The D Brief-logo

The D Brief

Media & Entertainment Podcasts

Meet the creatives shaping Detroit! Detroit creatives can learn a lot from each other. The D Brief shares the stories of local artists and entertainers to educate and inspire others in the community. Hosts Seth Resler and Becky Scarcello interview Detroit actors, authors, brewers, chefs, comedians, curators, dancers, DJs, mixologists, musicians, storytellers, visual artists, and more.

Location:

United States

Description:

Meet the creatives shaping Detroit! Detroit creatives can learn a lot from each other. The D Brief shares the stories of local artists and entertainers to educate and inspire others in the community. Hosts Seth Resler and Becky Scarcello interview Detroit actors, authors, brewers, chefs, comedians, curators, dancers, DJs, mixologists, musicians, storytellers, visual artists, and more.

Twitter:

@thedbrief

Language:

English


Episodes

5 Things Artists Should Know About the Festival Business

7/19/2022
Festivals can be an effective way for artists and entertainers to get exposure and build up a fan base — if they understand how the festival business works. Karen Delhey, spokesperson for the the Ann Arbor Art Fair and the Executive Director of the Guild of Artists and Artisans, offers five tips for artists looking to perform at festivals.

Duration:00:16:17

5 Instagram Mistakes to Avoid

5/10/2022
Instagram can be a powerful marketing tools for Detroit artists and entertainers…if you know how to use it properly. In this social webinar, Sadie Quagliotto of Hip in Detroit, manages social media accounts professionally for local organizations. She joins us to talk about the most common mistakes she sees with Instagram, and what you should do instead. Sadie is the co-owner/director of Hip in Detroit, a local lifestyle brand that has helped capture everything that makes Detroit special. Over the last 10 years, Hip in Detroit has built up an organic base of followers and become a respected voice within the community through our blog, podcasts, videos, and interviews. Sadie also manages social media and marketing for a variety of Detroit organizations and brands. She teaches others how to get the most out of their social media in private one-on-one sessions and in large class settings.

Duration:00:34:12

How to Give a Great Interview

4/5/2022
Now that technology has made it easy for anyone to create podcasts, blogs, and YouTube channels, there are more opportunities for exposure for creatives than ever before. When these opportunities arise, how do you give an interview that will win new fans? Local celebrity interviewer Greg Russell will show you how to be a fantastic interviewee. Greg Russell has been a television and radio fixture in Detroit, Michigan for over 30 years. Greg is the host and producer of the syndicated television show, Movie Show Plus. Greg can also be seen weekly on Live In The D on Local 4 (NBC) Detroit. Greg Russell was also a celebrity interviewer for Getty Images Worldwide. He can also be heard on WJR a.m. 760 on the Paul W. Smith Show. He also has his own show on 910 AM the Superstation which also streams on iHeart radio. He is a celebrity contributor on the national shows Fortune Finds and Notorious which are both seen on Reelz Channel. Greg is a two-time Emmy Award winner and has served as president of the National Academy of Television Arts (Emmy) for the state of Michigan. Greg has also been a board member for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) both nationally and locally.

Duration:00:23:51

Meet the Beatboxer who won Detroit's Big Shot Talent Competition

12/15/2021
The D Brief hosted Detroit's Big Shot talent competition in the fall of 2021. The contest featured musicians, comedians, actors, impressionists, burlesque dancers, sideshow performers, and more. Meet the performer who was crowned the champion: Beatboxer Stevie Soul.

Duration:00:28:44

How Artists Can Develop the Skill of Improvisation

9/21/2021
The ability to improvise is an important skill for artists. Like all skills, it has to be developed through practice. Jazz musician and entrepreneur Jeff Ponders II talks to Seth and Becky about how artists can build their improvisational capabilities.

Duration:00:19:30

What Unconventional Maps Can Teach Us About Detroit History

9/15/2021
There are many different "lenses" that you can use when looking at the history of a city's culture. For example, you can look at Detroit's history through music, or food, or art. But a lens that people often overlook is cartography -- in other words, looking at Detroit through maps. Alex B. Hill is the Geographic Information Systems Director at Wayne State University and the Project Director of the Detroit Food Map Initiative. He joins Seth and Becky to talk about what unconventional maps can tell us about Detroit.

Duration:00:18:33

How Artists Can Turn Their Hobbies Into Sustainable Businesses

9/7/2021
Over and over again, we hear Detroit artists ask how they can take their passion and turn it into a full-time business that provides a livable salary. Laura Khalil, host of the Brave by Design podcast and business consultant, talks to Seth and Becky about how artists can make this dream a reality.

Duration:00:14:04

How to Get Your Act Booked at Live Events

8/31/2021
Up and coming artists are constantly asking how they can get booked at festivals. Jaime Wilkins is the Entertainment Director and National Stage Production Manager for Jonathan Witz & Associates, and it's her job to put together the lineup for the annual Arts, Beats & Eats Festival in Royal Oak. We asked her what artists who want to get booked should know.

