everybody. We want to see, we want to see you do your thing. And I would love it if instead of doing nothing that artists, sometimes people would do something.Dan Runcie 16:39So you think part of it is that there's a hesitancy to try to capture the moment, or sometimes they can be a bit more resolute or hesitant to do things when there is an opportunity to go back out there.Kevin Shivers 16:51Or they just don't know, or they just are trying to get it perfect. And like, you know, you're going to we're all going to make mistakes, there's going to be ups and downs. I think sometimes you just got to go play, you know, you got to give the fans what they want.Dan Runcie 17:04Do you think any of this has become any more challenging in the social media era? Because one thing that I've heard both on the talent side is that artists are even more so particular about how everything looks from a live perspective, because that shot that goes on Instagram or that shot that goes on Tik Tok, that influences ticket sales, especially from, you know, whether it's the first show or whatever it is. Do you feel like artists are feeling like they need to have things more perfect even though deep down, you know, that it shouldn't be that way?Kevin Shivers 17:33I mean, it's got to be really, really tough because the cameras are always on somebody always, you know, whether you like it or not, is documenting things that you do. So I think that I couldn't even imagine how much pressure that is and how tough that has to be. You know that social media can be good. And there can be some other sides where you're like: Wow, this is tough.Dan Runcie 17:52Yeah, I know, we've talked a lot about Tyler and about hip hop overall. But I know another one of the major artists you represent is Summer Walker. And you know, she had a big year, last year as well. And I wanted the differences whether you're planning a tour for, or you're planning live events, in general, for R&B artists, as opposed to someone in hip hop.Kevin Shivers 18:14I don't think there's really many differences, I just think you have to just, it goes back to the same. There's no any artist planning and really just get, you know, in figuring out what the goals that they have and how you can best service them, right? I don't really think there's a different strategy or a different lane. I think if you love Summer Walker, you love Summer Walker, you're gonna go out and see it, right? And she has, she has an incredible fan base.Dan Runcie 18:40Yeah. Okay, that makes sense. Because one of the things I was wondering with someone like her.Knowing how passionate her fan base is, I was wondering if there was a connection of like: Oh, you know, the streams may show this and the data may show this, but because of how R&B fans are, there may be a bit more likelihood that that could translate to ticket sales or purchases as opposed to other genres.Kevin Shivers 19:02You know, I think the fans are going to come out that they love somebody and Summer respects our fans. People like Summer Walker followers, or they just, they love her. I think they're just going to come out and show up and see her play.Dan Runcie 19:14Now. That's real, that makes sense. So for you, I mean, I know, you got a full roster, and you're always making sure that you can maximize them to the best of their abilities. So how do you measure success for yourself as a partner and as someone that's representing them on their behalf? Kevin Shivers 19:30The answer is really simple: Helping others, right? I got into this business because I wanted to help artists grow. And it's like, it starts with the clients like you start thinking about, about people that I work with, like: What can I do to help them? What can I do to help them grow or give them everything that they need? Are we, you know, from last year to this year? Are we showing up every day to help them get to that next level? That's the first thing. I think also the way I measure success. It's like the same thing with helping others. Like it starts for me every day when my assistant Ebony, I think she's gonna be a great executive one day, but am I showing up for her? Do I slow down enough to answer her questions? Do I mentor her? Do I spend time with her? Because like, that's important to me. We have many, many amazing young agents that work here. Am I showing up enough to help them sign up clients? Am I giving them what they need? I think you know, measuring success. Is everybody around you doing well? Are you doing what's good for the organization? I co-run hip hop with Zach, Isaac, Caroline and James Rubby. And Caroline's always saying we got to take care of youngs, you know, it's Justin neighbor's getting what he needs? Is Sarah and Ronnie getting what they need? And then I think it's just, it's really about creating that culture, creating a universe, that the people you will arise into the next level of being selfless. And then also from a DNI perspective of like: What diverse people can we grow? Can we hire? Are we retaining them? These are all the ways that I measure success. I try not to look at what other people are doing. Because I mean, it doesn't really matter. I want to make sure that the organization and the people around me are set up for success.Dan Runcie 21:14I hear that. And I think a lot of the themes you mentioned there align with mentorship, and whether it's being a mentor or support for the artists that are looking to you for guidance, your co-workers and your colleagues. Can you talk a little bit more about why that's so important to you? Because even in reading and hearing other interviews, I know you've been active on that front, making sure that you can use your platform and where you are to pass the torch and help others along the way.Kevin Shivers 21:40I think mentorship is one of these things like, if we're not mentoring, then what are we doing? Why are we even showing up? You have to always be trying to look out for other people. I've had people that looked out for me and my career, people that still look out for me. And I think that is one of the key things. One of the reasons that makes me want to get up every day and come into the office is, like, helping others. I think that's one of the reasons why we're put on this earth to help people. A non-negotiable thing is mentorship. I mean, the crazy fact about, I'll go do an interview, or I'll do a panel and everybody that writes to me on IG or LinkedIn, I write everybody back, everybody. I mean, I probably send more people to the HR department here for jobs than anybody. Because I just want everybody back. I think that's important, because I was once the young kid who wanted to figure this out. And like I didn't know, I had no clue and people helped me. So I think that's a very important aspect of the job.Dan Runcie 22:35100%. And even on a personal level, I remember the first time you reached out to me, Hey, love what you're doing. Hey, how can I help? And you're just like: Oh, who do you want to interview? Oh, I was listening to them yesterday, boom, let's get this done. So even on a personal level, I need you out. You're looking out for me, man. I appreciate that. Kevin Shivers 22:52Yeah, I mean, well, you're doing it. I listen to your podcast every week. I think it's amazing. I think what you're doing for the culture is great. And I just wanted to get to know you and just to help where I can and, and that's just, that's what I think is important.Dan Runcie 23:05Definitely, definitely. And one of the things that you had put out, because a couple years back, but it really stuck out to me was this was right after George Floyd's murder and the music industry had the show must be paused response. And you had written these guest posts on Pollstar and you were talking about how this industry just needs to do better by its black execs specifically on the recruiting front. And I know you were just talking about how, you know, you're always pushing things forward to HR. And I'm sure this must be really personal for you as well, you are one of the few folks that looks like you in the position that you have in this whole industry. So I'd love to hear how you feel like the industry has responded since everything had happened after George Floyd's murder and the response to where we are now in 2022.Kevin Shivers 23:57You know, in response to your comment about I wanted a person who looks like me in the industry. I always say to everybody, I'm amazing, but I'm not that amazing. There's, there should be more people that look like me doing what I do and and you know, partners in hire, right? And I think we still have a lot of work to do. There's good news though. There's positive conversation around DNI, people are aware, people are aware that there needs to be more black people and more diverse people need to have more opportunities. I still think that we need to keep pushing the envelope, we still have a lot more to do in terms of hiring and creating opportunities for black people. The organization's know they have to do better, but they have to buck the old status quo. They have to go outside of the norm. And today to some people, it might be like: Oh, we're taking a risk. No, DNI has to be inside of your lifeline, inside of your blood, inside of your everyday practices. It's not something that you can just talk about once a quarter, you gotta live it, you got to be in it every day. And I believe that the black people need to be promoted, they need to be elevated. They need to be given the same opportunities and shots. When we were interviewing for jobs, I think in any, in any industry, not just entertainment, you need to be interviewing