Creative Moonlighting

Ep.42 - Invest in Yourself with Chris Norkus - Owner of Cocktails from Home

Please welcome Chris Norkus - bartender, storyteller, and the owner of Cocktails from Home.  Chris moved to Austin 10 years ago to explore bigger opportunities in the bar and restaurant industry.  When the pandemic hit, he found himself an unemployed bartender.  But it wasn't long before a friend hit him up to use his skills to entertain a virtual happy hour for a group of friends and co-workers.  This simple concept spawned Chris's new business, which is now known as COCKTAILS FROM HOME. 

 

If you have ever had the impulse to invest in yourself and build a business around your skills, then this is the episode for you.   

 

Check Cocktails from Home Online:

Cocktails from Home

Chris Norkus - Linkedin

 

Enjoy and as always, send questions and comments to Griffyn.co@gmail.com 

#cocktailsfromhome #investinyourself #bartender #virtualhappyhour #mixology #craftcocktails #buildingyourbusiness #workfromhome #beyourownboss #startingabusiness

#creativemoonlighting #griffynco #griffyncoproductions

Ep.41 - Collective Creativity with ATX Band - Yes Sir, No Sir

Please welcome Austin, Texas band, Yes Sir, No Sir.  Tonight, Denise and Matthew had the pleasure of sitting down with all six band members, Kevin Brinkkoeter, 
Grant Chambers, Kyle Cox, Johnny Jeffers, Dave Dierksen and Ashton Acuna. While no strangers to the Austin music scene, the band explored the creative process behind their debut album, “Bright White Light,” recently featured on local Austin radio station KUTX.

Free form conversation, a few beers, a bottle of vino and lots of laughter allowed us to discuss some of Creative Moonlighting's favorite topics: connections, creative tension, the nuance of musical collaboration, and the balance between family and artistic endeavors. Join us as we sit down with longtime friends sharing "a common desire to create music, art and entertainment they love and a family keepsake worthy of legacy."

 

Check out more of Yes Sir, No Sir:

Official Yes Sir, No Sir Website

KUTX Song of the Day - Bright White Light

Bright White Light Music Video

 

Enjoy and as always, send questions and comments to Griffyn.co@gmail.com 

#ysnsband #atxmusic #atxmusician #austintexasmusic #atx #atxband #workhorsemarketing #kutx #atxartists #bandingtogether #indierock #indierockband #austintx #austinmusicscene #austinmusician #creativemoonlighting #griffynco #griffyncoproductions

Ep. 40 - Should Filmmaking Have a Formula? feat. Chris Thompson and Brian Cobos

Welcome back, Brian Cobos and Chris Thompson!  We cover a lot of ground today, so choosing a title was difficult.  However, don't be confused by the title we eventually landed on.  One of the most important questions every filmmaker must face surrounds the idea of taking a "paint by  numbers" approach to creativity:  Is there a formula for filmmaking?

Chris and Brian re-edited one of their old films and landed it in the Austin Revolution Film Fest.  Amidst discussions about that experience, we also delve into the ongoing screenplay and pre-production process of West of Leona, a feature project they are adapting from another short they created in recent years. 

There is no better way to discuss the ups, downs, and sideways alleys of making a movie than to talk with the folks who are in the thick of the process.  So, shout out to all filmmakers and creators out there:  This one is definitely for you!

Enjoy and as always, send questions and comments to Griffynco@gmail.com 

 

#buildingtheamericandream #atxfilm #lonestaremmywinner #texasemmys #austinfilmsociety #documentaryfilm #socialimpact #atxartist #impactplan #createart #griffyncoproductions #filmmaker

Ep. 39 - Creating Social Impact through Documentary Film feat. Chelsea Hernandez

Please welcome 8-time Lone Star Emmy award winning director, producer, editor, and our dear friend - Chelsea Hernandez.  Chelsea is a Texas native Latina filmmaker who was born in San Antonio and raised in Austin. She studied film at Adelphi University and Brooklyn College, and then returned to Texas to complete her RTF degree at UT Austin.  She began her career at PBS as an assistant editor and associate producer, a job that set her on a path to making a series of short films, and eventually, her first feature length documentary - Building the American Dream.  She joins us today to talk about the nuts and bolts of the journey she took in making this award winning film.  Building the American Dream world premiered at SXSW in 2019 and was most recently nominated for a Texas Lone Star Emmy. 

