Passion Pod

🎬 Episode 189: Making Movies in the Midwest with Ramon Swift Sloan

In this inspiring episode of Passion Pod, host Chris Johnson sits down with Milwaukee-based independent film director Ramon Swift Sloan. Together, they dive into the unique challenges and rewarding triumphs of making movies in Wisconsin and the greater Midwest—far from the glitz of Hollywood.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Ramon Swift Sloan’s journey as an independent filmmaker in Milwaukee, WI
• The realities and opportunities of producing films in the Midwest
• Practical tips for aspiring filmmakers and creatives looking to break into the industry
• How community, resourcefulness, and passion fuel Ramon’s projects and success

Whether you’re a film buff, a creative, or just love stories about people pursuing their passions, this episode delivers real insights and inspiration from the heart of the Midwest film scene.

🔗 Discover more:

Listen and watch on all platforms: passionpod.org

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💡 Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/passionpod

📸 Instagram: @passionpod

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#IndependentFilm #MidwestMovies #RamonSwiftSloan #WisconsinFilm #PassionPod #FilmmakerInterview #Podcast

What does it take to keep pushing the boundaries in snowboarding? In this episode, pro snowboarder Joe Sexton opens up about his journey from riding handrails to running Public Snowboards, his role as Competition Director for the Red Bull Heavy Metal snowboard contest series, and what goes into creating legendary events. Joe also shares his favorite snowboarding videos, the scariest trick he’s ever landed, and the stories that shaped his career.

BabyJake: “Cigarettes On Patios” — The Untold Story | Passion Pod

In this exclusive episode of Passion Pod, host Chris Johnson sits down with BabyJake, the genre-blending artist behind the viral hit “Cigarettes On Patios.” Discover the real story behind the song, the creative journey that led to its success, and what inspires BabyJake’s unique sound.

🎤 What you’ll hear in this episode:

The inspiration and meaning behind “Cigarettes On Patios”

BabyJake’s musical journey and rise to fame

Behind-the-scenes stories from writing and recording the hit

Insights into BabyJake’s creative process and influences

Advice for aspiring musicians and songwriters

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering BabyJake, this episode is packed with exclusive stories, music industry insights, and creative inspiration.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more inspiring interviews with artists, musicians, and creators who are turning their passions into careers.

Listen to more episodes: https://passionpod.org

🎨 Lucas Beaufort: Skateboarding Has Taken Me All Over the World to Paint | Passion Pod Ep. 186

In this episode of Passion Pod, host Chris Johnson welcomes Lucas Beaufort—an internationally recognized artist, skateboarder, and muralist whose passion for skateboarding has inspired a creative journey across the globe. Lucas shares how skateboarding became the foundation for his art, leading him to paint murals in cities worldwide and collaborate with top skate brands.

🛹 What you’ll hear in this episode:

Lucas Beaufort’s journey from skateboarding to becoming a global artist

How skate culture continues to inspire his artwork and collaborations

Stories and lessons from painting murals around the world

The intersection of art, travel, and the skateboarding community

Advice for aspiring artists and skaters

Insights into Lucas’s creative process and philosophy

🌟 About Passion Pod:

Passion Pod features inspirational stories from unique guests who’ve built careers around what they love. Hosted by Chris Johnson, each episode delivers creative insights, motivational stories, and practical tips for dreamers, entrepreneurs, and artists.

In this episode of Passion Pod, we sit down with Ali Sultan, a stand-up comedian and writer based in New York City who’s taken the comedy world by storm. With appearances on Comedy Central and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Ali’s comedy specials and albums have reached millions of viewers worldwide.

Born in Yemen and raised in Ethiopia before moving to Minnesota at 15, Ali shares his incredible journey from discovering stand-up comedy on late-night TV to performing globally. We dive into his roots in Minneapolis, his ties to Eau Claire, and how his first open mic experience sparked his passion for comedy.

Ali opens up about performing clean sets, playing quirky characters at college parties, and the importance of creating art for the right reasons. Whether you’re a comedy fan or simply looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with laughs, heartfelt moments, and plenty of wisdom.

Tune in for an unforgettable conversation with one of comedy’s rising stars!

Trevor Newlin is a Los Angeles based suit actor most notable for his role as the Xenomorph in Alien Romulus.

