Cast of Creators

Are you ready to learn how to increase your TikTok audience? Drake Andrews and Kyle Pretzlaff are Kozen Creative and masters at growing a following on TikTok. Together they’ve gained millions of views through the content they create and have well over 300K followers. 

Get ready to take notes! In this super practical episode of Cast of Creators, Drake & Kyle show us how they built an audience on TikTok, step by step. They first set out to solve a problem while also providing a glimmer of what they want to see by creating those videos.

Whether it’s plus-size fashion or lifestyle videos, working for clients such as Amazon, Savage X Fenty, and Buzzfeed — or just posting about their day — Drake and Kyle are earning a living creating valuable, entertaining content on TikTok and Instagram. As founders of Kozen Creative, they’re at the top of their game in the short-form video space, and it’s a privilege to learn some of their secrets. Get ready to take notes! 

"I went from no one seeing what I do, to like too many people seeing what I do. So now it’s a job.” ~ Kyle Pretzlaff

In This Episode:

- Drake quits his job to make TikTok videos full-time

- Kyle’s career journey to his role as an ‘accidental creator’

- The value of being ‘hyper niche’ — and then solving a problem

- Drake talks about his love of fashion since he was a child

- Kyle’s focus on lifestyle versus Drake’s focus on fashion-forward

- What is the best way to do Ottawa?

- How to work with brands to make short-form videos

- What is the most rewarding part of their jobs?

- What are some of the key things to do if you’re launching a TikTok channel?

- Content tip: have something important in the first 3 seconds

- Understanding TikTok as an entertainment platform

- How to use trending sounds in TikTok

- How often should you post?

- Unpacking mental health and social media

- What scheduling tool is best for managing when you post content?

- How do you deal with haters?

- What does the future for Kozen Creative look like?

- Drake shares on their podcast about queer people coming out

- ‘We shine because we’ve gone through the darkness’

- Preserving your own emotional reserves when dealing with traumatic content

- How it takes ten years to become an overnight success

Connect with Kozen Creative:

- Website: https://kozencreative.com/

- Drake & Kyle | Instagram, TikTok: https://linktr.ee/drake.kyle

Cast of Creators

- http://castofcreators.com/

- https://www.instagram.com/castofcreators/

- https://www.twitter.com/castofcreators/

- https://www.facebook.com/castofcreators/

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nelsonbthall/

- Nelson Hvr: https://pubhvr.page.link/TNGtwBhb57oSqq6o8

- Casie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casiestewart/

- Casie Hvr: https://pubhvr.page.link/zTEG

Hvr

- Website: https://hvr.world/

- Hvr Site Partner Program: https://hvr.world/sitepartners/

- Hvr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvr_browser/

- Download Hvr for iOS and Android: https://pubhvr.page.link/71qo7WLqpGHTsJtg7

Have you ever reached a point in your life where you’re left wondering how you got there and you’re looking for change, but not sure where to start? Kaye Parker is a Toronto-based creator and media personality. She’s chatting with Nelson (who’s flying solo) in this raw and emotional episode of Cast of Creators. 

Kaye was adopted and grew up in a small town in Niagara Falls. She openly shares the trials and tribulations of being a young musician, a mother of three, and the power of authenticity when growing an online community. In turn, Nelson shares the struggles he and his wife had trying to conceive. There’s a lot of sharing and it’s honestly quite beautiful. 

From experiencing the feeling of not being enough, dating, pregnancy, getting married at a young age, having kids, and getting divorced — it’s all here. 

Kaye’s authenticity is endearing and a revelatory expression of what it feels like to have it all and still not feel happy. And yet, Kaye is still out there, creating valuable content and putting her positive, quirky spin on things. This is the Cast of Creators going deep into the feels!

“I really allowed my inner thoughts and my inner narrative that I wrote about myself (‘I’m not enough’) and all of the trauma that I experienced, I let that override my success and my potential .” ~ Kaye Parker

In This Episode:

- Kaye’s origin story growing up adopted in Niagara Falls

- What does it mean to be a Pentecostal Christian?

- Learning to talk in tongues

- Going to a school with a strong arts community 

- Recording an album at a young age

- Getting pregnant at 22, married at 23

- What does it look like to be afraid of success?

