The Burning Castle Podcast

The Burning Castle Podcast: Founder Zach Obront on Harnessing Curiosity for Radical Career Change Nov 10, 2022

Zach Obront is co-founder of Scribe Media, a company he and his partner, Tucker Max, built into a category-creating business. From the beginning, Scribe was focused on giving authors the power to achieve creative freedom—the theme at the heart of The Burning Castle Podcast. And, if you check out the Scribe website, you’ll see it’s really succeeded.

Zach could have optimized this success, scaling Scribe and reaping the fruit of much hard labor. But instead, he climbed down the hill (to borrow a term from Chris Dixon), and is now in the midst of doing something few would expect the head of a book-related business to do: he’s taught himself to code web3 technologies, like blockchain, and is exploring the frontier of an uncharted technology.

That sounds daunting. And it is. But, as you’ll hear on the episode, the spirit of creativity and exploration that Zach brings to his radically different new endeavor makes what could be an enormously difficult lift into something that sounds…dare I say, fun?

Check out this episode and don’t forget to forward this email, or share it on your favorite attention-gobbling social media platform, so we can spread the good gospel of creative freedom.

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The Burning Castle: Somali-American Actor Sharmaarke Mohamed on Finding Freedom in Creativity Nov 03, 2022

Sharmaarke Mohamed was born in a country where virtually all of the things we taken for granted—food and water, education, and, most of all, stability—are in short supply. But Somalia gave Sharmaarke other things, like a deeply rooted sense of community, a feeling that family is a pillar of his individual existence, and, maybe most of all, a burning need to (re)create his own future.

On this episode of The Burning Castle Podcast, Sharmaarke and I speak about this drive to create your own destiny—in his case, virtually from scratch. We talk about how Sharmaarke used his passion for soccer (he was a pro player in Somalia) to lever himself into a new life as an actor developing and producing his own projects in the US.

We also talk about something that many artists toiling away in small rooms miss—the importance of nurturing a community of likeminded people around you, who share your interests, ambitions and challenges as a creator. This is what the great British musician Brian Eno called scenius—the genius of a being part of a scene—and it’s what makes all the difference in the often lonely life of the arts.

I hope you enjoy this episode. As a reminder, the podcast—like The Burning Telegraph newsletter—is free. We work hard to keep it that way, so a share by you with someone in your network—by email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even the boring old word of mouth method—is hugely appreciated.

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Gideon Dabi on Why Opera Sings to Us All & How to Find Your Authentic Voice Sep 21, 2022

In this episode of The Burning Castle podcast, I speak with opera singer Gideon Dabi about drew him to the opera from a young age, why he think there’s a future in one of our most enduring and deeply rooted art forms, and how opera can unlock new creative horizons for artists and music lovers alike.

As you’ll hear on the episode, Gideon’s onstage charisma translates offstage too. He’s a big presence with the kind of joie de vivre that sits at the very heart of the opera.

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Thomm Jutz- Grammy Nominated Singer, Songwriter, Producer and Guitarist Apr 05, 2022

Thomm Jutz is a German-born American singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist based in Nashville, Tennessee.He has worked with folk singer Nanci Griffith (as a member of her Blue Moon Orchestra), Eric Brace & Peter Cooper, Mary Gauthier, Mac Wiseman, Bobby Bare, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, David Olney, Otis Gibbs, Kim Richey, Bill Anderson, Amy Speace,[1] Milan Miller and Marc Marshall.[2]

His songs have been recorded by Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Kim Richey, Junior Sisk, Kenny and Amanda Smith, Balsam Range, Buddy Melton, Milan Miller and Terry Baucom.[3]Jutz co-wrote the top two singles of 2016 listed on the Bluegrass Today Airplay chart. Jutz signed with Mountain Home Music Company in 2019. New albums "To Live in Two Worlds – Vol 1 & 2" were released in 2020. Singles "Mill Town Blues", "I Long to Hear Them Testify", "Hartford's Bend" and "Jimmie Rodgers Rode a Train" were released in 2019. He also signed as a writer with Asheville Music Publishing in 2018.[4] "To Live In Two Worlds, Vol 1" was nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award in the Bluegrass category.[5]