black people, people of color, LGBTQ, there just needs to be more opportunity. We need more Sylvia Rhone's, more Ethiopia's, more tons Jay-Z and Def Jam. We need more leaders, more partners. I mean, we have to just keep our foot on the gas, keep pushing the envelope because this, we're not there yet. But we're going in the right direction. And we need to keep the momentum.Dan Runcie 25:30Right. And I think even an example of that, the folks you just mentioned, I think a lot of folks in this industry are all on a first name basis. And as incredible as all those folks are, how do we get to the point where they're not on a first name basis, because they aren't just the few black execs in there. I mean, it's definitely going to continue to take time. And I think whether it's conversations like this, or the efforts you're doing will help. But I'm hopeful that it can get there eventually. Kevin Shivers 25:55I'm hopeful, too. I think we got to stay targeted and focus. But also at the same time, remember, like, this just didn't happen overnight, right? It's not going to change overnight. But we have to like, we have to keep, we have to stay on this because it can change and it needs to be better.Dan Runcie 26:11Definitely. So let's switch gears a bit. Let's talk a little bit about the future, specifically with regards to touring and technology and what things will look like in, the potential with Web 3.0 and the metaverse. Because now you have agencies that are specifically I'm sure WME likely also has a division where they focus specifically on digital environments, or getting artists lined up on that perspective. How do you look at that? Specifically, with the artists you have on your roster, what the potentials are for them in these digital worlds.Kevin Shivers 26:50I think Web 3.0 is just it's massive, huge, huge opportunity. You know, if you think about the evolution started in virtual, went over to Fortnite, but I just think it brings control back to the artists in a way. Artists had an act like this the whole time, these music artists, they've had fan clubs, they've had social media, but what Web 3.0 does, it gives more control to them. It's gonna give them more power, but like, it kind of cuts out the middleman and I think you know, things are gonna change in the next six months, next five years, it's gonna be an exciting world. If you look at what Coachella did, by selling the NFT, a lifetime Coachella pass. I mean, I think artists are gonna come up with these things where, you know, if you want to be in the front row of my show, here's the NFT for the chance to buy the front row tickets, or maybe it just goes inside of there. And they figure out what to promote, but I just think like, it's an exciting time. Like, it's the, it's endless. I was just on the phone with A Jones the other day, I love what he's doing with Royal. And I think the deal that he did with Nas and Antony Silay is, like,amazing; that looks like where things are headed. I mean, it's just, you know, like any of these things, it's gonna be ups and downs, right? In the Web 3.0, but I just think the opportunity is endless.Dan Runcie 28:01Yeah, things are early, things are also moving really fast. Six months from now, it's gonna look completely different. And I am excited for the artists that are taking advantage early. I feel like I can already imagine Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival having some type of digital environment or some type of experience in the metaverse.Kevin Shivers 28:21I'm sure it will, I'm sure Lollapalooza and some of these other properties. That's where they're headed. I mean, it's gonna be a really exciting time. I just hope people get off the couch, you still come out to show.Dan Runcie 28:35Is that a concern you have though? Like, do you wonder about that in the future?Kevin Shivers 28:39No, no, I was just joking. I mean, I don't think anything can replace the live experience, just like the Zooms are great, right? But I think when you're in a meeting with somebody, it's 10 times better. And I think a concert is 100 times better. I love, I love going to festivals, I've been to them all over the world. And I love seeing the reactions in real time on people's faces from their favorite artists hidden in the stage. So I don't think anything can replace it. I think it's going to only enhance the experience.Dan Runcie 29:07Agreed. That's what I always go back to. Everything in these experiences are additive and isn't a replacement for anything. And I think it'll probably just force more creativity for every aspect, because you're not just trying to have something be a catch all. So I think I'm interested to see how it'll continue to shape live performances and what that can look like from the, you know, the IRL experience. Yeah. And on that note, do you have any predictions for what you think the next three to five years or so will look like specifically in the lifespace? I mean, pandemic notwithstanding, I mean, obviously, I think we'll continue to see the after effects of that, but any type of, you know, evolutions are any type of future changes that you think will see over time.Kevin Shivers 29:51Yeah, I think 2022 is going to be bigger than we thought. I think that hopefully, I think we're headed to a healthy tour environment. I think there's going to be new players in terms of buyers and festivals. And I think the fan experience will that's going to be the thing of the future. I think everyone has realized they have to zero in on the fan from artists curated weekends and festivals to I think even super service in the fan. Think about this, think about a world where service lets you buy a ticket, has a car that picks you up, dinner reservations, great seats, even find you a babysitter.I think that's where we're going, we're going to this place, we're like: Okay, I can't even be, I'm busy. I didn't want to deal with this, boom, hit a button. And this is where we're going. I think that's exciting. Because you know, getting inside of the mind of the fan, what they really want is going to be the next evolution. Dan Runcie 30:42Yeah, even you mapping that out. If you literally could press one button and solve that, I think you'd also just increase the amount of people that can come through, right? You mentioned the babysitter, the amount of people that have young kids, and it's like, you know, just the thought of them needed like, oh, you know, we got to find someone for this to cover for this night. Like, yeah, if all that can be taken care of.Kevin Shivers 31:00Because I think people love live music, and live music is such a treat. But when you think about the hurdles you have to do, you got to put on some clothes, maybe, you know, show starts at seven, get homework, feed your kids, do this, do that. And if you could just take some of that away from them. That's like, you know, bringing the fan experience to a new level.Dan Runcie 31:21Definitely. So I know that you're always on the go with festivals. And you know, I know you love going into them. But I know it's also for your work as well. If you have to guess, how many shows do you think you'll go to in 2022?Kevin Shivers 31:33I can tell you this. I'd rather answer this way. How many days I plan on hitting a lot of festivals in 2022. So I think I'm going to be, I call it 50 to 60 days watching music, right? That's what I'd say.Dan Runcie 31:48Okay. Yeah. All right. And even that, I mean, that's a lot more than the average person. But I mean, it's just incredible. Because you get to just see all the fine tunes, you get to just see everything. And like you mentioned, this is interesting, you're traveling all across the world for this stuff.Kevin Shivers 32:02Yeah. I mean, that's, that's one of the reasons I love doing what I do. I mean, like, really, I get to go see live music in different parts of the world. I mean, I can't even imagine anything better than that.Dan Runcie 32:12Yeah. So last question. Before we let you go. I know we talked a lot about Tyler. And I know from our conversations, just the uniqueness of you seeing that star power and star potential, even from the first time you connect it. How do you find that next tile? Or how do you find that thing to know? Okay, yeah, this is the one that we need for this next generation. Kevin Shivers 32:34Oh, wow. I think when I'm looking to sign somebody, I'm looking for somebody that has a unique point of view, for somebody that is fearless, and then wants to do the work.Dan Runcie 32:43That makes sense. Hear that man. Hey, before we let you go, man, this was great. I'm glad you could come through and make this happen. But is there anything else you want to plug? Or let the Trapital audience know about it?Kevin Shivers 32:54I think everybody should go out and see some shows this year. I think 2022 is going to be a good year, and then one thing I want to say is to somebody who wants a career in entertainment, I think you should go for it. I think you should move to LA, move to New York, move to Atlanta, move to Nashville. Call, email some people; call, email me. I'll probably write you back pretty soon and just go for your dreams.Dan Runcie 33:15What's your email address?Kevin Shivers 33:17Kshivers@wmeagency.com. It's all good.Dan Runcie 33:23Now appreciate that, man. I welcome man. Thanks for coming through this as a pleasure.Kevin Shivers 33:27I appreciate you Dan.Dan Runcie 33:31If you enjoyed this podcast, go ahead and share it with a friend. Copy the link, text it to a friend posted in your group chat, posted to your Slack groups. Wherever you and your people talk, spread the word. That's how Trapital continues to grow and continues to reach the right people. And while you're at it, if you use Apple podcast, go ahead, rate the podcast. Give it a high rating and leave a review and tell people why you liked the podcast that helps more people discover the show. Thank you in advance. Talk to you next week.