Duration:00:18:01

How a Detroiter Turned Her Depression into a Selfie Museum

8/24/2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people, especially artists, to battle with depression. To deal with her anxiety, Catherine Tolbert-Wilson, a recent graduate of Central Michigan University, channeled her energy into the creation of the Good Day Selfie Museum in Ferndale. She talks to Seth and Becky about it.

Duration:00:12:26

How New Technologies Are Expanding What Artists Can Do with Murals

8/17/2021
New technologies are not only changing the way that people consume art, but are also changing the content of the art itself. Award-winning visual artist Wendy Popko designs and and paints outdoor murals. She joins Seth and Becky to talk about how virtual reality has opened up new possibilities for her art.

Duration:00:21:19

How A Detroit Non-Profit Is Making Photography More Accessible

8/10/2021
Often people are reluctant to try a new art form because it seems expensive or inaccessible to newbies. Javier Garcia, the Executive Director of Darkroom Detroit, talks to Seth and Becky about how he is welcoming new people to the art of photography.

Duration:00:16:55

How a Festival Organizer Puts Together the Lineup

8/3/2021
Local artists always want to know how they can land a coveted slot performing at a festival. So what gets you the gig? And what turns bookers off? Kristin Lyn of the Hamtramck Music Fest explains what she looks for when putting together a lineup.

Duration:00:15:55

How a Wine Expert Is Making the Drink Accessible to a Diverse Audience

7/27/2021
Some art forms are easy for newbies to embrace; other art forms can be intimidating for the uninitiated. Chuck Jackson Jr. is the Chairman of the Inclusion and Expansion Committee of the Michigan Wine Collaborative. He talks to Seth and Becky about how he's bringing more people -- and more diverse people -- into the world of wine drinking.

Duration:00:17:45

How A Photographer Is Sharing Detroiters’ Stories

7/22/2021
Some artists use their works to share their own stories. Others use their works to tell the stories of other people. Detroit photographer Scott Millington is in the latter category. He talks to Seth and Becky about the techniques he uses he uses to get his subjects to open up in ways that are candid and intimate.

Duration:00:14:53

How New Media Changed the Narrative About White Boy Rick

7/20/2021
Now free from prison, Detroit's infamous "White Boy Rick" is widely viewed as a victim of an overzealous criminal justice system and the FBI for whom he served as an informant. But that wasn't always the case. When he was sentenced to prison in 1988, Richard Wershe Jr. was incorrectly portrayed by the media as a drug kingpin. Investigative reporter Scott Burnstein, a leading expert in organized crime, spent years researching and writing about Rick's plight. During that time, new forms of media launched, which made it possible for Scott to get Rick's real story out. Scott wrote and produced the documentary film, "White Boy," which debuted at the Freep Film Festival in 2018. But it wasn't until the film premiered on Netflix during the pandemic that it brought international attention to the case. Scott joins Seth and Becky to talk about White Boy Rick and how new forms of media enabled the truth to come to light.

Duration:00:27:26

How Two Black Women Blazed a Trail for Other Detroit Artists

7/15/2021
If you want to understand the current state of the Detroit arts scene, you need to know its history. Curator Malika N. Pryor is assembling an exhibition to tell the stories of two black women who were trailblazers in the Detroit arts community: Josephine Love and Dell Pryor. She talks to Seth and Becky about why their work was so important.

Duration:00:18:02

How To Conduct a Killer Interview

7/13/2021
Greg Russell has interviewed hundreds of A-list celebrities like George Clooney, Denzel Washington, and Halle Berry for decades. What's the secret to conducting a fantastic interview? He tells Seth and Becky of The D Brief.

Duration:00:14:45

How A Detroit Liquor Brand Launched During The Pandemic

7/8/2021
It's been tough to keep an existing business afloat during the pandemic -- imagine launching a new one! But Detroiter Lauren Facca did just that. She launched Harpy Liquor with the release of a limoncello based on her family's long-held recipe. And she did it while she being a full-time biomedical sciences student at Oakland University. She shares her story with Seth and Becky of The D Brief.

Duration:00:13:10

How A Detroit Professor Makes Music From Unlikely Instruments

7/6/2021
Some creatives excel in a well-established art forms. Others blaze a new trail. Professor Joo Won Park of Wayne State University is in the latter group. The computer musician, who won the Knight Arts Challenge Detroit and was awarded the Kresge Artist Fellowship in 2020, makes music from unusual instruments. He shares his sounds with Seth and Becky from The D Brief.

Duration:00:17:21

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Anchorman Mort Crim

7/1/2021
Former WDIV Local 4 anchorman Mort Crim is a Detroit broadcasting legend. His autobiography, Anchored: A Journalist's Search for the Truth, is out now. But during his conversation with Seth and Becky of The D Brief, he revealed a few more of his life secrets.

Duration:00:41:12