In this episode, we’re exploring resilience in home with Tonya Gore, who’s found a thriving career, make that several careers revitalizing her hometown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She currently works as the Director of Enhancement and Design with the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance, Tonya has leaned on her creative thinking to develop our local community.
Location: PeeDee and Grand Strand
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Caleb Wygal
“It’s just, it’s so gratifying to me to be able to just have that privilege to be able to entertain people like that”
Mystery author Caleb Wygal turns personal tragedy into literary triumph through the Myrtle Beach Mysteries series.
Interview
Transcript
Caleb Wygal Interview Transcript
March 2025
Nora Smith 00:00
Okay, so to start, what do you do for work, and where are you currently working from?
Caleb Wygal 00:06
So, I’m an author. I write mystery novels, Myrtle Beach mysteries. And I work from my office, coffee shops, or breweries, but typically from my home office.
Nora Smith 00:16
And where is that in South Carolina? (Surfside Beach) Cool, cool, great area. How long have you been working there? And your official job title is…
Caleb Wygal 00:28
I have been an author for almost 20 years. Full-time for the past three years. And my official job title is just author.
Nora Smith 00:38
Super cool, awesome. What’s one thing you love about working as a creative in South Carolina compared to other locations?
Caleb Wygal 00:49
Compared to other locations I love… so when I started writing, I lived in the upstate of South Carolina, in Greenville. We moved to Concord, North Carolina for 15 years after that, and we’ve been in Surfside Beach – Myrtle Beach area for about five years now. What I love about being in this area compared to other areas, is that whenever I want to get out of my home office to write, I can go to the beach, pop down a chair, sit by and watch the ocean, and type and make up stuff. Yeah, that’s a big, big, big step up from where I was before, just being stuck inland.
Nora Smith 01:35
I can see that. And what does South Carolina bring to your work? Has it had any sort of influence on your writing at all?
Caleb Wygal 01:45
It’s had all the influence on my writing because I write Myrtle Beach mysteries. They wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for South Carolina. So, I mean, I’ve written before I started the Myrtle Beach mysteries. I’ve written mystery novels, a couple action-adventure novels, and basically, I just did that as a hobby. Well, once I started writing the Myrtle Beach mysteries, and I got to book three, that’s when I was selling enough copies that I was able to make a living off of it. So, if it weren’t for South Carolina and Myrtle Beach, I would probably just be doing social media marketing and website development for small businesses.
Nora Smith 02:27
How did you come up with an idea? What brought you to write about the Myrtle Beach mysteries?
Caleb Wygal 02:33
I’ve always been interested in mystery novels, and when we moved down here, my main job then was to take care of our son. I was a stay-at-home dad, and I would do social media marketing, website development, and whenever he was sleeping, I would write whenever I had a spare moment between all that.
We moved down here. He was three. He needed his afternoon naps, and I needed his afternoon naps to maintain my sanity. So, I put him in the back of the car every day we drive up and down Ocean Boulevard about every day. I could see the ocean and coast to classical music. He would sleep for an hour or so, and I just drove back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And it was during one of these trips, I had the idea for this mystery series, set there, set here in Myrtle Beach, and we went home. I did some research, came up with the character, pitched it to Paul Bucha, and they told me to stop working on what I was doing and do this instead.
Nora Smith 03:33
Wow, so cool. That’s super interesting. Wow. What a great start. So how would you describe your local professional community down in Surfside?
Caleb Wygal 03:48
Well, I mean, really, there’s authors. I’ve found authors; other authors are scattered all over the Grand Strand from Garden City to Murrells Inlet to Calabash and on into North Carolina. There’s a much stronger author network here than there was where we lived outside of Charlotte, and I’ve found that out. You know? I regularly have coffee, I had lunch with another author earlier today, because it’s a much more supportive community among each other, and we try to help each other out, and I help others where I can.
Nora Smith 04:28
It’s great. That’s a great community to work with. How would you define professional or personal success in your creative endeavors?
Caleb Wygal 04:41
Professional success – I define it, for me in my station in life is being able to pay the mortgage payment and the car payments. If I can sell enough books that I can do that, then that to me, that’s everything. Yeah, we’re not worried about that. But personally, I enjoy being able to just tell stories to give readers an escape from their lives. And I love hearing readers tell me how much they enjoy the characters and stories and how surprised they were when something crazy happens and just their reactions to.
I love hearing readers say that they have never read books before, but they wanted to start reading this series. So, they started reading the series. I’ve had people tell me they’ve used the books to learn English as a second language. I’ve had people tell me that they have been in the hospital for long stays, and they’ve read the book series as a way to make it through their long hospital stays and recovery periods. And it’s just so gratifying to me to be able to have had that privilege to be able to entertain people like that.
Nora Smith 06:04
Yeah, that sounds awesome. That’s so cool using your books to learn a second language. I would be so taken back if someone said that to me.
Caleb Wygal 06:14
I had a woman, I think last year, I think it was her. She reached out to me; said she was from Peru. And she married a guy who lives somewhere in the upstate of South Carolina, and when she moved here, she started trying to learn English. Her husband gave her one of my books, and she read them all, and she said, “Your books helped me learn English.” I’ve had a Russian friend who did some work around our house, and I know he takes English lessons, and he asked me one day, “Can I use your books to learn English? My English teacher told me to read American books.” So, I gave him some books.
Nora Smith 07:01
That’s so cool. What was your biggest fear when you decided to pursue a career in the arts?
Caleb Wygal 07:13
My biggest fear was that nobody would like it, nobody would buy it, and therefore I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. But that’s always the risk you take when you put yourself out there like that.
Nora Smith 07:30
Could you define a sort of defining moment in your creative journey, something that happened and you were like, wow, this is it? Like, “I really did this,” and kind of taken back about it, about what you could create?
Caleb Wygal 07:47
Oh wow. There’s several that pop into mind.
Nora Smith 07:52
Give them all. Give as many as you’d like.
Caleb Wygal 07:59
So, I’ve been on TV probably a couple dozen times by now. And do you know who Greg Rolls is? So, he headlined the Alabama theater for 20 years, and he has his own theater now in North Myrtle Beach. He’s in local commercials. He has a daytime talk show on the local Fox affiliate. And when I started writing the second book, I wanted the victim to be somebody who was well known in Myrtle Beach, was on billboards and TV, and because it was a main character at a large-scale dinner theater show, they were the victims. I based the victim on a younger version of Greg Rolls. I never met the man before, and so about three months after the book came out, I was invited back. I was invited to a media event at a local restaurant that was about to open. They wanted to have people come in, influences in the community, to maybe talk about the restaurant. I don’t know if you’re familiar with 1229 Shine in the Market Common.
Nora Smith 09:31
It sounds familiar to me. I feel like I’ve definitely seen or heard of it before, right?
Caleb Wygal 09:37
If you go, drive past Barnes and Noble down that street, behind it. Okay, yeah, there’s the building that has a big scuba diver mural on it. So, they invited my wife and I to go there for a media event, and there’s 10 people there total, and in the middle of the restaurant, there is this huge bar. My wife and I were on one side of the bar in the middle, and two women over in the far corner. And throughout our dinner, I kept seeing those women looking over at us. And whenever we left, my wife said, “I’m going to use the restroom.” So, my wife goes the restroom, the two women follows her into the restroom, and I’m waiting for like 10 minutes for her to come out. When she comes out, the two other women are behind her, and they’re dying laughing. And it turned out that the Fox TV station is right behind that restaurant, and the two women work for Greg Rolls, and told him the story about how I’d used him as a victim, as inspiration for a victim in one of the books.
So, they invited me to come on the show. And I said, “I will come on, provided you do not tell Greg anything about this story. You can tell him who I am, but don’t tell him the story.” And so, a couple weeks later, it’s a live show. They invited me there for such and such dates. I came into the studio, Greg came up, introduced himself to me, he said, “I just learned your name 10 minutes ago. I don’t know anything about you, but we’ll wing it. We’ll figure it out.” He said, “My producer gave me some notes, whatever.” And so, whenever it comes time for the interview, to interview me. He said we’re on live TV, and he looks down at his notes. He said, “My producer says there’s something about me, to do with one of your most recent books, and what was it?” And I said, “Well, I looked to my wife while I was figuring out who was going to be the victim in this novel. And we were watching television one day, and you came on the screen, I looked at my wife and I said, what if somebody like him?” And I pointed right at him; you wash up dead with a sword plunged through your chest one day.
People kind of came out of their offices to watch this, I guess they knew it was going to happen, and he looked at the camera, “Did you kill me,” like, no, I didn’t kill you. I killed somebody like you, but, but after that, it kind of went viral in the area, and that’s really when the book started to take off. It was after that interview, because you can find it on YouTube. That was a big moment. I’ve been on there probably six, seven or more times. They just liked the way that he and I went back and forth together.
Another one, and probably one of the most rewarding ones, was last year. My son was at elementary over next to Prestwick. I met one of the teachers at a book signing, and she invited me to come speak to her class, her fourth-grade class. Well, the fourth-grade class, there’s four different classes in fourth grade, and they said, once you come in, talk to the students. And so, I go in whenever they want me to come, and they lead me to their small gym. And there’s 150 kids in there just waiting to hear me speak. And it was just so many smiling little precious faces. They were so eager to hear me speak, and I gave my little speech, and we played a little game about using your senses to solve mysteries. They wanted me to sign little pieces of paper so I could give my autograph and that was just the best.
I’ve spoken in front of crowds of, you know, 60 to 100 people and it always just amazes me that people enjoy the series, they want to hear me talk about the books. And it’s just a rewarding thing that I never thought would happen in my life, because 25 years from this past Sunday, 25 years ago, I was in a car accident where I had a severe brain injury. I was just out of high school. I hadn’t started college or anything, and I had to relearn how to walk, how to talk, how to write my own name. Again, I never set foot in a college classroom until a couple years ago, whenever I taught a mystery writing class for Alli at Coastal.
Nora Smith 14:48
Wow, that is so inspirational.
Caleb Wygal 14:52
They told me I would never be able to work a full-time job or do any hard labor or anything like that. If you know me, where I’m coming from, where I’ve been to get to this point where I can go talk to groups of people and entertain people just by just making stuff up. I mean, I couldn’t have asked for more. If the car accident hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have asked for a better career.
Nora Smith 15:20
Wow. That’s a really cool story. Well going sort of off the last question, in a sense, what was the best and worst advice you’ve ever received in your career?
Caleb Wygal 15:40
Oh, that’s a good one. Instead of writing standalone books, write a series and have the books connect, like each book has its own self-contained story or mystery, but I have a storyline that connects them all together. And so, I went from writing individual books before I came up with this series idea where I had the main character trying to figure out, through the course of the series, what happened to his wife. Because his wife died two years before the series started, and he always thought it was of natural causes, but he learns through the course of the first book that it wasn’t natural causes. And so, he’s spent the next six, seven books trying to figure out what happened to his wife, and that was really what drew readers in, more than just individual mysteries. The best advice I’ve gotten is to write a series.
There’s a lot of bad advice out there. There’s a time where I spent a lot of money on something, I’m thinking about doing this again, because I’m just, I’m just a glutton for punishment. I spent $700 on a billboard advertisement that just got crickets and by that, I mean, that’s a lot of money for somebody like me, because I’m not John Grisham, I’m not some of these really big-name authors. I don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on advertisements like that, so I’ll put down $700 on a billboard ad for a month that did nothing, and then that came off to the advice of another author said, “Hey, I’ve done billboards where I live, and they work.” Well, good for you, probably because there’s so many billboards here in Myrtle Beach, nobody pays attention. They just end up being background noise. That was one of the worst pieces of advice, to get a billboard.
Nora Smith 18:05
Well, that’s unfortunate you spent that much money on that.
Caleb Wygal 18:09
Now you learn, and I am thinking about doing it again because I have another book coming out in May. It takes place at the Legends Theater where you have all these impersonators, celebrity impersonators like Elvis Presley, Dolly, Parton, Tina Turner, The Blues Brothers, and Michael Jackson. So, they go to the theater, and somebody collapses on stage and dies. And that’s what they’re trying to figure out.
Nora Smith 18:35
Exciting! I’m going to have to read these books. I’m from New Hampshire, so I’m not originally from here, so I’ve never heard of them, and I’m very intrigued.
Caleb Wygal 18:47
You can get them at every bookstore in Myrtle Beach.
Nora Smith 18:52
Lovely. I will definitely have to read them, especially the new ones coming out. That’s basically all I have. Are there any questions that you wish I had asked at all?
Caleb Wygal 19:03
No. So when I go and give an author talk, I already know a lot about what I’m going to talk about. I’ve done it so much, and a lot of what I just gave you ends up being in my author talks. It ends in some shape or form or order or whatever. I can’t think of much that you didn’t go over. Oh, maybe, like, how I really started writing books.
Okay, so basically, like I told you, with the car accident, I wasn’t able to work full time jobs, especially the first couple years after that. But my uncle owned a hearing aid office in Greenville, on the upside of South Carolina, and I worked for him for a while. Basically, I would sit in his office, behind a computer or behind a desk. This is 2003 or 2004. I would answer phone calls, schedule appointments for them, change hearing aid batteries and clean out the wax from hearing aids. But it was a really slow job. So, I read a lot of books. And I read so many books, I started to read in front of clients, and he told me one day that I couldn’t read books anymore because it didn’t look good for him or his business if I read books all the time.
So, there’s a computer on the desk, like I said 2003-2004, and it was not hooked up to the internet. There was no such thing as Facebook or social media or anything like that. There were no smartphones and so all he had on that computer was Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Word, and scaling software. So, I started writing short stories and here we are, 20 years later. That’s basically how it all started, out of boredom.
Nora Smith 20:58
Wow, that’s awesome. Well, I’m glad you had that question, because I did not have that written down, but yeah, that’s basically it. Do you have any professionals in the creative field that you’d like to nominate to be interviewed? And if nothing comes to mind right now, I’m going to send an interview press release form later, and there’ll be a little form you can write someone in. So, no worries.
