Heidi Klotzman: Connecting Communities Through Entertainment

Ever wonder what it takes to build a thriving creative community from scratch? Heidi Klotzman has been doing exactly that for two decades as the visionary behind HeidnSeek Entertainment, a Baltimore institution that's transformed how the city's diverse communities connect through events and experiences.

What began as college nightlife promotion has evolved into a multifaceted enterprise with three distinct branches: VIP influencer events that pack new venues with tastemakers, talent booking that places musicians and DJs in exciting venues, and promotional campaigns that drive authentic engagement. Through it all, Heidi has maintained a singular focus on bridging divides in a city often defined by them.

"Everyone knows everybody," Heidi shares about Baltimore's tightly-knit creative ecosystem. "I love the diversity, the different neighborhoods and backgrounds." This appreciation for connection runs deep—from her childhood watching her concert promoter father's work to her teenage bat mitzvah where she intentionally brought together people from every imaginable background. These early experiences shaped her mission to create spaces where genuine cross-community relationships could flourish.

The conversation reveals Heidi's practical business wisdom on "cross-collateralization" (balancing private events, public promotions, and talent booking to create stability), alongside vulnerable reflections on creativity and mental health. As she works on books about her father's entertainment career and her own journey, she emphasizes how self-care practices like acupuncture, meditation, and therapy form the foundation for creative success: "You can't be the you that you're destined to become if you're constantly trying to regain balance."

Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking to build community-focused ventures, a creative looking to navigate the entertainment landscape, or simply someone who appreciates authentic Baltimore stories, this episode offers a masterclass in turning passion into purpose. Follow Heidi on Instagram @heidnseeks and discover more about her work at HNSeek.com.

Transcript

Meet Heidi Klotzman of HeidnSeek Entertainment

Speaker 1 0:00

Yo Respecting Perspectives Podcast. Again here you got AWOL. And gosh, I have the owner of hide and seek entertainment. She is a entrepreneur of many sorts. Uh, let's see here. She is a very inspiring human who throws events and and shows and different she's into like fashion and she has. Let's see here. She just has an awesome point of view and she's great with social media and, like you know, getting her message out to the world. And you know what, enough of my introductions here, I have, Miss Heidi, that's really sweet.

Speaker 2 1:04

I'm gonna hire you.

Speaker 1 1:15

Right, dude, come on, dude, I'm here, I'm here. I have Miss Heidi Klotzman I said it right Known for hide and seek entertainment, but yeah, tell me a little bit who is Heidi.

Speaker 2 1:21

Oh my, it depends on who you ask, right, I'd say I'm a connector and a poet, daughter, friend, wife, somewhat recently, Congrats. Yeah, mazel tov to that, thank you. Thank you, yeah.

Speaker 1 1:50

I mean we're all many roles you know, but those are the first that come to mind. Strong attributes Thanks, love it. Tell us a little bit about your history, kind of like where you grew up and kind of how you ended up in Baltimore itself.

Speaker 2 2:07

Okay, so I grew up in Hunt Valley and then Phoenix, maryland, like so in the county, and now in Pikesville.

Speaker 1 2:16

Yeah, oh shoot, Pikesville Moving a little closer.

Speaker 2 2:22

But yeah, I started promotions at Goucher when I was at Goucher. I started, uh, promotions at goucher when I was a goucher.

Speaker 2 2:27

I started my business at goucher, um, while I was still in school, promoting nightlife at club one. Rest in peace. Um, but yeah, exactly, exactly. So I started promoting there and then, um, after a couple years, there kind of branched out to a lot of different lounges and restaurants and different concepts like rock and soul and cupid shuffle, which is like oh cool, which was like a? Um, like a singles mixer, date auction for charity type thing. And then glam rock, which is like like a fashion show, and I had net glam also, which was like networking for creatives and and, uh, those in the fashion industry here and um, I had an event called schmooze, you know that, which was like a business networking event, and then I hopped on so that's a cool name yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 3:18

So there's, um, there were a lot of a lot of different concepts and you know I was blessed to just tour them, like around the city different restaurants, clubs, bars, then graduating towards hotels, and you know more, you know I was about to say legitimate establishments, but I feel bad, because the other ones are too right, for sure a little bit higher level yeah, exactly a little more upscale.