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Episode one hundred and forty-two of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys, and the creation of the Pet Sounds album. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources There is no Mixcloud this week, because there were too many Beach Boys songs in the episode. I used many resources for this episode, most of which will be used in future Beach Boys episodes too. It's difficult to enumerate everything here, because I have been an active member of the Beach Boys fan community for twenty-four years, and have at times just used my accumulated knowledge for this. But the resources I list here are ones I've checked for specific things. Stephen McParland has published many, many books on the California surf and hot-rod music scenes, including several on both the Beach Boys and Gary Usher.  His books can be found at https://payhip.com/CMusicBooks Andrew Doe's Bellagio 10452 site is an invaluable resource. Jon Stebbins' The Beach Boys FAQ is a good balance between accuracy and readability. And Philip Lambert's Inside the Music of Brian Wilson is an excellent, though sadly out of print, musicological analysis of Wilson's music from 1962 through 67. I have also referred to Brian Wilson's autobiography, I Am Brian Wilson, and to Mike Love's, Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy. For material specific to Pet Sounds I have used Kingsley Abbot's The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century and Charles L Granata's I Just Wasn't Made For These Times: Brian Wilson and the Making of Pet Sounds.  I also used the 126-page book The Making of Pet Sounds by David Leaf, which came as part of the The Pet Sounds Sessions box set, which also included the many alternate versions of songs from the album used here. Sadly both that box set and the 2016 updated reissue of it appear currently to be out of print, but either is well worth obtaining for anyone who is interested in how great records are made. Of the versions of Pet Sounds that are still in print, this double-CD version is the one I'd recommend. It has the original mono mix of the album, the more recent stereo remix, the instrumental backing tracks, and live versions of several songs. As a good starting point for the Beach Boys' music in general, I would recommend this budget-priced three-CD set, which has a surprisingly good selection of their material on it. The YouTube drum tutorial I excerpted a few seconds of to show a shuffle beat is here. Transcript We're still in the run of episodes that deal with the LA pop music scene -- though next week we're going to move away from LA, while still dealing with a lot of the people who would play a part in that scene. But today we're hitting something that requires a bit of explanation. Most artists covered in this podcast get one or at the most two episodes. Some get slightly more -- the major artists who are present for many revolutions in music, or who have particularly important careers, like Fats Domino or the Supremes. And then there are a few very major artists who get a lot more. The Beatles, for example, are going to get eight in total, plus there will be episodes on some of their solo careers. Elvis has had six, and will get one more wrap-up episode. This is the third Beach Boys episode, and there are going to be three more after this, because the Beach Boys were one of the most important acts of the decade. But normally, I limit major acts to one episode per calendar year of their career. This means that they will average at most one episode every ten episodes, so while for example the episodes on "Mystery Train" and "Heartbreak Hotel" came close together, there was then a reasonable gap before another Elvis episode. This is not possible for the Beach Boys, because this episode and the next two Beach Boys ones all take place over an incredibly compressed timeline. In May 1966, they released an album that has consistently been voted the best album ever in polls of critics, and which is certainly one of the most influential even if one does not believe there is such a thing as a "best album ever". In October 1966 they released one of the most important singles ever -- a record that is again often considered the single best pop single of all time, and which again was massively influential. And then in July 1967 they released the single that was intended to be the lead-off single from their album Smile, an album that didn't get released until decades later, and which became a legend of rock music that was arguably more influential by *not* being released than most records that are released manage to be. And these are all very different stories, stories that need to be told separately. This means that episode one hundred and forty-two, episode one hundred and forty-six, and episode one hundred and fifty-three are all going to be about the Beach Boys. There will be one final later episode about them, too, but the next few months are going to be very dominated by them, so I apologise in advance for that if that's not something you're interested in. Though it also means that with luck some of these episodes will be closer to the shorter length of podcast I prefer rather than the ninety-minute mammoths we've had recently. Though I'm afraid this is another long one. When we left the Beach Boys, we'd just heard that Glen Campbell had temporarily replaced Brian Wilson on the road, after Wilson's mental health had finally been unable to take the strain of touring while also being the group's record producer, principal songwriter, and leader. To thank Campbell, who at this point was not at all well known in his own right, though he was a respected session guitarist and had released a few singles, Brian had co-written and produced "Guess I'm Dumb" for him, a track which prefigured the musical style that Wilson was going to use for the next year or so: [Excerpt: Glen Campbell, "Guess I'm Dumb"] It's worth looking at "Guess I'm Dumb" in a little detail, as it points the way forward to a lot of Wilson's songwriting over the next year. Firstly, of course, there are the lyrical themes of insecurity and of what might even be descriptions of mental illness in the first verse -- "the way I act don't seem like me, I'm not on top like I used to be". The lyrics are by Russ Titelman, but it's reasonable to assume that as with many of his collaborations, Brian brought in the initial idea. There's also a noticeable change in the melodic style compared to Wilson's earlier melodies. Up to this point, Wilson has mostly been writing what get called "horizontal" melody lines -- ones with very little movement, and small movements, often centred on a single note or two. There are exceptions of course, and plenty of them, but a typical Brian Wilson melody up to this point is the kind of thing where even I can hit the notes more or less OK -- [sings] "Well, she got her daddy's car and she cruised through the hamburger stand now". It's not quite a monotone, but it's within a tight range, and you don't have to move far from one note to another. But "Guess I'm Dumb" is incorporating the influence of Roy Orbison, and more obviously of Burt Bacharach, and it's *ludicrously* vertical, with gigantic leaps all over the place, in places that are not obvious. It requires the kind of precision that only a singer like Campbell can attain, to make it sound at all natural: [Excerpt: Glen Campbell, "Guess I'm Dumb"] Bacharach's influence is also noticeable in the way that the chord changes are very different from those that Wilson was using before. Up to this point, when Wilson wrote unusual chord changes, it was mostly patterns like "The Warmth of the Sun", which is wildly inventive, but mostly uses very simple triads and sevenths. Now he was starting to do things like the line "I guess I'm dumb but I don't care", which is sort of a tumbling set of inversions of the same chord that goes from a triad with the fifth in the bass, to a major sixth, to a minor eleventh, to a minor seventh. Part of the reason that Brian could start using these more complex voicings was that he was also moving away from using just the standard guitar/bass/drums lineup, sometimes with keyboards and saxophone, which had been used on almost every Beach Boys track to this point. Instead, as well as the influence of Bacharach, Wilson was also being influenced by Jack Nitzsche's arrangements for Phil Spector's records, and in particular by the way Nitzsche would double instruments, and have, say, a harpsichord and a piano play the same line, to create a timbre that was different from either individual instrument. But where Nitzsche and Spector used the technique along with a lot of reverb and overdubbing to create a wall of sound which was oppressive and overwhelming, and which obliterated the sounds of the individual instruments, Wilson used the same instrumentalists, the Wrecking Crew, to create something far more delicate: [Excerpt: Glen Campbell, "Guess I'm Dumb (instrumental and backing vocals)"] Campbell does such a good job on "Guess I'm Dumb" that one has to wonder what would  have happened if he'd remained with the Beach Boys. But Campbell had of course not been able to join the group permanently -- he had his own career to attend to, and that would soon take off in a big way, though he would keep playing on the Beach Boys' records for a while