The Buddy Ruski Show

On episode 20 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Mike Shields.

Mike is an arborist by trade but an artist at heart, based in New York City.

He is the co-founder of Across the Margin, a media and publishing company founded in New York City. Mike and I met through our mutual friend, and my long-time roommate, Tom Rau.

We cover Mike’s upbringing in the Northeast, his college years at Virginia Tech, the idea of “manifest dismantling,” and being fangirls of Jenny Odell. Mike had the pleasure of interviewing Jenny on his show a couple of months ago.

We also talked about what it takes to run a media company in the digital age. Storytelling is a core tenet of Across The Margin, as it is here at Buddy Ruski, so we were really vibin’. Hope you enjoy!
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends.

You can always find new episodes of this podcast and support the show financially through a subscription at BuddyRuski.com. Make it a part of your regular content digest.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @buddyruski

On episode 19 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Margaret McNab.

Margaret is a marketing specialist based in Durham, North Carolina.

We shared a lovely conversation about growing up in Montana, her origins in Oregon, that one summer in Prague (spicy) and how she got to Durham in 2009. Margaret led Public Relations for Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (what is now Discover Durham) from 2010-2012, during a pivotal time in Durham’s recent history. She’s been a champion of freelancers and gig workers for years through her work leading the Freelance League of NC and beyond.
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends.

You can always find new episodes of this podcast and so much more at BuddyRuski.com. Make it a part of your regular content digest.

On episode 18 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Nevy Ramadanovic.

Nevy is one of the many characters in the Runaway Extended Universe. He and I had the pleasure of working together during my tenure at the company, including a stop in Charlotte for our New Carolina tour back in 2017.

He and I talked about how he got into DJing, who his inspirations are in the industry, and how he’s been able to maintain during COVID. Obviously, we’ve all been stuck at home and like many of you, Nevy has been reflecting on the past, trying to live in the present while planning for an uncertain near future.
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends and consider supporting the show and other projects on Patreon at patreon.com/buddyruski.

You can always find new episodes of this podcast and so much more at BuddyRuski.com. Make it a part of your regular content digest.

On episode 17 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Saleem Reshamwala.

Saleem is a videographer based here in Durham, North Carolina. He is incredibly wise and considerate, always tinkering and experimenting. He never settles for the status quo and is constantly thinking about how we can improve everyday life through an outta the box approach. You’ll hear some of that in our conversation as we discuss the future of education, why empathy is important to fostering strong communities, and how technology has changed his own approach to filmmaking.

You can follow his work at kidethnic.com.
***
As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends and consider supporting the show and other projects on Patreon at patreon.com/buddyruski.

You can always find new episodes of this podcast and so much more at BuddyRuski.com. Make it a part of your regular content digest.

On episode 16 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Daniel Watkins, aka Danny Blaze.

Danny is a retired rapper and lifelong Durhamite. His journey as a musician is one to be admired for his perseverance through the ever-changing media landscape that indie artists rely so heavily on. Danny didn’t start getting into hip-hop until high school. His story as a professional hip-hop artist began at North Carolina Central University in the classroom of 9th Wonder, acclaimed producer and former member of Little Brother. In 2019, Danny announced he would step away from music after feeling burnt out. You can still find his witty humor and keen observations on Twitter and Instagram at @yaboydannyblaze.
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends and support the show on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/buddyruski.

You can always find new episodes of this podcast plus so much more at BuddyRuski.com.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @buddyruski

On episode 15 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Nicole Oxendine.

Nicole is the founder of Empower Dance Studio in downtown Durham. She is a Durham native, born and raised. As a young person, Nicole swore off working as a teacher or opening a dance studio, but fate had a different plan. After graduating from Hollins University with a degree in Psychology, Nicole became a dance teacher with Durham Public Schools. After spending years working with youth in her community, Nicole founded Empower Dance Studio as a means to have a more direct impact on the lives of her students.
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You can always find new episodes of this podcast plus so much more at BuddyRuski.com.

As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends and support the show on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/buddyruski.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @buddyruski

On episode 14 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Bernard Worthy.

Bernard is the co-founder, CEO and CTO of Loanwell, a financial tech company headquartered in American Underground in Durham. Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Bernard made his way to the Triangle for undergraduate school at UNC Chapel-Hill before moving to Durham to help found a church and start his journey as an entrepreneur. He comes from a family of entrepreneurs and learned the value of persistence and creativity at an early age. We compare and contrast the entrepreneurial landscapes of Durham and Atlanta, how they've grown, and what they're missing to increase economic diversity.

With the little free time he has left, Bernard enjoys a good pick-up basketball run and spending time with his newborn daughter.
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You can always find new episodes of this podcast plus so much more at BuddyRuski.com.

As always, thank you for listening. If you like what you hear, be sure to share with your friends and support the show on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/buddyruski.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @buddyruski

On episode 13 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Rose Domanico.

Rose is a passionate political organizer currently serving as the Vice President of Durham Democratic Women. Similar to my interview with David on episode 12, my guest is a born-and-raised Durhamite. We revisit some of her favorite and most informative childhood memories in the Bull City before diving into her work at DDW and examine what it takes to get people out to the polls.

If you would like to learn more about Rose's work, check out durhamdemwomen.org. We also encourage you to check out You Can Vote, a nonpartisan group in North Carolina aimed at increasing voter turnout.
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Each week, you’ll find new episodes at BuddyRuski.com featuring new conversations with intriguing people.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @buddyruski

On episode 12 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews David Delaney Mayer.

David and I are childhood friends from the same Watts-Hillandale neighborhood in Durham. We reminisce about the good ol' days growing up in Durham and how early exposure to the complexities of communities shaped our upbringing. Then, I ask David about being a "one and done" player at Duke alongside Kyrie Irving and falling in love with documentary filmmaking after falling out of love with basketball.
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Each week, you’ll find new episodes at BuddyRuski.com featuring new conversations with intriguing people.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @buddyruski

On episode 11 of The Buddy Ruski Show, Justin interviews Cameron Barnard, aka FootRocket.

We talk about home schooling and geek out over WhoSampled.com while Cameron tries to explain to me what the heck VaporWave is. We also talk about his musical influences and what he looks for in a sample. Then, as a special treat, Cameron shares a small sample of his new upcoming EP, Colony.

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Each week, you’ll find new episodes at BuddyRuski.com featuring new conversations with intriguing people.

Follow on Twitter and IG: @buddyruski