Prologue Profiles

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Everyone, a band/Kean University bio majors, on the 33rd St PATH train. (More info: http://everyoneofficial.bandcamp.com)

"This is only happening once. You've got this amount of time [on earth] and what do you want to look back and see when you're older?" - Hayden Frank, The Nepotist (bass/vocals) Originally from Ithaca NY, Chris Frank, a guitar player, spent 10 years trying to get his band IY off the ground which broke up after college. In 2012 Chris joined forces with his younger brother and bass player Hayden Frank to form The Nepotist...but something was missing. They wanted to to be a real band. With the addition of drummer Jacob Colin Cohen this past January, The Nepotist are now a trio and are releasing their first video EP this spring. This is also the first episode of Prologue Profiles that features multiple guests at the same time. That's right, the band's all here. You'll hear The Nepotist discuss their journey to becoming a band, the ups and downs of being a musician and that to get others to believe something about you, you first have to believe it yourself:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Hye-Jeung, a student at The New School, on the WTC PATH train.

Dave (@drinkicd) just wants to make things. And he's figured out a way to do just that. Dave is the co-founder of The City Foundry, an R&D shop based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The City Foundry's primary focus is Industry City Distillery which has found a way to engineer their own beet sugar based vodka, Industry Standard, which is now available in over 120 locations across the country (including Astor Wines). You'll hear Dave discuss how he engineered his life to match his engineering ambitions, the inspiration of curiosity, and that what you believe you can or cannot do is up to you:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Dillon Treacy, an NYU Steinhardt student, at La Colombe Coffee at West 4th Street.

"The trick always seems to be to switch from being inside your fear and finding something to do - even if it's a small step." - Tirtzah Bassel Born and raised in Israel, going into college Tirtzah was planning on becoming a social worker. During a heightened period of terrorism in Israel, Tirtzah took on a new perspective of how she wanted to spend her time on Earth. Tirtzah now works as a visual artist based in Brooklyn who has developed her own form painting using duck tape and has her New York oil painting exhibit debut opening this week through May 10th at Slag Gallery in Bushwick. You'll hear Tirtzah discuss her journey to becoming a professional artist, the importance of community, and that the time you spend waiting to be inspired is time you could use to do work you love:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Nikoi, an NYU Gallatin student, on the Journal Square PATH Train.

"I just made the hard work a blur." - Monroe Martin   Monroe (@MonroeMartinIII) grew up in foster care. He wanted to work in comedy.   Monroe now works full-time as a comedian, performing at colleges across the country and writing for Charlamagne and Friends on MTV2.   You'll hear Monroe discuss his path of continuous comedic improvement, the power of authenticity, and that the way to achieve your goals is to work past them:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Nick, who works for his family's real estate business, on the J train.

"There is no greater force that I know of than a person who is on a mission." - Tony Bacigalupo After college Tony got a job and he worked at an office. He did not like this. Soon after Tony was working from home. He did not like this either. Tony is now the co-founder New Work City - the first dedicated coworking space in New York, which opened its doors in 2008 and in 2010 raised over $17,000 on Kickstarter to help fund their current space at 412 Broadway. You'll hear Tony discuss his journey into the world of co-working, the power of community and that if you're onto something you care about, your biggest job is to keep going:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jen, an MFA candidate, on the F train.

"Since I didn't have a design background I wanted to focus on one thing that I could get really good at." - Lyndsey Butler After college, Lyndsey reached a fork in the road: law school or fashion. Lyndsey is now the head of the fashion line, VEDA, which she launched in 2008 with her mentor Yael Aflalo, and specializes in making the perfect leather jacket. In 2013 VEDA launched its flagship store on Mercer Street in Soho. You'll hear Lyndsey discuss how she got whisked away into the fashion world, the importance of being chill, and that if you moved your fears to the side, all that would be left is what you want to do:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Andrew, a college freshman, on the J train.

"It's not logical to turn down the big private equity salary and start building a non-profit out of your apartment in the East Village. But it's the thing that I knew I had to go do." - Adam Braun  Originally from Greenwich, Connecticut, Adam (@adambraun) was on the path to working in finance. That all changed when as a junior in college Adam went on a trip to India which instilled in him a desire to help others and make a quality education available on a global scale. In 2008, two years out of school and with $25 in a business account, Adam launched Pencils of Promise, a non-profit that has now helped build over 200 schools in the developing world. Adam is also releasing his first book, The Promise of a Pencil, published by Scribner and available in hardcover and e-book at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. You'll hear Adam discuss his journey to creating and building Pencils of Promise, the importance (and shortcomings) of passion, and how the one thing holding you back may be your biggest opportunity.

