The Petty Pod

Cameron Day is a Creative Director/Copywriter, and kinda the "post-Don Draper", having hustled through the late 80s/early 90s as an ad guy. He's also Guy Day's son, who founded Chiat/Day (if you know anything about advertising). Cameron still writes and creative directs as a freelancer, but he's got countless stories from the adworld grind as you can guess. He schooled us on how to NOT work 'till midnight, navigating business, and what to do if the power goes out during a client pitch with Range Rover. Scrrt!

Julie Kenner writes novels about demon-hunting soccer moms. Along with her other successful romance/fantasy series, Julie has held the title as an international WSJ, NYT, and USA Today bestseller. Hollywood even optioned her "paranormal mommy lit" series, Carpe Demon, for a movie, so yeah, she's pretty damn successful as a writer. Fun fact: She was a lawyer who studied at UT! Get the full backstory on this amazing author, her writing, her habits, and even the rad, sci-fi B-movie she had a cameo in.

Ben Edgerton is the visionary behind the neighborhood hot spot, Contigo Austin (@contigoaustin). A true Texan at heart, Ben grew up in San Antonio, spending time on his family's original Contigo ranch. After a stint doing advertising in New York and promoting music shows, he came back to ATX to dive into food service, and wound up turning a lonely gravel lot into an ad-hoc beer garden, which evolved into Contigo. You could say Ben stays focused on making the vibe of an experience work. Recently, he wrapped up his Chicon concept to make room for Last Straw, a vibrant tropical-late-eighties hangout spot on the eastside. We talked about switching gears with careers, ranchin', designing experiences, working with longtime friends, and then some. Get 'cha some!

Chris Rose is a comedy writer who's living in NYC. He's a producer/director for The Daily Show w/ Trevor Noah, but before that he hosted his own variety show, Late Night Basement, which was noted as best comedy show in New York Magazine. Chris is a proud Texan though. On his IG you'll find plenty of migas and cacti. To add to the list, Chris found himself DJing mash-up music as DJ Car Stereo Wars at the Beauty Bar in Austin. That was '07. Now it's 2018 and we had to catch up on being tenacious about your goals, bootleggin' Topo Chico, and how to DIY it or DIE tryin'.

Chris Tellez is a comedian - no surprise we went full-on #crime podcast this episode. But listen, take nothing seriously, except, seriously, Chris is a naturally funny guy who's instrumental in making Austin a serious place for comedians. He's performed at the epic Moontower Festival, Oddball Comedy Festival, SXSW, and and he hosts the monthly Shit's Golden comedy showcase as well. Hear how he gets the juice for writing jokes (in real time), life-changing events at Taco Bell, bouncing from Dallas, and building the comedy scene in the ATX.

Stephanie Beard is the brain behind Esby Apparel, her Austin-based clothing company that sports a full staff and a sweet location on s. 1st street. Clothing wasn't a side hobby for her, she lived in New York for a while, designing for Tommy Hilfiger, Converse, an Levi's. But rather than outfitting the devils of NYC fashion (in Prada, obvs), she relocated and built her own brand. We reminisced on North Carolina, the #menswear movement of the late aughts and how she channeled it into women's clothing, and yeah, had a pretty chill, laid-back session. Hear why Stephanie is always to-do listing for her next to-do list.

Steven Walker was in the band Modern English for over a decade. Born and raised in London, he lived and breathed the invasion as you know it, from new wavers to punks. Today he owns a veritable shangri-la of rock photography known as Modern Rocks Gallery, featuring the work of iconic photographers that rode shotgun with Bowie and swam underwater with Nirvana. We talked about the "full package" brand of UK musicians, switching from sold-out arena tours to gallery life, and how your role in music never has to end. I think someone in The Cure's mom pops up here, too. You better watch your step.

Miranda Bennett designs, manufactures, and markets her signature clothing in Austin, TX. Behind the scenes of her studio, it's a full-scale operation: environmentally/globally-conscious, sustainable, and naturally sourced, like her "dye stuff" from plants (even avocado pits). Even after getting started in New York, Miranda never lost the vision she has in her garments. Hear why her roots led her towards an impactful story that's just as strong as her lookbook. Toast!

You know Sophie Roach's work. Her visual art is surreal, happy, mind-bending, and delightfully busy (like her schedule). She's from Austin, got bored in Seattle, and has helped tons of brands add spunk to their image, including Converse, Vans, Lollapalooza - even the inner walls of Facebook. We went in on dog-walking, jet-setting to BKNY, and those rare, cool clients that let you experiment (and pay you for it). And I learned about a guy that creates mazes. Stick with us, don't get lost.

Maker/Designer Jessica Tata co-owns Son Of A Sailor, an Austin-based accessories company that builds a timeless world with smart colors and rugged/classy textures (OK, I'm proud of this description -me). Jessica and her husband, William, have kept their brand funky and unique-as-hell while not losing the vision that got 'em here in the first place. Jessica's kind of a badass, with her background in the SF art gallery scene, photography, and a knack for harnessing her business partner/husband's random ideas. We covered it all, and somehow the Pythagorean Theorem came up? Glad we hit everything from the right angle.