What do you call a year where lobbies buzzed, budgets tightened, and policy storms hit midseason? We call it 2025—and we’re unpacking what actually mattered. Al, Leandro, and Tiff get candid about the dissonance nonprofits felt: sold-out shows ...

Tickets chosen by algorithms. Glasses that guide you to the bar. A digital lobby that follows you home and sparks a late-night debate about the ending. We explore how AI is rewriting the audience journey from first spark to final takeaway and w...

Job hunting in the nonprofit arts can feel like shouting into the void, so we break the process down into a clear, usable framework: your resume is your data, your cover letter is your voice, and your interview is your presence. Across the hour...

What if the future of theater isn’t a choice between the room and the screen, but a smarter way to hold both? We dig into how live streaming can expand access, deepen community, and stabilize budgets without draining the electricity of in-perso...

A flagship theater, a city that loves to make things, and a leadership team ready to push past old limits. This conversation with Portland Center Stage Artistic Director Marissa Wolf and Board Chair Jelani Memory opens a candid window into how ...

Leandro sits down with Kevin Laibson, a director, producer, and educator working at the edge of live performance and emerging tech, to draw bright, useful lines between AI, VR, and the human heart of theater.Kevin traces the path from c...

A great job description doesn’t start with bullet points, it starts with a story. We take you inside our executive search process for Portland Center Stage’s next managing director and show how we craft a job profile that so candidates have a c...

We welcome Theater Mu’s new artistic director, Fran, and managing director, Anh Thu, for a candid talk about service-driven leadership, sustaining bold art in a tight funding climate, and building trust as co-leaders. The conversation moves fro...

What if adding more leaders isn’t the solution—and sometimes makes things worse? We dig into the real work behind shared leadership in nonprofit arts with guests Devon Berkshire and Miranda Gonzalez, tracing why so many theaters moved beyond th...

The lines between artificial intelligence and art are vanishing faster than expected. In this episode, Leandro discusses OpenAI’s bold new project Critterz—an animated feature film produced in just nine months, with a fraction of the u...

Caregiving and creative careers have long been treated as incompatible worlds, forcing artists and arts administrators to choose between their passion and their families. Rachel Spencer-Hewitt, founder of the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL...

When the National Endowment for the Arts abruptly terminated funding for organizations across the country in what became known as the "Friday Night Massacre," many arts leaders wondered if federal arts funding could be trusted again. In this ey...

As summer winds down, the EMC crew reflects on their summer and the upcoming fall. We discuss what we're watching out for in the arts and culture sector including a lawsuit, technology, and the changing nature of leadership roles in a new world...

In this episode, Leandro and Al dive into the groundbreaking albums of The Velvet Sundown, a synthetic music project shaped by human imagination and guided by artificial intelligence. We explore not just the music itself, but also...

In this episode, Leandro reveals how he keeps up with the latest news and updates about artificial intelligence. He discusses the various A.I. platforms he uses, his go to influencer for coding tips, and the number one thing you can do to impro...

In this episode, we explore how our understanding of AI has evolved in just a few short months—shaped by new breakthroughs, public debates, and hands-on experience. From early optimism and hype to a more nuanced grasp of AI’s capabilities and l...

Welcome back to the EMC Podcast! After taking July to recharge and map out our fall season, we’re kicking off August with a topic that’s everywhere all at once: Artificial Intelligence.This month, we’re diving deep into how...

In this episode, we delve into Al Heartley's thought-provoking piece, "For Leaders, Power Is Part of the Job," exploring the nuanced role of executive power in leadership. Heartley challenges the notion that power is merely about control, posit...

It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through 2025. In this episode, Al is joined by co-hosts Tiff and Leandro for a reflective roundtable on the year so far. From unexpected shifts in the arts and culture sector to global trends and economic fore...

This week, Leandro and Al hit the road and land in Washington, DC for a site visit with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, where they’re kicking off the search for their next artistic director. In this episode, they pull back the curtain on what h...

In this episode, Al dives into the evolving landscape of theater leadership, inspired by reading and reflecting on his blog article "12 Artistic Directors and 1 Production: Advancing the Shared Leadership Model."Traditionally, theaters h...

This week, we’re talking numbers and the numbers don’t lie. The Broadway League just released its year-end report for the 2024–2025 season, and it’s official: Broadway is back. With a record-breaking $1.89 billion in grosses and 14.7 m...

In this candid conversation, Al and Managing Partner Tiffany Vega dive deep into the challenges of today’s job market. From endless application processes and the frustration of ghosting to the shifting expectations around skills, branding, and ...

Why does it take six months and 17 interviews to land a job, but the Vatican can choose a Pope in under a week?In this episode of Moving Forward, Al dives into the time-tested, meme-worthy, and surprisingly effective process the...

Curious about artificial intelligence but unsure where to begin? In this episode, we break down how to take your first steps with A.i as it starts to integrate into the arts ecosystem. Whether you're a creative or an arts executive, you'll get ...