Unapologetically Creative

Filmmaker Charles Burnett reflects on a career shaped by community, history, and a deep sense of responsibility to tell stories often left unseen. Growing up in Watts and coming of age during a pivotal moment in American history, Burnett shares how lived experience, observation, and empathy became central to his approach to filmmaking.

In this conversation, Burnett discusses why he has always viewed film as more than entertainment, emphasizing storytelling as a way to preserve memory, reflect social realities, and give voice to everyday life. He speaks about his time at UCLA, the challenges Black filmmakers faced in gaining access and recognition, and how works like Killer of Sheep emerged from a commitment to authenticity rather than spectacle.

Burnett also reflects on legacy and what it means to remain creatively engaged over time, offering insight into the responsibility artists carry to their communities and to future generations through the stories they choose to tell.

02:10 – Early Life in Watts and Learning to Observe

04:30 – Community as a Source of Story

06:45 – UCLA and a Transformative Moment in History

09:10 – Access, Barriers, and Being Seen as a Filmmaker

11:45 – Film as Reflection, Not Explanation

14:00 – Rejecting Spectacle and Hollywood Expectations

16:10 – The Making of Killer of Sheep

19:20 – Everyday Life as Cinematic Material

21:40 – International Recognition and U.S. Resistance

24:00 – Preservation, Memory, and Cultural Responsibility

26:10 – Teaching, Mentorship, and Passing Knowledge Forward

28:15 – Legacy, Responsibility, and Closing Reflections

Daniel Nayeri explores how specific details in a story can reveal something universal. He reflects on his fascination with “welcome,” from inviting strangers into his home for dinner to the moment characters meet around a fire, and discusses the role of food in his life and how being a pastry chef shaped his sense of pleasure, honesty, and craft. Daniel also shares what readers have taught him about vulnerability, why trusting his own palate matters, and how children and adults bring different emotional tools to stories, showing how specificity and truth help readers see pieces of their own lives in someone else’s story.

0:41 Introduction of Daniel Nayeri and Everything Sad Is Untrue.

1:14 The idea of “welcome” and storytelling through food.

2:27 Shoes on or off? Cultural norms and politeness as storytelling entry points.

3:47 Hosting strangers: the publisher’s reaction and surprising outcomes.

4:38 Unexpected connections — photographers, dinners, and shared creative space.

5:05 Daniel’s philosophy: everyone begins with welcome, but it can be lost.

5:54 Campfire metaphor: the moment two strangers negotiate trust.

7:33 Visualization and metaphor: crafting scenes with all five senses.

10:02 Life as a pastry chef: honest reactions in an open kitchen.

11:40 Applying the pastry chef mindset to writing.

13:52 Entertainment vs. art: palate cleansers and deeper meaning.

14:48 Why art isn’t just “chocolate and cocaine.”

15:34 Cooking and fighting: Daniel’s primary metaphors for truth.

16:35 Mike Tyson’s “everyone has a plan until they get punched.”

18:18 “Trust your palate”: the chef’s lesson on honesty.

19:04 Why trusting your own palate matters creatively.

20:08 Writing for children: appropriateness and development.

21:26 Children’s emotional depth and articulation.

26:07 Emails from readers and the weight of their stories.

29:03 Seeing ourselves everywhere; anthropomorphizing the world.

29:35 Art’s purpose: inviting others in without dehumanizing them.

30:30 Being unapologetically creative as a primal human act.

Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and author of A Single Shard and A Long Walk to Water, reflects on growing up without stories that reflected her Korean identity, the importance of representation in books, and how reading helps young people develop deep thinking skills. She also shares the real-world impact of A Long Walk to Water, which inspired students to raise millions for clean water projects in South Sudan and discusses how stories give children a safe space to practice life.

2:04 How her creative journey began, childhood reading and early influences

6:07 Lack of identity representation in childhood reading

6:16 Experiences growing up Korean American and early awareness of difference

6:46 How representation influenced her writing and Korean historical focus

23:26 Discussion of A Long Walk to Water and its global impact

23:51 Credit to her husband’s journalism and origins of the story of Salva Dut

24:12 How the book spread through classrooms and inspired students to act

26:19 How it felt to see the book’s real world impact

26:23 Reflections on young readers’ response and her newest book about coral reefs

26:56 Question about advice to her younger self

27:07 Advice, embracing what makes you different

27:27 How would you present that in book form

27:29 Continuing reflections, being true to oneself and finding strengths in difference

Miller Wrenn is a bassist and composer who explores the beauty of improvisation, collaboration, and the deep trust that fuels creative work. In this conversation with Andrew Ramsammy, Wrenn reflects on how neurodiversity shapes his process, why true artistry begins with openness, and how music becomes a living dialogue between people. From his early days as an 11-year-old bassist to collaborations with acclaimed artists like Hildur Guðnadóttir, Wrenn reveals the lessons of resilience, community, and honesty that define his craft.

