How Do You Do? Podcast

Rowan Ricardo Phillips is the award-winning author of three books of poems (Heaven, The Ground, and Living Weapon) and two essay collections (The Circuit and When Blackness Rhymes with Blackness), as well as a professor at Princeton University and Williams College. 

During this episode, he shares his writing process for The Circuit and Living Weapon, his approach to writing poetry vs. prose, how he comes up with titles for his poems, and more!

Current curiosities:

Ben: 2020 NBA Playoffs

Rowan: Empathy

Follow us!

Rowan Ricardo Phillips: @rowanricardophillips

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

[Rowan also his own awesome Spotify playlist: "The Rowan Tree"] 

Nikoli Partiyeli is a Los Angeles based creative who excels in creative direction by using his practices in photography, design, and videography by always putting his touch on each project. Partiyeli has worked with artists such as Wallows, Quincy, and Pixel Terror and has worked with other creative projects, like Hotpoint and The Luna Collective. Most recently he’s been on the road with Wallows as their tour photographer and BTS videographer, highlighting their moments on and off the road. Whether it be photo, design or branding, Partiyeli is able to tap into a variety of creative pursuits for his work. Partiyeli also creates music under the name Elais Park, bringing in a variety of sonic elements to forge his unique sound. Partiyeli is always up to something and continues to raise the bar for himself and his peers.

On this episode, he shares how he crafts his visual style, how he collaborates with artists, his creative process when he's making his own music, and more!

Current curiosities:

Ben: Palm Springs (Hulu film)

Nikoli: Umbrella Academy comic series

Follow us!

Nikoli Partiyeli: @nikoliparty

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Deja Riley is the founder of Deja Riley Athletics, a health, wellness & fitness company that provides services, products and inspiration for people of all ages, levels and walks of life. After a decade in the dance industry -- dancing for artists such as Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Trey Songz & Lady Gaga -- she transitioned into the fitness space, where she is now a host on PopSugar and her own YouTube channel. 

She sits down with Ben to talk about the Sep. 2020 SELF magazine cover story she was featured in ("What It Means to Be Black in Fitness") and the changes she's driving in the fitness space as a leader of FitForUs (6:20), differences she's encountered between teaching workout classes in-person vs. online (19:40), how she figures out what content is best for each platform (38:00), and more! 

Current curiosities:

Ben: Little America (Apple TV+ series)

Deja: Make Change by Shaun King

Follow us!

Deja Riley: @dejariley

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Brooklyn Sherman is the creator of the social media account, The Way We Met, which currently has over 800K followers between Instagram and Facebook. The platform shares the accounts of how couples met, but moreover, showcases modern-day love and relationships. Brooklyn sits down with Ben to talk about how she gets strangers to open up about their relationships (10:20), how she's seen dating evolve (26:17), how she often finds herself in the role of impromptu therapist (31:18), and more! 

[NOTE: This episode was recorded  before COVID-19.]

Current curiosities:

Ben: Improv

Brooklyn: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

Follow us!

Brooklyn Sherman: @thewaywemet

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Tek Mehreteab is the co-CEO of Chado Tea Room. Originally from Eritrea, he was initially hired as a cook at Chado in 1999 when he walked into the original L.A. location on West 3rd. St. and he was subsequently promoted by founders Devan and Reena Shah to run the business with them. Tek sits down with Ben to talk about his focus on customer education and the story behind each tea (13:17), tea & chocolate pairings (23:30), what he looks for in teas (34:46), and more!

Current curiosities:

Ben: @indianmatchmakingshow

Tek: Cultural delicacies (i.e. bird's nest soup!) 

Follow us!

Tek Mehreteab: @chadotearoom

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Brig Muñoz-Liebowitz is a TV comedy writer, whose credits include NBC's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Pop TV's One Day at a Time, and Disney+ Diary of a Future President. She sits down with Ben to talk about her writing process for pilots (13:53), her prep for the beginning of a writers room (a.k.a. "blue sky-ing"), her approach to pitching (40:12), and more! 

Current curiosities:

Ben: IFC's Documentary Now! 

Brig: A Year of Polygamy podcast 

Follow us!

Brig Muñoz-Liebowitz: @brigliebs

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Tanisha Townsend is the Chief Wine Officer of lifestyle agency, Girl Meets Glass, through which she leads wine classes and tours in Paris (and virtually). She sits down with Ben to talk about questions she asks winemakers during tastings (16:45), factors she considers when she’s judging wines (30:54), why she values the story behind a bottle of wine (41:27), and more!

Current curiosities:

Ben: Taste the Nation (Hulu)

Tanisha: Online learning

Follow us!

Tanisha Townsend: @girlmeetsglass

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Ivana Martinez is a talent manager at Fourward, where she represents actors. She sits down with Ben to talk about how she's channeled her love of actors into being a talent rep, as opposed to a casting director (22:30); the enlightening perspective on rejection that she communicates to her clients after an audition that doesn't result in the role (32:11); how she gives constructive criticism to her clients (45:53); and more!

Current curiosities:

Ben: writer J.R. Moehringer

Ivana: Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez (on Netflix)

Follow us!

Ivana Martinez: fourward.com

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Clay Williams is Brooklyn-based photographer specializing in food, drinks and events. He's also the co-founder of Black Food Folks, a fellowship of Black professionals working in food, food service and food media. He sits down to talk with Ben about how we can be better allies in the food world (21:09), what distinguishes food photography from other forms of photography (36:35), his editing process after a shoot (48:45), and more! 

Current Curiosities:

Ben: Montreal bagels

Clay: Increasing representation in food media

Follow us!

Clay Williams: @ultraclay / Black Food Folks: @blackfoodfolks

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!

Mat Harawitz is a comedy writer. He sits down with Ben to talk about how doing stand-up has made him a better writer (16:41), his experience writing for roasts (34:27); what he's learned from transitioning into writing sitcoms (43:34); and more!

Current Curiosities:

Ben: Einstein by Walter Isaacson

Mat: @dailystoic

Follow us!

Mat Harawitz: @hulkawitz

How Do You Do? Podcast: @hdydpod

Ben: @benhannani

Website: www.hdydpod.com

Our guests' jams can be found on the "HDYD Jams" playlist on Spotify!