My next guest is Kim Feast, former world number one ranked professional drop-knee bodyboarder, ocean photographer, and multidisciplinary artist, whose career spans elite competition, visual storytelling, and creative reinvention. Raised on the Australian coast, Feast reached the top of his sport while competing in one of its most technically demanding disciplines, often without sponsorship or institutional backing. Alongside professional competition, he earned a degree in architecture and quietly built a parallel life behind the camera, developing a distinctive visual language shaped by years inside heavy water and remote landscapes.

In this episode, Feast walks through the realities of life after elite sport and the search for purpose when adrenaline fades. He reflects on spinal injuries, the collapse of professional bodyboarding, and how photography became both therapy and craft. The conversation moves through his transition into ocean photography, the parallels between wave riding and image-making, and his eventual entry into NFTs during the pandemic. Throughout, Feast speaks candidly about burnout, integrity, decentralization, and why solitude, nature, and intention now guide his work and life.

My next guest is Tad Smith, American business leader, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Sotheby’s, and seasoned media and entertainment executive. Tad Smith is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar and Horace W. Goldsmith Fellow, and has spent decades leading major companies in media, entertainment, and global commerce. His executive career includes serving as CEO of Reed Business Information, President of Local Media at Cablevision, and President and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company before being tapped to lead Sotheby’s in 2015. During his tenure at Sotheby’s, he repositioned the 18th-century auction house and ultimately oversaw its sale in 2019. Smith also serves as an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

In this episode, Smith joins a wide-ranging, urgent conversation about artificial intelligence, creative work, and what happens when machines begin talking to each other at scale. He unpacks the implications of autonomous AI agents, emergent behavior, and the shrinking gap between persuasion and consciousness. The discussion moves through art, NFTs, human intention, and value in a world of machine-generated abundance, touching on religion, narrative, and purpose as anchors of humanity. Smith offers a sober but optimistic framework for thinking about the future, arguing that human-created meaning, experience, and connection may become more valuable, not less, as intelligence accelerates.

My next guest is Reuben Wu, a National Geographic photographer and visual artist known for using drone mounted lights to turn real landscapes into surreal night scenes. He shot the August 2022 National Geographic cover story on Stonehenge, a project that went on to win Online Storytelling Project of the Year in the Pictures of the Year International competition, and he has created imagery for major clients including Apple, Mercedes Benz and Google. Before that, he spent a decade touring the world as a founding member of the electronic band Ladytron, co writing and producing songs that led to global tours and platinum pop collaborations.

In this conversation, Reuben talks about stage fright and public speaking, the strange freedom of being the “invisible” guy in a successful band, and the night in the California desert that sparked his drone lighting experiments. He walks through the long road to the Stonehenge assignment, the technical and political hurdles of lighting a world heritage site, and how that work opened doors into NFTs, AR activated prints, and projection mapped installations. He also speaks frankly about creative burnout, AI as a tool rather than a threat, and how raising three kids has changed his sense of risk, time, and legacy as an artist.

In this episode, John sits down with Leica ambassador photographer and storyteller Brandon “Ruff Draft” Ruffin, whose journey spans from working in law enforcement to becoming a leading voice in the world of photography and digital art. Together, they explore how Brandon’s background in law enforcement and sociology degree shaped his understanding of people, ethics, and narrative — and how those experiences now inform his artistic philosophy.

They discuss the evolution of photography in the age of AI and NFTs, the importance of sovereignty and ownership, and the difference between creating for attention versus creating from curiosity and truth. Brandon shares how discipline, observation, and presence form the foundation of his work, and how photography became his way of exploring identity, culture, and the human experience.

This episode is a deep exploration of art, philosophy, transformation and image-making as a tool for understanding the world.

In this episode, John sits down with musician and performer Frankie Moreno, a six-time Las Vegas Headliner of the Year winner who has spent his entire life on stage and built his career independently through relentless dedication to his craft. From early fame as a prodigy to performing on some of the most iconic stages in the world — including the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall — Frankie’s journey is one of reinvention, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to music on his own terms.

John and Frankie explore the true cost of pursuing a creative life — the highs of performing for thousands, the lows of industry disappointment, the emotional toll of fame, and why social media metrics don’t translate to real connection or success. They discuss authenticity, ownership, and the importance of building a career based on genuine audience connection rather than algorithmic validation.