Speaker 2 3:46

And so Hide and Seek kind of traveled from that nightlife beginning to me building a network of subscribers and then me advertising all this other stuff to them and people paying to advertise to reach my subscriber list, to advertise to reach my subscriber list. And then so over the years just the concepts changed and with aging, you know the demographics, you know kind of changed in terms of you know where people were at like mentally and what kind of like, what kind of you know concepts and themes that you want to provide them that they would be receptive to. So I was promoting more like charitable events and concerts and festivals, not all myself, but I was like a line item. I was a promotional entity that was brought in to do that.

Speaker 1 4:35

Gotcha.

Building a Networking Empire

Speaker 2 4:35

And stuff at museums and all kinds of stuff that was cultural and that was elevated, which is great. And it brought me to this point where now my focus, if hide and seek was like a tree and there were like three branches, it would be like hide and seek VIP events, which is like I curate. I curate VIP influencer events or like media events for businesses, primarily when they're about to open, uh as like a vip opening, but also if they're trying to like invigorate, uh, their venue again after a year or two or whatever okay, I can infuse that energy in there.

Speaker 2 5:16

Um, and those are so dope because, like, basically, I'm packing the place with like influential people that are documenting their message, their venue the whole time, and I incentivize the guests to do so by by having a main prize, like given away at a certain time for the best content of the night so far. So we review that and people are. You know it's not that competitive but you know people like to win and and there's really amazing prize, like prizes oh, there you go.

Speaker 1 5:47

Yeah, that's a reason to yeah, I mean they would post anyway, but like they post more you know because of this, and then it's like a brand new spotlight that's never been shown.

Speaker 2 5:59

Yeah, steal it. No, don't. I'm not saying no, I'm not like the idea in a different way.

Speaker 2 6:05

Yeah, I'm, yeah, I'm not the first one, I'm just saying it's really helpful as, like you know, along with the arsenal of what we do is really helpful and the places love it, because some places, a lot of these new faces, like they've never been there, you know, they've never even heard of it right, there's a restaurant or boutique or out there, yeah, so I do it primarily for restaurants and boutiques, um sometimes malls or you know, uh, and also high-end um commercial real estate, when it's opening and trying to lease out to young professionals and gotcha and things of that nature.

Speaker 2 6:37

But yeah, so that's the the vip events part okay, that's one branch yeah, yeah, wow we're back to the tree. We're back to the tree yeah, yeah, no, your your dots connect. That's really cool mine are like so, um, yeah, no, the other branch, um, the second one would be, uh, hide and seek talent, and that's where I book live music and djs for hospitality, primarily like uh, restaurants, hotels assist in in their programming on a regular basis, not just like book something once in a while.

Speaker 1 7:07

Yeah.

Speaker 2 7:08

I love that because then I can bring in a lot of the talent that I'm friendly with and that I believe in into new spaces and, you know, help them gain more income, exposure, relationships, and that's very fulfilling for me. So, yeah, I also do book for special events, though people do reach out, like for a wedding or for corporate or okay you know, charitable event, they need a dj or they need, you know, a soloist or they need a band, and I have an amazing roster which our mutual friend neil is on.

Speaker 1 7:40

Shout out to neon nines. He was on this podcast a bunch of weeks ago and he hasn't. I don't actually you know what. He's got some music coming up at some point in the near future, so keep an eye out for him.

Speaker 2 7:52

He's a super talented producer.

Speaker 1 7:56

Yeah, great guy too He'd prefer producer over DJ.

Speaker 2 7:59

Oh, for sure.

Speaker 1 7:59

Yeah.

Speaker 2 8:00

But you could be both. You could be both Right, you're right. But you could be both. You could be both Right, you're right. So the third branch is like hide and seek promotions in general, because the booking is its own thing and the VIP events are private, no marketing. This, the hide and seek promotion aspect, is public events that need enhanced turnout.

