Creative License

Erin Reifler went to college as an accomplished trombonist with a focus on cognitive science, but quickly shifted gears, realizing her true calling was in musical theatre. After graduating and then obtaining a Masters in Musical Theatre Writing, Erin sent out dozens of emails looking to learn from those she admired. One of those responses would change her life. As composer and music director Jason Howland's right hand, Erin has worked on celebrated Broadway titles like Shucked and The ...

Basil Lee took quite the circuitous route to co-founding a craft brewery. He attended art school on the road to becoming an architect, working for a large firm for almost 10 years. As so often happens, Basil came to a crossroads. Does he keep progressing with his current company? Does he try to open his own firm? Or is it time for a new challenge altogether? Basil chose to dive into the craft beer world with art school friend and Finback Brewery co-founder Kevin Stafford. Together they secure...

Isaac Zablocki has always had a passion for film - from watching movies at an early age to studying them to helping make and curate them as a professional. Throughout his career, he's wondered...what are people not seeing in the industry right now? Since Isaac dealt with a learning disability earlier in life, the answer was evident and brought about the creation of the ReelAbilities Film Festival. It's the largest endeavor of its kind - showcasing films involving disabled filmmakers a...

Asher Perlman has spent his entire professional life in comedy - from the famed Second City in Chicago to writing for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but his foundation came from cartoons. His dad taught him the basics from a young age growing up in Madison, Wisconsin and he's carried on that legacy as one of the few cartoonists to publish in The New Yorker regularly. That's no surprise - Asher's work is pithy, his observations are spot-on and his jokes are universal. His debut cartoon ...

Maurizio Leo's considered one of the country's top sourdough experts. You'd think that means he's been a professional baker his entire adult life, right? Not so much. The Albuquerque, New Mexico native grew up in his father's Italian restaurant but actually became a software engineer. Maurizio never stopped baking for fun and started his website The Perfect Loaf a little more than a decade ago, where he’d post sourdough recipes he was trying out in the kitchen. It grew slowly at first, but t...