"When I think about what's made me successful it's a willingness to say 'Let's try that and see where that goes'." - Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop After college, Mayor Fulop worked in finance at Goldman Sachs which he then left after 9/11 to join the Marine Corps in Iraq. In 2004 Mayor Fulop said yes to an opportunity to run for Congress, which he lost. However this sparked in him a passion for public service as he went on to serve for 8 years as a councilman and on May 14 2013 he was elected mayor of Jersey City at the age of 36. In this interview conducted in city hall you'll hear Mayor Fulop discuss his path to winning mayoral office, the magnetic pull of passion, and that on the other side of uncertainty may just be what you're looking for.

"Having to pay the bills but not willing to give up the need to be creative will push you harder than you can ever imagine." - Kawehi After her first year of college in 2002, Kawehi moved to California as a signed artist in a newly formed superband. Two months in she quit and moved back home. Unable to get any attention with her music going the traditional route and still tied to her contract, Kawehi took a 5 year break from music. Kawehi then switched it up and with the support of her husband, Paul, created her own path in the music world, successfully supporting her career through crowdfunding on Kickstarter. She recently raised over $9,000 to fund her US tour. While growing her fan base Kawehi's also grown her musical ability as she now has incorporated looping and beatboxing into her work. You'll hear from a musician who has figured out how to be a successfully funded independent artist on how she made it happen and that those fears that you have, they never go away...so what are you gonna do?

"I love the momentum. It's almost like a drug for me." - Nathaniel Ru While at college Nathaniel met his future co-founders, Jonathan Nemen and Nicolas Jammet, and the 3 of them wanted to create a destination for healthy eating. In 2007, during their senior year they did just that with their launch of sweetgreen - a healthy fast food eatery in Washington DC. Six years later sweetgreen now has 20 locations with their most recent expansion in the NoMad hotel in New York City.  Along the way the trio have also created the sweetlife festival which this year had performances from Phoenix and Kendrick Lamar. You'll hear Nathaniel discuss how they got sweetgreen and sweetlife off the ground, how to overcome having zero customers, and that if you're going into the unknown, that probably means you're on the right track.

"I'm never going to do something that doesn't matter. I have to be able to reach people and make them feel great about themselves." - Tasha Ong In lieu of college, Tasha worked for her family's barbecue restaurant in Florida where she discovered her knack for customer service. Tasha took this newfound skill to her next gig at a spa where eventually the clientele started seeking out her styling advice. Tasha realized the value in her style opinion and in 2007 she left the spa to create her own path as a personal lifestylist with a clientele that pays her to help them look and feel their best. You'll hear Tasha discuss the many facets to being a lifestylist, how she went from barbecue slinging to boutique shopping, and while you'll always have fears, you'll always have yourself for support.

"I'm 27 years old and doing what I want to do every day - [it] shouldn't be like that - I should be working for the man. And that thought in the back of my head is my biggest fear and it's also what motivates me to keep being better and do what I do." - Josh Senior After college Josh struggled to find work in his major of international relations, it was then that he decided to point his career towards his passion for video post production. Over the next 4 years Josh went from unemployed dreamer, to company employee, to independent freelancer, to the leader of a team of freelancers, to now the founder of Senior Post, a digital post production house located in Dumbo Brooklyn with clients such as Vevo, Levi's, and Nike. You'll hear Josh discuss how he used his passion to drive his career, the motivating effects of fear, and that success is not a one man band.

"Nothing mattered to me anymore but what I wanted." - James Dumapit After several false starts with college and struggling to follow his passion of screenwriting, James was living with his parents in New Jersey and was unsure about his direction in life.  James switched up his situation when he turned his attention to his hobby - cooking - and created a whole new path for himself. In 2009 James moved to Austin to attend the Texas Culinary Academy and soon began working at Uchi, a James Beard award-winning Japanese restaurant. Earlier this year James became a junior sous chef at their new restaurant, Uchiko and has had his own items featured on the menu. In this interview conducted in Austin, you'll hear James discuss his path from career frustration to self-creation, the perils of perfection, and that if there's something you want to do, you should probably go do it.