Could Be Pretty Cool

Episode DescriptionJoin us for a special live recording from Metrics & Mingling 2025, where audience participation drove the conversation about AI's role in creative entrepreneurship. Through interactive polling, attendees guided discussions about administrative efficiency, creative process boundaries, and maintaining human value in an AI-driven marketplace. This dynamic panel explores how creative professionals are navigating the integration of artificial intelligence while preserving the authenticity and struggle that makes their work meaningful.Administrative tasks worth delegating to AI vs. keeping human-centeredThe role of struggle and context in authentic creative workBalancing efficiency gains with creative fulfillmentFinding your unique voice and story as a creative professionalThe democratization of creative tools and its impact on professional artistsCharging appropriately for human-crafted work in an AI-accessible worldBuilding sustainable creative careers through intentional tool useThe importance of play and experimentation in maintaining creative edgeThe Guests Dr. Anuli Akanegbu - Cultural anthropologist and labor, race, and technology researcher at Data and Society; Host of "Black in Real Life" podcastEmmoLei Sankofa - Film and TV composer with work featured on Hulu, Disney Plus, and Amazon PrimeAlejo Porras - Visual note-taking artist and illustrator; Upcoming host of "Fresh Ideas" podcastOn Administrative Efficiency: "What are we saving that time to do? Like, what is the purpose of cutting all these corners and trying to be super fast with things?" - Dr. Anuli AkanegbuOn Creative Process: "When we delegate our thinking and creativity to AI, those are the things that intrinsically makes you, you... The struggle is what makes it better." - Alejo PorrasOn Industry Evolution: "Don't say that you draw, like that's not your differentiator. A lot of people can draw, AI can draw now... We need to know the human behind it." - Alejo PorrasOn Value Creation: "Sometimes people care more about the story behind the object than the object itself. So if you manage to tell your story, that would be so much more valuable." - Alejo PorrasDr. Anuli Akanegbu: anuliwashere.com | @anuliwashere | Data and Society researchEmmoLei Sankofa: e-sankofa.com | @emmolei on InstagramAlejo Porras: Alejo Porras Art on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn | Fresh Ideas newsletter on SubstackCould Be Pretty Cool is an audio-first think tank for creative industries, using conversations with artists, designers, and innovators as qualitative research about the creative economy. The show captures real-time insights from people living and working in rapidly evolving creative fields.Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.comAI in creative industries, creative entrepreneurship, administrative automation, human creativity value, artistic authenticity, creative process, double consciousness, cultural anthropology, film composition, visual note-taking, creative community, industry evolution, Atlanta creative scene

Description: Explore the unprecedented shifts in US arts funding and what they mean for creative communities nationwide. Featuring John Carnwath from WolfBrown research and consulting firm on navigating federal cuts, building sustainable funding models, and reimagining how creative ecosystems can thrive through decentralized support systems and community-centered approaches.Key Topics:Federal cuts to NEA, NEH, and IMLS and their ripple effects on state agenciesThe reality of arts funding concentration and inequalityAlternative funding models from micro-grants to market-based sustainabilityLessons from international arts funding approachesMoving from top-down grant selection to ecosystem-wide supportLocal decision-making and community-responsive fundingThe role of private foundations and individual donors in filling gapsBuilding equity in arts funding distributionFeatured Guest:John Carnwath - Principal at WolfBrown research and consulting firm; Specialist in creative ecosystems, arts funding, cultural policy, and impact evaluationNotable Quotes:"It has to be local based... there's something to be said for the kind of more local, more immediately connected funding feedback loops." - John Carnwath"You reduce inequality by taking away the money from the people who already have it, 'cause that's gonna be easier than getting more money for the people who don't have resources." - John Carnwath"Supporting lots of little things... making it really easy to get funding to do something that's not bureaucratic, that you can quickly turn around." - John CarnwathConnect with our guest:John Carnwath: LinkedIn and wolfbrown.comSpecial Announcement:Could Be Pretty Cool News is now a certified B Corporation! Learn more about our mission-driven approach and upcoming creative research initiatives.Follow Could Be Pretty Cool News:@couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.comKeywords: arts funding, NEA cuts, creative ecosystems, sustainable funding models, arts policy, cultural funding, creative entrepreneurship, foundation grants, community arts support, arts funding equity

Explore how creative entrepreneurs are building sustainable futures through circular systems that honor both ancestral wisdom and innovative solutions. Featuring Tamara Stands and Looks Back-Spotted Tail on bridging Lakota values with renewable energy technology, and Jonelle Dawkins on creating financial independence through creative reuse.Traditional ecological knowledge meeting modern sustainability solutionsCreative reuse as economic empowerment for artistsBuilding circular economies that serve communitiesIndigenous entrepreneurship and cultural preservationRemoving barriers to creative independenceSustainability as environmental, social, and financial interconnectednessCommunity-driven renewable energy projectsCreative problem-solving for systemic challengesCultural authenticity and certification processesMulti-disciplinary creative entrepreneurshipTamara Stands and Looks Back-Spotted Tail - Founder of Lakota Women Business (LLC) and Lakota Women Initiative (nonprofit); Member of the Sicangu Lakota tribe; Renewable energy advocate and Indigenous women's empowerment leaderJonelle Dawkins - Executive Director at Scraplanta; Multi-disciplinary creative entrepreneur; Creative reuse movement leader"As Lakota people, we utilize the buffalo for our robes, for our tepees. So a tepee is our home and reaching out to the earth to build a sustainable home is where we're at in the future, especially as climate changes and the earth changes and how do we meet that change as it's coming into the future." - Tamara Stands and Looks Back-Spotted Tail"At Scrap Atlanta, we are taking art supplies from people who no longer need it... instead of us putting it to the landfill and it no longer having a useful life, they can bring it to a creative for reuse center and somebody else who maybe they want to get started in sewing... can use that they make that piece that helps them get that job that helps them build independence." - Jonelle DawkinsTamara: https://www.lakotawomenbusinessllc.com/ and Lakota Women InitiativeJonelle: @scrapATL on Instagram, @scrapatlanta on Facebook, and @scrapatl on TikTokTucker Creative Reuse CenterAdair Park Creative Reuse CenterDuluth popup location@couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.comSustainable creativity, circular economy, Indigenous entrepreneurship, creative reuse, renewable energy, Lakota culture, community empowerment, creative independence, traditional ecological knowledge, upcycling, social sustainability, financial sustainability, cultural preservation, creative problem-solving

