Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson

Dec 14 2023

Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson Podcast artwork

"Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson" is a podcast about the people who are changing their worlds. In each episode, host and change agent Gigi Johnson interviews a different changemaker from a wide range of industries, including creative industries, software, education, sciences, and social innovation. The conversation moves from the guest’s personal history in creative work and innovation -- sometimes back into childhood and first creative directions -- and explores different routes and rabbit holes. We often discuss blockages, creative team choices, the benefits of bad decisions, and non-linear directions in a non-linear life.

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From Rhythm & Hues to Dancing Atoms: Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam

Dec 14 2023 47 mins

We have the pleasure of sharing the adventures of Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam -- from pioneering visual effects in India to founding her studio, Dancing Atoms, and mentoring future talents. From her early beginnings in the visual effects industry in India, Vani's drive and curiosity propelled her into careers at Rhythm and Hues and DreamWorks. Vani founded Dancing Atoms, a boutiqu

A Creative Maestro: Mark Brymer Talks Show Production and Choral Arranging

Dec 13 2023 39 mins

I'm joined by the multitalented Mark Brymer, a creative entrepreneur with hands-on expertise in turning musical concepts into spectacular shows. Mark brings a wealth of experience — from arranging a vast collection (400,000) of choral pieces with Hal Leonard to producing dazzling shows in theme parks. We’ll get a deeper look at his journey from high school passion to crea

From Immersive Theater to VR Innovation: Deirdre V. Lyons' Journey

Dec 12 2023 49 mins

Today's guest is a true pioneer in the burgeoning field of virtual reality theater: Deirdre V. Lyons. She'll share her groundbreaking work in VR at the Ferryman Collective, such as her innovative productions like "Welcome to Respite" and "Gumball Dreams," and discuss the intricacies of producing entertainment ranging from films to webisodes. Deirdre shares the challenge

Risk, Reward, and Representation in Hollywood with Harry Abrams

Dec 11 2023 37 mins

In this conversation, we are joined by a long-time innovator and entrepreneur in talent management — Harry Abrams. At the venerable age of 88, Harry reflects on a career where passion eclipsed paychecks, taking a step into adventure from lawnmower manufacturing in Indiana and instead taking a gutsy $40/week step into the glitz and competitiveness of Hollywood talent agencies.Afte

Creating New Musical Instruments . . . with Mike Butera

Nov 20 2023 52 mins

Mike Butera has gone on some intriguing journeys, connecting music performance passions, philosophy and sound studies, and tech in creating new musical instruments for regular people to get into music. He shares his path to launching Artiphon after years in academic circles, ways he learned how to market new devices and thrive with Kickstarter, and how the adventure is going so far

Discovering New Artists and Building Your Own Path . . . with Jason Kramer

Nov 20 2023 59 mins

Jason Kramer shares his journey to being an EMT during the AIDS Epidemic, LA Riots, and Northridge Earthquake to Fox Sports to KLOS and KCRW. He talks about the magic of Sunday nights, how he created and drove his own luck through persistent work, asking for opportunities, and taking on new challenges. He shares a bit of his experience being present during the inception of Billie E

Building VR Community through Learning . . . with Dominique Wu

Nov 06 2023 50 mins

Dominique Wu is a real leader in bringing together education and VR for regular people. She's created the XReality Pro program. She'll talk about what it's like to be an immigrant in the United States as a creative and a different story than we've had a lot of guests share. And she'll also talk about how an early out-of-body experience in some ways set the table for her to come int

If I’m Going to Keep Evolving . . . with Peter Kiesewalter, The Moth Project

Oct 23 2023 56 mins

Peter Kiesewalter creates at the divergent edge -- at the intersection of art and science. In this case, he's working at the edge of ecology and biology along with music and location-based entertainment with The Moth Project. It's a live experience in beautiful places with the stories of moths and their lives to music. Over his varied career in music, he has worked to keep evolving

Ask the Right Questions . . . with Isaac Saldana, CEO, Memo

Oct 16 2023 42 mins

Isaac leans on two core values: asking the right questions and humility. Along with a good friend, he launched several companies. And several failed -- until he launched SendGrid in 2009. After learning to hire up with strong CEOs, the company went public in 2018. Since then, he has gotten an Executive MBA, launched Joy Labs, and now is a few years into Memo, which launches with it

New Markets, Bold Choices . . . with Miki Agrawal, Serial Founder & Musician

Oct 09 2023 44 mins

Some guests have a LOT of gumption and energy to create new. Miki is releasing her first album now. But over time, she has launched new companies and created new spaces. Some of the road has been bumpy and some has developed whole new categories that help people's lives. Guest: Miki Agrawal, Co-founder and former CEO of THINX and founder of TUSHY and WILD Miki Agrawal is a serial e