Could Be Pretty Cool

Could Be Pretty Cool
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Could Be Pretty Cool (formally Could Be Pretty Cool News) is a podcast featuring conversations with creators and innovators across arts, culture, tech, education, entrepreneurship, sustainability and beyond. Each episode brings you real stories from people doing interesting work, whether they're rethinking creative industries, building community through art, launching passion projects, or finding new ways to make a living doing what they love. Our mission is to amplify the voices of people building something meaningful and share the practical wisdom that helps others do the same. Learn more at couldbeprettycool.com.

  1. ٩ أبريل

    From Data Gaps to Industry Solutions: Building the Audio Awards Archive

    While podcasting has matured as a medium over the last 15 years, the infrastructure supporting it is often still a work in progress. Aseloka Smith is changing that. A university database manager by day and a dedicated podcast listener by night, Aseloka realized there was no central resource to track the "cross section" of a show’s success across various awarding bodies like the Webbys, the Signal Awards, and the Ambies. This realization led to the creation of the Audio Awards Archive, a curated database designed to be a reliable historical record for the industry. This conversation explores the "spirit of the spark," which is the drive to build a solution for a community need even when starting from scratch with lean resources. KEY TOPICS The Missing Link in Podcasting: Why the industry lacked a single source to aggregate nominations and wins across different organizations. The Intersection of Data and Story: How Aseloka’s professional background in database management at a university informed her approach to creative information. Building Lean and Programmatically: Developing a technical resource without "enterprise level money" by finding efficient, scalable ways to connect the dots. The Power of Human Curation: Choosing manual oversight over AI and LLMs to ensure data reliability and prevent "hallucinations". Future Scaling and Sustainability: Plans to build out historical data sets and establish the archive as a self sustaining tool for the creative economy. The Importance of Process: Why structure is essential for long term sustainability in creative projects based on first hand experience. FEATURED GUEST Aseloka Smith: Creator of the Audio Awards Archive and University Database Manager NOTABLE QUOTES "I realized like there was no place for me to go and see like the cross section for a particular show... it was just wild to me that I couldn't go anywhere and find out this sort of information." — Aseloka Smith "As someone who works in technology, I know that [LLM] models lie, they hallucinate and I wanna make this reliable." — Aseloka Smith CONNECT Audio Awards Archive: https://aaainfo.link/cbpc⁠ Newsletter: https://aaainfo.link/cbpc-nl⁠ Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.com KEYWORDS Audio Awards Archive, Aseloka Smith, podcast awards, creative economy, podcasting infrastructure, data management, Webby Awards, Signal Awards, Ambies, Black Podcasting Awards, media database. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  2. ٢٦ مارس

    Nobody Knows What's Next (And That's Okay)

    What happens when you put out a call on Reddit asking strangers to be on your podcast at SXSW? Apparently, this. This episode was recorded live on the floor of Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, and it turned into one of the more honest conversations we've had on the show. No hot takes, no predictions, no roadmap. Just three people trying to figure out where creativity, AI, and the future of making things are actually heading. Guests Brian Reitz, a market researcher and longtime podcaster, and Joao Baptista, founder of Institute for Tomorrow, brought perspectives from different industries and different continents. What they had in common: a genuine curiosity about what comes next, and a refreshing willingness to admit they don't know. We get into: Why inspiration looks different at SXSW this year compared to years past The tension between using AI and protecting your craft Whether the explosion of content creation is sustainable when fewer people have bandwidth to consume it What "growing down instead of up" means and why Joao is writing a book about it Agentic AI, dead internet theory, and the question of who we're actually creating for Why humility might be the most honest response to this moment This one is a good listen for any creative who's feeling the uncertainty of right now and wondering if that feeling is just them. It's not just you. Connect with our guests:Brian Reitz on LinkedInJoao Baptista on LinkedIn & Instagram Institute for Tomorrow at fortmrw.com Follow Could Be Pretty Cool:@couldbeprettycool This episode was recorded during Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW with the support of Nonomon, SimpleCast, and The Podcast Academy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  3. ٥ مارس