Caleb Wygal 21:25
Somebody that might be interesting for you to talk to, her name is Kelly Burton. Kelly Capriotti Burton, another fellow author who originally moved to the area with her husband. It’s been like 10 to 15 years since they’ve moved here. But they came to start a theater where the Hollywood Wax Museum is, they were going to have a theater there. It was the Pat Boone theater. I don’t know some gospel musician or something like that, there was going to be a theater there. So, she and her husband, upped their family from Chicago, moved to Myrtle Beach, got in to start getting ready to start the theater, and before the theater opened, they shut it down. You must ask her.
She and her husband are both very, very in tune with the arts. He has a band. Her daughters are both in dance school. Performing arts, stuff like that. And she writes books as well. So, she’s somebody who’s multi-talented, and owns a business too. Have you ever heard of the Black Dog Running Company? They have one business in downtown Conway and another one on Farrows Parkway. But she owns that with another friend of hers, and she’d be a good person for you to talk to.
Nora Smith 23:03
Great! I wrote down her name.
Caleb Wygal 23:06
I can whenever we get off here, I’ll send you her email address.
Nora Smith 23:09
Okay, great. That’d be awesome.
Caleb Wygal 23:13
She’s somebody who’s super creative.
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Jenny Powers
“The money will come and go, but the impact you make on people’s lives that’s the real success.”
Jenny Powers is a Myrtle Beach-based music marketing strategist and founder of Blue Avenue Music Group, empowering independent musicians to thrive on their own terms.
Interview
Transcript
Emma Plutnicki
Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
Jenny Powers
So I live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My husband is the men’s tennis coach at Coastal and I am here in my office. And I own Blue Avenue Music Group, which is a music marketing and management company, and so I work a lot with artists and musicians from everyone from ground up to Grammy nominated artists
Emma Plutnicki
Cool, and how long have you been doing? That for?
Jenny Powers
I’ve had my company for seven years, and then I’ve been managing a tree house the local reggae rock band for about 15 years.
Emma Plutnicki
Amazing. So what does a typical day look like for you? What kind of responsibilities are expected of you, and what do you get into?
Jenny Powers
Oh, well, it varies from artist to artist. So right now, with Treehouse, we have a new song that will be coming out in a few weeks, and so we’ve been working on their content plans and their tour and making sure everything is uploaded and ready for those releases
Emma Plutnicki
cool and so how do you manage kind of like having a work life balance, because I’m sure, like creativity strikes at different times of day and things like that. So how are you able to kind of manage that?
Jenny Powers
Oh, that’s a good one. Definitely set boundaries. I mean, my clients are on tour, so they are up at all times of the day and night, and so for me, it was really about setting those boundaries that I am available between eight in the morning and five o’clock in the evening, unless there’s an absolute emergency that cannot be taken care of. So definitely setting those work boundaries, especially because I work from home, so making sure that I allocate the necessary time to spend with my family and do the things I love to do like I even like I don’t respond on weekends either. So those are, those are my times, and those are times that I think everyone should be be bound to, yeah, for sure, 40 hours, yeah, and working from home.
Emma Plutnicki
Is it sometimes hard to separate work life from personal life? Or have you been able to kind of overcome that?
Jenny Powers
Oh, I have, even in my family life, it’s, you know, eight o’clock until five o’clock here at home, and if my door is closed, I’m in meetings or I’m actively working on something, but if my door is open, then my kids are always welcome to just come on in and see, see what I’m doing and what’s what we’re what’s going on.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, for sure. And so living in Myrtle Beach, does South Carolina play any role in your work? Does it influence your work in any way? Or have you lived in other places where you notice that living in South Carolina kind of has a different influence on what you do?
Jenny Powers
So that’s that’s a really great question. I was born and raised here. I graduated from the academy of arts, science and technology in entertainment technology, my sister is one of the first graduating students from the Governor’s School in Greenville for music and arts, and she went on to found the longest running Girls Rock and Roll camp, and now we have our our nonprofit in Nashville. So South Carolina’s definitely given me and my family a lot of opportunities. My brother’s been a touring musician for 17 years. My sister was a touring musician for 10 years, and and I’ve been doing this for a long time too, and so we’ve always had that philosophy of bloom, where you’re planted. And we’ve, we’ve done so well.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, amazing. So coming from such a musical family, have you been given any advice along the way from family members or mentors that kind of helped you in this career path?
Jenny Powers
No, no, no, because think about think about it like the major hubs for music are New York, Nashville and. And LA with Austin having its own central like Texas is like its own music world. Honestly, there’s artists that only tour Texas and never leave it. So being in South Carolina that wasn’t a music hub. I had to learn those things. And I was very lucky to meet Ari Herston, who is, you know, the go to guy for independent music. And what I learned from there, I was able to bring and work with my artists and really elevate them from where they are and take them to where they want to go.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, for sure. Did you have any fears when you started in this career?
Jenny Powers
No, no. Like, I didn’t have a choice. Yeah, my brother called me up, and he was like, I need a manager. And I was like, I have no idea how to manage you in your music career. Yeah, we’ll find out. And once I found out, made a plan. We’ve been trucking along ever since.
Emma Plutnicki
So yeah, amazing. So throughout your entire career, have you had one specific project you worked on, or one specific person that you’ve worked with that has really kind of had a significant impact on you, and you kind of see as maybe, like the pinnacle of your career, just something that stands out in in your career so far.
Jenny Powers
I mean, every day is kind of magical, because I love that you never know what’s going to come your way. So I mean, I’ve had some really great people in this industry that I really do lean on. So Ari. Ari was one of them. And I have all kinds of great friends that I lean on, but I think I forgot your question.
Emma Plutnicki
No, it’s okay. How is, how is the local working community in South Carolina? Is there a network that you rely on in South Carolina specifically, or are you kind of just a lone wolf out here?
Jenny Powers
I am probably the lone wolf of South Carolina in the way that I work with artists, and the amount of artists I’ve worked with and the impact that I’ve actually made in the music industry. So one of my other positions is the VP of community of artist hub, which is a music marketing company. And we’ve, you know, we actually changed how you market music. So through those, those deep links, we’ve, you know, revolutionized how you market your music. And right now we’re working on building direct distribution through the blockchain. So that is going to be, you know, taking the way things are right now and looking into the future of how the whole industry is going to be moving forward.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, makes sense. And so to succeed in this career, you know, in creative fields, it can be kind of hard to figure out what success looks like, because it’s different. So how would you define success in your career? Is it financial? Is it projects you’ve worked on reaching success? Like, how do you kind of gage your success and your professional life?
Jenny Powers
Well, okay, that’s a that’s a good one. I mean, yeah, it’s hard. That is a hard one because I have been able to literally take everyone else’s platforms that they’re working on and help them succeed, and by helping them succeed, that is my success. So the money will come and go, but the help and the impact that you make on people’s lives is what really is my driving force?
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, I love that. And what kind of skills do you need to have in your career to find success? Like, what are, what are important qualities to have for someone in your position,
Jenny Powers
One, knowing the ins and outs of how the industry works. So one of the big things in our industry right now is the independent music voice was about 40% of streaming revenue, and they were doing it so well that the major labels but. Up all the independent distributions, and that was a big scary thing for me, because I’ve seen where the major labels would actually use independent artists and take them off of platforms to negotiate with like Tiktok and things like that, so the artist who thought they were independent really weren’t independent. And so now artists have almost no true autonomy over their careers without new independent sectors coming in and giving them that opportunity that they had before. So that’s really where I am, is making sure that, you know, all these artists that I love back here have the ability to have full control over their music business. You know who’s managing their catalogs and who is managing their publishing administration and where they’re just distributing their music on these platforms, because if they don’t know up the chain who owns those they could be giving their rights away without knowing it. That’s my, my biggest concern.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, and how were you able to learn those ins and out ins and outs? How were you able to kind of establish your knowledge within that?
Jenny Powers
Oh, definitely. I mean, I read, read a book, not much about the structure of your businesses, like the music business itself has changed, but being able to use the new ways that are implemented to your advantage is really, you know, staying ahead of the curve while everyone is talking about things I’ve been doing for the last year and a half, they’re just now like, this is what you should be doing. And I started doing those things because you can see those trends if you’re paying attention.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, makes sense. Amazing. So just as we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add, any advice you’d like to give, or anything else you’d like to add about your career?
Jenny Powers
Oh, wow, yeah, if you’re going into you know, if you’re going to be a musician that wants to tour and distribute your music and have, like, a real business and that be your livelihood, then make sure you know the ins and outs of what that means, the contracts, the the everything, because you have all of these rights. And with every step of the way, everyone wants a cut of it. And so by maintaining your rights, gives you the power to have that autonomy over your career. Amazing.
Emma Plutnicki
That’s great advice. Well, thank you so much. I’m going to stop the recording. Okay, bye.
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Luis Sanchez
“Be wise where you put your time, money, and effort.”
Luis Sanchez is a freelance web designer based in South Carolina.
Interview
Transcript
Emma Plutnicki 00:02
Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
Luis Sanchez 00:09
So, so I, I started a web design business last June. So most of my time is, you know, setting that up, working from home, but you know, my main job is- I work at a church as a Youth Director. So those are the two things I do.
Emma Plutnicki 00:29
All right, amazing. And what would you say your official job titles for each of those will be?
Luis Sanchez 00:36
So, that’s a good question for, you know, small businesses like, am I a CEO? But you know, the main passion is just web designer, brand design, web and brand design. And then for the church, is just the youth director.
Emma Plutnicki 00:52
Yeah, great. And how long have you been doing those four?
Luis Sanchez 00:55
Yeah, so I’ve been working here since at the church, since 2021. August 2021, and the design since June last year.
Emma Plutnicki 01:08
Okay, nice. And so what does a typical day to day look like for you nowadays? What’s expected of you on a daily basis? What do you get into? What are your responsibilities?
Luis Sanchez 01:17
Yeah so it actually works out pretty, pretty well for me, I- so we’re going to church. Most of my stuff is done on the weekends, so I have a chance of putting time on the web design part during the week, you know. So a week when I have, you know, when I’m working with a client, it’s just meeting with them and then spending, you know, you know, four to five hours a day working on, just design, research, designing, testing different things, and then just, depending on the website, it’ll just take a couple weeks or not. So it was either meeting, doing a lot of research and just designing. And then during the weekends, you know, I pivot back to the church. So I was just preparing for Sunday youth group. We have youth group on Sunday, so the main job just preparing, just everything for for that to happen on Sunday. But yeah, during the week is- I’m working from home, just on my computer and then meeting with clients when needed.
Emma Plutnicki 02:25
Yeah, nice. And so having some work on the weekends, I’m sure it could be hard at times to have a healthy work life balance. So how are you able to navigate that with two jobs and making sure you still have time for your own personal creativity?
Luis Sanchez 02:41
Yeah well, I have a six month old baby, so you should have a clock hits me and my wife are just just spending time together with family. But one thing about it is my wife is usually pretty- she wants to take some time off, and so we have dinner together, spend time together, but usually she goes to bed a little bit earlier. So I’ll hit a lot of different things, you know, from like nine to 11pm I like to read books. YouTube’s pretty cool just seeing what other people are looking at and, you know, and every now and then, I mean, I’ll pick a day in the week where I’m just not going to do anything, but just sit there and think about day and relax and do something aside from it. But yeah, I would just just have intentional time of consuming other- from other people who do design. It’s just helpful for me, but it’s always tempting when you hear something, it’s like, “oh, I want to try that”. You grab your computer. I just kind of have some liberty where it’s okay to do that sometimes, it’s okay to just read, It’s okay to just take some time off. But I think my job allows me to be creative too, with the church. You know doing things like running social media, creating graphics, videos, whatever it is. So I still get to do that. So it’s a good way for me to try out things that I maybe not try out with clients. So I don’t know, I just look at opportunities for- to do different things and try different things.
Emma Plutnicki 04:22
Yeah, no, makes sense. And so with both of your careers, sometimes within creative fields it can be hard to measure success, so how do you- is there a difference between what success looks like in both of your roles? And how do you personally define either professional success and then also just personal success?
Luis Sanchez 04:42
There’s definitely, very different, I think, you know, with a business there’s, there’s just numbers, whether you like it or not, whether it’s financial numbers or number of clients. But you know, in working out of church. Which, you know, we’re talking about real people. So you don’t want to treat it just as a number. So that’s not really what I’ve- I have had to learn not to focus on that, which I think helps me with my business, because I mostly care about just interactions, and how I’m interacting with the people around me, you know. So I want to, I want my clients with web design to love their website and love, you know, I want to help their businesses. Ultimately, that’s the goal for me. To make a website for them. Is to help their businesses, their brands and everything. So when I get to just interact with them or interact with their website, see that they’re growing, that people are, you know, visiting whatever, then that, for me, is fulfilling. And same thing in my church job is, you know, if I’m having good interactions with with the students, with the volunteers, then that’s just fulfilling. That’s always going to be, you know, how are people responding to the work that I’m doing? I think it’s just a healthier way to look at things, instead of just a number. And of course, I have goals, but, you know, I keep an eye on those, but those are not ultimately, they’re just determined if I’m going the right way or I need to change something, but not- defines failure or success for me. So.
Emma Plutnicki 06:19
Yeah, no, amazing, yeah. And did you have any fears when you were coming into either of these careers?
Luis Sanchez 06:26
Yeah, the biggest fear is for especially for the web design, is just investing. That imposter syndrome kicks in. Is this really something I can do, or does anyone even want to work with me? Can I- Can I even make a website like this? Weird how these thoughts take over. So it’s just investing. You know, putting that time aside every every day to work is a big deal financially. You know, you want to get the best tools, the best stuff, or whatever. You know, is it worth it if they’re gonna- so I think that’s the biggest fear. I mean, right now, just starting, you know, is finding confidence in what I can do and being wise about where to put my time and money and effort. Well, ideally, I just don’t want to look back, you know, and I messed it all up with making or whatever, so I think. But again, trying to act with the fears, it’s just hard to navigate. Yeah.
