Episode 22: From Metal Music To Country Music Devin Dawson Talks His Journey

Devin grew up in a house where music was at the center. It was his mom who influenced the language of music come alive in him. Initially he made Metal music and he played bass for the band, ‘Shadow of the Colossus,’ and then made his way into Country Music as a songwriter. His first love is creating lyrics, but, he made his way into the genre as a singer, and gained fame after filming a mashup of Taylor Swift’s Style and Blank Space. We talk everything from his Metal days, to what inspired him to go Country, and the pandemic.

Episode 21: Eugenia Kuzmina: From Soviet Russia, To Paris’ Top Runways, To Acting and Comedy

Eugenia Kuzmina is a Russian-American, born during the Soviet era in all its hardships, who was discovered as a model on the streets of Moscow, and from that moment, her life changed. Her life has ebbed and it flows from the world of fashion, where she has walked for luxury brands and worked with the most notable of fashion designers from Alexander McQueen, Mugler, Viktor&Rolf, Karl Lagerfeld, Alber Elbaz, and Vivienne Westwood- to name a few. And it has extended now, to the worlds of film and comedy. A good-hearted soul, we all need a Eugenia Kuzmina in our lives.

Episode 20: A Heart To Understand- A Chat With Katie McKenzie On Systemic Race Relations in the US

Katie McKenzie is a creative, living in Columbia, South Carolina. Both McKenzie and Ally Portee grew up in the same church in South Carolina. Recorded during the time of the George Floyd murder, and the racial unrest that it brought to the US, both wanted to discuss how it's not possible to move forward as a nation- Black and White unless people seek to understand, talk, listen, repent and heal together. Both chat on themes of racism and share ways of moving forward.

Episode 19: Musician Phil Joel From The Newsboys Talks About What He’s Doing Now

Ally Portee chatted with New Zealand musician Phil Joel, who was formerly with the Christian rock group, Newsboys. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Phil now lives in Nashville, TN with his family. But now, he has his own band Zealand. “Zealand means a state of heart and mind; where the soul is awakened and the leaves turn greener,” he says. Though he’s not with The Newsboys anymore, he sometimes performs with them on tour.

Episode 18: “Paul, Apostle of Christ” Andrew Hyatt Opens Up About Making The Film

A conversation with Andrew Hyatt, an award-winning writer and director.  He talks his film, Paul, Apostle of Christ, as well as his journey. The movie was made on a shoestring budget of $5 million. Hyatt is passionate about God, and he has done well in combining his two passions: storytelling through film and God.

Episode 17: Country Music Band LANCo Performs In London

From March 2018’s Country2Country Music Festival at London's 02 Arena. Ally Portee sat down with Country Music band, LANco, where the band of five talked music, faith, performing in the UK and humility.

Episode 16: Sherrynorth Lamisi Attakora’s Story Of Survival From Human Trafficking

A native of Ghana, she details her escape from domestic worker abuse

Sherrynorth is known as ‘Misi Resilience’ by those who know her best, was like many women on the African continent, who leave home to work as domestic workers because they need to make more money to provide for their families in their countries. Originally from Ghana, she was conned by a fellow Ghanaian that she trusted, who acted like an agency and arranged her travel to Kurdistan to work for a family, but everything went extremely wrong after that. Sherrynorth was later trafficked to Iraq and underwent the worst horrors of what domestic workers fear: rape, beatings, human degradation, mental attacks that she trusted no one. Her story could be a movie. But, it is her faith in God and the will to fight that got her through. Now back in Ghana, Sherrynorth helps other domestic workers, educating them on the realities of being a domestic worker, and provides them with the resources they need if they have negative experiences like hers.

Episode 15: Alessandra De Tommasi Gets Real On What It’s Really Like Being An Entertainment Journalist

Alessandra De Tommasi is one of the entertainment industry’s top journalists, writing for Vanity Fair Italia, Vogue Italia, Cosmopolitan Italia, and others. You’ll find her at the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Toronto, Zurich, Berlin, Monaco, and others in press junkets sitting front row and asking the most intelligent of questions to actors and directors. Alessandra is a sharp thinker, but most importantly she’s a beyond kind person. Her heart is deep and she’s always in a happy mood, making the most stressful of days at a film festival a delight to see her.

