Noctonal

Today we speak to Nour Feghali, a great friend I've made here in Chicago and an Account Management intern at FCB Chicago! Her story and struggles about leaving the country where she grew up is empowering and terrifying at the same time. On this episode we explore what it was like leaving her life/family at 17 for better opportunities, American privilege, Lebanon vs. Missouri, cultural differences and the importance of family. (Also she reads one of her poems for the first time EVER here & it's amazing!)

Tiffany Pritchett and Rena Li are two INCREDIBLY talented Art Directors/Artists from Texas who's hilarious, warm and thoughtful nature spills into all the work they do professionally and personally. On this episode we explore how to take criticism, telling your immigrant parents that you have artistic passions, valuing diversity/MAIP and how we've formed our own individual personalities as artists. Check out their websites and see their art/work because it will make you feel things. A lot of things.

I interview Rasheed Owens, fellow intern this summer in Chicago. We get pretty serious in this one, so if you're into politics you'll like this! It's interesting to hear Rasheed's perspective on going to a predominantly white institution (PWI) and how important it is to truly value diversity. Today we talk about institutionalized racism, privilege, the 2016 elections, talking to people with differing views, prioritizing morals and giving back to your community. Vote for us in the upcoming election.

Enrique continues his Chicago chronicles, interviewing other minority students interning with him through MAIP (Minority Advertising Internship Program). Today, his guest is Harrison Xue, a talented photographer who's reflective and analytical mind makes it easy to dive-deep into captivating conversation. Today we talk about promposals, first-crushes, being Chinese-american, gun violence, and love. Harrison offers a genuinely interesting perspective you wont want to miss.

This season will focus on MAIP, an organization dedicated to helping minority students succeed in the advertising world. I was lucky enough to be placed in an agency in Chicago and have been meeting other multicultural students with amazing perspectives. Season 2 will focus on their stories. Today's episode features Caleb Dawkins and Jared Leong, two incredibly funny and creative humans who talk about their experience as minorities and what drives them to be as creative as possible.

Gio Volpe, known for his "Where are my berries" vine, sits down at the Noctonal table to talk about creativity, taking risks, and how theater has impacted his life. Gio is a VERY talented guy who is one of the most versatile creatives I've seen, jumping from acting, to improv, to indie/alternative guitar riffs, to techno/house beats. There's so much more to this man than just vine, and it's incredible when you take a closer look. Very grateful to have the opportunity to see how his creative mind works!

It's nice having the opportunity to highlight the success of people you love. Today, Enrique is joined by his friend, Jose Maldonado, where they discuss his new job at Xbox right before he leaves to Seattle. They talk about Jose's journey to reach his dream job, the lessons he learned, the importance of inclusion/diversity, the struggles of being an immigrant, and how reaching these life goals effects his family. We get a little teary-eyed in this one. I hope you all enjoy his success as much as I have.

The end of an era. We talk about the movie that ended an 11 year, 22 film tapestry of amazing storytelling and how it's impacted us as we've grown up along side the MCU. We're talking best scenes, biggest moments, saddest plot points, and how the MCU will move forward from here. ALSO, we can't even look at cheeseburgers anymore... SPOILER WARNING for anyone who hasn't seen Avengers: Endgame!

We talk with Austin's older brother Brandon and his wife Karen over their time at the Cayman Islands! Brandon is going through med school to be a pathologist and Karen runs an amazing food blog (@saving.flavors)! We talk about their passions, growing up, their journey as a couple, marriage advice, and we had throw in some Avengers predictions before the premier.

Enrique talks about hitting 2,000+ downloads, Dax Shepard's "Arm Chair Expert" podcast, the importance of teachers, Avengers: Endgame, local poets, and answers question from podcast listeners! We take a little bit of a dive into Enrique's personal phone notes and talk about how much we miss Austin.