yet as a member of the Wrecking Crew. But Brian Wilson was still not well enough to tour. In fact, as he explained to the rest of the group, he never intended to tour again -- and he wouldn't be a regular live performer for another twelve years. At first the group were terrified -- they thought he was talking about quitting the group, or the group splitting up altogether. But Brian had a different plan. From that point on, there were two subtly different lineups of the group. In the studio, Brian would sing his parts as always, but the group would get a permanent replacement for him on tour -- someone who could replace him on stage. While the group was on tour, Brian would use the time to write songs and to record backing tracks. He'd already started using the Wrecking Crew to add a bit of additional musical colour to some of the group's records, but from this point on, he'd use them to record the whole track, maybe getting Carl to add a bit of guitar as well if he happened to be around, but otherwise just using the group to provide vocals. It's important to note that this *was* a big change. A lot of general music history sources will say things like "the Beach Boys never played on their own records", and this is taken as fact by people who haven't investigated further. In fact, the basic tracks for all their early hits were performed by the group themselves -- "Surfin'", "Surfin' Safari", "409", "Surfer Girl", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Don't Worry Baby" and many more were entirely performed by the Beach Boys, while others like "I Get Around" featured the group with a couple of additional musicians augmenting them. The idea that the group never played on their records comes entirely from their recordings from 1965 and 66, and even there often Carl would overdub a guitar part. And at this point, the Beach Boys were still playing on the majority of their recordings, even on sophisticated-sounding records like "She Knows Me Too Well", which is entirely a group performance other than Brian's friend, Russ Titelman, the co-writer of "Guess I'm Dumb", adding some percussion by hitting a microphone stand with a screwdriver: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "She Knows Me Too Well"] So the plan to replace the group's instrumental performances in the studio was actually a bigger change than it might seem. But an even bigger change was the live performances, which of course required the group bringing in a permanent live replacement for Brian. They'd already tried this once before, when he'd quit the road for a while and they'd brought Al Jardine back in, but David Marks quitting had forced him back on stage. Now they needed someone to take his place for good. They phoned up their friend Bruce Johnston to see if he knew anyone, and after suggesting a couple of names that didn't work out, he volunteered his own services, and as of this recording he's spent more than fifty years in the band (he quit for a few years in the mid-seventies, but came back). We've seen Johnston turn up several times already, most notably in the episode on "LSD-25", where he was one of the musicians on the track we looked at, but for those of you who don't remember those episodes, he was pretty much *everywhere* in California music in the late fifties and early sixties. He had been in a band at school with Phil Spector and Sandy Nelson, and another band with Jan and Dean, and he'd played on Nelson's "Teen Beat", produced by Art Laboe: [Excerpt: Sandy Nelson, "Teen Beat"] He'd been in the house band at those shows Laboe put on at El Monte stadium we talked about a couple of episodes back, he'd been a witness to John Dolphin's murder, he'd been a record producer for Bob Keane, where he'd written and produced songs for Ron Holden, the man who had introduced "Louie Louie" to Seattle: [Excerpt: Ron Holden, "Gee But I'm Lonesome"] He'd written "The Tender Touch" for Richard Berry's backing group The Pharaos, with Berry singing backing vocals on this one: [Excerpt: The Pharaos, "The Tender Touch"] He'd helped Bob Keane compile Ritchie Valens' first posthumous album, he'd played on "LSD-25" and "Moon Dawg" by the Gamblers: [Excerpt: The Gamblers, "Moon Dawg"] He'd arranged and produced the top ten hit “Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You)” for Little Caesar and the Romans: [Excerpt Little Caesar and the Romans, "Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You)"] Basically, wherever you looked in the LA music scene in the early sixties, there was Bruce Johnston somewhere in the background. But in particular, he was suitable for the Beach Boys because he had a lot of experience in making music that sounded more than a little like theirs. He'd made cheap surf records as the Bruce Johnston Surfing Band: [Excerpt: Bruce Johnston, "The Hamptons"] And with his long-time friend and creative partner Terry Melcher he had, as well as working on several Paul Revere and the Raiders records, also recorded hit Beach Boys soundalikes both as their own duo, Bruce and Terry: [Excerpt: Bruce and Terry, "Summer Means Fun"] and under the name of a real group that Melcher had signed, but who don't seem to have sung much on their own big hit, the Rip Chords: [Excerpt: The Rip Chords, "Hey Little Cobra"] Johnston fit in well with the band, though he wasn't a bass player before joining, and had to be taught the parts by Carl and Al. But he's probably the technically strongest musician in the band, and while he would later switch to playing keyboards on stage, he was quickly able to get up to speed on the bass well enough to play the parts that were needed. He also wasn't quite as strong a falsetto singer as Brian Wilson, as can be heard by listening to this live recording of the group singing "I Get Around" in 1966: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "I Get Around (live 1966)"] Johnston is actually an excellent singer -- and can still hit the high notes today. He sings the extremely high falsetto part on "Fun Fun Fun" at the end of every Beach Boys show. But his falsetto was thinner than Wilson's, and he also has a distinctive voice which can be picked out from the blend in a way that none of the other Beach Boys' voices could -- the Wilson brothers and Mike Love all have a strong family resemblance, and Al Jardine always sounded spookily close to them. This meant that increasingly, the band would rearrange the vocal parts on stage, with Carl or Al taking the part that Brian had taken in the studio. Which meant that if, say, Al sang Brian's high part, Carl would have to move up to sing the part that Al had been singing, and then Bruce would slot in singing the part Carl had sung in the studio. This is a bigger difference than it sounds, and it meant that there was now a need for someone to work out live arrangements that were different from the arrangements on the records -- someone had to reassign the vocal parts, and also work out how to play songs that had been performed by maybe eighteen session musicians playing French horns and accordions and vibraphones with a standard rock-band lineup without it sounding too different from the record. Carl Wilson, still only eighteen when Brian retired from the road, stepped into that role, and would become the de facto musical director of the Beach Boys on stage for most of the next thirty years, to the point that many of the group's contracts for live performances at this point specified that the promoter was getting "Carl Wilson and four other musicians". This was a major change to the group's dynamics. Up to this point, they had been a group with a leader -- Brian -- and a frontman -- Mike, and three other members. Now they were a more democratic group on stage, and more of a dictatorship in the studio. This was, as you can imagine, not a stable situation, and was one that would not last long. But at first, this plan seemed to go very, very well. The first album to come out of this new hybrid way of working, The Beach Boys Today!, was started before Brian retired from touring, and some of the songs on it were still mostly or solely performed by the group, but as we heard with "She Knows Me Too Well" earlier, the music was still more sophisticated than on previous records, and this can be heard on songs like "When I Grow Up to Be a Man", where the only session musician is the harmonica player, with everything else played by the group: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "When I Grow Up to Be a Man"] But the newer sophistication really shows up on songs like "Kiss Me Baby", where most of the instrumentation is provided by the Wrecking Crew -- though Carl and Brian both play on the track -- and so there are saxophones, vibraphones, French horn, cor anglais, and multiple layers of twelve-string guitar: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Kiss Me Baby"] Today had several hit singles on it -- "Dance, Dance, Dance", "When I Grow Up to be a Man", and their cover version of Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance?" all charted -- but the big hit song on the album actually didn't become a hit in that version. "Help Me Ronda" was a piece of album filler with a harmonica part played by Billy Lee Riley, and was one of Al Jardine's first lead vocals on a Beach Boys record -- he'd only previously sung lead on the song "Christmas Day" on their Christmas album: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Help Me Ronda"] While the song was only intended as album filler, other people saw the commercial potential in the song. Bruce Johnston was at this time still signed to Columbia records as an artist, and wasn't yet singing on Beach