Speaker 2 8:28

So I'll be coming up with campaigns to assist in promoting whatever event it may be and or businesses, businesses that need public promotion, different clever ways. Well, I'll utilize, maybe, like that VIP event as one of the tricks of the trade of of introducing that business, um, in a marketing aspect. But it would be. These are like more like the promotional thing would be like you know my mobile subscribers, you know email blast and, uh, you, know, social media I'm sharing for them and all of that.

Speaker 2 9:01

So, uh, yeah, those are the, those are the, and that's cool because there's private over here, public over here, and then the talent, and so you can, you can balance all of it and because so you don't want to trap yourself in just private or just public, you know, or any, it's really important to have yourself like cross collateralized, like you know across cross collateralize. Drop the mic that's something my dad would say.

Speaker 1 9:24

That's probably why I said it.

Speaker 2 9:25

I love it and I probably misused it, but I don't know it actually made a lot of sense, you're right.

Speaker 1 9:31

So you were saying you know you need to balance all those different things in order to why do you think that balance is is so important?

Speaker 2 9:40

because if one drops I mean like, if you have one and one drops, where are you? Yeah, that's a good, you know if you have one and one drops.

Speaker 1 9:44

Where are you?

Speaker 2 9:45

Yeah, that's a good point, you know if you have two and one drops, you're still in bad shape.

Speaker 1 9:49

Yeah.

Speaker 2 9:49

So if you have three you know, luckily they won't all you know drop it once At one time but you have to be constantly like replacing clients, you know, because sometimes they only need you for a season. You know, sometimes they want to replace you with their own internal um apparatus they figure out, or once they think they figure out how to do it.

Speaker 2 10:10

Yeah, and they understand like um the process, but they can't rep, they can replicate methods and systems, but they can't replicate your personality. They can't replicate your essence and your energy with people and, um, how you navigate and you know just uh, that's very specific and particular to people you know. So that's what also makes me feel like I am not competing, because no one can be me. They just can't no one can do exactly what I do, how I do it.

Speaker 1 10:38

Yeah, you know, I mean maybe my, maybe my my ai counterpart can oh shoot, shoot, not yet, you know. Yeah, I mean maybe at one point. Yeah, but like I see what you're saying.

Speaker 2 10:49

Yeah, but that's why I feel badly for a lot of people out there that are constantly like comparing themselves Like you're the only you.

Speaker 1 10:57

Yeah.

Speaker 2 10:58

Like your face, your voice, your experiences, what you're bringing to the table, what you're bringing to the table. You know the kindness that you have and how you let that instruct. You know you to spend that, spend that energy like on you know your friendships and your relationships and your colleagues, etc. Like for me, just like, if you have the uniqueness, if you're being authentic and out there, no one can do anything about it. I mean God bless them. Let let other people do similar things. We can all do, you know similar things, but I really strive to be the best and to excel, especially in the area of the tastemaker events.

Speaker 1 11:37

And what has where? Where has this drive come from?

Speaker 2 11:43

I love how we're not doing all the pre-questions. No, no, I'm good with that putting you on the spot yeah, no, no, I like that. That's better. Conversation is better. Um, the drive comes from. I guess, growing up in the entertainment field like my dad was a pretty famous concert promoter and cool and my mom was an event planner also she still is like, I mean, they're with us, they're still with us okay, I just meant like was as in. He doesn't do that anymore, he's in vegas um, she's here and your dad's in vegas?

Speaker 1 12:14

yeah, yeah, he lives there with my stepmom, she's amazing.

Speaker 2 12:17

She was a talent manager too, so a lot of um yeah for like big, big celebrities and stuff and the same. That's what he worked with as well, and my mom. When they would come to town at the arena, she would actually throw parties at the farm where we lived.

Speaker 1 12:31

Really.

Speaker 2 12:31

For all the artists, like she did, an event for Earth, wind, fire and Luther Vandross.

Speaker 1 12:36

Oh cool.

Speaker 2 12:36

Teddy Pentegrast, all of his artists and like became like family to us.

Speaker 1 12:40

Nice.