    The Coalition Model: How Atlanta's Arts Community Is Fighting for Its Future

    Description: Georgia ranks 49th in state arts funding. For the arts administrators living that reality day to day, that's not a surprise — it's just Tuesday. What's changed is that a growing coalition of organizations has decided to stop navigating it alone. Laura Hennighausen is the CEO of Arts Capital Atlanta and Director of Strategic Philanthropy at Purpose Possible, and she's been at the center of building that collective front. This conversation is about what it actually takes to move the needle on arts funding — and why doing it together changes everything. KEY TOPICS How Arts Capital Atlanta formed and why the coalition model works where individual advocacy hasn't Georgia's arts funding numbers in real terms — and how they compare to other states What happened when funders heard directly from nonprofit leaders about operating reserves and runway The mismatch between what funders want to fund and what organizations actually need How to start building a local arts advocacy coalition from scratch The case for unrestricted general operating support What a realistic three-to-five year win looks like for Georgia's arts ecosystem FEATURED GUEST Laura Hennighausen — CEO, Arts Capital Atlanta; Director of Strategic Philanthropy, Purpose Possible NOTABLE QUOTES "Nobody really wants to say that to a funder. It's scary. But in this kind of more unanimous, collective way of sharing that information — it really made an impact." — Laura Hennighausen "If more funders would find that as an opportunity to enable coalitions or folks on the ground to really think about these things… a lot more could get accomplished that way." — Laura Hennighausen CONNECT Laura Hennighausen: Arts Capital Atlanta Learn more, explore the data, and sign up to get involved: artscapitalatlanta.org/the-need Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.com KEYWORDS Georgia arts funding, nonprofit arts advocacy, arts coalition, Arts Capital Atlanta, creative economy, arts philanthropy, operating support, arts funding equity, Atlanta arts community, nonprofit sustainability, arts policy, Purpose Possible Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  4. ٢٦ فبراير

    We're All Already Learning — JaBiEntertainment Is Just Making It Intentional

    Description What does it look like to build a business around the way people actually learn — not the way we assume they do? Jasmine Bianca, founder and CEO of JaBi Entertainment, has spent the last five years figuring that out. Her Atlanta-based interactive education company works across three distinct channels: community programs that use movement and dance to build confidence and self-esteem, small business events that make networking and skills-building genuinely fun, and corporate onboarding and team building designed so that information actually sticks. In this conversation, Jasmine talks about growing up surrounded by educators and entrepreneurs, how she operationalized a multi-channel business without reinventing the wheel every time, and why staying solution-driven — even when the landscape is shifting — is the only sustainable way to run a small business. Key Topics Building an interactive education company that serves communities, small businesses, and corporations Designing learning experiences that use movement, gamification, and immersive formats Operationalizing a multi-program business so growth doesn't mean starting over Growing up with educator grandparents and an entrepreneur mother — and how that shaped her work Staying adaptable as the education policy landscape shifts Finding mentors and accountability partners as a small business owner The Atlanta Black Chambers and the role of community organizations in entrepreneurial growth JaBi Entertainment's expansion goals, including the African education market Featured Guest Jasmine Bianca — Founder and CEO of JaBi Entertainment; Interactive education specialist; Entrepreneur and lifelong educator serving individuals, small businesses, and corporations across Atlanta and beyond Notable Quotes "We're continually learning. I just pretty much took that continued piece of life that will continue until we're no longer here — and I made it fun." — Jasmine Bianca "Being a small business owner is not for the faint of heart. But it's one of the most rewarding situations I've ever endured. What you put in is what you get out." — Jasmine Bianca "Don't do it alone if you can." — Jasmine Bianca Connect with Our Guest Jasmine Bianca / JaBi Entertainment: jbientertainment.com | @JaBiEntertainment on all social platforms Follow Could Be Pretty Cool @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.com Keywords interactive education, creative entrepreneurship, small business, corporate training, team building, community programming, Atlanta entrepreneurs, JaBi Entertainment, learning and development, gamification, dance education, Black entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, sustainable creative careers, mentorship, business operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  5. ١٩ فبراير

    The Curators: Danielle Desir Corbett and Rachel Meade Smith on Closing the Information Gap

    Description: Finding opportunities as an independent creator can feel like a full-time job on its own. Danielle Desir Corbett and Rachel Meade Smith know that firsthand, which is why they've each spent years building platforms that do the searching so creators don't have to. Danielle's Grants for Creators has helped community members win over $162,000 in grant funding since 2022. Rachel's Words of Mouth has delivered curated job listings, fellowships, and residencies to over 70,000 subscribers for a decade. In this conversation, they share what it takes to sustain this work, how they've navigated the tension between helping people and getting paid for it, and why the creative economy depends on people willing to share what they find. Key Topics: Building newsletter platforms that serve the creator and creative economy Curating jobs, grants, fellowships, and residencies at scale Developing sustainable workflows as solo and small-team operators Navigating the shift from free resource to monetized business Grant funding as an accessible but underused tool for independent creators The emotional and psychological dimensions of job searching Community building as a core function of curation work Balancing creative entrepreneurship with family and personal life Featured Guests: Danielle Desir Corbett — Founder of Grants for Creators; Former grant administrator; Creator and podcast host; Grant funding advocate for independent creators Rachel Meade Smith — Writer, editor, and researcher; Founder of Words of Mouth newsletter; Author of forthcoming book Search Work; Based in Brooklyn, New York Notable Quotes: "When you fund creators, here's what happens — the work that we're doing actually gets to see the light of day." — Danielle Desir Corbett "If you want this to continue, you have to support it. It's impossible to believe that someone could spend 40 hours per week finding things and that being something to sustain for four years." — Danielle Desir Corbett "You do not need to sell out in order to live and survive under capitalism. There are ways to do good work that feels good and does as little harm as possible." — Rachel Meade Smith Connect with our guests: Danielle: grantsforcreators.com Rachel: wordsofmouth.org | Pre-order Search Work Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.com Keywords: creator economy, newsletters, grants for creators, job search, fellowships, residencies, independent creators, creative entrepreneurship, curation, community building, monetization, Words of Mouth, Grants for Creators, sustainable creative careers, funding opportunities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  6. ١٢ فبراير

    Short Films, Long Game: Reel Friends on Community, Cinema, and Staying in the Room

    Description: Atlanta filmmakers Rocco Shapiro and Akshay Bhatia are building something their city's independent film scene has been missing. Their company Reel Friends pairs original film production with community screening events, and their signature series Real Talk gives short filmmakers a platform that most festivals don't — one with no premiere requirements, no expiration dates, and a format that puts the filmmaker's voice front and center. In this conversation, they talk about what it actually takes to build a creative business out of community, why the short film ecosystem is due for a rethink, and how staying connected to the work keeps the industry panic at bay. Key Topics: How a late-night screening at an Atlanta theater sparked a creative partnership Balancing personal filmmaking with running a community platform Why community is operational infrastructure for independent filmmakers, not just a perk The Real Talk format: live director's commentary instead of traditional Q&A Barriers in the short film festival circuit and why premiere status shouldn't define a film's value Film school to real-world creative entrepreneurship Pushing back on industry alarmism around AI, micro-dramas, and the "death of cinema" The case for short film as a viable, experimental, and undervalued format Featured Guests: Rocco Shapiro — Co-founder of Reel Friends; Writer, director, producer, and editor with a commercial filmmaking background; Creator of the Real Talk screening series Akshay Bhatia — Co-founder of Reel Friends; Writer, director, and producer based in Atlanta; Former crew member and producer on Megalopolis Notable Quotes:"Film is the only art form that you can't do well on your own, that you need to be connected with other people." — Rocco Shapiro "I know what my career is. I'm just looking for what my job is." — Akshay Bhatia "Your success is in making the art, and the financial success that comes after that is just part and parcel to finding your way." — Akshay Bhatia Connect With Our Guests: Reel Friends: reelfriendsfilms.com | @reelfriendsmovies on Instagram Rocco: @roccoshapiro on Instagram Akshay: @bokomaru00 on Instagram Real Talk submissions: Reopen April 2026 on Film Freeway Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycool.substack.com Keywords: independent film, short films, Atlanta film scene, creative entrepreneurship, film community, film screenings, director's commentary, film festivals, Reel Friends, Real Talk, creative collaboration, indie filmmaking, film school to career, sustainable creative careers, Georgia film industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  7. ٢٩ يناير

    The Serious Work of Making People Laugh

    Description: Potential Spam is an Atlanta-based sketch comedy troupe that's been putting up completely original shows every month for the past year. The catch? All ten members have day jobs—researchers, professors, accountants, people in advertising and trucking. Today, four of them join us to talk about what makes creative collaboration actually work when everyone's juggling full lives, why they show up week after week for zero dollars (sometimes negative dollars), and what it looks like when creative practice becomes the thing that makes the rest of your life make sense. Key Topics: Building creative community alongside demanding day jobs How diverse professional backgrounds strengthen collaborative work The freedom of creating without monetization pressure Maintaining a monthly production schedule as a volunteer team Finding creative identity and voice through consistent practice Why the post-show bar might matter as much as the performance What "taking the work seriously but never ourselves" looks like in practice Featured Guests: Allison Salinger – Improv performer and teacher at Dad's Garage Theatre; Public health researcher at Emory University Birton Cowden – Mainstage actor and writer for Potential Spam and Sketchworks Comedy; Professor of entrepreneurship Mitchell Mack – Actor, impressionist, and musical sketch writer; UCB and standup comedy background Javier Dominguez – Actor, writer, and voice-over artist; Second City trained; returning guest Notable Quotes: "I felt like for too long I was consuming instead of creating, and I felt empty. Since I've been here, I feel like I've been awake. It sounds cheesy, but I feel like I was asleep for a long time." – Javier Dominguez "We take the work seriously, but never ourselves. Rehearsals are just as much giggle fests as they are hard work. But boy do we take the work seriously, as if Lorne Michaels is gonna be in that audience." – Allison Salinger "My favorite part of the show is the post-show. We go to the bar afterwards, and I wanna know your favorite part of the show, and I wanna bond with you over that." – Mitchell Mack Connect with Potential Spam: Website: potentialspamcomedy.com Instagram: @potentialspamcomedy YouTube: Past shows available on their channel Upcoming Show: One-Year Anniversary "Best Of" Show: February 7, 2026 at The Warehouse in Scottdale. Free drinks, snacks, music, and karaoke to follow. Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycool.substack.com Keywords: sketch comedy, Atlanta comedy, creative community, improv, collaborative creativity, creative practice, work-life balance, volunteer arts, comedy writing, Dad's Garage, creative fulfillment, side projects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  8. ٢٢ يناير

    The Power of Yet: Tim Packer on the Long Game of Making Art for a Living

    Description: Tim Packer spent 18 years as a detective in the Toronto Police fraud squad before walking away from his job and pension to become a full-time artist. Twenty-six years later, he's sold millions in artwork, had a painting enter King Charles's collection, and now runs an art academy dedicated to helping other artists build sustainable careers. His new book, You Can Sell Your Art, is available now! Key Topics: The growth mindset shift that changed everything Transitioning from a full-time career to creative work (the three-year crossfade) Finding mentors through arts organizations and volunteering Why "yet" is one of the most powerful words in the English language The three modes of creative work: practice, process, and product Playing the infinite game—making decisions that keep you in the game From guilt to responsibility: why successful artists owe it to others to share what they've learned Featured Guest:Tim Packer — Full-time artist for 26 years; Founder, Tim Packer Art Academy; Author, You Can Sell Your Art (launching January 13, 2025); Former president, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour Notable Quotes: "I wasn't talented enough yet. But you can become talented, and your talent is kind of limitless." — Tim Packer "Most artists quit too soon. The world of starving artists is full of pretty good." — Tim Packer "If they can do it, I can do it. Then I just find out: how did they do it?" — Tim Packer Connect with Tim: Tim Packer Art Academy: timpackerartacademy.com Book: You Can Sell Your Art Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | Substack for deeper dives Keywords: artist career, growth mindset, creative entrepreneurship, art business, career transition, mentorship, sustainable creative careers, selling art, art academy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Could Be Pretty Cool (formally Could Be Pretty Cool News) is a podcast featuring conversations with creators and innovators across arts, culture, tech, education, entrepreneurship, sustainability and beyond. Each episode brings you real stories from people doing interesting work, whether they're rethinking creative industries, building community through art, launching passion projects, or finding new ways to make a living doing what they love. Our mission is to amplify the voices of people building something meaningful and share the practical wisdom that helps others do the same. Learn more at couldbeprettycool.com.

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  • صناع العمل
    Could Be Pretty Cool
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    ٢٠٢٤ - ٢٠٢٦
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    Could Be Pretty Cool