Emma Plutnicki 07:34
Yeah and has there been anybody that has helped you navigate those fears or struggles? Any advice that you’ve been given, whether good advice or bad advice?
Luis Sanchez 07:44
Yeah, I would say my professors, when I studied Digital Arts at Horry Tech and graduated last May from that- that’s so, you know, I always had. I always like creative and arts and all that but I needed some, I needed, you know, someone to teach me how to do it right. It’s all self taught and so I think just having people that you know, I graduated in May, but I still talk to them, I send every time I make a website, like, “Hey, can you give it a look? Let me know” and just, you know, just having people that I respect who would look at myself and tell me, you know, whether it’s good or bad, but just letting me have confidence that, hey, like I’m not an imposter, like I did the work, I studied, I graduated, the stuff, whatever looks good. And so I don’t know it’s like a specific advice, but just- having- being able to show stuff to other people, for critique, for ideas, for that’s probably the hardest part of me when I first started the design program, because I always kept my art to myself.
Emma Plutnicki 08:58
Yeah.
Luis Sanchez 08:58
And then once I through my professors, they pushed me to start showcasing that, you know, different ideas and different things, and I started to gain confidence in my creativity and my art. And so the- best, my best advice would be that just be willing to show, show it to other people, and you’ll get rid of the imposter syndrome for sure, because you’ll find out if you’re really a designer or not, you know.
Emma Plutnicki 09:26
Yeah. And throughout your career, you’ve mentioned, you know, struggling with imposter syndrome. Has there been one specific project that has had a significant impact on you, or has kind of been the pinnacle of your career that you can really draw on when you are feeling doubts? And you could say, Yes, I worked on this project and I can do it. Is there anything like that that stands out?
Luis Sanchez 09:49
Yeah, definitely. I think there’s a lot of them. Not that I like-
Emma Plutnicki 09:54
That’s a good problem!
Luis Sanchez 09:56
Every project that, especially in school, every project I did. I taught me something about myself. I think we have a senior showcase where you just have to show off everything you created in the past two years, which is just nerve wracking and very scary. But there’s something about looking back at those nights where you were there 2am freaking out because your design looked horrible, like it’s not going to work, and and then you see the finished product, and you know that you pushed through. It’s just really helpful, just to know that you can do it. But I mean, ultimately, for my business, my- the first website I designed, and the client likes it, and you get paid for it. It’s a little surreal, like I created something for someone. So I would say that would be probably the most meaningful, just the first website, just the full, first whole client process, website design, delivering, and it’s out on the web. So I would say that was just probably the most meaningful for me.
Emma Plutnicki 11:00
Yeah, for sure, that must be incredible to see things come to light and actually being used in a real setting.
Luis Sanchez 11:07
It’s worth it. It’s like, yes, what I want to do.
Emma Plutnicki 11:10
Amazing and how do you like working in South Carolina specifically? Have you lived in other places? Or what kind of, you know, contribution does South Carolina specifically have to your work? Is there any influence?
Luis Sanchez 11:21
Yeah. So I’ve actually, I was born in Honduras,
Emma Plutnicki 11:25
Okay.
Luis Sanchez 11:26
Yeah and then I originally went to school in Spain, so I lived there for five years, studied computer science, but then moving to South Carolina, it’s been a huge impact, because first of all, I went to Horry tech in 2022 and they had free tuition. So I did the whole program for free. So that’s just the best thing ever. Very grateful for Horry county or South Carolina, whoever made that happen, a huge opportunity, just for everyone that you know can take that. And so that was very, very big. And then I think the one thing that I love about working here in web design and church and everything just very relational. Every time- every client I work with that’s like, the goal is to be relational. I think we all have, I just feel the sense of our small businesses or it’s just a community. So, you know, I’m just, like I said, I’m not just making a website so you can pay me. I want to grow your business. I want to grow your brand, because we’re all a community, and so I think South Carolina is just, the southern charm is just very alive, and I want to be part of that. And so, you know, the heart behind what I’m doing is helping out people who want to showcase their business and their brand and grow and- but I want to do it in a relational way, not in a transactional way. And so I lived here for seven years, and everyone’s just been so, so welcoming, so helpful, so everything. So I just want to return that same to, you know, through people, through my art. So.
Emma Plutnicki 13:16
That’s great. I’m glad you found South Carolina.
Luis Sanchez 13:18
I know. Oh this is the best place, I lived a lot of places in the world, but-
Emma Plutnicki 13:22
Yeah.
Luis Sanchez 13:23
-home.
Emma Plutnicki 13:24
Good, amazing. So just as we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add about your career? Any advice or anything else?
Luis Sanchez 13:31
I would just add, I just, you know, looking back, you know, I’m 33 and I graduated last year, and I just know high school was a hard time because I just couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do, what I was good at, what I was not. And I studied computer science in school, but I realized that’s not what I- where my passion was. And then, you know, even though it took me a long time to go back to school, I spent that time just trying to find what is it that I was passionate about, and thankfully I had the opportunity to do digital arts. And now I know it’s very fulfilling. I’m just very I just know that was the right place where I needed to be, and this is probably where I need to be doing. So, you know, just just, just trust your passions, your- your skills, your, you know, I think everyone’s creative, and we just need to be able to have opportunities to showcase to the world how we are creative. So just, yeah, just looking back, I know that I feel like there’s a lot of people in that same boat of, like, trying to figure out what they’re called to do. And I just, you know, just go for it and ask people for help and show people what you can do and what you help you figure out and give you confidence. So you don’t feel like, you know. An impostor or anything like that.
Emma Plutnicki 15:02
No amazing. Thank you so much. That’s great advice. I should take that advice myself. So thank you so much.
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Brooks Leibee
“You can score a Hollywood movie out of a bedroom now.”
Brooks Leibee is a media composer for TV, film, and interactive media, currently working out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He describes his role as “virtually building assets that go into another digital process” and is excited by the growing creative community in the region. Originally a filmmaker, he discovered his love for composition during college and now collaborates with local musicians and studios. Leibee defines success as “being happy doing what you’re doing” and believes strongly in the value of creative work in the digital age.
Interview
Transcript
Emma Plutnicki 00:02
Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
Brooks Leibee 00:07
I’m a Media Composer for TV, film and interactive media, like games. This is my first year venturing into that. I’m currently working out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Emma Plutnicki 00:21
Amazing, so what is one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina, specifically?
Brooks Leibee 00:27
Just from the perspective of via composition, there’s not a lot of us here. It’s a very niche job in industry. It’s one of the- it’s like a big three sort of situation where you find them in, like LA, Nashville, New York, or even overseas. So it’s a rare occasion when I, you know, get to meet other people in my field. So it’s, it’s fun talking to, like, local filmmakers and things like that, because they’re like, “oh, wow, I’ve never met someone who does this sort of thing”. So it’s, it’s, it’s fun to be like, the hidden gem or whatever.
Emma Plutnicki 01:10
Yeah, amazing. So how does having kind of a smaller knit community in South Carolina influence your work as as compared to working in New York or LA if you were to work there?
Brooks Leibee 01:22
It’s far less competitive. Obviously, you make friends. Here it is a small knit community, so there’s that little bit of competition there, but I find it more community based. I mean, there’s only a few studios in the area that can fit ensembles or things like that- that you’d find in soundtracks for things like movies, shows and video games and not a lot of for example, like orchestras that are aware of like forming those relationships with media composers and building a work out of that, cities like Nashville, LA, they they have that just naturally because of the culture there. And also working with people like I said, it’s a lot of fun, because when you’re one of a handful of someone that does a certain thing, the excitement is a fun part of it. I mean, it always feels like, you know, working on something with your friends, because it’s, it’s an exciting thing to have original music for your project. It’s, it’s tailor made. It’s, it’s a bit more emotional, far more than what, like library music or something you pull off of YouTube, for example, can do.
Emma Plutnicki 02:47
Yeah, and how would you describe the local professional working community in Myrtle Beach and in South Carolina overall?
Brooks Leibee 02:58
In South Carolina, most of the people that I work with is it’s a lot more commercial in Myrtle Beach. A lot of people seem to, I know right now they’re working on getting more film projects and narrative projects here, but so far, it’s, it’s heavily commercial in the literal sense. It’s, it’s a lot of commercials, promo, that sort of thing. And the people that are making narrative things in Myrtle Beach, they’re super independent. A lot of the time they’re making everything on their own. So you find a lot of well rounded people in film. Before I started getting into music, when I was at Coastal I was making short films, and a lot of the time I was doing it on doing everything myself, filming, writing, and then getting into music. And that’s how I discovered, wow, this is my favorite part of the process. Let me focus on on this thing and run with it. But most of the people that I work with for narrative appear to be from Midlands, the upstate of South Carolina. A lot of narrative work out of the those cities, and same with like festivals and things like that. So I think, like the film culture more inland out of Myrtle Beach you get the more used to they seem to be and familiar with it, yeah, but I’m excited for the future of film in Myrtle Beach.
Emma Plutnicki 04:29
Yeah that’s exciting. And I mean, within a creative career, it can sometimes be hard to define success. So in your opinion, how do you define either professional success or personal success in your career?
Brooks Leibee 04:48
Yeah, I guess it’s like, professional success, it’s like, it’s a comfortability. And I guess that comes in fine with personal success. If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, people always say, if your- if your job- if you have fun with your job, it won’t feel like a job, and when there’s bills to pay and things like that can be tough. It’s not a rare thing for someone to have a day job, and that’s fine. You just you have to live. So if you’re struggling with your creative you know, job, your career in that field, work for it. Never, don’t give up on it. But if you have to get a part time, or even full time job, I know plenty of people that have full time jobs on top of their full time jobs. So it’s, it’s, it’s- it’s overall, it’s okay. And it’s not a failure. It’s not a failure. It’s not a you know, time waster. You have to live. And whenever you have that creative job, it that’s like, what keeps you going. So I think, yes, the personal success is just being happy doing what you’re doing, and professional success, you know, you’re living comfortably if you’re if you’re struggling, that tends to make the creative job harder, because sometimes the creative jobs are more expensive than living so.
Emma Plutnicki 06:11
Yeah, and so when you decided to go into this career, did you have any fears, or did you have, like- What was your biggest fear going into this career?
Brooks Leibee 06:25
Starting out, yeah, the fear of just industry, like in Myrtle Beach, it’s it’s growing, for sure, the last few years, especially, it’s just been rapid shifting, especially in community, with just meeting people, but starting out, yeah, there, you know, just no one here in this industry, even in just like the more, even more niche parts of it, like recording engineers, orchestrators, things, you know, things that go into it, that more behind the scenes, that a lot of people don’t get to see or or know about but we’re thinking about it all the time, and be the prospect of moving to another city. So LA was always on the mind, uh, Nashville, New York, things where, or even overseas, where these industries are flourishing, and that’s where the people are, and there’s an abundance of of culture and facility resources, especially so I’m sure in the future it’ll be it’ll become more localized, and there are more resources than there were just a few years ago. So yeah, starting out, it was just the fear of location, industry, resources, things like that. But career wise, those go hand in hand. But yeah, there weren’t, there aren’t many fears in terms of like choice or like repercussions of career choice, if that makes sense.
Emma Plutnicki 08:03
Yeah and so when you have those fears, were there any people around you giving you advice? What was the best and worst advice that you have received throughout your career?
Brooks Leibee 08:18
Worst advice is going to be is going to take a minute.
Emma Plutnicki 08:20
Yeah?
Brooks Leibee 08:20
Best advice that I hear all the time, and it’s true. I mean, it’s it’s proven true, just in my experience. But with some jobs, you can do it wherever. With this job, especially like in the digital age and post COVID, we’re like working from home became part of our daily lives with this, I’m, you know, I’m virtually building assets that go into another digital process. You know, in editing, people just drop the music in, it lines up, and that’s it. You know, there’s some mixing that other people have to do, but my job can literally be done anywhere, and especially now post COVID, a lot of the things, like the things I was talking about with recording engineers and recording spaces that can fit large ensembles, there are brand new services overseas or even in the states that can record large Hollywood scale orchestras that are used in Hollywood films and TV shows and video games remotely, and these are in major European countries and cities with AAA musicians, some of the best in the world. And that’s a post COVID thing that wasn’t possible pre-2020, so that just yeah, that adds to it. So you can, really, you can write. Like, I’m working out of my bedroom right now. Yeah, you can write anywhere, prepare, do all of your mechanical technical work. And then, I mean, yeah, you can, you can, you can score a Hollywood movie out of out of a bedroom now. And I think that’s crazy. That’s probably the best advice that I’ve heard everywhere. And it’s proven true that you can work from anywhere in this field. And, yeah, worst advice is hard.
Emma Plutnicki 10:29
That’s good, good that you haven’t had anybody tell you-
Brooks Leibee 10:34
I- if I hear or see things, something where, that’s where something you know, rubs me the wrong way. I tend to deflect it, because there’s just no point, you know, in focusing on- on- on our you know, of course, there’s the doubters and people that that are always going to say creative fields aren’t successful. You know, it’s a rare thing. It’s one, one in a million, which I’m sure, I’m sure there’s some statistic truth to that. But if you know, if you work hard, work hard, and you love what you’re doing, and you’re good at what you what you’re doing, that comes with working hard, and over time, yeah, you fly. So it’s, yeah.
Emma Plutnicki 11:17
Yeah, no, I love that. And so throughout your career, have you had any specific project that has made a big impact on on you, or something that you’ve produced that has really showcased your creativity?
