Rust Belt Startup

Devin Mahoney is a Utica, NY native who spent a decade working and writing for TV and Film in LA, on shows such as Scrubs, before returning to upstate NY with the mission of taking over the Uptown Theater and turning it into a punk-rock version of a Fine Arts School. The theater is now known as the Uptown Theater for the Creative Arts (UTCA) and has become a hotbed of comedy, improv and music within the city. In our conversation we talk about working and writing for TV, why network TV has gotten so bad, the decentralization of media, and how improv can build a community. To learn more about UTCA visit their website at https://utcany.org and maybe even consider a donation.

I’m hunkered down at home on self-imposed quarantine (no symptoms, just staying safe) and have been thinking about how COVID19 is not only disrupting all of our lives, economies and governments, but what lasting change is it going to have on work culture, real estate, meetings, education and politics. Here are some of my hot takes, with the help of some recent blog posts from Seth Godin and Scott Galloway. Posts/Pods mentioned in this show: Seth Godin on Meetings/Conversations: http://seths.blog/2020/03/the-conversation/ Pivot 03.17.20: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719?i=1000468660334 Stay safe out there.

Today on the pod, I’m sitting down with Tim Giarrusso, CEO of Human Technologies to talk about empowering people with disabilities, holistic employment, building trust and how to create communities. HT is a $60M company that is powered by people with purpose, creating jobs and an inclusive environment, while still turning a profit. Tim is also the founder of Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing - which started as a way to get veterans out on the water, and has grown into something much bigger. Lots of great takeaways in this episode, whether you own a business or work in a place where the corporate culture needs some TLC. There's plenty more info at Human Technologies or Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing,

It’s been a minute - today’s podcast is a toolbox episode rather than a conversation and hope you dig it. So we’re a few months into the new year and wanted to bring you up to speed on some of things I’ve been working on, tools I’m using to create space and time, and trying to build the best year yet. Some topics I cover:  - Reading goal for 2020 and tactics to read more - New Habits (Digital Dieting, Optimizing Content Delivery, and Apps I’m using to try to Create Time) - Saying NO and creating Immovable Objects in my Schedule - More food and drinks with creative folks More conversations in the can and ready to go - coming soon!

How often do you talk to Alexa or Siri? Voice tech is quickly becoming a facet of the way we operate in our daily lives.  And while you may not have a smart speaker in your home or like to talk to a virtual assistant, it will become a primary way your kids will interact with computers.  And synthetic voice will test our views on what’s real, and our view of AI. Today I’m talking with Geraint John, host of the Voice for Voice Podcast all the way from across the pond in Brixton, UK. Geraint is neck deep in Alexa tech, developing skills for clients and is really in tune with what’s next in voice.  We talk about building Alexa skills, privacy synthetic voice and the future of voice tech. Tune in. Follow Geraint on Instagram - and check out the Voice for Voice Podcast to learn more.

This week I’m sharing a conversation I had with health/wellness blogger and influencer Georgie Morley. I first discovered her photography of Nantucket (a beautiful island off the coast of Massachusetts) on instagram and was always curious how she built her blog and turned her journey into her career. So I reached out and Georgie was incredibly generous with her time for this interview. In this conversation (which we conducted over Zoom) we talk about how she started her blog and grew a following without being in a big city, how to work with brands and run your blog like a business, getting comfortable sharing your story, the art of selfie photography and much much more. You can follow Georgie on Instagram at @georgiemorley and @greyladygirl or check out her blog at InIt4TheLongRun.com

I'm a huge fan of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and laughed my tail off at the episode about Chiitan (and Chiijohn). And I was even more surprised to hear that the costume of Chiijohn came from a little place called Geppetto Studios in Utica NY. I was lucky enough to get to hang out and have a conversation with Scott and Will of Geppetto Studios in their 'Warehouse of the Weird' where they create high-end costumes and puppets for TV, film, music videos, trade shows and much more. They're masters of their craft and we dug into how they got into this niche business, their move from Brooklyn to Utica, and some of the wins and fails they've had along the way. You can learn more about what they do at GeppettoStudios.com

I'm super excited to share this conversation I had with Big Mike Morrill. Mike is obsessed with Kaizen, or the process of continuous improvement. We talk about his journey of applying this manufacturing process to his business (Total Solutions), and even his relationships. Learn how to eliminate struggle, 1 minute at a time. Mike also has a great TEDx talk on this very topic.

I'm (finally) kicking off Season 2 of Rust Belt Startup with a shorty, or a toolbox episode. It's a recap of my recent album launch, how to 'show your work' and some tips on how I reverse engineer projects. Season 2 starts now and we've got great long-form interviews coming up. If you want to see the project referenced in this episode, visit PostcardsPoetryandProse.com

This is it! We’re sticking a fork in season 1 of Rust Belt Startup. Today is a bit of a throwback episode. It’s a conversation that I had in front of a live audience in Utica, NY with Hugette Montesinos. Hugette is the founder of Disfunkshion Magazine - which is way more than a magazine at this point and has turn into a lifestyle brand, consultancy, digital services and more. She’s an Instagram guru and has grown her following organically to over a quarter-MILLION engaged followers. In this conversation we talk about her journey as a solo-preneur through building her team and launching the first issue of a magazine. How did she get distribution? How did she get her first customers? How does the brand evolve? Then we get tactical and spend a lot of time on how you can grow your Instagram the RIGHT way. We take questions from the audience and you’ll get real-world advice that you can apply to your social media profiles.  You can learn more about Hugette at the Disfunkshion Magazine website or follow her on

This week I'm super excited to share a conversation with one of my favorite songwriters out there- Ryan Montbleau. He has built an audience and a career through a steady stream of thoughtful songs, working with amazing bands of musicians and almost non-stop touring all over the country for more than a decade. He has a new album out called The Woodstock Sessions and you can learn much more about Ryan at RyanMontbleau.com. In this conversation we go into the guts of what it takes to build an audience, life on the road, rest, and his approach to creativity and songwriting. I hope you dig it.

