Pivot Point with Joseph DeBeasi

John DeNicola is an American songwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", for which he won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as receiving a Grammy nomination, in 1988. In 1989 he was the co-winner of ASCAP Awards' "Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures" for "Time of My Life" as well as for "Hungry Eyes", another song from the film. Listen in as John tells Joseph about his latest release and the early days of analog recording.

How does one become a tech privacy attorney and a musician? How do you go to Mumbai to find your way? This is the story of Alan Chapell. Growing up on the multi-ethnic streets of Stamford, Connecticut, Alan Chapell was exposed to a multitude of music – playing piano and trumpet before the age of six and at age 15 recording with the legendary producer Jimmy ienner (Dirty Dancing, KiSS, etc) Along with his musical success, Alan has carved out a niche as an attorney . . . advising tech companies on privacy issues. When the producers of HBO's Silicon Valley consider creating a character to lampoon your role in the tech space, you know you've made it.

Richard Humann is a Brooklyn-based neo-conceptual artist whose work has been included in the Venice Biennale, represented the United States in the 2017 Karachi Biennale in Pakistan, and has had multiple national and international solo gallery and museum exhibitions. Richard was born and raised in the Lower Hudson Valley region of New York State. He divides his time between Brooklyn and Woodstock, NY. This podcast is not about art, it's about being an artist. Listen to Joseph and Richard talk it up.

Franke Previte: Academy Award and Grammy award winning songwriter, singer, talks with Joseph about his early childhood, selling cars in his driveway to earn money and how (I've Had) The Time of My Life and Hungry Eyes were written and how they found their way in movie Dirty Dancing.

Joseph met Diana at a SAG-AFTRA workshop and have been friends since. Diana is an actor, voice actor and producer. Known for her recurring roles on "The Young and the Restless" and "Days of Our Lives", she has also done a number of TV Commercials. She began working in Group ADR in 2010, on "Eureka", and has been heard on "Alphas", "Defiance", "Code Black", "Quantico", "Midnight Texas", "Into The Dark" and more. The daughter of an avionics mechanic from Sri Lanka and a Danish mother, Diana's unusual ethnic background has granted her a strong sense of culture. Her love of travel began at a young age and she's been to over 30 countries. www,dianalansleen.com

Bill Schnee is an internationally renowned producer, engineer, and mix master. He has received over 125 gold and platinum records and more than 50 Top 20 singles that run the gamut from Barbra Streisand to The Jacksons, Rod Stewart to Steely Dan, and Whitney Houston to Dire Straits. This is my conversation with Bill about his journey and his art. Check out Bill's new book: Chairman at the Board: Recording the soundtrack of a Generation

Today's guest is Nashville music producer, singer, songwriter Aaron Ruiz. Aaron is an artist who has had hundreds of songs placed in tv shows. Joseph and Aaron talk about the work it takes to stay present, dealing with negative self talk and accepting that we are not in control of whether a song is a success or not. www.aaronandandrew.com https://soundcloud.com/skyline-brigade

Meridith and Joseph have a podcast (Are You Waiting For Permission) dedicated to those of us who have stood on the edge, waiting for others to give us permission to pursue our dreams. Today, Joseph interviews Meridith and Joseph about their creative journeys as actors, coaches and podcasters.

Today Cathy and Joseph wrap up their conversation. We learn of Cathy's acting opportunities; how she drove 3 hours each way for her auditions and how she views her creative process.

This week, Cathy and Joseph continue their conversation. We hear how Cathy moved forward with her education and started modeling. We also learn of the one woman who positively impacted her life.

Cathy is a first generation Vietnamese American born and raised in Seattle, WA. To say that Cathy grew up under difficult circumstances is an understatement. Her story is one of hard work, perseverance and survival. Cathy graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Washington all the while working as a genetic researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She earned her second degree in Graphic Design & Illustration. Cathy worked her way through various design specialties for Fortune 500 companies and found her sweet spot as an e-commerce User Experience (UX) / Product Designer. Cathy has appeared in GRIMM, LEVERAGE and is a recurring guest star for a series to be announced soon as well as a recurring guest star on an animated series. www.cathyvu.com

Matt McNally was working in the advertising world for over 2 decades when he decided that his life needed a shift. How did he go from the ad world to the world of culinary arts? Matt is the chef of Laurel's Catering, a catering company he and his wife Laurel started. They are in Napa, CA. www.laurelscatering.com.

In part 2 of Joseph's conversation with Stacy Widelitz, we hear how Stacy handle the stress of being a film composer, how he shape-shifted to a country song writer and his latest adventure as a photographer.

Stacy Widelitz is a composer, songwriter and photographer. He co-wrote the Dirty Dancing song, "She's Like The Wind" with Patrick Swayze. Today we hear how Stacy got his start as a pianist, songwriter and now photographer.

Barrington is an author and screenwriter who writes speculative fiction that explores how people respond when their world — or their place in it — changes. Her work has been optioned and won prizes like Amazon Studios’ Best Screenplay Award, Screencraft’s Cinematic Short Story Competition Grand Prize, and DreamAgo’s Pen & Pellicule Writing Fellowship. She has published fiction in literary journals like Sycamore Review, Colorado Review, The Drum and Women of Horror, Volume 3 and she co-wrote for an upcoming episode of Creepshow on AMC’s Shudder Network. https://barringtonsmith.net In this conversation Joseph and Barrington touch on topics of value and belonging.

Today we hear the story of Fidan Aghayeva-Edler, pianist. She is a pianist based in Berlin, Germany, currently focused on performance of contemporary music and improvisation. She was born in Azerbaijan, moved to Norway and then Berlin. Fidan tells us about the joy she has when performing and the journey she's taken to get there.

Thomas Laub is a producer currently represented on Broadway with David Byrne's American Utopia (Special Tony Award). Past work includes Slave Play (Tony Nomination), Seven Deadly Sins, and the site-specific Myths & Hymns. Upcoming: Douglas Carter Beane's Fairycakes, Selina Fillinger's POTUS, and Plaza Suite starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. Founder of Runyonland Productions and entertainment revenue management firm Standing Room Theatrical Solutions.

Katie Leigh is a voice actress, best known for her roles as Sunni Gummi in Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Zuzu in Poppy Cat, Alex in the first two seasons of Totally Spies!, and as Connie Kendall in the Focus on the Family radio program Adventures in Odyssey since 1987. This is her story.

Today's episode you'll hear Joseph talk about his decision to change markets - from NYC to Los Angeles; how a scoring rejection caused him to reconsider his dreams and how he received the opportunity to compose the underscore music for American Sniper.

For the first episode of Pivot Point in year two, Joseph continues with an exploration of his own journey. This Pivot Point explores his years in Nashville, his time working at Belmont Church, his unsuccessful production company and how he dealt with difficulties in his personal life. This two-part series starts where he left off in bonus episode #4. Want to know more about his earlier journey? Listen to bonus episodes 1 - 4 in year 1.