Boys records, and he recorded a version of the song with Terry Melcher as a potential single: [Excerpt: Bruce and Terry, "Help Me Rhonda"] But on seeing the reaction to the song, Brian decided to rerecord it as a single. Unfortunately, Murry Wilson turned up to the session. Murry had been fired as the group's manager by his sons the previous year, though he still owned the publishing company that published their songs. In the meantime, he'd decided to show his family who the real talent behind the group was by taking on another group of teenagers and managing and producing them. The Sunrays had a couple of minor hits, like "I Live for the Sun": [Excerpt: The Sunrays, "I Live for the Sun"] But nothing made the US top forty, and by this point it was clear, though not in the way that Murry hoped, who the real talent behind the group *actually* was. But he turned up to the recording session, with his wife in tow, and started trying to produce it: [Excerpt: Beach Boys and Murry Wilson "Help Me Rhonda" sessions] It ended up with Brian physically trying to move his drunk father away from the control panel in the studio, and having a heartbreaking conversation with him, where the twenty-two-year-old who is recovering from a nervous breakdown only a few months earlier sounds calmer, healthier, and more mature than his forty-seven-year-old father: [Excerpt: Beach Boys and Murry Wilson, "Help Me Rhonda" sessions] Knowing that this was the family dynamic helps make the comedy filler track on the next album, "I'm Bugged at My Old Man", seem rather less of a joke than it otherwise would: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "I'm Bugged at My Old Man"] But with Murry out of the way, the group did eventually complete recording "Help Me Rhonda" (and for those of you reading this as a blog post rather than listening to the podcast, yes they did spell it two different ways for the two different versions), and it became the group's second number one hit: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Help Me, Rhonda"] As well as Murry Wilson, though, another figure was in the control room then -- Loren Daro (who at the time went by his birth surname, but I'm going to refer to him throughout by the name he chose).  You can hear, on the recording, Brian Wilson asking Daro if he could "turn him on" -- slang that was at that point not widespread enough for Wilson's parents to understand the meaning. Daro was an agent working for the William Morris Agency, and he was part of a circle of young, hip, people who were taking drugs, investigating mysticism, and exploring new spiritual ideas. His circle included the Byrds -- Daro, like Roger McGuinn, later became a follower of Subud and changed his name as a result -- as well as people like the songwriter and keyboard player Van Dyke Parks, who will become a big part of this story in subsequent episodes, and Stephen Stills, who will also be turning up again. Daro had introduced Brian to cannabis, in 1964, and in early 1965 he gave Brian acid for the first time -- one hundred and twenty-five micrograms of pure Owsley LSD-25. Now, we're going to be looking at acid culture quite a lot in the next few months, as we get through 1966 and 1967, and I'll have a lot more to say about it, but what I will say is that even the biggest proponents of psychedelic drug use tend not to suggest that it is a good idea to give large doses of LSD in an uncontrolled setting to young men recovering from a nervous breakdown. Daro later described Wilson's experience as "ego death" -- a topic we will come to in a future episode, and not considered entirely negative -- and "a beautiful thing". But he has also talked about how Wilson was so terrified by his hallucinations that he ran into the bedroom, locked the door, and hid his head under a pillow for two hours, which doesn't sound so beautiful to me. Apparently after those two hours, he came out of the bedroom, said "Well, that's enough of that", and was back to normal. After that first trip, Wilson wrote a piece of music inspired by his psychedelic experience. A piece which starts like this, with an orchestral introduction very different from anything else the group had released as a single: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "California Girls"] Of course, when Mike Love added the lyrics to the song, it became about far more earthly and sensual concerns: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "California Girls"] But leaving the lyrics aside for a second, it's interesting to look at "California Girls" musically to see what Wilson's idea of psychedelic music -- by which I mean specifically music inspired by the use of psychedelic drugs, since at this point there was no codified genre known as psychedelic music or psychedelia -- actually was. So, first, Wilson has said repeatedly that the song was specifically inspired by "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach: [Excerpt: Bach, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"] And it's odd, because I see no real structural or musical resemblance between the two pieces that I can put my finger on, but at the same time I can totally see what he means. Normally at this point I'd say "this change here in this song relates to this change there in that song", but there's not much of that kind of thing here -- but I still. as soon as I read Wilson saying that for the first time, more than twenty years ago, thought "OK, that makes sense". There are a few similarities, though. Bach's piece is based around triplets, and they made Wilson think of a shuffle beat. If you remember *way* back in the second episode of the podcast, I talked about how one of the standard shuffle beats is to play triplets in four-four time. I'm going to excerpt a bit of recording from a YouTube drum tutorial (which I'll link in the liner notes) showing that kind of shuffle: [Excerpt: "3 Sweet Triplet Fills For Halftime Shuffles & Swung Grooves- Drum Lesson" , from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CwlSaQZLkY ] Now, while Bach's piece is in waltz time, I hope you can hear how the DA-da-da DA-da-da in Bach's piece may have made Wilson think of that kind of shuffle rhythm. Bach's piece also has a lot of emphasis of the first, fifth, and sixth notes of the scale -- which is fairly common, and not something particularly distinctive about the piece -- and those are the notes that make up the bass riff that Wilson introduces early in the song: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "California Girls (track)"] That bass riff, of course, is a famous one. Those of you who were listening to the very earliest episodes of the podcast might remember it from the intros to many, many, Ink Spots records: [Excerpt: The Ink Spots, "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)"] But the association of that bassline to most people's ears would be Western music, particularly the kind of music that was in Western films in the thirties and forties. You hear something similar in "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine", as performed by Laurel and Hardy in their 1937 film Way Out West: [Excerpt: Laurel and Hardy, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine"] But it's most associated with the song "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", first recorded in 1934 by the Western group Sons of the Pioneers, but more famous in their 1946 rerecording, made after the Ink Spots' success, where the part becomes more prominent: [Excerpt: The Sons of the Pioneers, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds"] That song was a standard of the Western genre, and by 1965 had been covered by everyone from Gene Autry to the Supremes, Bob Wills to Johnnie Ray, and it would also end up covered by several musicians in the LA pop music scene over the next few years, including Michael Nesmith and Curt Boettcher, both people part of the same general scene as the Beach Boys. The other notable thing about "California Girls" is that it's one of the first times that Wilson was able to use multi-tracking to its full effect. The vocal parts were recorded on an eight-track machine, meaning that Wilson could triple-track both Mike Love's lead vocal and the group's backing vocals. With Johnston now in the group -- "California Girls" was his first recording session with them -- that meant that on the record there were eighteen voices singing, leading to some truly staggering harmonies: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "California Girls (Stack-O-Vocals)"] So, that's what the psychedelic experience meant to Brian Wilson, at least -- Bach, orchestral influences, using the recording studio to create thicker vocal harmony parts, and the old West. Keep that in the back of your mind for the present, but it'll be something to remember in eleven episodes' time. "California Girls" was, of course, another massive hit, reaching number three on the charts. And while some Beach Boys fans see the album it was included on, Summer Days... And Summer Nights!, as something of a step backward from the sophistication of Today!, this is a relative thing. It's very much of a part with the music on the earlier album, and has many wonderful moments, with songs like "Let Him Run Wild" among the group's very best. But it was their next studio album that would cement the group's artistic reputation, and which would regularly be acclaimed by polls of critics as the greatest album of all time -- a somewhat meaningless claim; even more than there is no "first" anything in music, there's no "best" anything. The impulse to make what became Pet Sounds came, as Wilson has always told the