00:00–00:23—Opening Reflection
00:28–01:35—Introduction
01:36–03:05—Full Circle at CalArts
03:06–05:11—Early Beginnings in Music
05:12–06:37—Discovering Improvisation
07:03–09:54—Collaboration and Connection
09:54–13:04—The First “Date” with Hildur Guðnadóttir
13:04–16:13—Experimentation and Musical Honesty
16:14–18:29—Balancing Structure and Spontaneity
18:30–19:52—Preparing for Improvised Performance
19:53–21:24—Themes and Emotional Exploration
21:25–22:56—Creative Blocks and Deep Listening
22:57–24:46—Letting Go of Ego
24:47–26:39—AI and the Future of Music
26:40–28:51—Advice to His Younger Self
28:52–29:51—Defining “Unapologetically Creative”
29:57–30:39—Closing Thoughts

Christine Sneed, award-winning author and creative writing professor, reflects on her path from teenage poetry journals to national acclaim. She shares how humor, specificity, and emotional honesty shape her storytelling, the moment in Paris that cemented her identity as a writer, and why trusting your instincts matters more than chasing trends. Christine also opens up about the realities of publishing, the craft lessons she teaches her students, and the quiet persistence required to build a life in literature.

01:54 — What Inspired Christine to Start Writing
02:38 — The Epiphany Moment in Paris: “I’m Going to Be a Writer”
04:36 — Returning from France & Early Mentors
05:53 — Getting an MFA at Indiana University
06:59 — Balancing Life, Writing, and Early Struggles
07:24 — What is “Domestic Realism”?
07:51 — Writing Structure, Titles, and Episodic Thinking
08:47 — Narrative Structure & Flashbacks
09:44 — Christine’s Writing Process & Routine
11:28 — Writing Humor & Her Book *Please Be Advised*
13:58 — Corporate Life as Creative Fuel
15:52 — Writing *Little Known Facts* and Hollywood Dynamics
17:30 — Who She Writes For (and Why)
18:08 — Research & Writing from Different Perspectives
19:39 — Writing for Publication vs Writing for Passion
21:12 — The “First Pancake” Philosophy
21:33 — Teaching & How It Shapes Her Writing
22:56 — How to Create Specific, Real Characters
23:09 — Craft Advice & The Power of Detail
25:23 — The Importance of Organic Strangeness in Fiction
25:26 — Advice to Her Younger Self
26:36 — What It Means to Be Unapologetically Creative

In this episode of Unapologetically Creative, host Andrew Ramsammy speaks with multidisciplinary artist and educator Taraneh Hemami, whose work bridges personal history and collective storytelling. From growing up during the Iranian revolution to building community through art in San Francisco, Taraneh shares how displacement, memory and resistance have shaped her creative journey. Through installations, public art and archival projects, she reclaims lost narratives and creates space for difficult conversations. This is a conversation about art as a force for connection, care and cultural preservation.

Timestamps

• 00:03 – 00:31 · Art and politics: Why creatives must respond to the moment
• 00:37 – 01:44 · Host introduction
• 02:07 – 05:38 · Taraneh’s artistic journey: From Iran’s revolution to community-centered art
• 05:46 – 07:50 · Childhood influences: Western art, music, and rediscovering Persian traditions
• 08:22 – 08:57 · Early years in the U.S.: Surviving as an immigrant and working retail
• 09:03 – 10:03 · Teaching as a path back to art and community
• 10:19 – 12:57 · Community storytelling: Hall of Reflections and post-9/11 projects
• 13:29 – 17:25 · Resistance and collective identity in art
• 17:46 – 19:31 · Is art political? The tension of labels in the art world
• 19:56 – 22:02 · Taraneh’s creative process: Proposals, experiments, and public art timelines
• 22:25 – 24:12 · Identity, doubt, and belonging: Iranian, American, artist
• 24:21 – 25:58 · The power of residency: Connection, reflection, and trust
• 26:11 – 27:02 · Returning from residency: Teaching and making space for hard conversations
• 27:07 – 27:27 · What “unapologetically creative” means to Taraneh Hemami
• 27:29 – 28:17 · Closing reflection: Art as connection, responsibility, and resilience