Trevor first discovered his love for theatre while still in high school growing up in Texas. After graduating he went to college for theatre before eventually attending film school in Los Angeles. His initial goal was to get into voice acting, but while he was still in school his professor recommended that he consider suit acting instead due to his unusually tall (6 foot 7 inches) and slender build. Peaking his curiosity Trevor reached out to the legendary suit actor Doug Jones through a simple DM on Instagram and miraculously Doug responded and agreed to a meeting that turned into a conversation lasting over 3 hours long. Taking Doug's advice Trevor found himself meeting make up artists and participating in Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Things snowballed from there and he has since acted in international ad campaigns for Amazon, been featured in trailers for American Horror Story, wore a Wookie suit in Disney's Mandalorian 2, became a monster in Smile 2, and played his most iconic role of the Xenomorph in Alien Romulus.

In this episode we discuss a shared love for thePackers, hosting a podcast during the pandemic, meeting the team at Legacy Effects, becoming the Amazon Yeti, working on the set of Star Wars, taking arguably the most iconic creature role ever for Alien Romulus, and much more.

Jarvis Lawson is a Milwaukee based photographer who has worked with dozens of organizations over the years including Alaska Airlines, Jordan Brand, Stella Artois, My Helsinki, Under Armour, Vice, and Visit California.

Everything started for Jarvis when he came across a skyline photo online that was shot with an iPhone. An android user at the time, Jarvis said up his money and knew he had to get an iPhone for himself. He immediately poured himself into photography driving to Chicago every day he could to take photos of abandoned buildings, skylines, gritty alleyways, puddles, and anything else that caught his eye. People quickly took notice and he began to build a following on Instagram using the hashtag #iphoneonly . He was even a featured photographer that Instagram itself interviewed and promoted.

After about a year of shooting exclusively with his iPhone his mom bought him his first DLSR. From there both his skills and his career truly blossomed. His first big break came when he was hired by Visit California to hit the road and capture the beauty of Northern California's parks and mountains. Not long after that he found himself shooting photos for My Helsinki to help promote tourism to Finland.

Jarvis has travelled the world shooting photos for many large organizations, but he has also done extensive work in the the product photography and portrait space for massively successful brands like Under Armour, Jordan Brand, Stella Artois, and more.

In this episode we discuss Jarvis's photography journey from his humble iPhone beginnings to capturing cycling trip in the Czech Republic, and so much more. He also opens up about how he built his career and gives a ton of valuable insight and advice that any photographer, or creative in general, could benefit from.

Xavier Abdullahi is a rock climbing influencer and coach based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Xavier discovered his love for climbing in college and never looked back. In fact he dropped out of college so that he could spend all his time climbing. He never planned to be an influencer either, but when he saw a small brand offering chalk bags in exchange for posting content he made his @daddyxclimbs account on Instagram and within a few months was 15,000+ followers. He never pretended to be an elite climber, instead he made uplifting and relatable content to bring smiles to the faces of whoever was watching. It wasn't long before other brands started taking notice. With the help of a couple of sponsors, and his local climbing gym offering him a part time job, he was able to start climbing nearly every day.

In the episode we discuss his rough childhood in Minneapolis, his mom marrying someone she met on Yahoo chat, moving out of the city, discovering his love for the outdoors, experiencing racism, being awarded scholarships, getting hired by The North Face to create content, being awarded over $5,000 worth of ice climbing gear, becoming friends with the legendary Mt. Everest climber Dom Mullins, flying to Washington to create content for Zig Zag Climbing, building real relationships online, dealing with burnout, best climbing movies, dream places to go climbing, and so much more.

Blake Eason is a news anchor for WISN News based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Blake grew up in the small town of Warner Robbins, Georgia and is a self proclaimed "theatre kid for life". After graduating high school Blake moved to the big city of Atlanta to begin his journey in media with an internship at The Bert Show. His original dream was to host a game show, but when the pandemic shut down Los Angeles he decided to give local news a try. His first journalism job came with WRBL News in Columbus, Georgia before moving up the ranks and securing an anchor role with WKRN TV in Nashville, Tennessee. After a couple of years as a morning anchor in Nashville he recently accepted a job as the 5pm and 10pm news anchor at WISN News in Milwaukee.

In this interview we discuss the hectic schedule of a new reporter, hosting the championship parade for the Atlanta Braves, learning from his idol Ryan Seacrest, intentionally losing his southern accent, separating personal beliefs to share unbiased news, public speaking advice, viral TikTok moments, favorite rappers, and much more.