Brooks Leibee 11:35
Last year yeah, I worked- I got to work with another Coastal alum on a short film. Name is Jay Bennett, and they made this Gothic Horror short that, yeah, she produced a short film while she was at Howard, and it was the most creative and I think culturally and emotionally rich project that I’ve gotten to write music for, and when things like that have that amount of support creatively, that makes music writing so much easier. So I really enjoyed scoring that one, and also that was a very fun project to produce because worked with a studio in Calabash, North Carolina called Sunset Beach recording. Ironically, it’s not in Sunset Beach, but yeah, and local musicians, five cellists and the bass player. So there’s this cello choir that we called it, but like a low string ensemble, and recorded there for for a few hours, and just got to jam with some cellists and that was a lot of fun. Some were from Wilmington, some were from Myrtle Beach. And, yeah, just the, like, just the Carolina musicianship showed itself there, and that was a lot of fun. So I definitely think that’s where, like, oh, local resources are here. And it was a lot of fun, especially, and I feel more prepared for future projects when that sort of opportunity comes again. That was the second time I got to record with musicians. So you know, if you learn as you go, and that was definitely the more successful session.
Emma Plutnicki 13:36
Yeah amazing. It must be so cool to see the music come to life like that. Very cool-
Brooks Leibee 13:43
Yeah, it’s unreal every time.
Emma Plutnicki 13:44
Yeah, so nowadays, what- What does a typical work day look like? What’s expected of you on a daily basis? What does your work process look like?
Brooks Leibee 13:54
It’s very different. Every day. I don’t have, like, a set process, but I like to set deadlines, so usually days like today is when I’m having calls, having meetings and setting my calendar for deadlines through the week or in the following weekend. So and I live in my calendar and my it’s just the Apple calendar. I live out of that thing. So a lot of the scheduling happen happens through there. So from say, I have a call today for a project coming up in the next couple of weeks, if it’s a film, generally, after the first call, I like to set up what’s called a spotting session, where either the filmmaker or I can screen share. We watch the project. Usually it’s edited. It’s mostly done by the time I’m but I’m brought on board and we set ins and outs for things called cues, where music starts in. Ends, and that’s for every scene. So we just watch the movie and talk about what music could go there, what it’s supposed to do, what it could sound like. And from there, I start sketching, and that’s usually like a week to two weeks most time I’m working on short films. So there they come together pretty quickly, and from then, it’s just a an approval process. So I’m sending drafts, either they- they have notes, or they sign off. And if I’m given the opportunity to record musicians, that’s probably another two weeks of taking the virtual music from my software and transferring it onto paper as legible music for musicians, and then contracting a space the musicians, setting a date, making sure everyone is ready to go on that- sending the musicians the music, and then recording, and after that’s just mixing, mastering the music and then sending it off to the editor. And it’s very similar for for interactive music, a lot more music than your than a short film whenever it’s a game, but that’s generally it’s generally a similar process, only when you’re writing, you’re focusing on interactivity, loops, stingers and the different possible endings for where a player chooses to go in a game. That’s, that’s a whole other, whole other thing. But yeah, generally that’s, that’s the process, and it’s different with each project. But usually it’s a about a month, month and a half for a project.
Emma Plutnicki 16:57
Okay, yeah, so it sounds like pretty busy schedule. So how were you able to kind of manage the work life balance with keeping personal creativity, but then also getting your professional work done?
Brooks Leibee 17:09
Yeah, also days like today, I feel like Sundays generally are like the “life day”. I hang out with my roommates a lot more because most of the scheduling and calls happen in the morning to afternoon. So after that, yeah, anything’s possible. So but, and then also just throughout, throughout weeks. Some, you know, some days are off, or even in off seasons, sometimes there isn’t a project. So it’s a lot of, excuse me, so it’s a lot of like, housekeeping or, yeah, it’s sparse, but like, Yeah, but it’s there. The work, the work life balance is there. And actually had a kind of conversation with a friend online not long ago about the work life balance and how it’s just life. You know, it’s all it’s all life. So if because I can get caught up in the whole work life balance thing like, Oh, am I spending my putting enough time into A or B? But if you, if you are mindful about it, and you don’t spiral over one thing or another, and just making sure that you’re spending time taking care of yourself, touching grass, you know, getting out of getting out of your space, and I’m working out of my bedroom. So, you know, it’s always a work life, a mix. You know, my beds are behind me. My there’s a closet of clothes right there. You know, it’s, but on the opposite side, I have all, all of my instruments and tools and my desk right here. So it and living with a house of roommates, you know, we’re young, we’re saving money. It’s, it’s the intersection of work, like work life balance and Brooks’s life right there. That makes it really interesting, but it but it’s working, and as long as it works for you, won’t work for everyone, but as long as it works for you, and you’ll find that then.
Emma Plutnicki 19:34
Yeah, that’s a great way of looking at it. And just as we wrap up our Is there anything else that you would like to add, or any questions you wish that I might have asked that I didn’t?
Brooks Leibee 19:49
No, I think you asked really good questions. Anything else to add? I- Yeah, the- this, it’s funny with things like social media and like online presence. Since, since you are where, at least from my perspective, I am working out of my bedroom. I amsometimes going overseas for programs or, you know, traveling the country to meet to meet friends. It’s it, but all of these are connected online. So I think having a strong, a strong social media presence is important, but especially today, where social media is in a very strange spot. Yeah, you have to be careful, I suppose, maintain your professionalism. I think more so because in these creative fields where, and especially living in somewhere like Myrtle Beach, where there isn’t an industry for this specific job. It’s all online. You’re going to be talking to people from around the world, around the country, and you never know who’s going to come across you. I was went to a concert in New York last year, very end of last year, and the composer, I’m a huge fan of or, his music, excuse me, and we had a moment to chat after his concert, and he recognized me just from online. He’s like, “Oh yeah, I see you everywhere”. I was like, “Oh, is that a good thing? “Didn’t clarify, so I don’t know, but, but yet, but we had a great talk, and talked about music and things like that. But that made it very clear that you know your presence online is very important now, and if you’re in a creative field, it’s, it’s a weird moment in time where you kind of have to be very active and putting things out there, which is something that I’m personally struggling with, is just writing music that I can just, you know, throw online. Because sometimes with projects, you have this like respectability thing, where you don’t want to throw all your music out there, because the filmmaker is, you know, still processing, and it’s a creative process, and you don’t want to show all of it. It’s a thing also NDAs with larger projects, but, yeah, social media presence is big, and the work life balance thing is also there with- with, like your personal accounts and professional accounts. That’s the one that comes to mind right now. Yeah, not sure of anything else.
Emma Plutnicki 23:06
No, that’s great. Thanks for sharing all that. And so last thing, if there is any other creative that you think we could benefit from talking to, would love to hear of anybody. I could send you a link to that to nominate people. So I’ll give you time to think on it, if you can think of anybody. But other than that, thanks for talking with me today.
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Kelley McDonnell
“You should love what you do, because even if you love it, there are still days that feel a little mundane.”
Kelley McDonnell is a content manager at Visit Myrtle Beach. She channels her passion for storytelling into promoting her hometown’s creative spirit.
Interviews
Transcript
Emma Plutnicki 00:02
Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
Kelley McDonnell 00:08
Okay, I am the content manager for Visit Myrtle Beach. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Emma Plutnicki 00:13
Amazing. How long have you been doing that?
Kelley McDonnell 00:16
For just about a year.
Emma Plutnicki 00:19
Okay, amazing. And so, what’s one thing that you love about working in Myrtle Beach specifically?
Kelley McDonnell 00:25
In Myrtle Beach specifically? Well, I am from here originally, so when I majored in Film and Media at South Carolina, and then when I graduated, I went to LA and did film production over there, and then I went to Nashville, and then Savannah, Georgia, and then I had kind of gathered all of this information and new skills and decided that it was time to move back home and apply those skills. So, I think my favorite part about working in Myrtle Beach is that I am from here originally, and I feel like all of the growth that I’ve seen since I was last here, when I was in high school or early college, has been insane. So now I feel grateful to have a job where I can kind of show that to the rest of the world, how much Myrtle Beach has grown, but in a creative way.
Emma Plutnicki 01:16
Yeah, amazing. And so, you’ve been all over the country, it sounds. So, what is special about South Carolina, and does it have any unique influence on your work as compared to other places that you’ve worked in?
Kelley McDonnell 01:32
Yeah well, I think again, it’s more because I’m from here originally, that makes it feel extra special. But I think that there’s a lot of interest in South Carolina. I know that there are some other destinations within the state that are looking into having a local film commission. I know there’s a lot of film production and sorry, that’s my level of expertise. So that’s what I always talk about. I know there’s film production a little bit in Charleston. I know we here at Visit Myrtle Beach are very passionate about starting up a local film commission here as well. So I just think there’s a ton of interest, and I think that eventually it’s going to start to catch on, and people such as yourself and the people that are studying these types of careers are going to find a way to make it happen, because I feel like that’s kind of what I did, is I didn’t feel like there was a lot of opportunity for me at the time when I had graduated high school and even a little bit of college, and then I kind of went out and learned and came back, and then I realized I could do anything. I can do it here, for sure. So I think it just takes some education and some other people that work within South Carolina who can kind of share what they’ve learned and what they’ve gathered over the years and hopefully inspire people to stay and not feel like they have to go out of state to work in the arts.
Emma Plutnicki 02:57
Yeah, amazing. And so, how would you describe the local professional community here? Is there a lot of support that you lean on?
Kelley McDonnell 03:04
Yeah, definitely. When I first moved back here from Savannah, there were a lot of local people that worked in film production that were freelance, so this was all they did. And so, I was able to find some work through them, and because of that, that was kind of how I got introduced to the folks at Visit Myrtle Beach and how I have the job that I have now. But I think, my superiors here at my company, are all very passionate about moving it forward, especially professors at CCU like Michael, you know, who have expressed interest and in growing the education of film production and just art in general, in the area. So, I feel, like I said, there’s a lot of interest. It’s just a matter of taking the actual steps.
Emma Plutnicki 03:56
Yeah, definitely. And within a creative career, it can be hard sometimes to know what success is. So how do you define success, both personally and professionally?
Kelley McDonnell 04:08
That’s a great question. I feel very passionately that success, to me, is defined as feeling excited about getting up and going to work every day. And, you know, obviously there are those days where it’s, you know, but generally speaking, I feel very grateful to do what I love. I know that there are a lot of people out there who don’t and who dread going to work and who just do it for the paycheck, and I feel grateful that I love what I do. I love the people I get to interact with. I love creating and putting content out there for everybody to see. I love interacting with people. I love knowing what they think, and how can we be better, and everything’s always moving and changing and evolving. And I love that kind of fast paced speed of it. But I think that success is just looking forward to going to work and not feeling like you’re just collecting a paycheck. That’s how I feel, at least.
Emma Plutnicki 05:02
Yeah, that’s definitely refreshing to hear. But did you have any fears going into this career?
Kelley McDonnell 05:07
Yeah, definitely when I first started. Actually, the majority of my career up until this point has been freelance, and that is definitely scary because you don’t have any job security, and kind of have to fend for yourself to get work, there’s a lot of hustle involved. And that’s really why I wanted to sit down and talk with you about this. Because when I was in college, somebody came and spoke to our class about, you know, the first couple of years getting into the industry are really hard, but you just have to keep pushing through. You kind of feel like you’re not sure which way is up and what’s happening, but, if you just keep your head down and keep putting the work in and remind yourself how much you love it and how great it’s going to be when it does work out, that’s kind of what got me through. But the biggest challenge was definitely not knowing when my next job was. Am I ever going to get a check from those people that were kind of sketchy, that kind of thing? So, it was definitely a little nerve wracking, but it got me to the point where I am today. So just, you know, keeping your head down, keep on trucking. Do follow your instincts kind of thing.
Emma Plutnicki 06:16
Yeah, I love that. And throughout your career, has there been a specific moment or project that you’ve worked on that really stands out in terms of, you know, having a significant impact on you or your creative journey?
Kelley McDonnell 06:30
Yeah, that’s a very interesting question. A handful of years ago, I had the opportunity to direct a promo for an FX show called The Patient, and the lead in that show was Steve Carrell, so I got to interview him and direct him in some promo work for that show, for FX, and that, to me, really felt like an “I made it” moment for me and I think it was just because I had worked with a ton of celebrities previously, but never in the director’s chair. And so that was my first time as like, I’m the person that people are asking the questions to. I’m the one making the decisions. And it felt very natural, and I felt like I was in the right place, doing the right thing. And it felt very good. And then kind of after that, it was like, Okay, now what am I going to do next? So it’s kind of a, it was a pivotal point in my career, because I felt like I had hit this ceiling, almost in a way, and then it was like, Okay, what am I going to do next? And it just kind of fueled me into the next phase of my career, which is how I ended up here.
Emma Plutnicki 07:41
Yeah, that’s amazing. That must have been incredible to work on that project.
Kelley McDonnell 07:46
Yeah, it was really fun.
Emma Plutnicki 07:51
Yeah, oh my gosh. And so along the way, I’m sure there’s been roadblocks and struggles, but has there been anybody that’s offered you advice, either good advice or bad advice? What kind?
Kelley McDonnell 07:59
So many people, I can’t even tell you. I mean, there have been people that I met on set that day that were complete strangers, that are just kind of like, Hey, I know what it’s, what it’s like to have just moved to LA or to have just graduated college, keep doing what you’re doing, you know, whatever, whatever. And I’ve had the opposite, where people are like, Get out now you’re still young. Like, get a get a real job, while you still can, you know, go learn how to be an accountant. I wish I did, or whatever. And you just kind of have to take each of those things with the grain of salt, the good and the bad, because it’s not always as glamorous as people think, and it’s also not always as bad as people may think. So, at the end of the day, I think you just have to trust yourself and remember that it’s just opinions. No matter who it’s coming from, it’s just opinions. At the end of the day, all that matters is what you think and how you be yourself. So yes, I’ve gotten a ton of advice, good and bad over the years from so many different types of people. But you know, you just kind of have to internalize it and decide how you want to use it from there.