Awards:Grammy Nomination for Best Bluegrass Album 2020, IBMA Songwriter of the Year 2021, Recipient of two SESAC Awards, Nominated for IBMA Songwriter of the Year in 2017, 2018, 2019, Nominated for IBMA Album of the Year in 2017

Teaching:Lecturer in the Songwriting Department at Belmont University in Nashville

For more on Thomm's work: https://thommjutz.com/home

Follow him on social: @THOMMJUTZ

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David Francis - Award-Winning Author, Novelist, Lawyer and Humanitarian for PEN Intern. Feb 01, 2022

David Francis, based in Los Angeles, is the author of The Great Inland Sea, published to acclaim as Agapanthus Tango in seven countries, Stray Dog Winter, Book of the Year in The Advocate, winner of the American Library Association Barbara Gittings Prize for Literature and a LAMBDA Literary Award Finalist, and most recently Wedding Bush Roadpublished by Counterpoint Press in 2018. His short fiction and articles have appeared in publications including HarvardReview, The Sydney Morning Herald, Southern California Review, Best Australian Stories, Australian Love Stories, Los Angeles Times and The Rattling Wall. His book and film reviews have appeared in publications including Los Angeles Review of Books and The Advocate. Film rights to The Great Inland Sea and Stray Dog Winter have been optioned in France and the United States, respectively. David began his legal career in 1983 with Allens, an international law firm based in Australia, and recently retired from the Los Angeles office of the London-based firm, Norton Rose Fulbright. He is Chair of PEN America in Los Angeles and a board member of PEN International.

For more information go to www.davidfranciswriter.com.

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Lionel Shriver- Esteemed Award-Winning Writer, Journalist and Essayist Jan 25, 2022

An American writer now resident in the UK long enough to nearly qualify as National Treasure, Lionel Shriver has published one story/novella collection and fourteen novels, including the bestsellers The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047, Big Brother, So Much for That (a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award and the Wellcome Trust Book Prize), The Post-Birthday World (Entertainment Weekly’s 2007 Book of the Year), and the Orange-Prize winner We Need to Talk About Kevin (a 2011 feature film starring Tilda Swinton). She won the 2014 BBC National Short Story Award. Her most recent novel is Should We Stay or Should We Go (2021). Her fiction has been translated into over 30 languages. Also a prolific journalist with a fortnightly column in The Spectator, Shriver has written widely for the New York Times, the Guardian, the London Times, Prospect, the Financial Times, Harper’s, and many other publications. Her Harper’s piece “Semantic Drift” appears in Best American Essays of 2020. Her forthcoming collection of essays is scheduled for autumn of 2022.

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Jack G. Hyman- Playwright, Director, Actor, Teacher & Children's Author Jan 11, 2022

Jack G. Hyman is a playwright, director, actor, and teacher who has written for stage, television, and magazines. He wrote for the Cable- TV series, THE ISLANDERS and is a produced playwright on the NY stage. His children’s book (BREAKFAST WITH THE BIRDS) has recently been made into a musical for kids. Additionally, Jack has been a writer/performer for the long-running PBS kids show, BLOOPY’S BUDDIES and a freelance associate producer at ESPN. He is currently writing the sequel to his children’s book along with the book and lyrics of a grand new musical based on the life of a 19th century French artist. Jack graduated from Emerson College in Boston and did his grad work at NYU. He is a native Texan, now living in NYC and Florida.
For all of Jack's work: jackghyman.com
His first book Breakfast with the Birds

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Dino Stamatopoulos- Comedic Creator, Writer, Podcast Host and Part Founder of Starburn Insdustries Jan 05, 2022

Dino Stamatopoulos is the creator of Moral Orel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole, and High School USA. He has written comedy for Mr. Show, TV Funhouse, Mad TV, The Dana Carvey Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

He is part-founder of Starburn Industries: https://www.starburnsindustries.com

Follow him on social:

Instagram - @dinostamatopoulos

Studio Instagram - @starburnsind

Band Instagram - @sorryabouteverythingsae

His Podacast wtih Dana Snyder, called "Dino and Dana's Safe Space" can be streamed on all podcast platforms: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zcYvfbx91ZhPcsTdlY3So?si=44mBljmwT_aRYnDuusJBZw

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Kate Schutt- Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter, Guitarist and Producer Dec 21, 2021

Kate Schutt is an award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer whose voice NPR calls “glassily clear and glossily sweet.”Americana Highways names her new album Bright Nowhere “Superb...one of the year’s best.” American Songwriter calls it “illuminating” and “the work that ought to bring her the wider recognition she so decidedly deserves.” Kate’s songs have won top honors from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and ASCAP, and she’s shared stages with Terri Lyne Carrington, Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, Scott Colley, and Bernard Perdie, to name only a few.

