Closer&Closer Podcast

Mel Cerri is the definition of amazing. She's a self-taught, kick-ass, illustrating mother, and she injected us all with a little inspiration to do what we love this week on the Closer&Closer Podcast. Hosted by Tristan Almario & Dave Arcade.  

Everybody has that one friend that’s always doing a million different things, and seems to be doing them flawlessly; Travis Pietsch is that friend. He took some time out of his busy schedule to be on the Closer&Closer podcast and tell us all about how he keeps a full-time job, does the whole freelance thing, and runs an e-commerce business all while being a family man. Hosted by Tristan Almario & Dave Arcade.

After Drew's last appearance on our podcast, there were still so many questions to be answered: What does Closer&Closer do for their artists? How do you find your voice as an artist? How does one find their style? What should you be doing if you're wanting representation? Find out more alongside your hosts, Tristan Almario and Dave Arcade.

How does one go from wanting to be a dentist to an artist? It’s a question that's been gnawing away at us ever since we met Jarom Vogel. Tristan Almario and Dave Arcade decided to sit down and learn about this incredible leap and more of what makes Jarom, Jarom on this week’s installment of the podcast.

Podcast Art by Dave Coleman

To leaen more about Closer&Closer, visit www.closerandcloser.co

There's something about Nike. It can be a commercial featuring your favorite athlete or the feeling of putting on a brand new pair of Air Force 1's. It's a dream for many to work on such an iconic brand that transcends culture. Mary Yeager is a brand marketer based in Los Angeles. After graduating from the University of Oregon, she started working for Nike in LA. She has been with the company for five years and works as a Brand Marketing Manager for Nike Direct. Mary embodies Nike and we're in for a treat. Tristan Almario and Dave Arcade learn how she stays on top of projects, failures, and what it takes to work on Nike.

In this episode, Jackie Roberto (Project Manager turned Agent) from the Closer&Closer team talks about project management. Why? Because there’s a method to what can sometimes be the madness. It’s one thing to be good at your craft, it’s another to deliver it. Good project management can lead to more projects and stronger relationships. This episode is moderated by Tristan Almario (Artist Marketing & Partnerships, Closer&Closer) and Dave Arcade (Illustrator, represented by Closer&Closer).

Dave Arcade is giving you a peek inside his mind and approach to digital murals. He is an Illustrator with a background in graphic design. His style is born of his inner designer doing its best to talk down the numerous influences of his youth. He’s a total 80’s kid and a descendant of the Hanna-Barbara and Chuck Jones lineage, so it should come as no surprise that his style is straight-up cartoons. His pieces are absurd and complex and demand more than a passing glance. If he's not pining over music gear he’s doing work for brands like Google, Nickelodeon, Disney, Adobe, Activision, and Discovery Channel. Moderated by Tristan Almario (Artist Marketing & Partnerships, Closer&Closer).

Monique Aimee is an illustrator and lettering artist from Connecticut and now living in Boston. She studied illustration at Lesley University College of Art & Design in Boston and typography in Melbourne, Australia. She is also a TikTok Partner and has amassed quite the following on the platform, with 51.7k TikTok followers at the time of this podcast. She creates a ton of art-centric content, from lettering tips to advice on how to price projects. You can check her out on TikTok using @moniqueaimee. This episode is moderated by Tristan Almario (Artist Marketing & Partnerships) & Andrea Mejia-Madriz (Artist Marketing & Partnerships).

Whitney is an entrepreneurial producer with an obsession for film and a passion for strategy. Beyond producing impactful, stunning creative she believes that there’s tremendous opportunity in production to find and create strategic efficiencies to build long lasting equity and growth. After producing for 10 years in the ad and entertainment space, she decided to pursue her MBA with Wharton in order to gain a forest view and build opportunities to revolutionize the production industry. She is seeking to leverage her production expertise and entrepreneurial education towards her next endeavor as a member of a leadership team and ultimately c-suite towards the future success of an organization. In this episode, we learn about her journey working from Hollywood to Advertising and the power of relationships. Moderated by Tristan Almario (Artist Marketing & Partnerships, Closer&Closer).

Drew Melton (Founder of Closer&Closer) and Dave Arcade (Illustrator; repped by Closer&Closer) have an honest conversation about the benefits, drawbacks, and realities of being repped as a freelancer in today's art world.