A Drink With

“A Drink With” traveled to Miami for the first time and sat down with the inimitable Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Julia Michaels. Together with Mark Levinson, we went to Art Basel to celebrate music, sound and art... and Michaels left us all inspired to create from a place of unapologetic truth. Michaels is the gutsy writer behind chart-topping hits like Justin Bieber's "Sorry," Selena Gomez's "Lose You to Love Me," Dua Lipa’s “Fever” and so much more, including her debut single "Issues." This special episode was filmed with a live audience at the Mark Levinson Vinyl Lounge and Michaels shared it all, from the creative process behind her debut album, “Not in Chronological Order,” to writing with Hollywood’s A-list to her thoughts on being less about the filter and more about the truth.

Full interview + exclusive photos: https://adrinkwith.com/series_event/julia-michaels/

NEW INTERVIEW! We had our first virtual drink with "Top Chef" star Gregory Gourdet. Gregory revealed what it was really like opening his new Haitian pop-up Kann Winter Village in 2020, the importance of inclusivity in restaurant culture, how music plays a role in his career, his journey to recovery and his go-to "meal" when he cooks at home. To watch the video and listen to Gregory's playlist visit https://bit.ly/3oUpEpz // Presented by Mark Levinson Luxury Audio.

Welcome to the Season Finale of Season 2 of “A Drink With – Detroit!” This week we are pleased to be sharing a drink with someone we’ve been wanting to have on the show since the beginning, William Clay Ford Jr. Ford is the great grandson to the founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford, and is the company’s current executive chairman. In this episode, we cover everything from his purchase and plans for the Michigan Central Train Station and charting his own course, to how he believes most risks are worth taking. He reminds us how there was a time that Ford Motor Company would show potential employees everything but downtown Detroit and he shares personal stories about his great grandfather. He leaves us excited about how Detroit is ready to be the spot for city solutions and the future of mobility.

We’re having whiskey with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. He’s been seen around Detroit the last couple of years, built a skate park downtown... so of course we had to grab a drink with him. We talk about how he's putting his money where his mouth is and bought a home in Detroit, how he originally felt like an outcast in an outcast activity, what he's learned from business failures (believe it or not there were some lows along the way) and how his determination ultimately led him to becoming the icon he is today. Visit adrinkwith.com for a special video of our conversation.

In the tenth episode of “A Drink With – Detroit” we meet with Doug Schwartz the founder of Detroit Wick. Detroit Wick is located in the heart of Eastern Market, the largest historic market in the country. Detroit Wick manufactures limited-edition products onsite like custom candles and the space is interactive including a carefully curated boutique, scent branding facility and production. We talk about how he stumbled upon his candle making business by accident, how he paid attention to what brands wanted which led him to scent branding aka scent logos, how you have to believe in yourself and fight for your end goal and how no city has the soul that Detroit has.

In the ninth episode of “A Drink With – Detroit” we have an iced green tea with Marcus Collins the chief consumer connections officer at Doner an ad agency here in Detroit. Marcus is a culturally curious thinker with an academic insight into the cognitive drivers that impact consumer behavior... we stole that from his professor bio at Michigan Ross. The truth is, as soon as we heard Beyonce's former digital strategist was back in Detroit, we had to get a drink with him. Listen in as Marcus shares what he learned from working with former Interscope and Sony Music president-turned-advertising guru, Steve Stoute, and how "God's plan" led him back to Detroit.

In the eighth episode of “A Drink With – Detroit” we catch up with television journalist and WDIV Local 4 anchor Devin Scillian before he heads to the newsroom. We talk about the headline he'd like to report on, the monumental moments for Detroit over the last 20 years of his career, the future of mobility in Detroit and how he's not in the opinion business. He too asks the question... "How many cities get a chance to completely remake themselves?"

In the seventh episode of “A Drink With – Detroit” we have tea with entrepreneur and founder of Detroit is the New Black Rosyln Karamoko. Roslyn opened her apparel company as a pop-up and today operates as a storefront on Woodward Avenue in the heart of the downtown revival. We talk about the sacrifices that come with entrepreneurship, how she came to Detroit for love and ended up falling in love with the city and why Detroit is an exciting place for new, fresh ideas.

In the sixth episode of “A Drink With - Detroit” you’ll meet one of the most legendary and influential songwriters of the 70s, 80s and 90s, Allee Willis, who was recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her work includes Earth Wind & Fire’s “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” and “Neutron Dance” by Pointer Sisters in addition to one of the most recognized TV theme songs to date, “I’ll Be There For You” from NBC’s “Friends.” In this episode Willis takes us on a roller coaster ride of career ups and downs which all led her to discover each passion of hers. Along with having a successful music career, Willis tells Hillary Sawchuk and Jessica McCall about how the opportunities in life come when you’re down, how Detroit is in another golden age of music and why Detroit is the most soulful city in the world. Willis also wrote and produced "The D," a love song to the city of Detroit featuring 5,000 vocalists and musicians, more people in history that have ever been on a record before. Pour yourself a coffee and listen to Willis share her words of wisdom, incredible stories and witty jokes.

In the fifth episode you'll meet Nia Batts and Katy Cockrel the co-founders of Detroit Blows. Detroit Blows is the city's first ever non-toxic blow dry bar and beauty salon. One dollar of every blowout service and a percentage of the retail footprint supports Detroit-based female entrepreneurs and women entering and re-entering the work force. If you want advice for starting your own business you're in the right place. Batts says, "Detroit is a city where we make things and a city where we make things happen," and we couldn't agree more. Grab a drink and listen in on these childhood friends open up about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.