story, from hearing the Beatles album Rubber Soul. Now, we've not yet covered Rubber Soul -- we're going to look at that, and at the album that came after it, in three episodes' time -- but it is often regarded as a major artistic leap forward for the Beatles. The record Wilson heard, though, wasn't the same record that most people nowadays think of when they think of Rubber Soul. Since the mid-eighties, the CD versions of the Beatles albums have (with one exception, Magical Mystery Tour) followed the tracklistings of the original British albums, as the Beatles and George Martin intended. But in the sixties, Capitol Records were eager to make as much money out of the Beatles as they could. The Beatles' albums generally had fourteen songs on, and often didn't include their singles. Capitol thought that ten or twelve songs per album was plenty, and didn't have any aversion to putting singles on albums. They took the three British albums Help!, Rubber Soul, and Revolver, plus the non-album "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" single and Ken Thorne's orchestral score for the Help! film, and turned that into four American albums -- Help!, Rubber Soul, Yesterday and Today, and Revolver. In the case of Rubber Soul, that meant that they removed four tracks from the British album -- "Drive My Car", "Nowhere Man", "What Goes On" and "If I Needed Someone" -- and added two songs from the British version of Help!, "I've Just Seen a Face" and "It's Only Love". Now, I've seen some people claim that this made the American Rubber Soul more of a folk-rock album -- I may even have said that myself in the past -- but that's not really true. Indeed, "Nowhere Man" and "If I Needed Someone" are two of the Beatles' most overtly folk-rock tracks, and both clearly show the influence of the Byrds. But what it did do was remove several of the more electric songs from the album, and replace them with acoustic ones: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I've Just Seen a Face"] This, completely inadvertently, gave the American Rubber Soul lineup a greater sense of cohesion than the British one. Wilson later said "I listened to Rubber Soul, and I said, 'How could they possibly make an album where the songs all sound like they come from the same place?'" At other times he's described his shock at hearing "a whole album of only good songs" and similar phrases. Because up to this point, Wilson had always included filler tracks on albums, as pretty much everyone did in the early sixties. In the American pop music market, up to the mid sixties, albums were compilations of singles plus whatever random tracks happened to be lying around. And so for example in late 1963 the Beach Boys had released two albums less than a month apart -- Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe. Given that Brian Wilson wrote or co-wrote all the group's original material, it wasn't all that surprising that Little Deuce Coupe had to include four songs that had been released on previous albums, including two that were on Surfer Girl from the previous month. It was the only way the group could keep up with the demand for new product from a company that had no concept of popular music as art. Other Beach Boys albums had included padding such as generic surf instrumentals, comedy sketches like "Cassius" Love vs. "Sonny" Wilson, and in the case of The Beach Boys Today!, a track titled "Bull Session With the Big Daddy", consisting of two minutes of random chatter with the photographer Earl Leaf while they all ate burgers: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys and Earl Leaf, "Bull Session With the Big Daddy"] This is not to attack the Beach Boys. This was a simple response to the commercial pressures of the marketplace. Between October 1962 and November 1965, they released eleven albums. That's about an album every three months, as well as a few non-album singles. And on top of that Brian had also been writing songs during that time for Jan & Dean, the Honeys, the Survivors and others, and had collaborated with Gary Usher and Roger Christian on songs for Muscle Beach Party, one of American International Pictures' series of Beach Party films. It's unsurprising that not everything produced on this industrial scale was a masterpiece. Indeed, the album the Beach Boys released directly before Pet Sounds could be argued to be an entire filler album. Many biographies say that Beach Boys Party! was recorded to buy Brian time to make Pet Sounds, but the timelines don't really match up on closer investigation. Beach Boys Party! was released in November 1965, before Brian ever heard Rubber Soul, which came out later, and before he started writing the material that became Pet Sounds. Beach Boys Party! was a solution to a simple problem -- the group were meant to deliver three albums that year, and they didn't have three albums worth of material. Some shows had been recorded for a possible live album, but they'd released a live album in 1964 and hadn't really changed their setlist very much in the interim. So instead, they made a live-in-the-studio album, with the conceit that it was recorded at a party the group were holding. Rather than the lush Wrecking Crew instrumentation they'd been using in recent months, everything was played on acoustic guitars, plus some bongos provided by Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine and some harmonica from Billy Hinsche of the boy band Dino, Desi, and Billy, whose sister Carl Wilson was shortly to marry. The album included jokes and false starts, and was overlaid with crowd noise, to give the impression that you were listening to an actual party where a few people were sitting round with guitars and having fun. The album consisted of songs that the group liked and could play without rehearsal -- novelty hits from a few years earlier like "Alley Oop" and "Hully Gully", a few Beatles songs, and old favourites like the Everly Brothers hit "Devoted to You" -- in a rather lovely version with two-part harmony by Mike and Brian, which sounds much better in a remixed version released later without the party-noise overdubs: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Devoted to You (remix)"] But the song that defined the album, which became a massive hit, and which became an albatross around the band's neck about which some of them would complain for a long time to come, didn't even have one of the Beach Boys singing lead. As we discussed back in the episode on "Surf City", by this point Jan and Dean were recording their album "Folk 'n' Roll", their attempt at jumping on the folk-rock bandwagon, which included the truly awful "The Universal Coward", a right-wing answer song  to "The Universal Soldier" released as a Jan Berry solo single: [Excerpt: Jan Berry, "The Universal Coward"] Dean Torrence was by this point getting sick of working with Berry, and was also deeply unimpressed with the album they were making, so he popped out of the studio for a while to go and visit his friends in the Beach Boys, who were recording nearby. He came in during the Party sessions, and everyone was suggesting songs to perform, and asked Dean to suggest something. He remembered an old doo-wop song that Jan and Dean had recorded a cover version of, and suggested that. The group had Dean sing lead, and ran through a sloppy version of it, where none of them could remember the words properly: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Barbara Ann"] And rather incredibly, that became one of the biggest hits the group ever had, making number two on the Billboard chart (and number one on other industry charts like Cashbox), number three in the UK, and becoming a song that the group had to perform at almost every live show they ever did, together or separately, for at least the next fifty-seven years. But meanwhile, Brian had been working on other material. He had not yet had his idea for an album made up entirely of good songs, but he had been experimenting in the studio. He'd worked on a handful of tracks which had pointed in new directions. One was a single, "The Little Girl I Once Knew": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "The Little Girl I Once Knew"] John Lennon gave that record a very favourable review, saying "This is the greatest! Turn it up, turn it right up. It's GOT to be a hit. It's the greatest record I've heard for weeks. It's fantastic." But the record only made number twenty -- a perfectly respectable chart placing, but nowhere near as good as the group's recent run of hits -- in part because its stop-start nature meant that the record had "dead air" -- moments of silence -- which made DJs avoid playing it, because they believed that dead air, even only a second of it here and there, would make people tune to another station. Another track that Brian had been working on was an old folk song suggested by Alan Jardine. Jardine had always been something of a folkie, of the Kingston Trio variety, and he had suggested that the group might record the old song "The Wreck of the John B", which the Kingston Trio had recorded. The Trio's version in turn had been inspired by the Weavers' version of the song from 1950: [Excerpt: The Weavers, "The Wreck of the John B"] Brian had at first not been impressed, but Jardine had fiddled with the chord sequence slightly, adding in a minor chord to make the song slightly more interesting, and Brian had agreed to record the track, though he left the instrumental without vocals for several months: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Sloop John B (instrumental)"] The track was eventually finished and released as a single, and unlike "The Little