Behind the Brand Podcast

How does a PE teacher’s classroom snow-day prediction become a local media brand?

In Episode 3 of Behind the Brand, host Luis Catarineau talks with Alex Tsironis, creator of MoCo Snow and The MoCo Show, about the journey from a classroom bulletin board to a platform covering news, food, sports, and community stories across Montgomery County, Maryland.

Alex shares how he built an audience on social media, landed his first advertising partner, and eventually left teaching to focus on the business. He also offers practical advice for growing a social media presence, including how to stay consistent, what to do before inviting people to follow a new account, and the question every business should ask: Would you follow yourself?

Listen for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, local media, audience growth, and turning an idea into something people value.

Follow Behind the Brand for more conversations with the people behind growing businesses and creative brands.

What happens when something someone said to you years ago still affects the way you see yourself today?

In this episode of Behind the Brand, Luis sits down with actress and HR director Chanel Collins and entertainer, content creator, coach, and performer Tyler “T Stunning Tyler” Hoover for an honest conversation about bullying, workplace bullying, body image, confidence, identity, rejection, and the experiences that shape who we become.

Chanel shares how childhood bullying followed her into adulthood and affected the way she viewed herself — even as she stepped into acting and professional spaces. She also brings a unique HR perspective on workplace bullying, leadership, power dynamics, and why these issues do not simply disappear when school ends.

Tyler opens up about being bullied as a child, navigating body-image struggles, entertainment, cosplay, and the pressure to fit an image others expect from you. He also shares how authenticity became a major part of building his personal brand and creative career.

The conversation comes full circle into acting, entrepreneurship, faith, rejection, personal branding, and learning that someone else’s opinion of you does not have to define your identity or your future.

In this episode, we cover:

• Childhood bullying and its impact in adulthood
• Workplace bullying and power dynamics
• Body image and self-confidence
• Bullying in entertainment and creative communities
• Rejection in acting and entrepreneurship
• Personal branding and authenticity
• Faith, identity, healing, and purpose
• Advice for those experiencing bullying
• Why hurt people sometimes hurt others

If this conversation resonates with you, share this episode with someone who may need to hear it and follow Behind the Brand for more honest conversations with the people behind the work, the business, and the brand.

Follow the guests:

Chanel Collins
Instagram: @ActressChanel
Facebook: Chanel Amore

Tyler “T Stunning Tyler” Hoover
Instagram: @TStunningTyler
YouTube: B Boy Stunna

Content note: This episode includes discussions of bullying, harassment, body image, eating disorders, and emotional trauma.

What does it really take to turn a deeply personal struggle into a mission that helps other people?

In Episode 1 of Behind the Brand, host Luis Catarineau sits down with Alexandra Miles, Founder and CEO of Project Blackbird, for an honest conversation about mental health, entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, storytelling, and the journey of building an organization from the ground up.

Alexandra shares how her own experiences with anorexia nervosa and anxiety, along with a pivotal friendship formed during treatment, eventually inspired the creation of Project Blackbird, a mental health nonprofit working to make conversations about mental health safer and more accessible, particularly within marginalized communities.

The conversation goes beyond mental health advocacy and pulls back the curtain on what it actually looks like to start and grow a mission-driven organization.

Alexandra discusses:

• How Project Blackbird grew from a personal experience into a nonprofit organization
• Why vulnerability can be a form of strength
• Mental health stigma within communities, including faith-based communities and among men
• What she learned while starting a nonprofit without having every answer
• Why entrepreneurs and nonprofit founders need advisors, community, and a willingness to adapt
• The importance of treating a nonprofit like a real business
• Funding through donors, sponsors, foundations, programs, merchandise, and partnerships
• Why collaboration can be more powerful than competition
• How film, video, and storytelling have helped Project Blackbird communicate its mission
• Providing access to mental health resources and therapy for students and participants

Alexandra's perspective is a reminder that many successful businesses, nonprofits, and organizations are built by people who started before they had everything figured out, and learned as they went.

For entrepreneurs, business owners, nonprofit founders, creators, and anyone trying to build something meaningful, this episode is about more than creating a brand.

It is about understanding the purpose, people, setbacks, strategy, and story behind what gets built.

Project Blackbird works to reduce stigma around mental health and connect communities with awareness, conversations, resources, and access to care. Its programming combines film, live discussions, community engagement, resource fairs, and mental health support.

Learn more about Project Blackbird at ProjectBlackbirdInc.org.

Behind the Brand Podcast pulls back the curtain on the people, purpose, process, struggles, and stories behind businesses, organizations, nonprofits, creators, and personal brands.

Hosted by Luis Catarineau.

Pulling back the curtain on the people, purpose, and process behind the brand.