Born into a family of farmers in Lecce, Italy, she was destined to work all things tobacco. But, her teachers and an uncle could see she was meant for the learned world, and she went to Rome on a university scholarship. Ale, as I call her, has sat down and interviewed some of the film and TV industry’s most renowned actors from Scarlett Johansson, Tom Cruise, Cynthia Nixon, and Julia Roberts- and these are just a few names.

In the interview we talk about her journey from Lecce to where she is now, the hardships of being an entertainment journalist in these times, the exciting moments of the job, our private moment we had with Leonardo di Caprio and Casey Affleck, and no matter how stressful the industry can get, why she wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.

Episode 14: From Discovering Lady Gaga To Modeling In Fashion Weeks Around The World, Wendy Starland Gets Candid About Her Journey

Wendy in the studio | Photo Credit: Wendy Starland

Wendy Starland is a multitalented and inspiring woman. From New York City, she now calls LA home now and manages two very distinct careers: music and modeling. It was her babysitter, a soulful woman from South Carolina that influenced Wendy with music. And by the time she was in high school, she knew music was going to be a big part of her life. She discovered and developed Lady Gaga, and in this episode, Wendy opens up about that. She also talks what led her to do modeling.  And she also drops some practical life applications, something that we can all glean from.

Episode 13: A Chat With Ellen Mirojnick, The Costume Designer For Oppenheimer

Ellen has costumed designed for many Hollywood films and TV shows for 30 plus years. This is Ellen on the set of Bridgerton Season 2 | Photo Credit: Ellen Mirojnick/ Instagram

First of all, Ellen Mirojack looks great for her age. She’s 74 years young and I hope I can look that great when, God-willing, I’m 74. This was a memorable interview, maybe because I’m in awe of anything designed fashion-wise for the runway or for the silver screen. Ellen has been in the business of designing costumes for film and TV for over thirty years, and she’s known for inspiring men’s fashion in the early 90s, when she created bold patterned ties, colorful suspenders, and crisp suits for the 1987 Wall Street film. After that film, men saw how sharply Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gecko dressed, so they started dressing just like him.

Cillian Murphy playing J. Robert Oppenheimer | Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Ellen’s resume includes from Fatal Attraction (1987), Wall Street (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Speed (1994), What Women Want (2000), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), By The Sea (2015), The Greatest Showman (2017), Bridgerton (2020), to Oppenheimer (2023).

“It was the most spectacular and fulfilling collaboration I have ever experienced,” says Ellen of designing the costumes for Oppenheimer. In this podcast episode, we talk about how she got into costume design, what a costume designer does, and her process for Oppeheimer.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Writer and Director Christopher Nolan on set with actor Robert Downey, Jr. "| Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Oppeheimer is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who directed Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy. His films have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations.

It was filmed in a combination of IMAX® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX® black and white analogue photography.

Only two characters in Oppenheimer wore hats in the film, Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer | Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

The cast includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh. It was also produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan.

Episode 12: Hunter Clowdus, Grabbing Life By The Horns

Hunter Clowdus always seems to be in a happy mood and also loquacious. He’s always smiling in interviews, or on his YouTube channel- heck, even his character on All American is jovial most of the time. I could be wrong, but I can imagine his grade school teacher having to constantly say, ‘Mr. Clowdus, stop talking.’ I didn’t ask him if he was a talker in school. But point is, he’s outgoing and has joy. Maybe this comes from his Christian faith, where we aren’t always happy but we can always have joy.

In addition to this joy, Hunter has this old soul thing about him where he oozes wisdom, and he seeks to impart that to those around him. He drops these one-liner nuggets where he’s able to articulate out mindsets and behaviors that people need to have for the success they’re trying to reach.

In this interview we talk about success and some of those wisdom nuggets, faith, his clothing line, and briefly his TV show on the CW. For someone still so young he has accomplished quite a lot, but he doesn’t boast about having obtained it all yet. In some ways it’s as if he’s just getting started.