In this inaugural episode of The Young Creator Electorate, host Sabbath Canady explores one of the most pressing questions facing young creators today: what does the rise of artificial intelligence mean for the future of human creativity?Theatre artist and recent college graduate Nicholas Gilomen takes center stage with a powerful monologue that captures the complex relationship between AI technology and working artists. Speaking directly to an AI voice, Nicholas wrestles with questions that keep many creators up at night: Will AI replace human performers? How do we protect artistic authenticity in an age of deepfakes? And what happens when corporations prioritize cost-cutting over the humanity behind the art?Through his personal lens as an aspiring voice actor navigating ongoing industry strikes, Nicholas examines how AI impacts everything from background performers to major productions, and why the loss of entry-level opportunities could reshape entire creative industries. The conversation that follows digs deeper into issues of digital privacy, stolen likenesses, and the urgent need for regulation in our rapidly evolving technological landscape.This episode doesn't offer easy answers, but it amplifies the thoughtful, nuanced perspectives of Gen Z creators who refuse to be passive observers in conversations that will shape their artistic futures. From the ethics of AI training data to the importance of maintaining human connection in art, these young voices are asking the hard questions that matter most.Featuring: Nicholas Gilomen (Theatre Artist) and Sabbath Canady (Host, Spelman College)Produced by: Could Be Pretty Cool News in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting Student Voices Collective

DescriptionExplore how creative entrepreneurs are navigating industry transitions and building sustainable futures through two distinct perspectives. Featuring Dani Dufresne on reshaping creative production with a fractional model beyond traditional agency structures, followed by Kacie Luaders' thoughtful examination of Georgia's creative ecosystem highlighting the stark contrast between struggling nonprofit arts organizations and expanding commercial entertainment ventures in Atlanta.Key TopicsEvolving from traditional agency models to flexible, fractional productionBuilding sustainable creative businesses during industry shiftsNavigating business formation and contracts as creative entrepreneursCreating supportive networks for creative professionalsBalancing creative work with personal responsibilitiesThe divide between nonprofit and for-profit creative sectors in GeorgiaGeorgia's ranking in state arts funding and its impact on cultural organizationsThe expansion of commercial entertainment ventures in AtlantaCreating symbiotic relationships between different parts of the creative economyFeatured SegmentsInterview: Dani Dufresne - CEO and Executive Producer of The Auxiliary Co. ; Pioneer of the "fractional executive producer" model in creative productionCommentary: "Atlanta Arts: A Tale of Two Sectors" - Kacie Luaders explores the contrasting realities of Georgia's nonprofit arts organizations facing funding cuts while commercial entertainment ventures in Atlanta expand with substantial backingNotable Quotes"I don't ever wanna get in the way of making my agency feeling uncomfortable because like we're putting our work out as ours. So then we actually crafted that as our new, like p or really as our biggest communication. This is not our work. So that opens up our reel and you see all the different kinds of things that we've done, but it's not. We do your work, we get your vision made." - Dani Dufresne"No one will give a shit about your business as much as you do. No employee you ever hire will care as much as you do." - Dani Dufresne"If it feels too produced, people are gonna know... they're gonna see it." - Dani Dufresne"Georgia ranks 50th in the nation for state arts funding, investing only 14 cents per capita on the arts. That puts us at the very bottom nationwide when it comes to public support for arts and culture, highlighting a systemic underinvestment in the nonprofit creative sector." - Kacie Luaders"The question isn't just 'How can nonprofits become more sustainable?' but rather 'How can we create a cultural landscape where both commercial and mission-driven arts thrive together?' This requires seeing beyond the false dichotomy of business versus art and recognizing the inherent interdependence of Atlanta's creative sectors." - Kacie LuadersConnect with our guestThe Auxiliary CoLinkedIn: Dani DufresneRecent News MentionedNational Endowment for the Arts grant withdrawals affecting Georgia arts organizations (over $500,000 in funding)Live Nation's new 5,300-capacity music venue at Centennial Yards ($5 billion downtown development)Follow Could Be Pretty Cool [email protected] entrepreneurship, fractional production model, advertising production, creative agency adaptation, industry transitions, sustainable creative careers, Georgia nonprofit arts funding, Atlanta commercial entertainment ventures, arts advocacy, cultural ecosystem, Atlanta arts landscape, creative business models