Joe Melillo has been the Executive Producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for more than three decades. Known for its strong brand and cutting-edge programming, BAM is one of the oldest continuously operating performing arts centers in the country. BAM’s success is closely tied to the renaissance of Brooklyn. Joe is a programmer with a marketing background and strong visual and artistic point of view. In this episode, Erik and Joe talk about how BAM attracted people to Brooklyn when it was very a different place than it is today, Joe's successful collaboration with Karen Brooks Hopkins, BAM’s President for much of his tenure, and how he worked with his team to develop one of the strongest brands in the performing arts today.