Emma Plutnicki 09:09
Yeah, for sure. And so nowadays, what does your typical work day look like? What do you usually like? What is expected of you? What do you get into?
Kelley McDonnell 09:19
So, it’s really fun. It’s different all the time, which is what I like. I think a lot of people who work in the arts and creative people like for it to be different. But since I am the content manager for Visit Myrtle Beach, I kind of manage all of, any kind of content that we put out, from social media to blog articles on our website, any kind of advertisements that we put in any publications or on any websites or anything. I’ll write all the copy for it and determine which images to use. We also do commercial shoots here for the destination, which, again, is why I love my job, because I’m passionate about the city, because it’s my hometown. So yeah, we do commercials, photo shoots, things like that. So, day to day, it’s more, it’s a lot of scheduling, which I learned how to do in LA on set, which is great. So, it’s definitely a lot of scheduling, a lot of coordination with a lot of people that are local. But I meet so many different people and interact with so many different people every week that I feel like this world just keeps getting smaller and smaller, in a good way. Yeah, so sometimes we will step out and go shoot something at the boardwalk. Sometimes, you know, we do have the Myrtle Beach classic. So sometimes I’m out on the golf courses doing some content for that. So it’s definitely always exciting, it’s different every day, which is great.
Emma Plutnicki 10:42
Yeah, that must be a lot of fun. And so, I’m sure there’s certain events that go late into the night or on weekends. So how are you able to manage a better like work life balance?
Kelley McDonnell 10:53
Yeah, that’s a great question. That’s a great question. That was something that I had really struggled with when I was freelancing, because, like I said, I didn’t know when my next job was coming, so any job that was offered to me, I took it because I didn’t want to be ungrateful. I wanted to always take advantage of any work that was coming my way. So, I did not have a good work life balance. But I feel like that’s what your 20s are for, is figuring that out. So yeah, I have definitely gotten a lot better at it. There are, thankfully for me in this job, the events and the things that require me to stay late or work on the weekend are fun. So, it doesn’t feel like work, like going to work the Myrtle Beach classic on a Saturday and Sunday. It doesn’t feel like, Oh, I’m losing my Saturday and Sunday. It’s like, I get to go to the Myrtle Beach classic for free, and I get to just walk around there, enjoy the weather, interact with the people who are having a good time. So it just depends there. And that’s not to say that there are some times where things run a little late, and it’s a little bit of a bummer, but I always just practice gratitude, and I think that’s the best way of looking at it, is that, you know, if I, if I didn’t go to these events, that means that I don’t have this job, and who knows what I would be doing if I didn’t. So, I think just always kind of looking for the positives, when things like that are always going to come up. I think in any job, any career, where you have to do something that’s on your own time, or you might have to miss something so you can go to a work thing. But I think just reminding yourself the good parts of it and keep you in check.
Emma Plutnicki 12:30
Yeah no, that’s a great way to reframe that. I love that, so amazing. So just as we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add about your path, your career, or any advice along the way?
Kelley McDonnell 12:44
Yeah I mean, I would just say advice that really worked for me, like I was saying kind of towards the beginning of this is just trust yourself if you life is too short to do something that you don’t want to do, especially when it’s, you know, we’re expected to work 40 hours a week for however many years of our life, you should love it, you should love what you do, because even if you love it, there are still days that feel a little mundane. So may as well love it the majority of the time. But yeah, and just think, you know, when I was growing up, it was definitely like, go to college, get the job that’s gonna make money. You know, Do this, do this, do this, do this. And I’m so glad I didn’t do that. I’m so so glad that I stuck with art and figured out a way to make it work for me. And I just would say that anybody who is passionate about it, you should try to do your passion for work.
Emma Plutnicki 13:37
Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you so much.
Kelley McDonnell 13:42
Yeah, of course.
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Eugene Rocco Utley
“I would rather fail at pursuing a passion that I love rather than playing it safe, and never truly pursuing it.”
Eugene Rocco Utley is a freelance creative professional based in Myrtle Beach. By day, he manages marketing and advertising for Coastal Carolina National Bank (CCNB), blending strategic communication with local insight. Outside his 9-to-5, Utley pursues freelance work in film production, with experience in both commercial and narrative projects.
Interview
Transcript
Lexi Raines 00:00
First, just give a little introduction of yourself. What do you do and where are you currently working from?
Eugene Rocco Utley 00:06
Yeah, so my name is Eugene Rocco. I was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I went to Clemson University for undergrad, but I also did a couple years at Coastal Carolina University. Right now, I’m still stationed in Myrtle Beach, working locally, as I currently work for CCNB, Coastal Carolina National Bank for my nine to five job. So, I do all their marketing and advertising there and then on the side, in freelance, I work with film production and commercial work and narrative work.
Lexi Raines 00:39
Okay, that’s awesome. So how long have you been doing freelance videography and filmmaking?
Eugene Rocco Utley 00:50
So, I’ve worked with freelance videography and filmmaking ever since just getting right out of college. I was just doing, I did my first couple of film projects while at college, and then was able to, just as soon as I graduate, was just doing as many jobs as I can while working a serving job. Then, I started just doing my own little producing, seeing just whatever projects I could create for little to no budget, and just kind of growing my network from there as much as I could, while also working with jobs more nine to five pertaining to the film world.
Lexi Raines 01:22
Yeah, that’s awesome. So, you said that you have lived in South Carolina your entire life. What’s one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina?
Eugene Rocco Utley 01:36
One thing that I really love about the South Carolina creative community is the fact that we have such, I think, a very versatile market around here for any kind of creatives. You’re able to find a lot of very passionate people who are really able to have a range of talents or credits to their name. It’s something where it’s still a very growing area, especially relative to any other gigantic states like New York or California, but here, it’s something where everyone kind of is still having a voice to prove and there’s still so much that whenever you get to create your network with people, they’re willing to really go the extra mile and work with you. And you just can find so many different kinds of communities just through that kind of shared passion?
Lexi Raines 02:22
Yeah, I’ve actually interviewed a few other filmmakers, and they said the around the same thing, they just said that the community is just so willing to collaborate, and y’all are all just excited, excited to be here. Yeah? So what does South Carolina bring to your work? Does it have like, any unique influences on you compared to being anywhere else.
Eugene Rocco Utley 02:52
Yeah, well, I think that there’s a lot of diversity of work here that you are able to find. So like, you’re able to find like different markets that offer different ranges of work. I’m not sure if that answers your question, but like, for example, I’ve worked in Greenville areas while I was close to Clemson. I still travel up that way, and there’s a very potent market for creatives there, especially with filmmaking and a very growing area, especially since it’s so close to areas like Atlanta, Asheville, Charlotte etc, you’re able to find a lot of business work there as well. Around the coastal regions, you’re able to find a lot more local work and very strong, tightly knit communities of work. Here in Columbia, you’re able to be very commercial business focused. Well, if you even go to like the low country or like Aiken area closer towards, like the Georgia borderline, you’re able to find a lot of really small, like, I said, kind of like around here, like very tightly knit groups, but it’s very home oriented. So there’s just a lot of different ways that you’re able to find different markets that you can thrive in as a creative that are just completely just pertain to different parts of the region of the state. So you do definitely have a lot of versatility of options and just which directions you want to go within the state itself, which is very nice.
Lexi Raines 04:08
Yeah, that’s awesome. I didn’t know that there are so many different types of filmmaking that relies so much like on your area. So, you said you’re located in Myrtle Beach now, yes, correct. So how would you describe the local creative community here?
Eugene Rocco Utley 04:29
Yeah, in particular to here, I would say there’s, there’s a lot of people. It’s very closely knit, I think, where there was someone that I just happened to work with on a film project where I was paying and doing grip work for them, just like on the side, and then less than a year later, I reached out to them, and they’re working on a DP for a project that I was creating, and I still work with that person pretty regularly. So, it’s something where it’s not a gigantic area for filmmaking, for particular but once you find people, it helps, because you’re kept in mind, whenever they do have a project turn up, and we’ve worked with multiple projects together, and there are plenty of other people I could say the same for of just how many times you’ll find yourself kind of crossing paths with them again around here.
Lexi Raines 05:17
Yeah, that’s awesome that y’all can all stay in contact like that. So how would you define professional or personal successes in, like, your creative endeavors?
Eugene Rocco Utley 05:31
So,I think when you’re saying creative successes, are you referring mainly to, like, just in personal work, or how it relates to personal successes if that makes sense?
Lexi Raines 05:45
Yeah, like just in your life, in films, you’ve worked on stuff like that.
Eugene Rocco Utley 05:53
Okay, yeah, so, yeah, I can give two answers to that, where there’s, there’s a lot of in my work professionally in terms of defining just the work I do as a business. I think any kind of successes I find is whenever someone wants to just work together twice, whether it’s a client that I’ve served and they’ve just been happy with what I’ve been able to deliver, if it’s been a creative that I’ve been able to work with, just any time where you know you, you go out above and beyond the first time, so much that it creates it where they want to work with you again, and there’s someone that you’re happy to be in collaboration with, whether client to professional or professional to professional. It’s always just really great to have that kind of goal of just having made a good enough impression the first time that you’re, you’re kept top of mind, and you’re worth something to them.
Lexi Raines 06:44
Yeah, I feel like so much as, like, working as a creative has, it has so much to do with networking and what you’re able to do with that.
Eugene Rocco Utley 06:53
Yeah, absolutely, there’s so much that I think is important to the just any sort of creative process where you have to be worried about, not worry, but like you have to be constantly in mind of the network around you and just the people that you’re working with, and always making sure that you’re keeping them in mind with the field and then artistically. I think one thing I would also say is, even though you have to keep other people in mind, whatever you’re doing through your artistry and your passion, and it has to be something that you have to be gratified with at the end of the day. And I think that’s an important part where there’s a constant balance between making sure you’re having a strong network of people, but also still making sure that it’s all for you at the end of the day, especially just because, you know, creative work is very hard. It’s hard to find a lot of external validation through it a lot of times. So there’s a lot that you have to find internally of the pride of your works, I think.
Lexi Raines 07:47
Yeah. So, you said that you have been doing this kind of stuff since college. What was your biggest fear when you first decided to pursue filmmaking?
Eugene Rocco Utley 08:02
Yeah, I think just there’s a taken risk of instability whenever you, whenever you take it on, because whenever you do any kind of freelance work, there’s a liberty and a curse to it, of you’re always going to be reaping what you sell, how much you’re taking in is all accounting of how much you’re able to find work, how much you’re able to get that work in. And it’s something where it’s like you can always find the work no matter how much you put into it. But there’s a lot that you’re not going to be finding people just immediately coming to you out of college, or seeing that you have, oh, you have a website set up, or you have this set up. There’s a lot of grass rooting your business or your freelance work or anything like that. And I’ve been fortunate enough to where I’ve been working with a nine to five for about two years now I’ve been able to work with a creative adjacent field of working in marketing that’s given me the ability to work with passion projects or external freelance work on edge, so that fear of instability is definitely not there right now. So, I’m very grateful for that aspect is a privilege, for sure, but um, having just that known as a, a taken risk was a big thing in terms of pursuing this field for sure.
Lexi Raines 09:20
Can you describe a defining moment that you had in your creative journey so far?
Eugene Rocco Utley 09:26
Yeah, absolutely. Um, I think one of a huge defining moment for me was, um, there was a project that I made about, I wouldn’t, I want to say two years back, it was a little short film called A B, and that was a huge pivoting point of my artistic career, of just being able to it was my, I think, second professional project that I did a film festival circuit with, and it was the one that I felt the most internal and external change with externally. It was the one that I think I had my premiere with back in like. October of 2023 so just over a year ago, and it was something where I didn’t really feel like I was known, really within the community. And that was a project that went from my first showing a place outside of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina or in the Carolinas, but my first big showing elsewhere to it ended up winning the festival there and got into a bunch. It kind of just had this, like big chain reaction of getting into other festivals and ended up having a pretty big tour around the Carolinas, which I was extremely grateful for. And it was something that just kind of gave a lot of momentum into kind of the network that I was wanting to establish and being able to make a lot of great connections with people. But it was also something where it kind of correlated with an internal journey of success, and it was something where the whole project is about kind of the mental health of artists and learning to kind of find yourself through art, rather than defining yourself as a person or as an artist, learning that you’re both and having to take care of yourself as a person, because that’s the artist that you want to be anyway. So just kind of making a project that was about that struggle of mental health for artists of that put either too much pressure on them or don’t see that they should treat themselves as a person, because I think sometimes that’s a toxic mindset that exists within creative worlds making a project that kind of focus on that balance that you have to find in life as an artist, between your art and life was a big aspect for me, and I think it was around that time where I decided, like, I would rather be, I would rather fail at pursuing a passion that I love, rather than playing it safe and never truly pursuing it. And just around that time was whenever it had its premiere and had just the great success that did follow it so it that, I think is a big just aspect of where I am right now, that I’m very grateful for that project and just the path that’s paved so far.
Lexi Raines 12:09
Yeah, congratulations. That seems like, also like such a full circle moment. And I feel like that’s definitely very true. And like, you’re saying, a lot of creatives struggle with that and like, burn out, but I think that’s an amazing piece of advice. So also on that note, what is the best and worst advice that you’ve ever received?
