Prologue Profiles

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Brian / Cook at Jean-Georges & Tech Entrepreneur (@brian.bush) / Grove & Newark, Jersey City. "I was playing french horn for 12 years and I finished music school [at USC and when there were no jobs] I felt like I was a little closed off to new opportunities and new possibilities that I could pursue and so since then food and restaurants entered my life and I just went with that and worked at a couple of the best restaurants in Texas and now one of the best restaurants in New York and in the country, and this opportunity with [our app] Sous, DJ and I, my business partner, we're putting our full effort into that and I think for right now I'm just going with the flow and just exploring opportunities as they come up and wherever that takes me I hope it's somewhere great."

"My dad always said, 'You have to challenge luck for it to work.' And that's inspired me." - Alex Strohl During high school Alex (@alexstrohl) got kicked out...which turned out to be one of the best things to ever happen to him as it led to his passion for photography. Alex is now a full-time world traveling photographer with over half a million Instagram followers and collaborates with brands such as Canon and Land Rover for himself and his creative agency, Stay & Wander. You'll hear Alex discuss his path to photographic freedom, the compass of curiosity, and that to live the life you want you just gotta design it.

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Hannibal / Music Producer (@hann_11) | Bandcamp / Grove & Columbus, Jersey City. "What are your goals for 2015?""More releases, just send the beats out 'cuz I got them sitting on my hard drive and that's stupid.""What's it gonna take to get those out there?""I just need to see them dance.""And what's your biggest challenge right now that you face.""They not dancin'.""And what keeps you going, what 's motivating you?""Seeing them dance for everybody else."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Daniel / Music Producer (@generaldirt) (Soundcloud) / Grove & Columbus, Jersey City. "Do you have a stage name?""I go by Uplift aka General Dirt."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jess / Cultural Historian (@jess_anime_face)/ Newark & Grove, Jersey City. "The world is categorized in black and white strokes and there's more people that fit into that grey area and I'm one of them, I'm one of the weirdos."

*SHARE YOUR STORY ON PROLOGUE PROFILES* Recording instructions: I will edit out 'ums' and 'uhs' so don't worry about that! :] Record your voice using a voice recorder app on your phone (in the iPhone it's called 'Voice recorder'). Record your audio outside - on the street or in the subway. Structure of recording: -Your name, age, city/state/(+country if outside the US) 1a. What you're up to ---If you have a business, what's your business, what does it do, who are it's customers, all the relevant details ---If you're an artist, what's your art, how would you describe it, do you perform/display it in anyway, what's coming up/ 1b. If there's something you're doing part-time or full-time to pay the bills, what is that? 2. How did you get into what you're doing? What is it about the industry/art form that drew you to it? All the relevant details. How did you make things happen? 3. What is your dream? What's your vision for yourself and your career? 4. What is the biggest challenge you're facing right now? What's i

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Zach / Street Photographer (@zach_natural) | (Tumblr) / Newark & Grove, Jersey City. "Why'd you get back into photography?""I felt kind of bored with my life and needed something to keep me active and sane after work, I can't work 8 hours at a desk and then come straight home and sit on my a** watching Netflix, I want to do something, I might as well do something creative and fun and something that's always spoken to me [is photography]."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Janeen / Textile Specialist at Lafayette 148 / Newark & Grove, Jersey City. "What's your biggest challenge right now?""Well probably since it's 9pm on a Wednesday it's the work-life balance. [Laughs]"  

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Yasmine / Dancer & Model / Newark & Grove, Jersey City. "I went to a creative performing arts school in Philadelphia and I was a creative writing major, and would walk past the dance studio and I see people just going off and living with their body and I was like like, 'I want to do that.'"

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Ramone / Fashion Designer / Grove St Station, Jersey City. "At 12 I made my first shirt."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jeremiah / Singer & Model (@j_trusty) / Journal Sq Train, NYC. "I wanted to sing, but had to play ball, but then I  realized how good I was not during that time so that's when I actually turned my brain on and went to studying [music]."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews The Wolf / Filmmaker (@directedby_wolf)/ Journal Sq Train, NYC. "I started getting [client] calls before I even had a camera."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Justin / Actor (@jmaze121) / 33rd St Train, Jersey City. "My goal is to be Meryl Streep's son in a movie."

"I never left the studio. I would shower there, I would have my mail delivered there, I never left." - Onhel Angel Aponte (@Onhel) graduated high school at the bottom of his class with no idea what to do with his life. After realizing he could make music a career he made music his life. Four years later Onhel found himself engineering  tracks for Swizz Beatz on Beyonce's B Day album and is now Lil Wayne's recording engineer and produces out of his studio in Union City, New Jersey. You'll hear Onhel discuss how he made his way into the music business, the importance of extra effort and that when an opportunity presents itself, take it.

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Steve / Welding Student / Grove & Columbus, Jersey City. "My dad told me I should get a trade and that's what I did, but I picked something more artistic."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jean Claude / Material Science Engineering Student (Tumblr) (@semfti)/ Grove & Newark, Jersey City. "If I can't ultimately become a master at photography, I want to be the person that makes lenses for people that are actually pursuing that as a lifelong goal."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Sylvia / Vintage Retailer (@VagabondiaVintage) / Jersey City Grand Bazaar. "How'd you get into fashion and retail in the first place?""I couldn't find my ideal writing job so I figured that I'd try and explore new venues.""Why'd you want to be a writer?""I loved connecting with people, I loved doing profile pieces and talking to people, but I feel like I can still get that with what I'm doing now just in a different way."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Dilon / Model (@dilon___eyre) / Downtown B Train, NYC. "How'd you get into modeling in the first place?""Somebody discovered me on the train like you did right now."

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Manny / Web Developer / Grove St Starbucks, Jersey City. "Why'd you leave the accounting world?""I had an accounting job and my boss was the controller, he was like 54 years old and the owner of the company was like 30 and the owner was so mean to him and I saw myself in his shoes and said, 'I'm not gonna do that.'"

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jason / Pop Culture Journalist for Out & Nylon Magazine (@jasondlamphier) / Grove St Starbucks, Jersey City. "When I was 15 I'd go to the public library and fish out these back issues of Spin and Rolling Stone and I'd read about these new musicians and in doing that I was like, 'Wow I really love to hear these people's stories I really love music and talking about music and I think I want to tell these stories!'"