Girl I Once Knew" it was a big enough hit that it was included on the next album, though several people have said it doesn't fit. Lyrically, it definitely doesn't, but musically, it's very much of a piece with the other songs on what became Pet Sounds: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Sloop John B"] But while Wilson was able to create music by himself, he wasn't confident about his ability as a lyricist. Now, he's not a bad lyricist by any means -- he's written several extremely good lyrics by himself -- but Brian Wilson is not a particularly articulate or verbal person, and he wanted someone who could write lyrics as crafted as his music, but which would express the ideas he was trying to convey. He didn't think he could do it himself, and for whatever reason he didn't want to work with Mike Love, who had co-written the majority of his recent songs, or with any of his other collaborators. He did write one song with Terry Sachen, the Beach Boys' road manager at the time, which dealt obliquely with those acid-induced concepts of "ego death": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Hang on to Your Ego"] But while the group recorded that song, Mike Love objected vociferously to the lyrics. While Love did try cannabis a few times in the late sixties and early seventies, he's always been generally opposed to the use of illegal drugs, and certainly didn't want the group to be making records that promoted their use -- though I would personally argue that "Hang on to Your Ego" is at best deeply ambiguous about the prospect of ego death.  Love rewrote some of the lyrics, changing the title to "I Know There's an Answer", though as with all such bowdlerisation efforts he inadvertently left in some of the drug references: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "I Know There's an Answer"] But Wilson wasn't going to rely on Sachen for all the lyrics. Instead he turned to Tony Asher. Asher was an advertising executive, who Wilson probably met through Loren Daro -- there is some confusion over the timeline of their meeting, with some sources saying they'd first met in 1963 and that Asher had introduced Wilson to Daro, but others saying that the introductions went the other way, and that Daro introduced Asher to Wilson in 1965. But Asher and Daro had been friends for a long time, and so Wilson and Asher were definitely orbiting in the same circles. The most common version of the story seems to be that Asher was working in Western Studios, where he was recording a jingle - the advertising agency had him writing jingles because he was an amateur songwriter, and as he later put it nobody else at the agency knew the difference between E flat and A flat. Wilson was also working in the studio complex, and Wilson dragged Asher in to listen to some of the demos he was recording -- at that time Wilson was in the habit of inviting anyone who was around to listen to his works in progress. Asher chatted with him for a while, and thought nothing of it, until he got a phone call at work a few weeks later from Brian Wilson, suggesting the two write together. Wilson was impressed with Asher, who he thought of as very verbal and very intelligent, but Asher was less impressed with Wilson. He has softened his statements in recent decades, but in the early seventies he would describe Wilson as "a genius musician but an amateur human being", and sharply criticise his taste in films and literature, and his relationship with his wife. This attitude seems at least in part to have been shared by a lot of the people that Wilson was meeting and becoming influenced by. One of the things that is very noticeable about Wilson is that he has no filters at all, and that makes his music some of the most honest music ever recorded. But that same honesty also meant that he could never be cool or hip. He was -- and remains -- enthusiastic about the things he likes, and he likes things that speak to the person he is, not things that fit some idea of what the in crowd like. And the person Brian Wilson is is a man born in 1942, brought up in a middle-class suburban white family in California, and his tastes are the tastes one would expect from that background. And those tastes were not the tastes of the hipsters and scenesters who were starting to become part of his circle at the time. And so there's a thinly-veiled contempt in the way a lot of those people talked about Wilson, particularly in the late sixties and early seventies. Wilson, meanwhile, was desperate for their approval, and trying hard to fit in, but not quite managing it. Again, Asher has softened his statements more recently, and I don't want to sound too harsh about Asher -- both men were in their twenties, and still  trying to find their place in the world, and I wouldn't want to hold anyone's opinions from their twenties against them decades later. But that was the dynamic that existed between them. Asher saw himself as something of a sophisticate, and Wilson as something of a hick in contrast, but a hick who unlike him had created a string of massive hit records. And Asher did, always, respect Wilson's musical abilities. And Wilson in turn looked up to Asher, even while remaining the dominant partner, because he respected Asher's verbal facility. Asher took a two-week sabbatical from his job at the advertising agency, and during those two weeks, he and Wilson collaborated on eight songs that would make up the backbone of the album that would become Pet Sounds. The first song the two worked on was a track that had originally been titled "In My Childhood". Wilson had already recorded the backing track for this, including the sounds of bicycle horns and bells to evoke the feel of being a child: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "You Still Believe in Me (instrumental track)"] The two men wrote a new lyric for the song, based around a theme that appears in many of Wilson's songs -- the inadequate man who is loved by a woman who is infinitely superior to him, who doesn't understand why he's loved, but is astonished by it. The song became "You Still Believe in Me": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "You Still Believe in Me"] That song also featured an instrumental contribution of sorts by Asher. Even though the main backing track had been recorded before the two started working together, Wilson came up with an idea for an intro for the song, which would require a particular piano sound. To get that sound, Wilson held down the keys on a piano, while Asher leaned into the piano and plucked the strings manually. The result, with Wilson singing over the top, sounds utterly lovely: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "You Still Believe in Me"] Note that I said that Wilson and Asher came up with new lyrics together. There has been some slight dispute about the way songwriting credits were apportioned to the songs. Generally the credits said that Wilson wrote all the music, while Asher and Wilson wrote the lyrics together, so Asher got twenty-five percent of the songwriting royalties and Wilson seventy-five percent. Asher, though, has said that there are some songs for which he wrote the whole lyric by himself, and that he also made some contributions to the music on some songs -- though he has always said that the majority of the musical contribution was Wilson's, and that most of the time the general theme of the lyric, at least, was suggested by Wilson. For the most part, Asher hasn't had a problem with that credit split, but he has often seemed aggrieved -- and to my mind justifiably -- about the song "Wouldn't it Be Nice". Asher wrote the whole lyric for the song, though inspired by conversations with Wilson, but accepted his customary fifty percent of the lyrical credit. The result became one of the big hits from the album: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Wouldn't It Be Nice?"] But -- at least according to Mike Love, in the studio he added a single line to the song: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Wouldn't it Be Nice?"] When Love sued Brian Wilson in 1994, over the credits to thirty-five songs, he included "Wouldn't it Be Nice" in the list because of that contribution. Love now gets a third of the songwriting royalties, taken proportionally from the other two writers. Which means that he gets a third of Wilson's share and a third of Asher's share. So Brian Wilson gets half the money, for writing all the music, Mike Love gets a third of the money, for writing "Good night baby, sleep tight baby", and Tony Asher gets a sixth of the money -- half as much as Love -- for writing all the rest of the lyric. Again, this is not any one individual doing anything wrong – most of the songs in the lawsuit were ones where Love wrote the entire lyric, or a substantial chunk of it, and because the lawsuit covered a lot of songs the same formula was applied to borderline cases like “Wouldn't it Be Nice” as it was to clearcut ones like “California Girls”, where nobody disputes Love's authorship of the whole lyric. It's just the result of a series of reasonable decisions, each one of which makes sense in isolation, but which has left Asher earning significantly less from one of the most successful songs he ever wrote in his career than he should have earned. The songs that Asher co-wrote with Wilson were all very much of a piece, both musically and lyrically. Pet Sounds really works as a whole album better than it does individual tracks, and while some of the claims made about it -- that it's a concept album, for example -- are clearly false, it does have a unity to it, with ideas coming back in different forms. For