Eugene Rocco Utley 12:37
Best and Worst? Best, I would say it’s a super nice minute one for just writing, but I think it carries a kind of applicable weight to anywhere when writing, use note cards, not entire sheet of paper. It’s something that I love because it gives you so much flexibility with your writing. And there’s so many times where I know a lot of creatives within even their respective field, have some sort of creative block. Like everyone knows writer’s block for a writer is just the worst. So it was something where doing that kind of gave a lot more freedom to just kind of write out notes, kind of plan and feel like what I was writing didn’t have much pressure to it, as if I was writing it on entirely blank sheet of paper, and I use it constantly for outlining and planning, and it’s something that I think is something to apply to any aspect of a creative field where don’t put so much pressure on yourself to get it right the first time, make sure you’re creating liberties in the creative process, that anything can be written down and thrown away at any time, anything can stick or not stick, anything can be ignored then returned to later. I think that there’s just so much abilities of being able to understand the fluidity of the creative process, and I think that that kind of piece of note card advice was a huge aspect of helping me understand to not put as much pressure on myself as an artist. Worst piece of advice, this is, this is a tougher one, I’ll admit, because I try to not let these stick to me, I guess. But I would say, not necessarily, like a single piece of advice but just a mindset that I’ve like seen throughout is a lot of people kind of think that art needs to be something that like you make your entire life like it has to be your obsession to make it, and it’s something where you have to be passionate about it, because it is very tough, and there’s absolutely aspects that you have to have sacrifices in your life with it, and sacrificing time or efforts, anything like that. But I think that there are so many people who almost focus way too much on just the artistic process and being like, too much of like the obsessed artists kind of feel. And I think that there’s so much where, not only for your sake, but also the sake of your art, that so many people are so focused on like, Okay, but how can we create this? This that you almost forget that with any sort of artistic field, you need to be saying something. And in order to say something and have views on your life, you have to be going out and experiencing life. And there are so many people that I know who kind of get paged in, held into just making, just generic projects over and over that have either been seen constantly or are just little like skittish projects because they’re not wanting to do something important with their projects, or they don’t go out to life and experience life, so they have something to reflect in themselves. And I just think making your entire life about art is something that is far too dangerous for people, and not only for the respect of yourself, but also the respect of your art.
Lexi Raines 15:48
Yeah, I feel like that is a very profound piece of advice as well, because I just feel like there’s so many elements to being a professional creative, besides just having that creativity, there’s, like, all the logistical sides, the business side, so much from it. So, do you have like, a typical work day? Like, could you walk us through? What is a typical work day?
Eugene Rocco Utley 16:19
Yeah, absolutely, it definitely varies between what my nine to five marketing work looks like versus my creative writing or onset work. In terms of what my nine to five marketing advertising work, it could be something where I could be going in, taking photographs for new employees, handling just any sort of merchandise, orders, business card orders, working on graphics, doing any sort of social media management, either updating social media calendars or designing posts, etc. 90% of my life there is between Adobe and Excel, and it’s a great job, but it definitely has a lot more to be, I guess, it has a much more of a predictable work day for sure, as for whenever it’s like writing or filmmaking, my writing process usually is existing on the weekends, where I’ll usually wake up, go to a coffee shop in the morning, try to write for about four or five hours, Six if I can get a good day in, then I’ll just kind of go on a walk, step away for a bit, either grab lunch somewhere, or just kind of clear my head. And then once I get back in the evening, just try to do some outlining for what I’m going to write the next day. And then if there’s anything producing wise, I need to be taken care of, or focusing on just responding to emails, doing any sort of planning there. So just kind of getting the creative juices flowing in the morning, and then using evenings for the kind of management aspects of either producing any freelance work, etc, and then just always kind of leaving a little bit to be excited to be writing about the next day. If that makes sense.
Lexi Raines 17:57
Yes, that makes a lot of sense. So, you definitely have to kind of juggle your nine to five and then your writing and filmmaking. What are some habits that you’ve developed that you would think would be beneficial to others wanting to do what you do?
Eugene Rocco Utley 18:20
Definitely, I think just prioritizing time management, I think there are so many times where, I mean, it’s something that I’ve had to really nail down ever since, uh, graduating and getting into the workforce, of just kind of having to learn that balance. Because I know that jumping between nine to five and freelance work and creative projects, it is very time consuming, still leaving time for myself. And I think a good way that I did that is I love being able to journal, and I love being able to just kind of, at the end of the day, just write down what my day looked like. What did I do? How much time did I put into this, and not even necessarily setting crazy goals for yourself, but just being able to look at, you know, what your day look like on paper, is always a big thing. Like, are you happy with the amount of time that you focus on these projects, as opposed to this? Are you focusing? Are you relaxing too much, or on your phone too much? Or are you not giving enough time for yourself and it’s just all work, and you’re not giving any time to step away, and just being able to have that ability to look back on your day in writing, I think was just something that helped a ton with time management, because if you make it too much of like trying to set it as like a goal for yourself ahead of time, it feels like a task, and it feels like you’re holding yourself back from doing other things, but just allowing yourself to intuitively look at what your day looks like. And like, are you satisfied with what that day was? Helps kind of cut out a lot of the fluff of the day. Of like, if a weekend I just spent too much time bed rotting, or if it was like, I spent way too much time focusing on just this one project and not the projects I need to be doing. And just like that kind of stuff, I think is always a very important thing to do when you’re learning to balance time management and you’re just balancing time between work, life, art, etc,
Lexi Raines 20:09
I would agree. I feel like I’ve recently started journaling myself, and I feel like just having that however long you’re doing it 30 minutes of just self reflection of the day, your week, your weekend. I think it’s super healthy. I think it’s super, super beneficial.
Eugene Rocco Utley 20:30
Absolutely. Yeah.
Lexi Raines 20:33
So, do you have any questions that you wish you were asked today?
Eugene Rocco Utley 20:41
Cool. I mean, they’re all great questions. I I always love just hearing kind of about people’s like, if there’s ever a failure that someone has learned from because I think everyone has it, whether you’re creative or not, something where something just didn’t go right, and it’s just like, how do I kind of get back from this? How did I solve this? I think it’s just always a great way, especially for other people, to kind of, like, figure out what they would have done in this scenario, or, know, kind of like the pitfalls that people can sometimes run into, and how can I avoid this ahead of time? And then I just think it’s also a great way to know that. You know, failures are something to learn from. They’re not just failures.
Lexi Raines 21:25
So, what’s a failure? A failure that you’ve learned from?
Eugene Rocco Utley 21:30
Throwing it back at me? Shoot, let me think. I mean, I’ve definitely had just too much of, like, generic things, like, just, like, too much focusing on, like, one project, or too much where I’ve, like, put too much effort into a project that I’m not going to get the biggest skill from, if that makes sense, or, yeah, those are all very generic things I’m trying to think of, like a good specific time of, like, oh, I messed this up. I think one of the biggest things was just a lot of my time, especially in college, was a lot of kind of waiting for the things to come to me. Like, there was a lot of times where my college studies were really great in all the fields, but I always was just kind of waiting for a time where it’s like, okay, it’s going to get to this class, and I’m going to finally learn how to make film or make films, or, like, learn how to properly run with a marketing company, or do this or that, or and there was just, like, a lot of setbacks that I think happened, whether it was just like, oh, I wasn’t going to get as much from that class as I thought I would, or there was COVID that kind of kept a lot of the hands on practices of the filmmaking world that I wanted to have. And by my senior year was the time where I was like, okay, if I’m going to be learning it, it’s going to be because I’m going out and doing it myself. And I just found some like-minded creatives and just like, hey, let’s just make some projects together and just see what happens. And we started making projects, and we’re very like-minded in that, and it really was a great just way to kind of shake off the rust of what should have been more sharpened before. So, I would say just not having that sort of self-initiative was a big problem at the beginning of my career that I finally learned to shake off and kind of, you know, no better time to finally start than now.
Lexi Raines 23:37
I would completely agree with that. I’ve faced that myself, like sometimes you just have to, you have to go out and get what you want. So absolutely, it’s really important. And so finally, my last question for you today is, do you have a creative based in South Carolina that you’d like to nominate to be interviewed?
Eugene Rocco Utley 23:57
Ooh, based in South Carolina. Okay, do we want one more towards the coast or just in South Carolina?
Lexi Raines 24:04
Anywhere, really, it can be anywhere in South Carolina.
Eugene Rocco Utley 24:11
Okay, I’m trying to think. I have a couple of people I can just rattle off. And if any stick, there was a precious person who I think actually went to CCU, yeah, Brooks Leibee, or I hope I’m saying his last name, right? But he is a composer. He’s actually the person that, whenever I was talking about like someone I paid for and then he ended up doing cam work for me. It’s something where his main focus is actually composing. He, like I said, he is super versatile, and he’s a great testament to someone who’s just knowledgeable all around and how that embodies a lot of South Carolina creatives. So, he could absolutely attest to that of just being someone who is very knowledgeable around the board and just what it’s like to be a South Carolina artist. And a couple other people I can just think to rattle off. There’s a writer director in Greenville, South Carolina, Robert Isaac, super great guy, super nice. And he’s just like, done some of like the funniest projects I’ve seen in a while on but has also done some really, like strong productions of just like, the smallest things that, like any other artist would think, wouldn’t like, would think, is like a three out of four project. He makes that like a 10 out of 10 project. So those would be the two that I would definitely call out he’s so, yeah, awesome.
Lexi Raines 25:37
And then how do you spell Brook’s last name?
Eugene Rocco Utley 25:41
L, e, i, b, e, e,
Lexi Raines 25:46
Okay, awesome. Okay, um, thank you so much for your time. I’ve really enjoyed this interview. I think you, you’ve got given a lot of good advice. I think your experiences will definitely really help.
Eugene Rocco Utley 25:59
Lexi, thanks so much.
Lexi Raines 26:05
Yeah, of course, have a good day. Thank you.
Eugene Rocco Utley 26:11
You as well. Thank you. Bye.
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Daniel Kline
“Just jump in and just do it and learn along the way. Don’t wait until you’re don’t. Don’t wait until you feel ready.”
Daniel Kline is a fitness coach and writer/producer for Starling media in Conway, South Carolina. Daniel has been professionally making films for two years now and offers great advice for those entering a career in the arts.
Interview
Transcript
Lexi Raines | 00:01
First, just give a little introduction of yourself. What do you? Who are you? What do you do for work, and where are you currently working from?
Daniel Kline | 00:09
Yeah. So my name is Daniel Kline. I am from Conway, South Carolina, and I, as far as work goes, I’m kind of doing two things as most artists are doing. I, my main job is, I’m a fitness coach, but my creative job is, I’m a writer and producer for Starling Media.
Lexi Raines | 00:31
Yeah, that’s awesome. And, so how long have you been working for, you said Starlight Media?
Daniel Kline | 00:40
Starling media, like the bird. Yeah, yes. So that’s Starling media is actually it’s my thing. I, I’ve been making films like professionally, both creatively and I’ve done a couple of commercial things, but I’ve been doing film for about two years now, although Starling media was started back in November, so it’s still pretty fresh. But yeah, I’ve been doing film professionally for about two years, but total about four years. First two years was mostly learning.
Lexi Raines | 01:14
Yeah, that’s awesome. So you said you’re from Conway. So what is one thing that you like working as a creative in South Carolina? Because I know some people, they tend to think that if you want to be a creative professional, you’re going to have to move out of South Carolina. You’re going to have to move somewhere bigger. What does South Carolina give to you that somewhere else wouldn’t?
Daniel Kline | 01:40
I think South Carolina is actually a really great place to be a filmmaker, because one of the largest hubs in the world for filmmaking is Atlanta, which is practically our back door. I mean, it’s a little bit further for us because, you know, or at least makes them in Conway, but, I mean, it’s, yeah, we got Atlanta right in our back door, which means a lot of, a lot of film companies are, you know, they do kind of like sub out in a bunch of different areas that are nearby. So like, Charleston is close to us, Wilmington is close to us. And actually, most of the work that I do is up in Greenville, which is about an hour and a half from Atlanta, and so we get a lot of, like, Atlanta productions that film in Greenville as well. So I think we’re, like, we’re at a really great position to, you know, have, like, a really affordable living and, you know, also be very close to where the action’s at.
Lexi Raines | 02:37
Yeah, that’s amazing. So I’ve actually heard a lot of filmmakers and producers, there is a big hub for that in Greenville right now. So how would you describe the professional community up there?
Daniel Kline | 02:56
Oh, gosh. I absolutely love my filmmaking friends. I mean, I’ve met producers, I’ve met filmmakers that are kind of on both sides, so it’s not 100% but the community that I’ve, I’ve met, and I’ve worked with, and I’ve really, you know, dug roots with, there are some of the kindest, most giving people. Like, they freely give their time. We, we pretty much exchange time, like, I’ll work on your project if you work on mine. And everyone really gives 100%, sometimes 110%, and it’s just a really fantastic community, and I’m just, I love being part of it, and they welcome me as a local, even though I’m three hours away.
Lexi Raines | 03:38
Yeah, South Carolina really is just like one big community. I feel like, no matter where you’re from, we’re all very close with each other, which is awesome. So kind of moving a little bit, how do you define your professional or personal successes in your creative endeavors?
Daniel Kline | 03:58
So as far as filmmakers go, there’s a lot of talented filmmakers out there. And, I mean, there’s a lot of talented filmmakers that are way more talented than I could ever hope to be. So I learned pretty early on that my why, my why is, what’s going to make me different. And so like professional success would, would, on the surface, be, you know, like having a successful film, you know, film that wins awards and everything but personal success. I, I’m really passionate about people, and I think if I’ve got an award winning film, but my film was a miserable experience to work on, then I failed. And so that’s, that’s kind of how I am choosing to define my success; is just being a team player, being a, creating a positive work environment, and also just creating a product that shows love. You know, when I say shows love, like you can tell that people loved it when they worked on it. And I think that, and I think that really shows in the final product as well.
Lexi Raines | 04:58
I completely agree. I- I’ve seen movies in the past that you can just tell the actors, the people on set, they weren’t super passionate or happy about it, but I feel like it always makes the biggest difference.
Daniel Kline | 05:12
Yeah, absolutely.
