The Artist Pivot

On this episode I am joined by actress, singer, comedian, and entrepreneur Robbin Major. Also known to me as my cousin friend. I say that because Robbin and I met at an audition many years ago and we have the same last name. Technically my name is Major-Bey but the family doesn't use it that way. Robbin and I haven't figured out how we are related yet but we are. So Robbin was born in Chicago and raised with a little New York spice. She has been acting since she was 14 and has always come back to her love of theatre. We talk about the launch of her BBBeyond Beauty Magnetic lashes, how she willingly has always worn many hats, and how this time off from the artist hustle is a factory reset. 

Get in touch:

Robbin Major 
Instagram: @robbinwit2bs
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnzcdGdbLu2LVR7rTVsTxWA
Website: https://www.bbbeyondbeauty.com/

Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

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Executive Producer & Host: Ayana Major Bey 
Editor: Kieran Niemand

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On this episode I am joined by Megan Colleen Johnson. She is a life coach, creative consultant, space holder, and speaker, who helps passionate humans as they rise as the leader of their own life. With a focus on self-trust, wholeness, and sovereign reclamation, Megan coaches humans who are ready to discover their magic, stand in their power, and reclaim their dreams. Megan is a trained life coach with Beautiful You Coaching Academy, holds her degree in graphic design, hosts her podcast titled, “The Reclamation Podcast”, and has over 8 years of creative marketing experience. We discuss the many pivots she has made, how staying in your magic is the only way to live, and how to start handing back the story others have given you about your life or even the ones you are making up yourself. 

Get in touch:

Megan Colleen Johnson 
Website: www.megscolleen.com
Instagram: @megscolleen

Ayana Major Bey 
Website: www.ayanabey.com
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

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Executive Producer & Host: Ayana Major Bey 
Editor: Kieran Niemand

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode I am joined by photographer and performer Ambe J. Williams. She is a New Jersey born, Brooklyn based self taught photographer and small business owner. Before she was photographing Broadways' finest, she toured the country as a singer and actress performing in a number of regional theaters as well as off-broadway houses. When she's not with her camera, she's either watching delightfully bad movies with her husband or following a recipe for a delicious cocktail. We discuss her choice to pivot from full time actress to full time photographer, having an open mind to develop a hobby that can sustain you and feed your sense of worth, and how artists need to honor their boundaries.

Get in touch: 

Ambe J Williams
Website: https://www.ambejphotography.com
Instagram @ambejphotography

Ayana Major Bey 
Website: www.ayanabey.com
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

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Executive Producer & Host: Ayana Major Bey 
Editor: Kieran Niemand

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode I am joined by actor, singer, entertainer, teacher, and entrepreneur Kwame Michael Remy. He is an international performing artist with theatre, concert, and recording credits. He has shared the stage performing with luminaries such as Sam Smith, Billy Porter,  Bebe Winans, and Linda Eder to name a few. Pre-Pandemic he was seen in the Pacific premiere of Kinky Boots in the role of Lola/Simon for which he won multiple awards for his performance. We discuss his new virtual entertainment company The House Ov Mahogany, how this new venture has allowed him and his friends to create freely, and how everything you want is on the other side of fear.

Get in touch: 

Kwame Michael Remy 
Instagram @kwame_michael

The House Ov Mahogany 
Instagram: @house_ov_mahogany
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/HOUSE-OV-Mahogany-107834111043469/
Twitter: @H_OV_Mahogany

Ayana Major Bey 
Website: www.ayanabey.com
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

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Executive Producer & Host: Ayana Major Bey 
Editor: Kieran Niemand

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello... Hello... Hello! Welcome to Season 2 of The Artist Pivot Podcast!!

Welcome back to my lovely loyal listeners.  Welcome and thank you to my new ones!

This is a weekly conversation with artists about their current pivot, past pivots, and every pivot in between. With these conversations I hope to remind artists that we are actually taught, trained, and innately have it in us to reevaluate and adapt, whether it be on stage, at an audition, a survival job, or an unexpected situation we have to deal with… like this global pandemic.  For those listening who don’t consider themselves artists you can pivot too, everyone possesses the ability to do so, you just have to be reminded sometimes. So with Season 2 here, subscribe to the podcast, tell your friends to subscribe, and let’s get too celebrating. 

Listen to a sneak peak of what's to come!

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On this season 1 finale episode I am joined by The Real Housewives of After Midnight 3.0, which include Brenda Braxton, Leandra Ellis-Gaston, Asha-Brownie Gordon, Krystal Mackie, Iman Ayana Barnes, and Bria Williams. I had the pleasure of working with these beautiful ladies in the show After Midnight on the Norwegian Escape. 

So here is a little bit about each one:

 Ms. Brenda Braxton is an author, singer, dancer, Tony-nominated actress and native New Yorker. She originated the role of Brenda in Smokey Joe's Cafe and did double duty for some time running BBraxton’s, a grooming salon for gentlemen, while in Chicago on Broadway. 

Mrs. Leandra Ellis-Gaston is an actress who hails from Columbia, South Carolina and now resides in New York City with her husband. She has toured with Beautiful:The Carole King Musical and made her broadway debut last year in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. 