In this episode of Unapologetically Creative, host Andrew Ramsammy sits down with painter Elizabeth Tremante, whose powerful and often humorous “paintings within paintings” challenge traditional museum narratives. From a rural childhood in upstate New York to graduate school at Stanford, Elizabeth shares how motherhood, feminism and a deep curiosity for art history shape her vivid imagined museum scenes—spaces filled with children, pregnant bodies and overlooked figures rarely represented in classical art. Together, they explore how art can be both comic and critical, tender and disruptive, asking us to see the gallery and the stories within it through new eyes.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 2:06 – 3:22 | Early Life & Path to Art

• 3:25 – 4:18 | The Spark of Creation

• 5:08 – 6:31 | Describing Her Work

• 7:09 – 8:15 | A Daughter’s Reaction to Museums

• 8:53 – 9:44 | On Feminism and Representation

• 10:56 – 14:46 | Reframing Art History in Her Paintings

• 15:15 – 18:14 | Humor, Mythology, and Reinterpretation

• 18:41 – 19:58 | Reception and Criticism

• 20:09 – 21:17 | Art History as Power and Violence

• 21:27 – 23:31 | Making Blood Visible

• 24:17 – 27:31 | Themes of Care and Vulnerability

• 28:22 – 28:55 | Unapologetically Creative

Sneak peak of what's in store this season

Michael Riley, founder of Shine Studio and the creative force behind iconic opening sequences for Gattaca, Kung Fu Panda, and Modern Family, joins Unapologetically Creative to talk about embracing uncertainty, trusting your instincts, and working in service of the story. From cold pitches to career pivots, Michael shares how saying yes to new opportunities and being okay with rejection can shape a long and fulfilling
creative life. This is a conversation about staying curious, being brave, and showing up with your best ideas, no matter what.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 0:22 — Introduction to Michael Riley and his motion design career

• 1:49 — Early passion for art and high school silkscreen business

• 3:00 — RISD experience and falling in love with typography

• 4:30 — Embracing multidisciplinarity in the creative world

• 5:18 — Influential internship with Tibor Kalman

• 6:30 — Embracing storytelling in film and TV

• 8:43 — First major TV project: Saturday Night Live

• 9:03 — First film: Gattaca and its creative marketing

• 11:10 — Working with directors and understanding their vision

• 12:38 — Lessons from pitching (successes and failures)

• 14:30 — Story of losing Bee Movie and landing Kung Fu Panda

• 16:25 — Role and function of a title sequence

• 18:07 — Designing differently for film vs. streaming

• 20:00 — Integration of title sequences into the story

• 21:06 — Designing sequences people won’t want to skip

• 22:33 — Processing creative feedback with professionalism

• 24:23 — Solving creative challenges under tight timelines

• 25:31 — Advice to his younger self

• 26:19 — Defining “Unapologetically Creative”

Book artist and educator Amy Fortunato joins Unapologetically Creative to share how her early experiences shaped a career built on curiosity, complexity, and care. From her first creative spark at CalArts to her current work mentoring students and crafting museum-quality books, Amy opens up about the power of asking questions, embracing identity in all its dimensions, and resisting the urge to stay in one lane. This episode explores how thoughtful creativity can honor stories, challenge norms, and lead to paths more fulfilling than we ever imagined.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 0:25 — Introduction to Amy Fortunato and her multidisciplinary design practice

• 2:02 — Career overview and return to CalArts as part of VCFA residency

• 3:14 — Early creative experiences and lack of role models in the arts

• 4:19 — Cultural identity and underrepresentation in creative spaces

• 4:37 — The transformative impact of attending CSSSA.

• 6:59 — Lasting influence of early exposure to cross-disciplinary creativity

• 8:45 — Resisting creative categorization and embracing complexity

• 9:29 — Viewing identity and career through multidimensional “facets”

• 13:56 — Collaborative process of designing art books

• 16:27 — Favorite and most challenging aspects of book design

• 18:37 — The joy of holding the final physical product

• 21:04 — Physical books vs. e-books and the importance of tangible design

• 22:53 — Advice for students on documenting and shaping thesis books

• 25:52 — Advice to her younger self: trust the journey and stay open

• 26:35 — Defining unapologetic creativity as thoughtful irreverence