Find Kate on social media:

- Instagram @kateschutt

- Facebook @kateschuttmusic

- Twitter @kateschutt

Her TEDx Talk: Links

https://linktr.ee/kateschutt

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Stacey Rozich - Artist, Illustrator and Occasional Muralist Dec 09, 2021

Stacey Rozich is an artist, illustrator and occasional muralist. She constructs figural vignettes in watercolor that combine elements of folk art and American pop culture. Her storybook world is brought to life through lush patterning, symbolism, and dynamic color palettes. She was born and raised in Seattle and now resides in Los Angeles.

Follow her IG Page: @staceyrozich
Check out all of her work: staceyrozich.com

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Voxel Healthcare Group- Changing The Future Of Radiology Software Dec 01, 2021

In this episode I talked with co-founders Natasha Leporé and Niharika Gajawelli of the startup Voxel Healthcare. Their MD in that space, Justin Low, also joined us.
Natasha Leporé is one of the founders and the CTO of Voxel Healthcare, where we develop software to automate clinicians’ tasks and provide quantitative assessment of medical images to help in their daily functions. They focus particularly on clinical software for radiologists and radiation oncologists to help assess children's brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). She is also an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, and my laboratory, the Computational Imaging of Brain Organization Research Group (CIBORG), specializes in mathematical and numerical methods to study brain anatomy and function through MRI. These methods are applied to furthering our understanding of diﬀerent neurological disorders, as well as normal and abnormal brain development. They span all ages from before birth at the fetal stages to elderly adults and every age in between. She graduated with a Bsc in physics and mathematics from the University of Montreal and then obtained a masters in applied mathematics from Cambridge University, in general relativity. Her PhD is in theoretical physics (Harvard University), and deals with quantum chaos in quantum billiards living on the plane and the pseudosphere. Afterward, she switched to neuroimaging and became a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging.
Niharika Gajawelli completed her PhD in Biomedical engineering with Natasha as her advisor and specialized in analyzing brain development in early childhood using brain MRI data, as part of the CIBORG lab at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Her focus is medical imaging in general, but she continues to be fascinated by MRI and that we can acquire so much information about our body non-invasively. She is also interested in data science and deep learning, and this was one of her motivations to work at Voxel Healthcare and develop software that would be useful in radiology and radiation oncology. Being in a start-up has been an eye-opening experience as it involves many aspects of developing a product, including pitching to potential investors, understanding the FDA regulation pathways, assessing the business strategies, as well as the technical aspects of the product.
Justin graduated from medical school in May of 2019 from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio with a focus on research in Radiation Oncology. He has been with CHLA since 2018 and continued with his research after graduating from medical school. He currently working on a NIH grant funded project that is looking at the prevalence of secondary malignancies in proton vs photon radiation treatment. In August of 2021 he joined Voxel to help head the medical and technological aspects of the software being developed by Voxel. He is currently obtaining a masters in health administration as well.

https://www.voxelhealthcare.com

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Kyle "Trigger" Coroneos- Most Influential Voices in Country Music Nov 24, 2021

Kyle Coroneos is a professional freelance writer, music journalist, and critic. As a popular music and cultural commentator, he has been interviewed, quoted, and profiled by The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, CNN, Fox News, and many other outlets. Along with his website SavingCountryMusic.com, he has previously written for Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, and multiple other periodicals.
If you would like more info, you can find it here: https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/about-saving-country-music/
His website: https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/

Social Media:
https://twitter.com/KyleCoroneos
https://www.facebook.com/SavingCountryMusic
https://www.instagram.com/saving_country_music/

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Yohan Caunegre- Curator, Roaster and Part Owner of L'Alchimiste Cafe Nov 16, 2021

Yohan Caunegre has been a barista, and more generally involved in the specialty coffee industry since 2010. He’s lived and worked in many different countries including the states, Uk and Australia.He is a partner and GM / Head of training at L'Alchimiste in Bordeaux. L'Alchimiste is a specialty coffee roastery and cafés , who focused on terroir coffees with very high traceability and great social values. They put a lot of work and effort on quality, service, training and sustainability on everything they do at l'Alchimiste.