The Three Branches of HeidnSeek

Speaker 2 12:42

And sadly a lot of them have passed on, you know, to ice and sadly a lot of them have passed on but gotcha, but yeah. So I was inspired by watching him be powerful, charismatic and commanding a lot of attention. For you know, the, the music, the musicians, putting putting everything together for these shows is extremely tedious and yeah, not easy you know, I mean all the things, yeah, all the things, the halls and the rentals and the permits and the.

Speaker 2 13:09

You know the advertising and the um, the, the merch I mean, I mean just like you know, and also um the the pricing, I mean everything, everything that goes into the back end, which people don't see, of the concert business. I was inspired by that because he was one of the original independent promoters, before there was any conglomerates out there. Oh really, yeah, before anyone was swallowed up and the people that he trained and taught went off to be a part of those large organizations and be significant parts of Black Nation and AEG. They got bought out, yeah, later on.

Speaker 2 13:47

You know no later on. It wasn't when they were still with him.

Speaker 1 13:50

Okay.

Speaker 2 13:51

But this was. He was a huge concept promoter from the late 60s to the early 80s. I'm writing a book about it, so I know.

Speaker 1 13:57

Nice, we'll talk about some of your books.

Speaker 2 14:00

Yeah, we will, and then again back into it in the 90s. The earlier portion was mostly Motown and classic rock.

Speaker 1 14:10

Okay.

Speaker 2 14:10

Around 20,000 shows. The later portion was primarily hip hop and comedy in the 90s, so I grew up in that.

Speaker 1 14:17

Oh wow, how many shows did you say he promoted around 20,000.

Speaker 2 14:21

Jesus. He promoted around 20,000. Jesus, because it wasn't just. I mean, it was many years and it wasn't just the ones. He did himself, he financed others and he had buildings exclusively all over the country. Just for events. No, I mean he would have the arena, he would be the programmer, the exclusive programmer.

Speaker 1 14:37

Gotcha.

Speaker 2 14:38

So he would be controlling everything that went in and out of the venues. But yeah, I was inspired by that because I just wanted to do it on a small level. And I started doing it on a small level, like I had this, the sickest bat mitzvah in the world, because I had dj booby and scotty b and reggie reg and miss tony.

Speaker 2 14:55

Two of them rest in peace oh, shoot when I was 13 and it was important to me to have like everybody there. I wanted to do stuff nobody else could do. And what I mean by everybody there I mean white, black, you know. Yeah, like wealthy, not so wealthy county city like you know, asian, like everything.

Speaker 2 15:14

I mean, it was really important to me to do what was not happening and there was no like social life at was and still is for the most part, very segregated. And I wanted to you know I wanted to kill that, you know, so I so I had to facilitate it by my events. So, starting from my bat mitzvah, like everybody was there from every background and there was no event that you could go to, like that, where everybody was represented. It was either like all this or all, like all jocks or all that.

Speaker 2 15:45

You know what I mean yeah and that I took a lot of pride in. And then later on I did something consequential. I think in it was 98. Uh, I put on a vh1 save the music benefit at the house because there was a chapter the vh1 save the music chapter was here, it had been open but no one had um donated to it yet okay, so I wanted um like four bands, um locally different, diverse bands, diverse audience, like five bucks a head, you know, 200 kids, whatever okay and that wasn't contributing that much, but I wanted the kids themselves to contribute, of course, you know, versus just like us paying out of some.

Speaker 2 16:18

And it was great because I'm spank rock. If you ever heard of him, um sounds familiar naeem went to gilman and I was at roland park and like we grew up together and so I put him on and he rose to like this dope fame um really yeah, yeah, look up spank rock.

Speaker 2 16:33

He's like super ill nice and um. He was touring, I think, like internationally and just very creative person, um, and so he was on there. Easy jackson, which you may know, this was, this was we were 17, 18, I um my friend, kathy schmoke, introduced me to him and his and his um rap group was up there too. So these are two people that really progressed and made it like in the industry. You know, at least in my opinion, right um, and then we had like some rock band sorry, I can't even remember who it?

Speaker 2 17:06

was, and then there was oh, it's cool. There was another. Oh, my friend, my friend ryan mcdowell. He's amazing, too regulus. Okay, you've heard of the gods, or like um. There, there's like um pro and reg, like there's there.