Lexi Raines | 05:13
Yeah, so you said that you’ve been making movies for a while now, seriously, and just outside of that, what was your biggest fear when you first decided to pursue this career?
Daniel Kline | 05:30
I think the easy answer would be fear of failure. But I’m going to dig a little deeper, and I’m going to say my biggest fear is creating a product that I think is great, and people not liking it. Like, if I look at the final product, I’m like, “alright, this is awesome. This is my best work”, and it just absolutely flops. I think that’s the biggest fear.
Lexi Raines | 05:53
Yeah, I feel like that is a- that’s a big fear for a lot of people. But, so on a more positive note, like, what’s a defining moment you’ve had in your creative journey? Like, was there a particular project that made a significant impact on you, or was it something you produced that really showcased your creativity?
Daniel Kline | 06:17
Yeah, so my- I would have to say that the most defining moment was probably my first project, my first short film. It was, it was that big step where I went from wanting to become a filmmaker to actually being a filmmaker. I took I’d been, I had spent like, two years learning. At that point, two years learning and not doing anything. And everyone was just saying, “Just do it. Just do it. Just, you know, just push through. You’ve got stuff, if you’ve got a phone, you can make a film,” and so we just did it. I wrote something that was accessible, that had like a little creative spin on it, and something that we could film like, pretty easily in a weekend, and we just put a lot of effort into it, and it was, it was pretty good. Like, it’s, it wasn’t like the best thing, and you can tell it was like our first thing ever. But I got to show it to our, my filmmaking community up in Greenville, and these are people who, like, work full time in it, and like, they, like, some of them were actually wowed by it. They were like, “wow! Like, who, who did this? Who, you know, who edited them?” Like, it’s, my brother edited it. He’s never edited anything in his life and it was just like, it, it ended up being such a really cool thing, because we just, we just did it, and it’s been entered into film festivals. We just won Best Short and Best Director for it couple months ago. And so it’s like it was a really defining moment, because it was just that moment where I realized, you know, we can do this.
Lexi Raines | 07:47
Yeah, that is amazing. That’s so special. Congratulations on that.
Daniel Kline | 07:52
Thank you.
Lexi Raines | 07:53
So, what is, while you were on this path, was there any like advice you received, like good advice, bad advice?
Daniel Kline | 08:05
That- the advice, the best advice that I received was, was just do it. There’s a lot of, there’s a lot of creative people, not just filmmakers, but there’s a lot of creative people who are afraid to take that first step, but I mean, really, there’s no reason- there’s no time like the present, and there’s no reason why you can’t, and especially if you’ve got a phone in your pocket, you can do most of your creative work to some capacity. And, so the best advice and the thing I always just tell people who ask me what to do, just do it. Just jump in and just do it and learn along the way. Don’t wait until you’re ready. Don’t wait until you feel ready.
Lexi Raines | 08:43
Yeah because- I feel that. Like you’ll never feel ready.
Daniel Kline | 08:48
Yeah, I had about a dozen people tell me that in a day, and I was like, “Okay, I get it. I get it.”
Lexi Raines | 08:55
Yeah, so along with “just do it” you obviously, you said you were a fitness instructor, so you have another job. How would you- How do you balance your day? Like walk us through a typical work day for you. That is an awesome, an awesome balance. So when you’re shifting into more of like, your creative mindset later in the day, what does your process look like for when like, you’re writing these movies, producing them, what does what does that process look like?
Daniel Kline | 09:11
Oh my gosh. So my day usually starts at 4am, which is rough. I’m not a morning person, but you know, I have to be, but no, my day usually starts at 4am and I just basically work between four and seven sessions. So my day, usually, my professional day usually ends around 11 or 12- 11am, or 12pm, so I mean, I’ve got the the last half of my day to do anything creative, you know, anything creative that I want and so it does allow for a lot of time, and, but- and the gym that I work at, they know, they know what I do. They know what I love to do, what I want to do and so, like, anytime there’s a project, I can freely take off and, you know, go pursue that. And I- So I, it’s a really awesome job to have, yeah.
Lexi Raines | 10:05
That is an awesome, an awesome balance. So when you’re shifting into more of life, your creative mindset later in the day, what does your process look like for when like, you’re writing these movies, producing them, what does that process look like?
Daniel Kline | 10:22
Yeah, you asked about writing and producing. I could, I could talk for hours about either so I’m going to choose one. I’m going to shorten it. I mean, writing, writing is, is just a bunch of planning. That’s all it is. It’s just a bunch of planning. You plan on conversations and everything, and then you write it out. So I’m actually going to shift to producing what my day looks like as a producer. It’s a lot of- it’s a lot of boring office work. It’s phone calls. It’s making sure that people’s schedules align. It’s making sure that money is where it needs to be. It’s filling out spreadsheets, creating spreadsheets. I like to use this website called Milanotes. I know a lot of people use it to, like, take notes and everything it’s, it’s where I like to have, like, a different- it’s basically like a giant virtual cork board that you can, like, put different files and draw different lines between things. It looks like a crazy conspiracy theorist board, but- that’s, but yeah, it’s basically just filling in information and just making sure that everyone’s caught up on everything.
Lexi Raines | 11:27
Yeah, so, that seems like a lot to juggle. What are some habits that you have, that you’ve developed that you think would be beneficial for others wanting to join this field?
Daniel Kline | 11:47
I think the- the best habit for people who are wanting to join the field, if they’re starting from scratch, the- probably the best thing that I did for myself, and I, like, I would absolutely recommend, is I keep this, this rolodex spreadsheet. I created- I created this spreadsheet that anytime I, I basically just got on set, anytime I could, like, I volunteered, I like, met people, shadowed people, and I spent, like, two years working on sets, different sets, without getting paid, just to, like, meet people. And so what I did was, every time I worked with somebody that I enjoyed with- enjoyed working with, and that I would want to work with again, someday, I would put their name, put their information in spreadsheet, put how I met them, and then, I also had a line that was like, this is the last date that I talked to them on, and I kept all of those dates within a month. And so, like, if it’s been about a month since I talked to somebody, I would text them say, like, “Hey, what are you working on? How are you doing?” and that spreadsheet quickly grew into, like, 100 lines. And that was 100 different connections that I you know, people that I kept in in contact with, and that, after about a year and a half of investment, that- that became work, like those people started calling me for- for work, and those became paid projects. And so, like, so, I mean, bottom line is, however you want to do it, like, find your community. Write down, write down a list of people that you want to work with and stick with those people.
Lexi Raines | 13:26
Yeah, that’s actually a really, a really clever idea. I haven’t- I wouldn’t have even thought to do that. That’s so smart. So do you have any questions that you wish we would have been asked- we would have asked you?
Daniel Kline | 13:47
Oh, no, not really. I think that covers everything.
Lexi Raines | 13:50
Okay, awesome. And my last question for you today is, do you have a creative that you’d like to nominate to be interviewed?
Daniel Kline | 13:57
Hmm, well, I’ve got a whole Rolodex full of them. Yeah, I’ve got, I’ve got one. I think she’d be really cool person talk to. But Yasmine Lee.
Lexi Raines | 14:11
Yasmin Lee?
14:12 | Daniel Kline
Yeah.
Lexi Raines | 14:14
Awesome.
Daniel Kline | 14:15
She’s a filmmaker up in Greenville. She’s an Emmy Award winning person, really, yeah, she’s and she’s really cool. Worked with her several times.
Lexi Raines | 14:24
Okay, awesome. Yeah, send us, send us her information, and then, yeah, I will hear this if you can. Thank you so much for your time. It was really great interviewing you. I’m going to look into your work. You seem so passionate about everything, I’ll be looking for your name out there.
Daniel Kline | 14:46
Thanks. Appreciate it.
Lexi Raines | 14:48
Thank you so much for your time. I hope you have a good. rest of your day, stay safe in the snow. Supposed snow.
Daniel Kline | 14:59
Alrighty, bye.
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Fran Coleman
“Anything is possible. Anything is possible. You just have to be creative”
Fran Coleman is an associate professor of voice and choral activity at Francis Marion University. Fran’s teaching spans from voice lessons, directing choirs and any other coral activity. Fran is located in Florence S.C. and currently teaches but is also a performer as well as producer with a regional party band called Emerald Empire band.
Interview
Transcript
0:03 | Emma Plutnicki
Okay, perfect. So, to start off, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from?
0:09 | Fran Coleman
I do a lot of work. Currently, I work at Francis Marion University. I am an associate professor of voice and choral activities there. So, I teach voice lessons. I direct all of their choirs. I arrange any kind of Choral Activities that might be on or off campus. I arrange any kind of vocal recitals, anything like that. I arrange. We also have a couple of other vocal groups. We have a jazz ensemble and a music industry ensemble. I don’t direct those, but I do work with most of the singers that are in those groups, just by default music.
1:03 | Emma Plutnicki
How long have you been working there?
1:05 | Fran Coleman
This is my seventh year. Yeah, this is the end of my seventh year. So I’m also a performer and a producer with a regional party band. So I obviously sing and perform with them, but I also put together events with them. I work with our, with our vendors, with our, with our, obviously, with all of our clients. I work with them. I’m kind of like the third party between them and the vendor and the band also. So I kind of wear multiple hats when it comes to them, because when I am dealing with them before the event, I’m the producer, as far as helping them to plan the event, plan out what the band is going to do, how the band how the band is going to fit into their event schedule. When I get on site, I am kind of the band manager, as far as advocating for the band, making sure the band gets their breaks, making sure that they can, especially like last summer, when it was super duper hot, making sure they, you know, get water, make sure they get their dinner break and all that kind of stuff.
2:16 | Fran Coleman
And then when I’m on stage, I am the performer. I wear lots and lots of hats when I’m with the band as well. And then I’m also a classical singer. That’s kind of a freelance thing. I sing with a lot of different churches in the area for weddings, funerals, Sunday services. I sing with the symphony in the area. I also sing with the Long Bay symphony at Myrtle Beach. I do a lot of regional work just with other events in the Carolinas and Georgia. When it comes to the arts, I always like to say that you have to wear a lot of different hats. You have to be willing to have a kind of piecemeal life together. You have to be willing to, you have to be willing to have lots of different side hustle. And if you’re willing to do that, you’re going to be fine. But it’s like understanding that you have to know where your passion is, if to know why you’re doing it, you know.
3:24 | Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, amazing, yeah. It sounds like you have a lot of things pulling you in different directions. But what is one thing that you like specifically about working as a creative in South Carolina?
3:40 | Fran Coleman
You know, moving down here, I moved from Richmond, Virginia, which is a fairly different size city, you know, then particularly Florence, which is where I’m at, but even Conway, or Charleston, for that matter, I mean, Richmond’s a pretty, pretty decent sized city, which I wasn’t, I really wasn’t ready to realize until I moved, but it was really nice to move to an area that appreciated the arts as much as they do. This area really appreciates the arts and and they’re willing to pay for it.
3:40 | Fran Coleman
You know what I mean? Like, I feel like in Richmond, I was constantly advocating for artists to be paid for what they do, constantly, constantly advocating. When I was in Richmond, the hustle was even more real when I mean I was, I wasn’t a full-time professor up there. I was an adjunct professor, which is what’s called a part time professor. Where I was, I was part time at several different universities around the state. Some were a couple hours away. Some were less than, you know, an hour away.
4:58 | Fran Coleman
But either way, I was trying. Traveling a lot. I was working with several different nonprofit organizations to advocate for the arts. And I was working with Virginia opera, which was a couple hours away. I mean, it was just, it was a lot a lot of driving, and a lot a lot of hustle, and that was and the basis of all of that hustle was advocating for the arts, advocating for the artists to be paid, you know, and to be such a cosmopolitan area, it’s amazing how little they wanted to pay for the arts. So, to move down here and to come to an area where the arts were so appreciated, the very second question after you know, what can you offer? Is, what is your fee? And I was just dumbfounded, because I was like, wow, okay, let me think about it, because I didn’t know. So, so that I really do love is how appreciated the arts are around here.
6:00 | Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, amazing. And have you been able to find a professional community within South Carolina that you kind of meet with, or how would you describe your local professional community?
6:14 | Fran Coleman
Well, you know, through the band, through the band that I work with is called Emerald Empire band. And Emerald Empire band, excuse me, I have a frog in my throat. Emerald Empire band is part of a larger organization called the International Musicians League. And so that International Musicians League is literally International, and it spans across the world. And so I was with them in Virginia as well. Up there, they were called the Bachelor Boy Band. And so when I moved down here, I was able to transition over to Emerald. And so they really helped me to find a large entity of professional musicians that I wanted to be a part of and through them, I was able to branch out and kind of find a little bit more of that, like classical entity that I was looking for. But also in working with the Florence Symphony Orchestra and the Long Bay symphony orchestra, and then also through working with some of the other musicians in Emerald, I was able to meet some of the some of the other crossover musicians like myself that do classical as well as contemporary music, that work in the Charleston area and as well as in the Columbia area. I also sing with a nonprofit in Columbia called Palmetto Opera.
7:40| Fran Coleman
And so I was able to meet some of the other classical players in the Columbia area. So through all of those entities, I feel like I’ve been able to really like I’ve been able to really dig into the contemporary pool of players. I’ve been able to scratch the surface when it comes to the classical players. I know there are so many more that I would love to get in touch with and start collaborating with. There’s a fantastic woman in the Florence area who is doing some work with the Met, the Florence Masterworks Choir. She’s doing some work rebuilding their website and helping to build their database, and she has created an organization called the Ladies Who Lunch, and that is a group of ladies, all who work within the arts community in Florence, whether it be through visual arts or performing arts.
8:40 | Fran Coleman
And we all try and get together at least once a month, just to kind of talk through things that are happening, things that are, you know, things that need to happen, things we like to see happen. And so that’s a great, great way to try and keep things moving. And so that’s been happening, and so that’s really good. Things like that are what need to continue to happen, right? Just having conversations, and just knowing who to have conversations with, right? Yeah, particularly within the female community, you know, because even in 2025 we’re still so subdued, yeah, so yeah, yeah,
9:27 | Emma Plutnicki
No, it sounds like a great community, and hopefully it continues to grow. And with all the hats that you wear, you know, how do you define professional or personal success in such creative fields?