- Kaye’s regrets around her own self-sabotage

- Going through a divorce

- Having a perfect life — but being so unhappy

- The pain of losing a son

- Seeing your future in fragments going down the drain

- Being diagnosed with cervical cancer at 18

- Nelson shares the story of his wife’s ‘chemical’ pregnancy

- What does re-evaluating your life look like?

- Understanding Kaye’s showcase, Trials and Tribulations

- If you don’t experience pain, how are you supposed to experience happiness?

- Kaye experiments with TikTok and suddenly gets a following

- Imagining a life without kids

- Be careful what you manifest!

- Transform your life by changing your own narrative

And so much more…

Connect with Kaye Parker:

- TikTok - @kayeparkerofficial

- Instagram - @kayeparkerofficial

- Hvr - @kayeparkerofficial

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

Lauren McPhillips is a brand strategist, online community builder, and person behind the hugely popular Instagram handle ‘This Renegade Love.' She also knows Casie from back in the day when she worked at Contiki, and they traveled to Thailand with a bunch of YouTubers & bloggers.

Lauren joins Nelson and Casie in this effervescent episode about building brands that feel good, the importance of travel, and what it’s like to have viral moments on the ‘gram. 

This is the story of how one woman pivoted from traditional print journalism to online influencer marketing and then to brand strategy. It’s a conversation about following your calling and facing your fears. 

Lauren has taken a stand in the past about not wanting kids, and this gets covered under the umbrella of Lauren’s fervent independence and free thinking. This episode is full of great takeaways for any brand or creator, plus it’s peppered with laughter and real talk.

“I love TikTok, and I’m so fascinated by it because their algorithm and how viral you can go is absolutely wild.”- Lauren McPhillips 

In This Episode:

- The story behind the name ‘This Renegade Love’

- What it’s like to go traveling with content creators

- The beauty of organic brand partnerships

- Lauren’s thoughts on the changing social media platforms

- Getting a million views on TikTok

- Don’t sleep on Pinterest!

- Lauren’s origin story

- Back when influencers were bloggers

- Why Lauren doesn’t want kids

- The pressure of fitting in a box

- Talking dogs

- Letting people know who you are online

- Getting diagnosed with ADHD

- What’s next for This Renegade Love?

 And so much more…

Connect with Lauren McPhillips:

- TikTok

- Instagram

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

Daniel Carman is in the Cast of Creators studio chatting about all things denim! Daniel is from Over The Rainbow jeans, a business his parents founded in 1975, a retail store which remains, to this day, Toronto’s premier denim destination.

Please enjoy the backstory on how Over The Rainbow was founded, how fashion and the Toronto neighborhood has changed, and their new 6500 foot store. This is a family success story about how a legacy brand was created by becoming a Yorkville staple, and carrying over 70 brands.  

There’s a wonderful conversation about how jeans are made, how to build a business that appeals to different generations, and how to own your social media content. Daniel has been working in the family business since he was a teenager and has a deep understanding of fashion and denim.

"We were around in the very beginning when people started to buy, and wear, and sell denim.”- Daniel Carman 

In This Episode:

- The origins of denim selling in Toronto

- Growing up in the family denim business

- Denim jumpsuits!

- Over The Rainbow’s awesome new store

- How a pair of denim jeans gets made

- Casie’s history as a blogger / street reporter

- Understanding marketing to different generations

- Appreciating Hvr as a way to build your own site

- The value of community experience and having a bricks and mortar store 

- Five year aspirations

 And so much more…

Connect with Daniel Carman:

- Website

- Instagram

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

Have you ever wanted to have one of those taboo conversations but never knew how to bring it up with your friend or lover? Laira Thomas is a facilitator for conversations around intimacy, connections, and sex. She is joined in the Cast of Creators by Jen Kirsch as co-host, who’s been writing about relationships for more than a decade. 

This is a sizzling hot conversation about all the things we subconsciously feel or recognize but don’t have the words to articulate. Laira offers lots of practical advice on how to keep channels of communication clear with your partner and increase intimacy in small ways that aren’t necessarily sexual.  

From whispering sweet nothings to offering validations, and from safe words to the power of authenticity, it’s all here in this enlightening episode of Cast of Creators.

If you’re in a relationship and looking for ways to increase the flow between the two of you, you’ve come to the right place. Listen in and let Laira & Jen share relationship advice!