Episode 11: Oscar-Winning Costume Director Catherine Martin Opens Up About The Film Elvis

Photo Credit: Hugh Stewart

Catherine on set with Austin Butler and Baz Luhrman

Catherine Martin is a two-time Academy Award winning costume designer, wife, and mother. Her work transcends her as she is leaving her imprint on the film industry. She’s done the costumes for Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet, Australia, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby- the latter two she won Academy Awards for.

I speak with Martin about her costume design work in the film Elvis, that Luhrmann also directed. And, for which she’s been nominated for another Academy Award this year.

As she walks into the interview, the medium height designer is dressed in head to toe black, even the rim of her glasses are flamboyant yet black, drawing out her stylish short blonde hairstyle. Her big smile shifts the atmosphere in the room, as nestled onto the sofa to talk about what everyone is still talking about: Elvis.

Opening up she talked about how she met Luhrmann and how the two have a shared passion for film, and how what they have done over the years is organic yet planned.

Episode 10: Alber Elbaz, A Memory

This interview was done in February 2021, two months before Alber Elbaz died. He was an inspiring man. I actually met him in January 2020 when he was honored at an event by the Parsons School of Design. There are three designers in fashion that are so incredible humble and down to earth that I have ever met and that’s: Pierpaolo, Paul Smith, and the late Alber Elbaz.

When completing his conscription service in Israel, Elbaz went to design school. In 1985 he left Israel for NYC with $800 in his pocket. He worked for Geoffrey Beene, Guy Larouche, was creative director of Yves Saint Laurent and Lanvin. He took some time off from fashion to grow, heal, and travel. And, came back in 2019 and started his own brand: AZ Factory, a Richemont backed brand. He was always thinking about how to make women’s lives easier so he created things like zippers with long fabric that aids a woman in zipping up her dress.

In April 2019 it was announced he died. I remember a friend WhatsApp’d me. As I awoke that Sunday morning, looking at my messages with sleep still in my eyes my heart sank. When I think about it now my heart skips a beat. Elbaz was truly a delight and inspiration to so many around the world. Enjoy this interview, my interview with fashion designer Alber Elbaz.

Episode 9: The Story Box Founder Jay Fantom Opens Up About Depression, His New Book, and Faith

Jay Fantom is a persistent and passionate twenty-five-year-old entrepreneur, award-winning filmmaker, speaker and writer who works incredibly hard at being the best, authentic, honest, loving, kind and excellent version of himself daily. Jay is the founder and host of The Story Box, a Top 4 Podcast in 2021. Jay and The Story Box have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo!, The Morning Show Canada, The Today Show, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Market Watch, among others. Since the beginning of The Story Box in November of 2019, Jay has had the privilege of unboxing the stories of more than seven hundred high-profile, world-class leaders from every field. Some include: Tony Robbins, Matthew McConaughey, Justin Baldoni, Mark Manson, Lecrae, Robert Greene, Mel Robbins, Gabby Bernstein, Maye Musk, Josh Peck, Luke Bracey and many others. He lives in the Sunny Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Jay’s new book, “The Path Of An Eagle.”

Episode 8: A Conversation With Scotty McCreery Ahead of C2C 2022

Scotty McCreery is an American Country Music Singer and the 10th season winner of American Idol. He opens Up right before the C2C Festival that took place between London, Dublin, and Glasgow.

Episode 7: New York Wedding Dress Designer Danielle Frankel Is Turning Heads with Her Unique Take on Bridal Gowns

“I wasn’t trying to do something with the intention of getting it out into the world,” says bridal gown designer Danielle Frankel on creating her label. ”

— Danielle Frankel

Colored wedding gowns? Danielle Frankel certainly thinks so. The American New York-based designer has a fresh and modern approach to wedding gowns, which are catching the attention of brides all over the world. Sitting down she talks her journey, what inspired her to come away from the traditional wedding gown look, cultures that inspire her collections, trends from the pandemic in bridal gowns, her newest collection, and more.