example, musically, almost every new song on the album contains a key change down a minor third at some point -- not the kind of thing where the listener consciously notices that an idea has been repeated, but definitely the kind of thing that makes a whole album hold together. It also differs from earlier Beach Boys albums in that the majority of the lead vocals are by Brian Wilson. Previously, Mike Love had been the dominant voice on Beach Boys records, with Brian as second lead and the other members taking few or none. Now Love only took two main lead vocals, and was the secondary lead on three more. Brian, on the other hand, took six primary lead vocals and two partial leads. The later claims by some people that this was a Brian Wilson solo album in all but name are exaggerations -- the group members did perform on almost all of the tracks -- but it is definitely much more of a personal, individual statement than the earlier albums had been. The epitome of this was "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", which Asher wrote the lyrics for but which was definitely Brian's idea, rather than Asher's. [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"] That track also featured the first use on a Beach Boys record of the electro-theremin, an electronic instrument invented by session musician Paul Tanner, a former trombone player with the Glenn Miller band, who had created it to approximate the sound of a Theremin while being easier to play: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"] That sound would turn up on future Beach Boys records... But the song that became the most lasting result of the Wilson/Asher collaboration was actually one that is nowhere near as personal as many of the other songs on the record, that didn't contain a lot of the musical hallmarks that unify the album, and that didn't have Brian Wilson singing lead. Of all the songs on the album, "God Only Knows" is the one that has the most of Tony Asher's fingerprints on it. Asher has spoken in the past about how when he and Wilson were writing, Asher's touchstones were old standards like "Stella By Starlight" and "How Deep is the Ocean?", and "God Only Knows" easily fits into that category. It's a crafted song rather than a deep personal expression, but the kind of craft that one would find in writers like the Gershwins, every note and syllable perfectly chosen: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows"] One of the things that is often wrongly said about the song is that it's the first pop song to have the word "God" in the title. It isn't, and indeed it isn't even the first pop song to be called "God Only Knows", as there was a song of that name recorded by the doo-wop group the Capris in 1954: [Excerpt: The Capris, "God Only Knows"] But what's definitely true is that Wilson, even though he was interested in creating spiritual music, and was holding prayer sessions with his brother Carl before vocal takes, was reluctant to include the word in the song at first, fearing it would harm radio play. He was probably justified in his fears -- a couple of years earlier he'd produced a record called "Pray for Surf" by the Honeys, a girl-group featuring his wife: [Excerpt: The Honeys, "Pray For Surf"] That record hadn't been played on the radio, in part because it was considered to be trivialising religion. But Asher eventually persuaded Wilson that it would be OK, saying "What do you think we should do instead? Say 'heck only knows'?" Asher's lyric was far more ambiguous than it may seem -- while it's on one level a straightforward love song, Asher has always pointed out that the protagonist never says that he loves the object of the song, just that he'll make her *believe* that he loves her. Coupled with the second verse, which could easily be read as a threat of suicide if the object leaves the singer, it would be very, very, easy to make the song into something that sounds like it was from the point of view of a narcissistic, manipulative, abuser. That ambiguity is also there in the music, which never settles in a strong sense of key. The song starts out with an A chord, which you'd expect to lead to the song being in A, but when the horn comes in, you get a D# note, which isn't in that key, and then when the verse starts, it starts on an inversion of a D chord, before giving you enough clues that by the end of the verse you're fairly sure you're in the key of E, but it never really confirms that: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows (instrumental)"] So this is an unsettling, ambiguous, song in many ways. But that's not how it sounds, nor how Brian at least intended it to sound. So why doesn't it sound that way? In large part it's down to the choice of lead vocalist. If Mike Love had sung this song, it might have sounded almost aggressive. Brian *did* sing it in early attempts at the track, and he doesn't sound quite right either -- his vocal attitude is just... not right: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows (Brian Wilson vocal)"] But eventually Brian hit on getting his younger brother Carl to sing lead. At this point Carl had sung very few leads on record -- there has been some dispute about who sang what, exactly,  because of the family resemblance which meant all the core band members could sound a little like each other, but it's generally considered that he had sung full leads on two album tracks -- "Pom Pom Play Girl" and "Girl Don't Tell Me" -- and partial leads on two other tracks, covers of "Louie Louie" and "Summertime Blues". At this point he wasn't really thought of as anything other than a backing vocalist, but his soft, gentle, performance on "God Only Knows" is one of the great performances: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows (vocals)"] The track was actually one of those that required a great deal of work in the studio to create the form which now seems inevitable. Early attempts at the recording included a quite awful saxophone solo: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys "God Only Knows (early version)"] And there were a lot of problems with the middle until session keyboard player Don Randi suggested the staccato break that would eventually be used: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows"] And similarly, the tag of the record was originally intended as a mass of harmony including all the Beach Boys, the Honeys, and Terry Melcher: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows (alternate version with a capella tag)"] Before Brian decided to strip it right back, and to have only three voices on the tag -- himself on the top and the bottom, and Bruce Johnston singing in the middle: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows"] When Pet Sounds came out, it was less successful in the US than hoped -- it became the first of the group's albums not to go gold on its release, and it only made number ten on the album charts. By any objective standards, this is still a success, but it was less successful than the record label had hoped, and was taken as a worrying sign. In the UK, though, it was a different matter. Up to this point, the Beach Boys had not had much commercial success in the UK, but recently Andrew Loog Oldham had become a fan, and had become the UK publisher of their original songs, and was interested in giving them the same kind of promotion that he'd given Phil Spector's records. Keith Moon of the Who was also a massive fan, and the Beach Boys had recently taken on Derek Taylor, with his strong British connections, as their publicist. Not only that, but Bruce Johnston's old friend Kim Fowley was now based in London and making waves there. So in May, in advance of a planned UK tour set for November that year, Bruce Johnston and Derek Taylor flew over to the UK to press the flesh and schmooze. Of all the group members, Johnston was the perfect choice to do this -- he's by far the most polished of them in terms of social interaction, and he was also the one who, other than Brian, had the least ambiguous feelings about the group's new direction, being wholeheartedly in favour of it. Johnston and Taylor met up with Keith Moon, Lennon and McCartney, and other pop luminaries, and played them the record. McCartney in particular was so impressed by Pet Sounds and especially "God Only Knows", that he wrote this, inspired by the song, and recorded it even before Pet Sounds' UK release at the end of June: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Here, There, and Everywhere"] As a result of Johnston and Taylor's efforts, and the promotional work by Oldham and others, Pet Sounds reached number two on the UK album charts, and "God Only Knows" made number two on the singles charts. (In the US, it was the B-side to "Wouldn't it Be Nice", although it made the top forty on its own merits too). The Beach Boys displaced the Beatles in the readers' choice polls for best band in the NME in 1966, largely as a result of the album, and Melody Maker voted it joint best album of the year along with the Beatles' Revolver. The Beach Boys' commercial fortunes were slightly on the wane in the US, but they were becoming bigger than ever in the UK. But a big part of this was creating expectations around Brian Wilson in particular. Derek Taylor had picked up on a phrase that had been bandied around -- enough that Murry Wilson had used it to mock Brian in the awful "Help Me, Rhonda" sessions -- and was promoting it widely as a truism. Everyone was now agreed that Brian Wilson was a genius. And we'll see how that expectation plays out over the next few weeks.. [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Caroline, No"]