Justin Kaufmann

It’s the “The Download on Chicago Business” sponsored by Signature Bank. Tonight, Justin speaks with I Heart Halal Festival co-organizers Salman Chaudry and Asma Ahad about the values of Halal, some of the misconceptions surrounding Halal, the challenges of putting on a Chicago festival, wanting to create a festival that would allow people to make connections with the Muslim community, the way they deal with success, the amount of work it takes to put on a festival at Navy Pier and […]

Priya Mohanty, creator, writer and star of the new web series “FOBia,” joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about creating her new comedy series for OTV, where she finds inspiration for the stories in “FOBia,” wanting to shed light on the challenges immigrants face, the tendency that people have to homogenize the immigrant experience, the goal of showcasing the immigrant lifestyle and her hope for the future of the series. This is the podcast for Extension 720. The show […]

It’s an historic election day in Chicago as the city is electing its first black woman as mayor! Tonight, Justin Kaufmann is live at the iconic Billy Goat to break down the momentous day! Joining Justin tonight is the Chicago Tribune’s Eric Zorn, former mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Amara Enyia, 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins, 36th Ward alderman Gilbert Villegas, newly-elected 49th Ward alderwoman Maria Hadden, and political pundits Kerry Lester, Rebecca Sive, Connie Mixon, Marj Halperin, Hermene Hartman, […]

Several old-guard alderman are facing first-time challengers in this year’s runoff election. We take to the streets and explore the races between Jessica Gutierrez and Alderman Ariel Reboyras in the 30th Ward, Alderman Leslie Hairston and Will Calloway in the 5th Ward and Alderman O’Connor and Andre Vasquez in the 40th Ward. This is the podcast for Extension 720. The show originates from Chicago on WGN Radio and features newsmakers, tastemakers and trailblazers.  Hosted by award-winning broadcaster Justin Kaufmann, this […]

It’s the “The Download on Chicago Business” sponsored by Signature Bank. Tonight, Justin speaks with Daniel McLaughlin, Executive Director of the AGC, about the future of development in Chicago, how delaying development will keep Chicago from staying competitive, the need for more skilled workers, the importance of investing more money into finding people who can fill all the available construction jobs, the goal of improving minority hiring and if Chicago is a doing a good enough job of preserving its history. […]

“Off the Record” is a series of conversations with prominent Chicagoans in their communities. Tonight on Extension 720, Justin is joined by author Ethan Michaeli at the Café Robey in Bucktown. Ethan talks about  how much the area has changed over the years, the issues that are most to important to the residents of Bucktown, the performance of Mayor Emanuel, what the next mayor will need to do to be successful, the demoralized and the depleted status of the Chicago […]

“Off the Record” is a series of conversations with prominent Chicagoans in their communities. Tonight on Extension 720, Justin is joined by actor, writer and comedian Abby McEnany at Colectivo Coffee in Andersonville. Abby talks about what Andersonville was like when she first moved to the area twenty years ago, how the neighborhood his changed over the years, if the area is still perceived as a lesbian neighborhood, the amount of business turnover, the sense of community and activism in […]

Grammy Award, Tony Award and Academy Award-winning composer and Disney legend Alan Menken joins Justin on Extension 720 to discuss his incredible career, his early days in New York City, making the decision to go all-in on a life in music, creating “Little Shop of Horrors” and the buzz surrounding it, how that show was built to be an Off-Broadway production, the moment he realized he could make a living making music, his role in the Disney renaissance with his […]

Tonight on Extension 720: What’s old is new again. Legendary Composer Alan Menken talks about his iconic music, from “Little Shop of Horrors” to “Little Mermaid.” Also, several old-guard alderman are facing first-time challengers in this year’s runoff. We explore Chicago with Jessica Washington Gutierrez, William Calloway and Andre Vasquez. And we continue our tour of Chicago neighborhoods with a trip to Bucktown with Ethan Michaeli and Andersonville with Abby McEnany. It’s Extension 720 with Justin Kaufmann. Brand new. This […]

Tonight on Extension 720 with Justin Kaufmann: Oh, the places I’ve been. Tonight, we tackle the theme “place.” We start a new segment called “That Used to Be….” which is probably the simplest concept in Chicago media history. We give you an address and you tell us what place used to be there. Winners get prizes. Tonight’s special guest: Chicago raconteur Scott Goldstein! Also tonight, we continue our tour of Chicago neighborhoods. Erin Shea Smith takes us to B-Sides Coffee + Tea to […]