I think deep down in all of us, there's been a period of time when we've wanted to sell our stuff, drop everything and go out and see the world. Today on the podcast I'm talking to Ryan & Brittany Parr who are about to embark on that very journey. They've sold the house, sold their stuff and have moved into a 5th wheel camper to travel for an indefinite period of time as they try to live the digital nomad life. I sat down with them in their almost-finished new home - a 28 foot 5th wheel camper We talk about how they built their own personal brands and businesses using social media, how they plan to make money on the road, minimalism, raising their daughter and what they think they'll find on their upcoming journey. You can follow them online via Instagram at ParrForTheCourse if you want to follow their journey, or you can follow Ryan at BearBonesStrength/Instagram, and Brittany at ParrPhotoCo/Instagram.

We’re talking citizen journalism and the media landscape with Brett Orzechowski. He’s launching a new project called Stateline NY. It’s a media site with a collection of interesting and in-depth stories covering a host of issues that are relevant across upstate NY. We talk about the role that long-form and mixed media journalism plays in today’s landscape, and some of the common issues facing upstate NY. Each story is told in a different way: documentary, data visualization, audio, and mixed media. Stories are available for $2.99 each at StatelineNY.com

It's just over a month until Election Day and the race to represent the 22nd District is in full force. Anthony Brindisi is in the middle of that congressional campaign, running as the Democratic nominee and I recently got the opportunity to have this conversation with him. I've always been curious about why someone decides to run for public office, as well as what the day-to-day experience is like. So that's what this conversation focuses on. This is not a deep dive into policy. Instead, I wanted to talk about the congressional race, his background and some of the lessons he's learned throughout his life as a member of the Utica School Board, State Assemblyman, and during this run for Congress. We also talk about: How do you come to policy decisions and make tough calls How do you talk to your kids about what’s happening in the country and what they’re seeing during the campaign Developing thick skin Managing Disagreements Stories from the Campaign Trail Routines to Decompress and much more

What makes a great city? That's what we're going to dive into with my guest Arian Horbovetz who is the author of The Urban Phoenix. It's a blog that focuses on conversations surrounding our urban environments. So he's the perfect person to talk about how small cities are reinventing themselves and creating dynamic urban environments. Arian is also a person who has gone car-less... in Rochester NY. So he has a unique take on alternative and public transportation. He started his blog as a way to document his visits to cities and towns across NY State via train and foldable bike. The Urban Phoenix has evolved into deep dives into urban planning, placemaking and much much more. So in our conversation we talk about Trains, Rust Belt Cities, and examples of what small cities are doing to make themselves unique destinations to live and work. This was one of those conversations that didn't even require any editing - it was just a damn good chat. Hope you enjoy it.  

On this week's episode, I'm having a chat with Dr. Heather Malyuk of Soundcheck Audiology. She's an audiologist that focuses on working with musicians and touring musicians from her home base in rural Ohio and has worked with the tour of Jay-Z & Beyonce, Death Cab for Cutie, Journey, Kanye West, and many many more. In our conversation we talk about the science of music, what makes an artist, home schooling, and some pro tips on maintaining your hearing, especially in the age of earbuds and headphones. You can find out more about Heather at soundcheckaudiology.com or on Instagram.

Chris Hartman is a farmer, academic and founder of Headwater Food Hub in Rochester NY. In our wide-ranging conversation we try to get to the root of what makes an effective food-system. But it’s not just about food… We talk about building a team of people that believe what you believe, starting movements, and doing work that matters. Want to learn more about Chris, the Good Food Collective, and Headwater Food Hub? Check them out online at headwaterfoodhub.com or on the Instagram at @headwater_food_hub

Sometimes the standard for service in a given industry is god-awful, or terrible. Sometimes if you're just 'bad' you'll have all the work you can handle. So let's talk about how you can go from 'terrible' to 'bad' to 'mediocre' to 'amazing' using a technique from the founders of Air Bnb. In this episode we talk about the 10-star experience. What is it? How do you build one, and why should you care? It's a shorty episode designed to help you build a base of people who LOVE what you do.

Sometimes you capture a conversation that needs to be heard, and this interview with Pastor Mike Ballman is one of them. Mike is the founder of the Oneida Square Project, which is a kind of social enterprise incubator and the pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Utica, NY. This episode is a little different from the others because we get a little heavy and while we do talk about the rise of social enterprise, we really focus on Mike's story, creating opportunities, being an advocate, deploying empathy and how to face down adversity in it's many forms. You'll find this story inspiring, moving and hopefully it will help you to think about how you can create opportunity for others, and impact your own community in your own unique way.

In this episode I have a chat with artist and photographer Janelle Bonagurio. We'll talk about how she first became a professional photographer and got her first clients before she even had a proper camera. We'll talk about pricing, finding mentors and dealing with high-stress situations (weddings). And we'll back away from the business and talk about how weddings have changed over the years as well as how having a family has changed the way she works with clients. You can find her online at http://www.janelleshootsphotos.com or on Instagram. Music is by Jordyn Edmonds - gracias.