Episode 6: Acting On Her Italian Artisanal Heritage, Luxury Sustainable Shoemaker Jennifer Stucko Talks Launching Her Brand During The Pandemic

Photo Credit: Andrew Day

Luxury shoes made from upcycled grape and apple skins. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Italian-American luxury shoe designer Jennifer Stucko has been on a mission to combine sustainability and luxury with her brand Prota Fiori. The name is Italian, meaning “protect the flowers,” which signifies Stucko’s commitment to prioritizing Mother Earth with plant-based alternatives in place of leather for women’s luxury footwear.

 We talk her launching Prota Fiori during the pandemic and how she was inspired to leave the world of luxury Italian brands to start her own business.

Episode 5: Unexpectedly Discovered To Model, Anok Yai Talks Her Journey From Refugee To The Runway

Anok Yai has an incredible life story and she’s only 23 years old. I’m amazed by what she will have accomplished by 93 years old. She was born in Cairo, Egypt as a refugee to South Sudanese parents, who were able to move their family to the US. Her early life of living on government assistance taught her a lot about life and having a thick skin. She and her siblings, as they are the older ones, helped to raise her younger siblings while their parents worked hard. Anok talks about this in our interview. Education was a main standard in her household and it was while being a biochemistry student in college that Anok went down to Howard University’s homecoming, where she had her photo taken by a photographer who posted it on Instagram. The next day Anok woke up with hundreds of followers and calls from modeling agencies.  

Her life hasn’t been the same since. It was the Prada AW18 show that propelled Anok’s modelling career, where she opened the show, being the first Black woman since Naomi Campbell, who opened the show in 1997. She has walked in many more shows from New York, to Milan, London and Paris- and has taken part in countless fashion campaigns.  

Anok and I talk about this all, as well as her taking an active part in making sure fashion is diverse and inclusive.

Episode 4- Recuperating After The Beirut Explosion, Fashion Designer Rabih Kayrouz Has Come Back With A Shift In His Brand And A New AW21 Collection

Rabih Kayrouz founded his brand Maison Rabih Kayrouz [ MRK] in 1999, embodying a couture savoir-faire House. He’s laid back and loves to have a good time. On the night of his twenty-fifth anniversary party in Paris a few years ago, Rabih danced the night away with his closest friends. He’s a good dancer I might add.

And then August 4, 2020 happened and Rabih was one of many physically affected by Beirut’s explosion that rocked Lebanon. He hasn’t given many interviews since then. The famed designer suffered a brain hemorrhage, two clots, and twenty-two stitches that day. As a result, there was a limited ready-to-wear collection last September and no haute couture collection in January, as Kayrouz took a step back to physically and emotionally heal.

Today, 7 months after the explosion Rabih is refocusing MRK. He taking it back to the basics, back to its roots, and back to the House’s iconic pieces giving new breath. His new collection is filled with wrap around coats, capes, trench coats, pants and skirts that a woman can use for any moment.

Enjoy this podcast episode with Rabih where he talks about how he’s been spending the past few months and his refocus of MRK.

Episode 3: Ever Bold and Ever Talented Egyptian Actress Amina Khalil Opens Up About Acting in A Time Of Corona, Fashion, and How Once Living In NYC Made Her Independent

Photo Credit: Ahmed Zaatar | MakeUP: Perry Saber

Born in Chicago, Egyptian-American actress Amina Khalil is an influential woman. As a child she would act out Disney movie scenes, casting her friends to play other roles, so it’s no surprise to those who know her best that she’s an actress. But, she’s not in it for the fame, acting is her way of connecting with people.

Her roles bring attention to the culture of the Middle East and the challenges women face in society. In a series called Leh La’a (‘Why Not?’) in english, directed by Mariam Ab, Khalil played a thirty-year-old woman who wants to gain independence from her family, move out, get a job, and live on her own. It was planned that she would marry, and though the marriage wasn’t arranged, it was a pushed union and Khalil’s character brought attention to this.

The thirty-two-year-old and I talk about a range of topics from acting, women in the Middle East, her experience of living alone in NYC- something that’s not the norm for single Arab women, her overcoming Covid, fashion, and her charity work.