Enjoy and as always, send questions and comments to Griffyn.co@gmail.com 

#buildingtheamericandream #atxfilm #lonestaremmywinner #texasemmys #austinfilmsociety #documentaryfilm #socialimpact #atxartist #impactplan #createart #griffyncoproductions #filmmaker

Ep. 38 - What NOT Being a Parent Has Taught Us

Saying "YES" to one thing in life often indirectly means to saying "NO" to something else.  Denise and Matthew chat in Episode 39 about what they have learned through the experience of NOT being parents.  Having children was at one time a part of their grand plan, but plans don't always work out.  Today, they delve into the idea of what it means to fit in, to be "normal", and to live up to the images that are often carved out for us by society.   

 

As always, we hope you hear something that provokes thoughts of your own.  And please send questions and comments to Griffyn.Co@gmail.com . 

Ep. 37 - Managing Your Mental State

Today Denise and Matthew talk about the importance of managing your mental state.  Creative endeavors are difficult to pursue with the type of intensity that it takes to see the entire process through.  We all know the feeling that washes over us when our mental state seems to want to zap our energy and kill our drive.  Mental toughness is of key importance, but how do we maintain such a thing?  Among the many scenarios they discuss, Denise discusses her experience in having to become mentally tough and resilient as a child and as a student athlete up through college.  

 

As always, we hope you hear something that provokes thoughts of your own.  And please send questions and comments to Griffyn.Co@gmail.com . 

 

#managingstress #mentaltoughness #mentalstates #griffyncoproductions #creative moonlighting #alwaysbecreative #creativity

Ep. 36 - Value the Process

Today Denise and Matthew talk about the value of the creative process - the ups, the downs, and the feedback you seek along the way.  They discuss the trap of caring so much about the outcome of a project that the process of creating grows dull.  And they question the proper ways to seek feedback without wearing out your sources (who are likely family, friends, and other artists you respect). 

 

As always, we hope you hear something that provokes thoughts of your own.  And please send questions and comments to Griffyn.Co@gmail.com . 

 

#valuetheprocess #enjoytheprocess #trusttheprocess #feedback #griffyncoproductions #creative moonlighting #alwaysbecreative #creativity

Ep. 35 - Control Your Inner Control Freak

Today Denise and Matthew talk about controlling the urge to control things.  They discuss plans, broken, plans, and finding the will to be resilient.  Creative Moonlighters will no doubt be able to relate.  As always, we hope you hear something that provokes thoughts of your own.  And please send questions and comments to Griffyn.Co@gmail.com . 

 

#controlfreak #control #resilience #griffyncoproductions #creative moonlighting #alwaysbecreative #creativity

 

Ep. 34 - Cut the Bull$hit with Mike Greenlee

Please welcome, Mike Greenlee - husband, father, and Moonlight Creator.  Mike has a math brain trapped in an artist's mind. And it's a very very good thing. 

Matthew and Mike hash out the nuance of audience attention spans. Where are they today?  Where did they come from? And how are they changing?  Mike is the sole creator of Michael Greenlee Blackstone Cooking, a 1-minute a day episodic that can be found on just about any social media platform including his YouTube Channel:  Michael Greenlee Blackstone Cooking

Enjoy and as always, send questions and comments to Griffynco@gmail.com 

#audienceattentionspans #creativemoonlighting #blackstonecooking #cutthebullshit

Ep. 33 - Create Your Own Whirlwind feat. Lawrence Stallings

Please welcome, Lawrence Stallings - husband, father, coast-to-coast actor, and all around creative.  Lawrence has performed in numerous Broadway shows (The Book of Mormon, Hair, and Passing Strange) in NYC, as well as episodic television and films in Los Angeles.  He is currently set to play the famous blues guitarist, Robert Johnson, in RL at the Crossroads - a one-man show that is to be filmed in Philadelphia this summer.    

Matthew and Lawrence met on the set of a television show they did for TLC back in 2007 (Diagnosis X).  And today, they sit down (remotely) as old friends and discuss everything from creative ADHD, audience attention spans, and the future of film to writing, acting, envy, and creating your own whirlwind (as Lawrence puts it).

Enjoy and as always, send questions and comments to Griffynco@gmail.com 

#actors #creative #broadwayshows #bookofmormoncast #haircast #robertjohnson #diagnosisx #creativeadhd #audienceattentionspans #createyourownwhirlwind