“I want to encourage people to have conversations. Conversations with themselves, conversations with their partners, their friends, their family members…about intimacy, about connections, about sex. About their needs, their wants… and I want to facilitate people to do that for themselves.”

  – Laira Thomas

In This Episode:

- What is a facilitator?

- When are you ready to share with a facilitator?

- How to have uncomfortable conversations 

- The importance of validating your partner

- Food as a love language

- Acts of service in a relationship

- The importance of authenticity 

- How are people getting in the way of themselves?

- Safe words!

- Is it normal to be monogamous?

- Understanding what you need

- “It’s you and me forever”

- Creating a mind map or picture album of where you are 

And so much more…

Connect with Laira Thomas:

- Website

Connect with Jen Kirsch:

- Instagram

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

Sculpting your body—or even just taking care of it—is an art form these days. Today’s creator is Matthew Pasquale, a man with a black belt in jujitsu, a gym owner, and a personal trainer… who also happens to have been in a band with Nelson when they were at school together!

This episode of Cast of Creators is bursting at the seams with beautiful backstories as we learn things about Casie that not even Nelson knew! It turns out that chatting martial arts brings out the badass in us.

And in terms of chatting fitness regimes and morning routines, this is as inspirational and down-to-earth as it gets. It’s super relatable and you’re going to want to listen, if only to learn that we all need to take Casie way more seriously before messing with her! 

"Training is a stimulus, but if that stimulus doesn’t do anything or if you don’t take in the necessary calories and do the necessary things to grow from that stimulus, nothing will happen.”

  – Matthew Pasquale

In This Episode:

- Going to high school with Nelson

- Writing 18-minute-long songs

- Being inspired by Pink Floyd

- The weird record deal that almost led to a lawsuit

- Randy Couture, the GOAT of MMA

- Casie’s previous life as a taekwondo badass

- Understanding jiu-jitsu ranking

- Casie’s mom and her eccentric family background 

- Opening a gym in an industrial area

- Matthew’s personal training routine

- The magic of bodybuilding

- The importance of sleep

- Having a gym locked down during COVID

- The value of investing in yourself

And so much more…

Connect with Matthew Pasquale:

- Instagram

- Matthew’s gym

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

Cast of Creators is absolutely thrilled to host Master Milliner David Dunkley in the studio. 

David is a creator of the highest pedigree, an award-winning hat maker (milliner) who has studied with the former royal milliner to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. He’s made hats for tons of celebrities and members of the Royal Family. David elevates millinery to an art form with his intricate hat designs that spare no expense in terms of imagination, time, and effort required to create a masterpiece.

Nelson and Casie are curious to understand exactly how a hat gets made, and David obliges as he shares his story of how he got into the business. Throughout his career, David has maintained a professional work ethic and strict adherence to artistic integrity as he approaches each new piece. 

Learn about blocking, forming, and embellishment. Appreciate this handcrafted art form with its time-honored techniques. It’s in David’s best interests that everyone feels good when they leave with one of his hats. And as Casie so rightly points out, “Looking good is feeling good.” 

"I’m hitting close to the 20-year mark and I only feel like, in the last five years, I’ve kind of started to hit my stride in experience. My hands and my mind can work together now. I can design something the way I envision it because of my experience. But it’s taken a long time. Like any good artist, it takes years and years of practice."

  – David Dunkley

In This Episode:

- The difference between a fascinator and a hat

- Becoming a hat maker by accident

- How to make a hat

- Creating things you can’t find anywhere else

- What hat has taken David the longest to make

- Growing up in BC

- David’s 3-day hat-making workshop

- David’s take on trends (bucket hats are popular)

- David’s new DDFM: Venice Collection

And so much more…

Connect with David Dunkley:

- Website

- Instagram

- Facebook

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

What happens when four podcasters sit down in the Cast of Creators studio? You get spicy conversation of the highest order! Chrissy Newton and Marie Nicola are the hosts of Alt.Pop.Repeat, a podcast that explores the underground and counter-culture/alternative pop culture scenes. 

These two 'OG's' of Canadian pop culture share their blogging origin stories with Nelson and Casie (herself an OG in the Canadian blogging scene). We hear the spicy backstory of how Marie & Casie met and how Chrissy evolved from doing PR to being a content creator. They chat about music, television, and what pushes something artistic and 'counter-cultural' into the mainstream.

