Creatives Prevail

Hit songwriter, author, and educator Jason Blume shares the long road from studying psychology to having songs recorded by Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and the Oak Ridge Boys. We get into brutal feedback, rewriting a song seven times, choosing opportunity over a bigger publishing advance, and how creators can put themselves in a better position to get lucky.

Follow Jason Blume:

Go to www.jasonblume.com to sign up for a free weekly newsletter with tips, lessons, bad jokes, and occasional pitches. When you join you’ll receive a free instructional video: “3 Things You MUST Do for Success.”

Also at www.jasonblume.com there are 135 lessons—all FREE—that Jason wrote for BMI.

Jason’s books, 6 Steps to Songwriting Success and This Business of Songwriting are available at Amazon.com.

Audio lessons—equivalent to a full-weekend workshop—are available at Jason’s website.

Join the Facebook group: “Songwriting With Jason Blume” and follow Jason on LinkedIn.

Cat lovers: Join the Facebook group: Jason, the Kauai Kat Man and sign up for the free mewsletter, “The Fluffington Post” at https://www.jasonblume.com/cats.html

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Musician, actress, filmmaker, and content creator Nicole de la Cruz shares how she built an audience of over 900,000 followers and 650 million views across social media platforms. We discuss creating ongoing series through TikTok sketches, balancing multiple creative outlets, avoiding burnout, and pursuing her passion for music and filmmaking.

Follow Nicole de La Cruz:

TikTok

Instagram 

Website

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Ramin Beheshti, CEO and Co-Founder of Caliber, shares his journey from leading technology at Dow Jones to building a media company focused on reaching younger audiences. We discuss credibility, the growing influence of content creators, brand partnerships, and how Caliber is rethinking the way people consume news.

Follow Ramin Beheshti:

Website (Caliber)

Website (The News Movement)

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Indie Dark Pop artist Grace Otto shares how theater, songwriting, fashion, and activism all come together in her creative identity. We also talk about learning through open mics, navigating social media and music marketing, and her latest single “Bad Man”.

Follow Grace Otto:

TikTok

Instagram 

Website

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Indie Folk artist Emory Duncan joins us fresh off the release of Semicircles and Half Written Songs, an EP recorded inside his log cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We talk about treating creativity like a daily practice, wearing all the hats as an independent artist, leaving room for mistakes in the studio, and learning to trust yourself.

Follow Emory Duncan:

Spotify

Instagram 

Website

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Artist Kyle Knight talks about growing up around music, learning the business side of a creative career, and how branding, networking, and the right team helped shape his career. We also get into his fourth EP, Kyle Knight Rises, and why staying authentic matters when you’re trying to reach a wider audience.

Follow Kyle Knight:

Instagram 

Facebook

Website

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Tony Mazzocchi, President and CEO of the Kaufman Music Center, shares how a career that started with trombone and freelance performance unexpectedly led to teaching, higher education, and arts leadership. We talk about building purpose, why music should be part of every student’s education, and why human creativity and connection may matter even more in the age of AI.

Follow Tony Mazzocchi and Kaufman Music Center:

Instagram 

Facebook

Website

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

DJ and music curator Lyris Greene shares how getting fired after 14 and a half years working in the government pushed her to go all in on a creative career in music. We talk about building visibility through livestreaming, creating WLAG Timeless Radio, learning when to pivot, and why she feels she’s in the “experience” business.

Follow Lyris Greene:

Instagram 

Twitch

Website

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

Tamsen Webster, author, speaker, and message designer, shares how a career spanning the arts, marketing, fundraising, and advertising led to her obsession with how people understand and adopt new ideas. We discuss over-communication, separating passion from profession, sense-giving versus persuasion and why the how behind an idea can matter just as much as the why.

Follow Tamsen Webster:

Website

LinkedIn

YouTube

For books mentioned in the episode.

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)

John Mlynczak, President and CEO of NAMM, shares his path from trumpet player and music educator to roles at PreSonus, Hal Leonard, and ultimately landing at NAMM. We discuss the importance of music education, how technology is changing the music products industry, and how the NAMM Show is evolving for brands, artists, creators, and the larger music community.

Follow John Mlynczak:

Website (NAMM)

Follow Creatives Prevail:

Instagram

TikTok

Website

Attention fellow creators! Check out the Creatives Prevail Resources page for guides, tools, and additional ways I can help you build your creative career.

Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review, it helps more creators discover the show.

Host: Michael Zimmerlich

Produced by: Omelette Prevail

Post-Production: EarthtoMoira

Music by: Daphne Greene

Gear Used in this Episode:

Mic and Headphone Setup:

Limelight Dynamic Mic (512 Audio / Warm Audio)

Vocaster One (Focusrite)

MBS9500 Microphone Boom Arm (On-Stage)

Pro X2 Headphones (Logitech)

Light Setup:

Litra Beam (Logitech)

Glide Lively Wall Lights (Govee)

Squares (Twinkly)

Key Light (Elgato)