This episode offers an unfiltered look at the realities of the music world from someone who has lived every side of it — not just as an artist, but as a survivor of an industry that has changed dramatically over the past two decades.

In this episode, John sits down with Intrepid — a photographer, chemical engineer, sailor, and web3 pioneer who spent the last four years living at sea with his wife and three young children. During the global pandemic, Intrepid and his family became stateless, surviving entirely off-grid on a sailboat while navigating international waters, lockdown protocols, and the collapse of modern systems most of us take for granted.

John and Intrepid discuss the realities of living autonomously — generating power from the wind and sun, converting ocean water into drinking water, catching food to survive, and raising a family while sailing across continents. They dive deep into how these experiences shaped his worldview around freedom, resilience, and sovereignty, and why he believes the future of art, photography, and identity lies in blockchain provenance.

This episode explores the intersection of art, engineering, and human survival — a powerful reminder of what it truly means to be self-reliant in a centralized world.

In this episode of Unfiltered, John sits down with filmmaker and executive producer Joseph Ruzer — an artist whose story is as powerful as the work he’s created.

Born in Moscow and raised in the Bay Area after immigrating to the U.S. as a child, Joseph grew up between worlds — carrying the weight of displacement, trauma, and resilience that would later shape his voice as a storyteller. From acting and directing as a teenager to building a career behind the camera, his path has been anything but ordinary.

Today, Joseph is known for producing some of the biggest unscripted TV hits, including Love After Lockup (2018), Inmate to Roommate (2022), and Flavor Flav in Flavor of Love (2006). He’s also written, directed, and produced independent projects like The Squatter, Bodega, and the acclaimed documentary Scarf Face, which dives into the rivalry between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.

John and Joseph talk about his latest film, How Did We Get Here — a raw, on-the-ground documentary filmed in Israel that captures both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives in the aftermath of war. They explore the challenge of telling the truth in a polarized world, the danger of propaganda, and the courage it takes to create art that doesn’t pick sides.

The conversation moves from childhood trauma and creative drive to mental health, AI, and the future of media. They talk about how decentralization could free artists from corporate systems, and what it means to stay human in a world increasingly run by algorithms.

This episode is deep, emotional, and brutally honest — a conversation about art, responsibility, and what it really means to search for truth.

In this episode, John sits down with Violet Jones, a painter whose story begins in communist-era Poland and unfolds into a life defined by creativity, resilience, and brutal honesty. She grew up during a time of scarcity — a world where food was rationed, toys were carved by hand, and community meant survival.

They discuss Violet’s upbringing and the influence of her father, a wood sculptor who taught her how to see the world through texture and light. She opens up about how growing up under a strict system shaped her independence, and how that discipline later collided with freedom in her art.

From teaching languages and producing films to finding her true voice through painting, Violet’s journey is about transformation — finding beauty in imperfection and control through chaos. They also talk about culture, relationships, and why she refuses to sugarcoat anything, in life or in art.

Violet’s story is raw, insightful, and deeply human — a reminder that art isn’t about perfection, it’s about truth.

In this episode of Unfiltered, John sits down with filmmaker and photographer Julie Pacino to talk about her debut feature film I Live Here Now — a surreal, deeply personal exploration of trauma, identity, and self-acceptance.

Julie opens up about the five-year journey of making the film, shooting entirely on 35mm and 16mm Kodak stock, and the emotional process of revisiting her childhood through art. The two dive into the connection between creativity and healing, the fine line between control and surrender, and the importance of authenticity in a world that often rewards performance over truth.

They also discuss the early NFT photography movement, the power of community, and how that same spirit of collaboration continues to shape their work today.

I Live Here Now is currently screening at festivals worldwide, with a theatrical release planned for early 2026.

In this episode, John sits down with Trevor Jones, whose journey bridges the worlds of traditional painting and crypto art. Trevor began his career later in life, studying fine art and working primarily with oil on canvas before experimenting with technology through QR codes and augmented reality. His curiosity eventually led him to Bitcoin and NFTs, where he found a global audience and a new way to share his work.

Trevor opens up about the struggles he faced as a painter, the risks he took blending art with emerging technology, and how projects like The Bitcoin Angel and his record-breaking open edition sale that generated $3.4 million became milestones in his career. We also dive into the highs and lows of the NFT community, the role of storytelling in his art, and what it means to create work that connects both physically and digitally in a rapidly evolving cultural landscape.