Speaker 1 17:23

I feel, I feel bad.

Speaker 2 17:24

No, it's all good. No, no, no, I'm going to connect to you. Okay, but he was the sickest freestyler in high school, man.

Speaker 1 17:33

Oh shoot, I met him at the fair we're talking about early days At the Maryland State Fair. I met him at like 15. He was at Towson and he was like yeah, I was freestyling at the fair. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 17:45

No, I mean it works with the girls.

Speaker 1 17:46

It really does. Yeah, popcorn just to the hand of popcorn. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 17:51

Um, but he is incredible Um and he's still doing it and we work together, cause I would write hooks and you know cause I'm a writer, oh nice. And um, but overall that's what.

Speaker 1 18:02

I didn't know that. So you write music too.

Speaker 2 18:05

Well, not well, oh come on.

Speaker 1 18:07

I mean no.

Speaker 2 18:09

No, I write poems and I try to turn them into songs.

Speaker 1 18:11

Poems and hooks. They're just hooks by themselves, but I'm a great writer.

Speaker 2 18:15

I'm like I'm a great writer. No, I think I'm a great writer and I think that I'm okay vocally, like okay. And vocally like okay, um, and I play guitar really badly, but I tell people, when you put all three, we have a guitar, will you? Oh, yeah, no, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1 18:30

Um, I'm not gonna put you on the spot. No, it's all good, but you were talking about um your yeah, but when you put it all together, okay you know the, the great, the good and the bad.

Speaker 2 18:40

It like kind of meshes into a place where it's not so bad, you know.

Speaker 1 18:45

Plus I'm cute all right, that totally helps yeah, yeah, that totally helps um, okay, so wait. So, uh, there was something else. Oh, it was how we got here it was why.

Speaker 2 18:57

What did you get inspired by? So all of that inspired me to be a small, like microcosm of, like what he succeeded at doing on such a large scale. I wanted to do it on a small scale, like and really like, uplift baltimore and just baltimore.

Speaker 2 19:12

Like my dad was, like national yeah, you know some real guerrilla and I'm like style yeah, and I'm like, yeah, grassroots here and um really want to um, you know, start here, stay here, end here, type thing, who knows. But but I love the city and I love the surrounding counties. I mean the counties are very much a part of the city in terms of like um being consumers and coming in and and um appreciating the arts, and so I mean, for me it's it's a joint, it's a joint situation, but but yeah, the parents definitely.

Speaker 1 19:44

Let me ask you this what's your favorite part about Baltimore? What's your favorite thing about Baltimore?

Speaker 2 19:54

Just the grit, you know, the grit of the people, the rawness and genuine, yeah, nature of a lot of the people that that I've met, the fact that, like I mean, everybody knows everybody, everyone's connected in some way more yeah, yeah, exactly, and I love the diversity, I love the different neighborhoods and the different backgrounds, and the dances and and the and oh my God, like I discovered. Yes, yeah, so I discovered it in middle school, like my friends, yeah, my friends like took me.

Speaker 2 20:34

We go to Westview or security and we would go in that one store where they sell those, those mixtapes, the DJ Boobie, like mixtapes and like it was unique lyrics. You know, for me at the time oh, definitely, I mean more so for my parents at the time, but it was. But it was so fire like you just couldn't not move to it right.

Speaker 1 20:54

Oh, that's a great point.

Speaker 2 20:55

It did really make you want to move to this day, like booby will go live or scotty b will go live on facebook and I'm just like up and out like just losing weight by the second right, you know and um, yeah, they're so special and they're such great people. But nice um I was. I was glad I picked them for my bum it's what's your favorite restaurant in baltimore?

Speaker 1 21:19

my clients, of course come on I know who's the one, who's the who? If you would have to or not one, but like you know, so, um, nick's fish house is like my heart.