They get to travel every year to the farms they work with around the world. His coffee inspirations come from many places and industries, but looks up to Tim Wendelboe in Oslo and Coffee Collective in Copenhagen.

Apart from coffee, his primary passions are natural wine and adventure climbing. If he’s not at the roastery, you'll find him with no cell reception, high in the pyrénéés mountain range.

@lalchimiste_torrefacteur and www.alchimiste-cafes.com

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Etgar Keret- Celebrated, Prize-Winning Fiction Writer Nov 09, 2021

Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, in 1967, Etgar Keret is the most popular writer among Israel's young generation and has also received international acclaim. He has been published in The New York Times, Le Monde, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Paris Review and Zoetrope, among others. In 2010, Keret was awarded the prestigious French Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres decoration. He has twice been a finalist for the O'Connor Short Story Award. Most recently, he was awarded the Charles Bronfman Prize (USA, 2016) and the ADEI-WIZO Prize for The Seven Good Years (Italy, 2016).

In this episode, Etgar and Ashley speak about writing fiction during the pandemic, why the famously productive writer moved to Berlin for a year to "do nothing," the flattening effect social media has on identity, and how growing up as the son of Israeli Holocaust survivors shaped him as a writer who looked out of Israel, and back in time, to the European writers of the diaspora for inspiration.
Etgar also opens about his latest project, his Substack called Alphabet Soup, how he inspired the great Salman Rushdie to create his own Substack, and why he names his most "pathetic" characters after his most dedicated Substack subscribers
Check out Etgar's Substack here: https://etgarkeret.substack.com/
Read the Tablet Magazine article discussed, "The Upgraded Me," here: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/upgraded-me-etgar-keret
Read one of Etgar's stories here: https://www.newyorker.com/books/flash-fiction/gravity

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John Dyer - Texas Fine Art Photographer Nov 03, 2021

John Dyer is a photographer, novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of Conjunto(University of Texas Press, October,2005) El Vaquero Real, The Original American Cowboy (Bright Sky Press, September, 2007) and San Antonio Hidden Treasures (Private Commission, 2011), Edge of Texas was shot in 2019 and is yet to be published.

John has exhibited his photographs at a wide variety of museums and galleries and is represented by Heidi Vaughan FineArt in Houston, Texas. In 2019, the National Portrait Gallery acquired one of his Selena portraits. John’s exhibition, “Selena Forever/Siempre Selena” opened at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in September, 2021.

John is the author of The Lure (Amazon, 2016), and The Past Has No Regrets (Amazon, 2017), both novels. He's written several screenplays and produced and directed several short films, including: José, 2016 and I Miss You Already, 2017. Both are currently being broadcast internationally on ShortsTV channel.

John lives with his wife, the painter Diane Mazur, in San Antonio, Texas.

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David Liss - Edgar Award Winning Novelist Oct 26, 2021

David Liss is the author of fourteen novels, most recently The Peculiarities. His previous books include A Conspiracy of Paper which was named a New York Times Notable Book and won the 2001 Barry, MacAvity and Edgar awards for Best First novel. The Coffee Trader was also named a New York Times Notable Book and was selected by the New York Public Library as one of the year’s 25 Books to Remember. Many of his novels are currently being developed for television or film. Liss has worked on numerous comics projects, including Black Panther and Mystery Men for Marvel, The Spider and Green Hornet for Dynamite, and Angelica Tomorrow.
David Liss

The Peculiarities Now on sale!