9:44 | Fran Coleman
Oh, I used to put dollar signs on it. I don’t anymore. I really define success in how full my heart is. You know, if I’m waking myself up and putting myself to bed? Every day with music, then that’s how I define my success.
10:03 | Emma Plutnicki
That’s great. It really is great. So have you had a kind of major project in your life, or, I don’t know, like a defining moment in your creative journey that’s made a significant impact on you, or something that you have produced or sang, or project that you’ve worked on that has really showcased your creativity?
10:36 | Fran Coleman
So many things. I try and keep the creative fires burning as much as I can. This particular semester, I’ve got, like, next week, we have an event happening at a little restaurant in Florence called Victor’s. And so, through the Palmetto opera, I was introduced to a kind of dinner, a dinner theater type event called up, called, what they call it, Villa Tronco. And Villa Tronco is just a restaurant in Columbia, and excuse me, it’s like a it’s like a dinner theater where two opera singers get up and they just sing a few songs, and then they take a little break, and then they sing another few songs, they take a little break, and then they get up and they sing a few more, and then they take a little break all and all of it is paired with meals and then within those pairings are like little mini sets. And those little mini sets include some backstory behind the areas. And there’s always a duet within each of those mini sets, and there’s an explanation behind it.
12:00 | Fran Coleman
Anybody is invited to these dinner theaters like you don’t have to be a world-renowned opera buff to understand. I kind of borrowed their idea, and I took it to Victor’s, which is a restaurant in Florence, and I said, I’ve got this great business model, and I would love to bring it to Victor’s. Victor’s is like one of the classier restaurants in Florence, and they have a great back room, like, a kind of conference room area where they could kind of create a nice little dinner concept and sell reservations. And so that was a great success. We did that a couple times, so it was really successful. And we’ve got another one coming up in February, and so far, it’s been really successful. We had one scheduled for October, and it was the day before Halloween, and it didn’t sell like we wanted, so we had to end up postponing that one.
12:55 | Fran Coleman
That was, unfortunately, not as great, but the one we had coming up in February was really successful, so that was great. I did an event on campus last year with where it was called singing the legacy of black female composers, and I paired that with some of my current students along with some of my alumni students, and we did a whole concert where we sang nothing but music of black female composers, and we talked about the works of these women and all of the great all of the great information, all of the great things they did. We talked about all sorts of amazing things they brought to us as composers, as women, and that was really cool. Back home, I worked with a couple of nonprofits where we built a Mozart Festival every year in different parts of the city.
13:55 | Fran Coleman
That was amazing. I mean, every year it was, and it was almost all completely female run. You know, that was amazing. Every year, I am the only female that helps to put together this event called FSO Rocks at the end Florence, where it’s the Florence Symphony Orchestra, and we do all classic rock music. So that’s really amazing. Anytime I can help build something new and exciting that is even the slightest bit different. I always like to say that, you know, I kind of like Winnie the Pooh. I’m not your average bear. Yeah, you know, yeah. Anytime I anytime I can, anytime help out, like, with something that’s slightly different, I try and get involved. So great.
14:47 | Emma Plutnicki
And when you decided to go into a creative profession, did you have any fears about that? Like, what was your biggest fear?
14:55 | Fran Coleman
I mean, I’m always fearful of the unknown, but ultimately I. Um, I let anybody who says they don’t think I can handle it fuel me, like anytime I’ve ever had a professor to say, I don’t know if this is for you or you might want to try something different. I let them. I let that fuel me to say, oh, really, really, watch me, you know, and I let that kind of feel me. And so that’s what’s gotten me to where I am. Any negative feedback has been what’s got me to where I am? Yeah, it’s not, it’s not pulled me down.
15:37 | Emma Plutnicki
What’s the worst advice that you’ve ever gotten, or the best advice?
15:45 | Fran Coleman
Well, when I first got to undergraduate school, I was so in when I was a senior in high school, my dear and bestest friend from, like, literal infancy, um, she, she and her dad and my dad were like, best friends. They like went to military school together. They were stationed in Germany together. They like, we were born two months apart. Like, we were raised together, you know. And she died in a car accident when we were, like, 17, just boom, two months before graduation, gone. Dead. And it was just, I mean, it just, it shook your world, you know. And so, I didn’t go straight to high school. I mean, I didn’t go straight to college straight after graduation. I just moved out after high school, and just kind of like, got a couple jobs and started singing in bands, and started going to open mic nights and just kind of sewing my musical oats and deciding what I might want to do with my life. I just didn’t know. I just knew that if God could take Kim at 17, he could take me too, you know, and so, so I just knew that I needed to explore what, what the world had to offer me. And so that’s what I did. And so, one band led to another, led to another, led to another, until eventually I started getting into some, some significantly successful bands, and we started doing some touring up and down the coast, and things were doing really well, until eventually that van broke up. I was about 24 at that point, 23 maybe, landed back in Richmond, and I said, okay, now what do I do? And so, I decided I would go back to college.
17:38 | Fran Coleman
And I started, you know, taking some like, gen ed classes at community college. And then by the time I was 24 I decided, okay, I’m going to go back to Virginia Commonwealth University, which is kind of like the USC of Richmond, you know, big urban campus. They’ve got a great music program, and I was going to learn how to really sing, right? And they are a very, very traditional school in 2001 which was at the time when I decided to go back to school. They had removed their jazz voice program, which in 1994 when I originally auditioned for the school, they had they didn’t tell me, they dropped it, right?
18:24 | Fran Coleman
So, like, when I re-auditioned with the exact same two songs that I auditioned in 1994 for, they didn’t tell me, they dropped it. So when I got in again, I was like, Okay, well, I’m going to be a jazz voice major. And I was, I was alerted very, very, very staunchly in the middle of theory class, that I was not a theory, that I was not a jazz voice major, but I was classical voice major. And so, so that was a little daunting and so that was eye opening to know that I was going to spend the next four years singing classical music when I’d never sung a note of classical music before. And so I spent the next at least two years fighting that tooth and nail and so many, many of my teachers in undergraduate school were not pleasant to me.
19:19 | Fran Coleman
They basically compartmentalized me and said, oh well, she sings rock music, so she must be an alto or a mezzo. No, I’m really not. I’m very much a high soprano. But they didn’t give me the benefit of trying to listen to me or understand me at all because they didn’t want to. So that was very frustrating those first two years, so and so, and that’s really the negativity that fueled me, but at the same time, I needed to find an outlet, because I knew I couldn’t just in classical music. So that’s when I started. Kind of moonlighting, so to speak, with the jazz department at school. And instead of just singing with the madrigalists, which was like the very traditionalist a cappella group, I sang with the small jazz ensemble, and then I was invited to sing with the large jazz ensemble, which was like their big band, you know.
20:19 | Fran Coleman
And I really fell in love with jazz music. And then I started, you know, studying like Jazz, Jazz vocal pedagogy, and I was able to do an independent study with them, and, and I was able to study with one of the best jazz drummers that this country’s ever seen, you know, and, and I was able to make some fabulous connections that I still have to this day, and that have stuck with me for 20 years, you know, and it’s just, it’s, it’s been phenomenal. And they, they really are, who got me through undergraduate school. Now, mind you, I fell in love with classical music in the meantime, and I ended up getting a doctorate in opera. And I love classical music.
20:58 | Fran Coleman
And like I said, I you know, both of the nonprofits that I worked with in Richmond were both classical. One of them was the Classical Revolution, and the other one was a small nonprofit opera company that I helped build from the ground up. And so, I love classical music, and I will sing classical music till the day I die, but I’m never going to not sing other things either, you know what I mean, I can’t, I can’t just sing one thing. That’s not who I am. I’m somebody that has to have my hand in lots of different cookie jars, because that’s just the world we live in, and that’s the person I am, you know? So, um, so that’s, and that’s also the teacher I am as well.
21:39 | Fran Coleman
That’s, that’s who, in my opinion, we need to be as singers, is, is somebody that is diverse in what we sing, in what we represent as performers. Because there’s just, there’s too much talent and there’s too much to say, you know. So, if you want an active job as a performer, you need to be able to say a lot of different things and in a lot of different ways.
22:11 | Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, wow. That’s been an incredible journey for you. Thank you for sharing all that. So nowadays, what does your typical workday look like? What’s expected of you daily,
22:25 | Fran Coleman
On Mondays and Wednesdays…Mondays, I have voice lessons in the morning and then we have studio in the afternoon, meaning, like either recital, like with the whole voice department, or the, excuse me, the whole music department, or just my voice studio in the afternoon, and then I have my women’s choir in the afternoon after that. And then on Tuesdays, I have voice lessons in the morning, and then I have my University Choir in the afternoon. On Wednesdays, I just have voice lessons. On Thursdays, I have voice lessons in the morning, University Choir in the afternoon, and then my men’s choir after that. And then on Fridays, I generally try and keep that free for you know, personal like if I have makeup lessons, or if I have doctor’s appointments, or if I have personal appointments, or, you know, interviews, things, whatever need to happen. And then on the weekends, you know, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday is generally set aside for gigs and things like that too.
23:37 | Emma Plutnicki
Okay, amazing. So how do you create that kind of work life balance when you have a busy schedule, where you’re able to kind of have professional creativity, but then also have some time for personal creativity?
23:50 | Fran Coleman
Last semester, really, last year 2024, was probably the busiest year I’ve had in probably a decade, and it was, it was so busy for me. I mean, it was great. Everything was great. Like all of them, all the work I had was all good work, but it was so much. It was so demanding. And last fall in particular, I was supposed to be teaching four classes. I ended up teaching seven classes because my part time professor resigned, so I had nobody else to teach but me. And instead of telling anybody that I can’t help them, I just say, no, I’ll do it. I’ll just take another class. I’ll take another student. And so, I ended up overloading myself by like, three classes, right?
24:45 | Fran Coleman
And then the fall is always busy with the band, so I ended up in triple overload academically, and then I ended up with over 70 singing engagements on me. Calendar, and between that, between all of the teaching and all of the singing, I ended up by December and then, so with not being able to find a healthy work life balance, I ended up getting sick constantly. I mean, I was sick constantly last semester, from the end of September until the middle of December. I think I got sick at least five times. It was like, every time I got better, I’d get sick again. It was like, it was just this constant roller coaster of like, you know, it was like a sinus infection, and then it was a cold, and then it was an upper respiratory infection.
25:45 | Fran Coleman
Then everything just sits right here, when you’re a singer, you know, it’s just and it was just horrible. And so, I would get better long enough to, you know, regain my voice for the next gig, and then, and then I would get sick again, and then I would sing through illness, and then I would get better enough to sing for the next gig. And then I would, you know, lose my voice. And that, you know what I mean, and that the window of time that I would have to get my voice back was getting wider and wider and wider until eventually I was getting really worried, and so I went to my otolaryngologist, which, if any vocalist is having a challenge with their voice, I would say, don’t just go to your standard ENT down the street, because God bless them. If you have a cleft palate, if you have a deviated septum, if you have chronic sinus infections, if you have you know concern of laryngeal cancer.
26:44 | Fran Coleman
You know any standard ENT issue go right, but anything else that is pertaining to the singing voice, please go to an otolaryngologist that is who is trained to know things about the singing voice, and I went to go see mine. And I had, I had a vocal injury, you know, and so I had to go on strict vocal rest for two and a half weeks. And for the very first time in my entire adult singing life, I couldn’t sing for Christmas. I’ve never been able to sing for Christmas, and it was heartbreaking, you know.
27:23 | Fran Coleman
And so that was really, really sad. And that was, that was, that was the result of not knowing or not being able to find a good work life balance, you know, yeah. And so that’s sad. And so that’s that, that’s, that’s how I had to find that. That’s how I had to know, unfortunately, a better, that’s how I had to find a better work life balance this semester. You know?
27:55 | Emma Plutnicki
So just as we wrap up, are there any, is there anything else you want to add, or any questions you wish I may have asked that I didn’t?
28:21 | Fran Coleman
I can’t think of anything right off the top of my head. Um, you know, like I said before, it’s like, you know, the life of an artist is not one for the faint of heart. You know, I certainly don’t deter anybody from it. If you have a passion for anything, if you have a passion for singing, if you have a passion for painting, if you have a passion for set design or costume design or makeup or arts administration, or, you know, sound work or production or anything, you know, I mean, anything in the arts is going to be challenging. Anything, anything that does not live in a box, is going to be challenging, right? But if it is what makes you happy, then do it right? Because think about how many times you go out into the world, whether it be to the grocery store or to pick up you know, your food order, or your, you know, your dry cleaning, or whatever it’s like.
29:25 | Fran Coleman
And you deal with miserable people who want to be miserable. Nobody wants to be miserable. Be happy and spread happiness. And the only way to do that is to find what brings you joy. You know, so the best way to find, the best way to do that is to is to do what brings you joy, and if that is not ultimately lucrative upfront, then you have to find ways to bring the funding. You know what I mean. Anything is possible. Anything is possible. You just have to be creative.
29:49 | Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, that’s great advice and a great perspective. Amazing. So last thing. Do you have anybody that is in your life that’s a creative working in South Carolina that you would like to nominate or think would be beneficial for us to talk to?
30:23 | Emma Plutnicki
I could also just have you think on it and send you, yeah, if anybody comes to mind, we have a nomination link where you can input somebody.
30:34| Fran Coleman
Yeah, yeah. Let me think on it, and then I can maybe send you, like, a list of a few people.
30:37 | Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, that’d be great, amazing.
30:41 | Fran Coleman
I’m always the type of person that likes to think of a bunch of things since I walk out the door.
