The D Brief

Festivals can be an effective way for artists and entertainers to get exposure and build up a fan base — if they understand how the festival business works. Karen Delhey, spokesperson for the the Ann Arbor Art Fair and the Executive Director of the Guild of Artists and Artisans, offers five tips for artists looking to perform at festivals.

Instagram can be a powerful marketing tools for Detroit artists and entertainers…if you know how to use it properly. In this social webinar, Sadie Quagliotto of Hip in Detroit, manages social media accounts professionally for local organizations. She joins us to talk about the most common mistakes she sees with Instagram, and what you should do instead.

Sadie is the co-owner/director of Hip in Detroit, a local lifestyle brand that has helped capture everything that makes Detroit special. Over the last 10 years, Hip in Detroit has built up an organic base of followers and become a respected voice within the community through our blog, podcasts, videos, and interviews.

Sadie also manages social media and marketing for a variety of Detroit organizations and brands. She teaches others how to get the most out of their social media in private one-on-one sessions and in large class settings.

Now that technology has made it easy for anyone to create podcasts, blogs, and YouTube channels, there are more opportunities for exposure for creatives than ever before. When these opportunities arise, how do you give an interview that will win new fans? Local celebrity interviewer Greg Russell will show you how to be a fantastic interviewee.

Greg Russell has been a television and radio fixture in Detroit, Michigan for over 30 years. Greg is the host and producer of the syndicated television show, Movie Show Plus. Greg can also be seen weekly on Live In The D on Local 4 (NBC) Detroit. Greg Russell was also a celebrity interviewer for Getty Images Worldwide. He can also be heard on WJR a.m. 760 on the Paul W. Smith Show. He also has his own show on 910 AM the Superstation which also streams on iHeart radio. He is a celebrity contributor on the national shows Fortune Finds and Notorious which are both seen on Reelz Channel.

Greg is a two-time Emmy Award winner and has served as president of the National Academy of Television Arts (Emmy) for the state of Michigan. Greg has also been a board member for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) both nationally and locally.

The D Brief hosted Detroit's Big Shot talent competition in the fall of 2021. The contest featured musicians, comedians, actors, impressionists, burlesque dancers, sideshow performers, and more. Meet the performer who was crowned the champion: Beatboxer Stevie Soul.

The ability to improvise is an important skill for artists. Like all skills, it has to be developed through practice. Jazz musician and entrepreneur Jeff Ponders II talks to Seth and Becky about how artists can build their improvisational capabilities.

There are many different "lenses" that you can use when looking at the history of a city's culture. For example, you can look at Detroit's history through music, or food, or art. But a lens that people often overlook is cartography -- in other words, looking at Detroit through maps.  Alex B. Hill is the Geographic Information Systems Director at Wayne State University and the Project Director of the Detroit Food Map Initiative. He joins Seth and Becky to talk about what unconventional maps can tell us about Detroit.

Over and over again, we hear Detroit artists ask how they can take their passion and turn it into a full-time business that provides a livable salary. Laura Khalil, host of the Brave by Design podcast and business consultant, talks to Seth and Becky about how artists can make this dream a reality.

Up and coming artists are constantly asking how they can get booked at festivals. Jaime Wilkins is the Entertainment Director and National Stage Production Manager for Jonathan Witz & Associates, and it's her job to put together the lineup for the annual Arts, Beats & Eats Festival in Royal Oak. We asked her what artists who want to get booked should know.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people, especially artists, to battle with depression. To deal with her anxiety, Catherine Tolbert-Wilson, a recent graduate of Central Michigan University, channeled her energy into the creation of the Good Day Selfie Museum in Ferndale. She talks to Seth and Becky about it.

New technologies are not only changing the way that people consume art, but are also changing the content of the art itself. Award-winning visual artist Wendy Popko designs and and paints outdoor murals. She joins Seth and Becky to talk about how virtual reality has opened up new possibilities for her art.