IMHO The Podcast Boss

“There is masculinity within femininity, there is strength within vulnerability, stop pushing it away.”

With Powerhouse performer Shoshana Bean.

“We got obnoxiously drunk and started inserting the ‘puppet’ into famous movie titles and ‘Dead Puppet Society’ just stuck. We knew we were going to change it when we came up with a better idea and it’s now 12 years old.” In their own words, Nicholas Paine and David Morton are “hell bent on bringing their inimitable brand of entertainment to the world”.  In everyone else’s book, they’re the two guys who registered one of the coolest company names in showbiz.  Nick and David founded Dead Puppet Society in 2008 to create deeply imaginative theatre where the old school meets the technological and the mythic meets the modern. “When we first started the company … we were hell-bent on this idea it was adult theatre.”In this podcast, they reflect on a remarkable career trajectory that started at QUT, blazed a trail through Brisbane’s most respected arts organisations and festivals then on to the world stage, including residencies in New York and productions in the UK.Yet through it all, they continue to battle a global misconception that puppetry is just for kids. David and Nick offer their honest opinions on Brisbane as a breeding ground for artists, reveal their huge international plans and share some of the cringeworthy company names drunkenly proposed. “Anything is possible. I mean, we’d get in a lot of trouble if we had to rip a limb off our performer but it’s fine for a puppet.”For more honest opinions, follow us on Instagram @imho_aus, like us on Facebook @IMHOAUS, and sign up to become a Citizen Reviewer at inmyhonestopinion.com.au. GUEST: David Morton, Creative Director and Nicholas Paine, Executive Producer of Dead Puppet Society HOST: Belinda Seeney  For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy

“I think I’ve been engrossed in an industry that I absolutely adore for so long now that I’m a little bit tired and little bit over it and it’s not the attitude I want to have.”It’s not a stretch to say 2019 was both exhausting and exhilarating for Brisbane performer Tom Oliver.The globetrotting singer, actor and creator had spent only three of the past 52 weeks in his hometown; his career taking him from a luxury cruise liner in the Caribbean to dancing in a bedazzled lobster costume at La Boite’s Roundhouse Theatre.“I was literally at the traffic lights yesterday going, “am I about to just quit the industry?” I think that’s what 2020 is for me, really trying to nut out where I sit in this space.”In this podcast, Tom discusses the – metaphorical and physical – crossroads moment that has him questioning the future of his career; dissects what it’s really like to get everything you’ve ever wished for; and nominates who he believes has the chops to lead Brisbane’s creative and artistic community forward.He also reveals what it’s really like living on a floating city, whether showbusiness is as glamourous as it’s made out to be and spills the beans on the New Year’s Eve he spent partying with Australian rock royalty on Sydney Harbour.“The idea of travelling the world, seeing shows, and then bringing them back to Brisbane is a pretty exciting thought.” For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy

“A lot of us have spent years and years and years creating works, seeing work, hanging out with friends, falling in love there, having our heart broken there… so that space holds a lot of memory, a lot of ghosts.” It was a huge 2019 for Metro Arts: selling the Heritage-listed building it’s called home for decades, establishing a multi-million dollar arts fund, negotiating new digs and through it all, programming and commissioning a packed slate of contemporary work.Leading the multi-arts organisation through these unchartered waters was Jo Thomas; meeting emotional opposition to the sale with calm and reason, throwing herself into the unfamiliar world of investment and finance and still programming award-winning theatre.“I’ve had the craziest year understanding investment of money, meeting every property developer in Brisbane, going and meeting philanthropists and people who run foundations and advocating constantly.”In this podcast, Jo reflects on Metro Arts’ impending 40th birthday; the creative solutions arts organisations must find to thrive in the face of dwindling government funding; and how artists must be afforded space and opportunity to push the envelope, to experiment and to deliver important work without the imposition of commercial conditions.With a background in cabaret and circus, Jo reveals the surprising similarities between her performance past and her future as custodian of Metro Art’s once-in-a-generation evolution.“You’ve got to keep your focus on everything and make sure not one little plate can drop, not one little area loses your focus.”For more honest opinions, follow us on Instagram @imho_aus, like us on Facebook @IMHOAUS, and sign up to become a Citizen Reviewer at inmyhonestopinion.com.au.GUEST: Jo Thomas, Creative Director and CEO of Metro ArtsHOST: Belinda Seeney For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy

“To be a successful artist these days you have to really understand the business of what we do.”“Accidentally.” This is Joel Edmondson’s honest answer to how he found his calling as an expert in change management, flipping arts organisations and the music industry as a whole.Coming from a background in film and moving from education and research management projects to running gigs in a DIY venue under a sex shop, Joel has melded these experiences to “luck” his way into a successful arts career.“Bad art makes for good water cooler fodder. People love to talk about what they didn’t like about something, which is I guess a form of entertainment.” The driving force behind QMusic and BIGSOUND, Joel was appointed Queensland Music Festival’s (QMF) Executive Director in November 2018.In this podcast, Joel looks back on his career trajectory, giving thoughtful insight into the uneasy alliance between creative and commercial interests within the arts sector, the hurdles facing the industry and what it takes to make a good leader. “We’re not just competing with other live experiences, we’re competing with screens, we’re competing with the amount of hours people have to work, distractions on emails, social media, time with family…”For more honest opinions, follow us on Instagram @imho_aus, like us on Facebook @IMHOAUS, and sign up to become a Citizen Reviewer at inmyhonestopinion.com.au.GUEST: Joel Edmondson, Executive Director of Queensland Music FestivalHOST: Adam Brunes For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy