162 - Building a Greeting Card Brand with Kate Smith

SOLOPRENEUR OG

Today on Obsessed Show I’m chatting in person with one of my best friends of all time, Torrey Dawley. This is my second in-person interview in a row, as well as another amazing creative professional from Indianapolis. Torrey started his own brand and design business back in 2006 called Sandpaper Studio. Today he’s scaling down client work with the aim of helping others harness the power of solopreneurship.

Torrey and I discuss the early challenges we both faced with scaling our businesses, the decision to go solo, and ways other solopreneurs can thrive.

Without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Torrey Dawley.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.duffy.com/

https://twitter.com/torreydawley

https://www.torreydawley.com/

https://www.sandpaperstudio.com/

https://www.instagram.com/torreydawley/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/torrey-dawley-0bb3673/

Today on Obsessed Show we have a long-overdue part II episode with my friend, Sam Vázquez. You may remember Sam from Episode 15 of the show. Seven years later, we’re catching up with Sam about his work in graphic design, fine art, music, and now, teaching.

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Sam Vázquez.

(I was trying a new thing on this episode, recording in-person with a multi-camera setup… If you tune into the YouTube version you’ll notice my camera dies after the first few minutes, but fortunately, Sam’s camera carried the weight.)

Today on Obsessed Show, I’m excited to chat with the Principal Designer of Focus Lighting, Brett Andersen.

Focus Lighting is an award-winning professional architectural lighting design firm located in New York City. The Focus Lighting team’s creative process is informed by a combined experience in theater, architecture, and design and they create lighting design solutions for hotels, resorts, retail, restaurants, museums, nightclubs, offices, and private residences around the world.

I’m excited to learn more about Brett’s role in the firm, and to chat with the first-ever lighting designer on the show…

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Brett Andersen

Today on Obsessed Show, I’m excited to chat with the CEO and Co-owner of Mancini Duffy, Bill Mandara, Jr, AIA.

If that firm sounds familiar, it’s probably because we interviewed the other co-owner and “anti-architect” Christian Giordano & Jessica Mann Amato.

I’m excited to learn more about Bill’s role in the firm, a massive project they’re working on in the heart of Times Square, and his music.

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Bill Mandara Jr., AIA.

CARLOS MUSQUEZ, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, CATALYST MARKETING AGENCY

Today on Obsessed Show I'm chatting with  Carlos Musquez, Executive Creative Director at Catalyst Marketing Agency bringing his brand of creative excellence to the B2B branding space, something that is near and dear to my heart… 

You may remember Carlos from episode 143, when Carlos was the Executive Creative Director of ELA.

Since then a lot has changed… we’re going to catch up on what’s new, what’s the same, and what he’s looking forward to next.

So without further ado, please enjoy this second conversation with Carlos Musquez.

On January 13th, 2018 at 8:08 am, an alert was issued to the 1.4 million citizens of Hawai'i, ‍BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Today on Obsessed Show, I’m excited to chat with the creative team behind the immersive and creative new VR film, “On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World).”

On the Morning You Wake uses innovative documentary storytelling and virtual production techniques to viscerally recreate the lived experiences of people who, for 38 minutes, had to react and make impossible decisions in the face of nuclear violence.

Steve Jamison is an Emmy Award-winning, BAFTA-nominated Director-Producer, and the co-founder of London production company Archer’s Mark., and Co-Director and Cowriter of the Morning you Wake…

Michaela Ternasky-Holland is the Emmy, Webby, and Sheffield Doc/Fest award-winning storyteller and Impact Producer for the film…

Lovely Umayam is the founder and chief creative producer for Bombshelltoe, an arts collective pushing for an active exploration of arts, culture, and history to promote nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament and impact fellow for the film.

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with the creative team from On the Morning You Wake.

Fredrik Öst & Erik Kockum

Today on Obsessed Show, I’m excited to chat with the founders of creative agency, SNASK, Fredrik Öst & Erik Kockum. "Freddie" was adopted from South Korea and raised in Northern Sweden after being found outside a police station. Erik is a confused and misunderstood misfit genius who believes that the feeling of freedom and allowance of making mistakes is the key to creativity.

Today we’re going to talk about how they formed SNASK 14 years ago, in the face of conventional wisdom, and the meaning behind their mantra – "Make Enemies & Gain Fans."

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with SNASK.

#snask #branding #designpodcast

If you prefer audio, you can find all of the places to tune in at: https://kite.link/obsessed

Today on Obsessed Show, I’m excited to chat with the president and co-owner of NYC tech-first architecture and design firm Mancini Duffy, Christian Giordano and co-owner and design principal, Jessica Mann-Amato. Christian has dubbed himself and his podcast "The Anti-Architect" and I’m excited to dig into that statement alone…and learn more about the 105-year-old firm.

Drawing inspiration from some of the tech-forward companies Mancini works with—like Peloton, Disney, and Soho House—Christian and Jessica focus on technologies that propel the world of design forward. Mancini launched the Design Lab, which brings together designers, technologists, and clients to leverage VR, 3D Printing, Drones, Generative Design, and AI to break barriers limiting traditional design capabilities.

I’m excited to chat with them about how they recalibrated and modernized Mancini, sparking industry-wide change.

• Infusing Technology into all Facets of the Design Process

• The Creation of their software, The Toolbelt, and its impact on the industry

• AND the Future of Workplace Design

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Christian Giordano and Jessica Mann-Amato.

Today on Obsessed Show I'm chatting with interior designer, writer, and TV personality, Kimberley Seldon.

Based in Los Angeles and Toronto, she founded Kimberley Seldon Design Group in 1991. Kimberley is also the Founder of Business of Design - an online learning platform for independent designers, as well as a recurring on-air design expert for Cityline, previous Host on the HGTV series Design for Living with Kimberley Seldon.

As you may well be aware, a new trend emerged in 2020 amidst the pandemic - RV travel. #Vanlife on Instagram passed 7 million in 2020, and has continued to rise to over 10 million in 2021. What's more, an October 2020 survey reported that total RV shipments increased 21.4% year-over-year.

And we’re going to talk with Kimberley about her new interest in designing for #vanlife… I mean, I’d really like one myself…

So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Kimberley Seldon.

Today on Obsessed Show I'm chatting with the founders of modern home furnishings and design brand, Blu Dot: John Christakos & Maurice Blanks.

Based in Minneapolis, Blu Dot has 12 locations across the US (with new stores in Miami, San Francisco, and more on the way). You may know Blu Dot from their gorgeous mod pieces that are all over Instagram, or if you’re like me and don’t have a Blu Dot location in your backyard, Blu Dot may occasionally grace your mailbox with a catalog.

In 2020 and 2021 their focus became updating the home office for continued work from home and the need for flexible indoor/outdoor social spaces. Today we’re going to be chatting with John & Maurice about how they’ve continued to innovate and push their design forward in the last two years, meeting these new demands without sacrificing the integrity of their products, so without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with John Christakos & Maurice Blanks.