This episode is also a deep dive into pop culture and what we can learn from the content we consume and the icons we look up to. It’s a discussion on how subculture shapes us and how we relate to it, too, as we try to deconstruct our past. It's UFOs, cancel culture, and what we can learn from the celebrities around us as we grow and move forward as a society. This episode provides thought-provoking insights into the culture we’re all so immersed in. 

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have kind of moved in this one direction where we are trying to really understand whether or not the way that we've been raised has been causing harm to other people."

  – Marie Nicola

In This Episode:

- How the media industry has changed in the past 14 years

- Sharing a boyfriend – 'he who shall not be named'

- True crime and other TV show genres that can't be missed

- Making something creative with all that you have on hand

- Chrissy & UFOs

- Supper vs dinner 

- Deconstructing our colonial beliefs

- Going down the rabbit hole of TikTok Live 

- Casie’s short career as a TV extra

And so much more…

Resources:

- Chrissy and Marie’s podcast

Connect with Chrissy Newton:

- Twitter

- Instagram

Connect with Marie Nicola:

- Twitter

- Instagram

Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

Brock Stacey is an entrepreneur who's intent on bringing beauty to the world with his exquisitely arranged flowers. Brock has a fascinating story, one that begins as a hairdresser at age 18 and continues for ten years as he became clients' therapist and shoulder to cry on.

The emotional drain took its toll, and Brock ventured into the restaurant business before finding his niche as a flower arranger. His passion is infectious, and in this episode of Cast of Creators, he shares his unbridled joy with Nelson and Casie on everything from flowers to love and tattoos. 

Nelson & Casie dive in to understand Brock’s passion for business and appreciate his art form. If you’re listening to audio, check out the video to see Brock’s cute puppy, Fern!

“We're in a world now where people want excitement; they want color, they want pop.”  – Brock Stacey

In This Episode:

- Being a listener and a fixer and having an answer for everyone’s problems

- Perfecting the 'Karen' bob haircut as a teenager

- Ten years of dealing with customer problems as a hairdresser

- Starting a restaurant with two 'A-Type' personalities

- Continuing to dream and not be afraid of following your passion in business

- The joy of doing something different every day as a flower arranger

- What does the metric style mean in terms of flower arranging?

- Brock's favorite flowers to work with

- Advice for youngsters wanting to get tattoos

- Floral and pottery workshops

And so much more…

Connect with Brock Stacey:

- Instagram

- Website

 Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android

What’s cooking in your kitchen? Today, TV & radio host/producer & writer, Pay Chen joins Nelson & Casie to share her Halifax cooking origin stories and personal insights into a career in the broadcasting industry. 

Pay was born in Taiwan, raised in Nova Scotia, and has gained fame for her many TV appearances where Pay speaks passionately about her love for food. 

In this episode of Cast of Creators, Nelson and Casie explore what Pay has learned throughout her career, making it in the ‘big city, and the process of creating her new condiment ‘Sacha-ish’. We even get to sample it! 

This episode is all the ingredients that go into defining your value as an artist in a creative industry, how you measure your worth, and what you can charge for your skills.

Pay is a wonderful guest and this is an episode you don’t want to miss! Tune in while you’re baking something for yourself in the kitchen and enjoy some homemade self-indulgence with the Cast of Creators. 

“The feeling of imposter syndrome never really goes away, but I got to a point where I was like, nah, F-you, I can do this”.  – Pay Chen

In This Episode:

- Growing up pre-internet where you didn’t know to want things

- Dealing with imposter syndrome 

- Making more money by saying ‘no’ more often

- Pay’s background in children’s writing

- Cooking during the pandemic

- Tasty meals from Pay’s recent trip to Italy

- Pay’s own original sauce (Zing Pantry Shortcuts) for sale!

And so much more…

Resources mentioned:

- Pay’s ‘shacha’ sauce

Connect with Pay Chen:

- Instagram

- Website

 Cast of Creators

- Website

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Facebook

Hosts

- Nelson Instagram

- Nelson Hvr

- Casie Instagram

- Casie Hvr

Hvr

- Website

- Hvr Site Partner Program

- Hvr Instagram

- Download Hvr for iOS & Android