Follow the updates on Twitter and Facebook

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Mark Daumail – Platinum-winning Performing Artist & Producer Oct 19, 2021

Mark Daumail is a singer, songwriter and founder of the band Cocoon. He is prevalent in the French music scene and signed a record deal early on in his career that most musicians only dream of. His path of music success hasn't always been a straight line, but recently things are starting to come full circle for him in a very interesting way.

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Ben Freeman – Jewish Activist, Educator & Author May 05, 2021

Ben Freeman is a Jewish leader, a Jewish thinker, and a Jewish educator
Born in Scotland, Ben is a gay Jewish author, internationally renowned educator and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion specialist focussing on Jewish identity, combatting Jew-hatred and raising awareness of the Holocaust. His first book,Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People, was released in February 2021, to great international acclaim. He is currently working on his much anticipated follow up, focussing on internalised anti-Jewishness, due to be published in 2023.

As a specialist in the field for over a decade, Ben is a prominent thought-leader on Jewish education, history and identity. He is a trained teacher and experienced lecturer designing and facilitating unique learning experiences for both his students, the general public and global organisations. His work also includes consulting for Emmy Award winning directors on documentary projects, such as Jews of the Wild West.

Currently based in Hong Kong, Ben now heads up the Humanities Team at an American International School and lectures on antisemitism at Hong Kong universities.

Through his work, he aims to educate, inspire and empower both Jewish and non-Jewish people from all over the world.

Follow his work across all major social media platforms through @BenMFreeman.

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Amelia Green-Dove – Documentary Filmmaker & Archival Producer Feb 17, 2021

Amelia Green-Dove is an LA-based documentary filmmaker. She is the producer of award-winning documentary film “Watchers of the Sky” and has served as archival producer on numerous films, including “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton” and “Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America” and “Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow.” Amelia is currently producing a documentary about iconic Southern California surf-rock band, Sublime.

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Jericho Green - Activist, Critic & Video Columnist Feb 17, 2021

Jericho Green is a man of many talents. You could call him activists critic, or just one pissed off dude from California. But to me, Jericho is something of a video columnist. In his hundreds of videos, which he usually films on the way to work, Jericho presents a stinging critique of some of the worst of what we see unfolding in America today. He's unapologetic, but deeply thoughtful. The best place to find Jericho is on his great YouTube channel. Just Google Jericho Green. Also, don't forget to check out his awesome hats and t-shirts, which are not to be missed.

Just as a reminder, this episode was recorded back when the show was called the Meaning Creators in case you hear that name pop up in the interview

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Zach Pontz- Writer & Photographer Feb 03, 2021

Zach Pontz is a Brooklyn based writer and photographer who focuses on what it means to create in a world influx and how creativity is in essence, an act of self-growth and empowerment. Check out Zach on Instagram @ZachPontz, or his website at zachpontz.com.

Just as a reminder, this episode was recorded back when the show was called The Meaning Creators in case you hear that name pop up in the interview.

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Eve Barlow – Music Journalist & Jewish Activist Dec 21, 2020

Eve Barlow is a Scottish-born, LA-based music journalist who has written for just about every great music and culture magazine out there, including Pitchfork, Variety and GQ, in addition to serving as deputy editor of iconic music magazine NME.

Eve has recently emerged as a powerful voice online and particularly on twitter, where she takes on questions related to rising global anti-Semitism. As a proud progressive, she tackles the issue from the left—and in doing so, offers a rare critique of the kind of anti-Semitic vitriol emerging from both sides of the political aisle. On account of this important and brave work, Eve was named to Algemeiner’s list of the Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life in 2020.

Follow Eve on Twitter twitter.com/Eve _ Barlow

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E.Z Rinsky – Novelist Dec 02, 2020

E.Z. Rinsky is an American-raised Israeli novelist. His two previous books, Palindrome and The Binding, were published by Harper Collins. His new novel is called Daughters of January.

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Jennifer Lang – Memoirist, Writing Teacher & Yogi Nov 30, 2020

Jennifer Lang is an Israel-based American writer of non-fiction and founder of Israel Writers Studio. Find her on Twitter and Facebook.

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Chloé Valdary- Writer & Entrepreneur Nov 17, 2020

Chloe Valdary is an entrepreneur, writer, thinker and creator of Theory of Enchantment. Check out her TED Talk here and find her on Instagram here.

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