Ms. Asha Brownie-Gordon is a singer, actress, and occasional waitress/barista who is originally from Conyers, Georgia. She has worked at theme parks, on cruise ships, and in regional theatre for the last decade. 

Ms. Krystal Mackie is Brooklyn born and bred and is a dancer, singer, and teaching artist. She is an Alumni of LaGuardia High School and received her BFA from University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She made her Off-Broadway Debut in This Ain’t No Disco and is currently in the 1st National Tour of Hamilton. 

Ms Iman Ayana Barnes is a performing artist rooted in dance and fitness. Starting in concert dance, she eventually crossed into the world of Musical Theatre doing productions of After Midnight, Oklahoma, and The Music Man. Dancing has always been her outlet of expression, joy, and fulfillment and finding these emotions in any performance opportunity is one of her main goals. She has now also started her own Youtube fitness channel.

Ms Bria Williams is a dancer who hails from Baltimore, Maryland. She made her Broadway debut in Mean Girls and was the principal Duval Understudy. She also has a passion for interior design and has been finding ways to use those skills as well. 

We discuss sisterhood, taking off the mask, and discovering who we really are when everything is stripped away.

Get in touch: 

Brenda Braxton 

Leandra Ellis-Gaston 

Asha Brownie-Gordon 

Krystal Mackie 

• Instagram: @krystalmackie 

Iman Ayana Barnes 

Bria Williams 

Ayana Major Bey

Transcript available at: https://theartistpivot.buzzsprout.com/1296095/6850045-season-1-finale-the-real-housewives-of-after-midnight-3-0-this-is-who-i-am

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On this episode I am joined by independent filmmaker and writer Alex Costello. He is based in Los Angeles and has been an avid movie fan since he was a kid.  Alex went to film school and has worked for 10 years for a nationally syndicated news show, all while continuing to try to find his ideal place in Hollywood.  He's produced and created a variety of short films, attempted to make a feature-length documentary about an aspiring hip-hop artist, and is now honing his craft in writing TV dramas. We discuss how breaking his arm led him to writing the script for his first short; how everything starts with listening; and how pivoting is not a failure, it’s just life. 

Get in touch: 
Alex Costello
Instagram: @alexthemovieguy 

Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com 
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

Transcript available at: https://theartistpivot.buzzsprout.com/1296095/6739381-alex-costello-grow-through-what-you-go-through

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On this episode I am joined by Progressive Theater founder Gregory Omar Osborne. Progressive Theater is a nonprofit theater company which aims to tell culturally enriched stories that empower the misrepresented and people of color, while captivating all audiences with the focus being the change we want to see. He recently produced a film adaptation of THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS amidst COVID, with a mission to create more opportunities for actors, filmmakers, photographers, and anyone who falls under the umbrella of artist. We discuss how producing theatre for him has been a humbling experience; how he’s the ideas guy and is always proud to pivot boldly; and since you, me, we are still alive, so is our part of the industry. 

Get in touch:
Gregory Omar Osborne
Website: www.gregoryomarosborne.com
Instagram: @goo_inc, @progressivethtr 

Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com 
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

Transcript available at: https://theartistpivot.buzzsprout.com/1296095/6557812-gregory-omar-osborne-pivot-boldly

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On this episode I am joined by former stand-up comedian, former gag gift business owner, and now simplicity coach Delanie Fischer. She has made many a pivot and has found that conscious consumption and taking a fun and simple approach to her new endeavors proves to be the way to go. We discuss her former life as a stand-up comedian; how she wants to provide a holistic approach in her business coaching; and how artists have the power and everything at their disposal to put their own art into the world.

Get in touch:

Delanie Fischer
Website: https://www.delaniefischer.com
Instagram: @delaniefischer 

Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com 
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

Transcript available at:
https://theartistpivot.buzzsprout.com/1296095/6388165-delanie-fischer-artists-have-the-power

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, I am joined by singer and actress Yvette Monique Clark. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and started her career a little later in life. She was the mother of a nine year old son when she decided to change her life. With no formal training, some talent, faith, and determination she set out to follow her dreams. After many survival jobs, singing in clubs around Manhattan and dabbling in a couple of gospel plays, a little birdie told her about an audition for the non-equity tour of HAIRSPRAY. She booked it and shall we say the rest is history. She has been fortunate to have worked in film and television, on stages regionally, nationally, and internationally. Some of her most notable stage shows are; GUN and POWDER (Sissy), AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' (Nell), SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE (BJ), THE WIZ (Aunt Em, Evillene, and Glinda), HAIRSPRAY (Motormouth Maybelle) and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Regina). We discuss how her biggest pivot was making the decision to become an artist;  how her cabaret Diva of the ‘Demic is helping her hold onto her passion in this time; and that true change will come to our industry when representation is across the board, not just on stage or in front of the camera, but on technical crews too. 

Get in touch:

Yvette Monique Clark
Instagram: @ymclark1969, @divaofthedemic
Website: www.yvettemoniqueclark.com  

Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com 
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot

Transcript available at:
https://theartistpivot.buzzsprout.com/1296095/6297067-yvette-monique-clark-diva-of-the-demic

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