Talent, Events, and Community Connections

Speaker 2 21:31

They have my heart because carly uh, I'm now a part owner um is an amazing woman who started there um, you know, in in various roles and worked, worked and excelled throughout the years and became, you know, an operator and then now like a part owner and she really runs a tight ship there. And it's amazing for musicians because the stage is ready, the sound is ready, the sound tech is there, there's coverage overhead, so, rain or shine, you know, you just come and plug in and they compensate you know, musicians fairly.

Speaker 2 22:05

So I've been able to, I've been lucky to be able to assist Sean, the main booker there, riley, who handles the sound with some of the music each season, and the DJs, neil I book Neil there as well, but the crab cakes are amazing there. The view is amazing, it's right on the water. But I love that place not just because they are a client um, I do influencer events there too. I mean kind of combine everything but because it's a great spot and the food's dope and the service is great. You know, yeah, um, but black swan I was booking the djs for three years. I did a couple influencer events there. Um, I love it there. Uh, chris and the whole crew and and, uh, chef sayon is amazing nice, you know all the dishes, like all the cocktails and the vibe.

Speaker 2 22:51

You know it's all black like walls with like the black and white photos of all these interesting cultural moments yeah, and you have like the nest that they dj out of and um there's thought out years. Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's beautiful and yeah and and the food really is delicious.

Speaker 2 23:08

It's become like a really great gathering place for a lot of different creative endeavors. Yeah, um, I mean there's, there's so many that I that I like, but but those, um, I love, I love. Uh, tony foreman's group, you know um, the duchess is the newest in the and, like you know, chingale, and he has milton in and um you know, charleston and um, he was behind pazzo, you know, which was, like you know, one of our favorites oh, for sure, gosh I haven't thought about that in.

Speaker 1 23:37

Uh, in a minute. Um, let me ask you this what makes you passionate?

Speaker 2 23:48

What makes me passionate? What?

Speaker 1 23:49

makes you live a life of passion and kind of like.

Speaker 2 23:54

It's not really a choice, unfortunately. I'm just passionate and sometimes overpassionate, oftentimes overpassionate. What?

Speaker 1 24:02

does overpassionate look like or sound like?

Speaker 2 24:04

Just hyperactivity.

Speaker 1 24:06

Yeah.

Speaker 2 24:07

Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 1 24:09

Just being hyper, I mean.

Speaker 2 24:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1 24:11

Believe the hype. Okay, believe the hype.

Speaker 2 24:13

Believe the hype. This is my friend's DJ company.

Speaker 1 24:18

Oh, cool In the back, but yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 24:20

So what makes me passionate is just like, if you're around things that stimulate your brain and stimulate your heart, like you're going to have passion. I mean I love all these talented people that I get to work with, like you know, easy and TT the Artist, and Nelly Zeko and Shelby Blondell and, you know, honestly, soul like Carlos Cubas, like all of these Foon Show. I mean all of these artists like and I'm so blessed because they're not just great like in their skill set or in their craft, like they're great people, they're great human beings.

Speaker 2 24:59

Yeah, like I mean it's very difficult not to have like a real friendship Like I'll either start out as friends and then, you know, become like more of an agent to people, or I'll start out, you know, as an agent and we like become friends and then a lot of times, family Nice, because you're so close knit you have to be when you go over such like consequential. You know things in their life.

Speaker 1 25:22

And adversity, oh yeah, definitely Bonds you things in their life. And adversity, oh yeah, definitely bonds you. Yeah, it helps you find the people that that you know, you think are meant for you, you know as far as like a community goes, and it makes it easier to connect with those peoples, you know for sure like the passion is in the talent and the passion is also like in um.

Speaker 2 25:44

I I've always been like, passionate about justice and like social movements and music and writing and the movements they're all intermingled and film as well.

Speaker 2 25:54

So, um, so all of them collective, like all of them together collectively, really inspire me to make art, to amplify other people's art, um, and yeah, and bringing people together bringing people together makes me passionate, and bringing people of different backgrounds together, like I said before, makes me really passionate, because still people do not aim to do that, or maybe they do and really don't implement it properly yeah you know, and you have to have an intention.

Speaker 2 26:22

Yeah, you have to have intention and not even just an intention your life needs to be that you need to be the example for that like your whole, like it's not just hey, let's, let's. Let's throw a party and invite, like you know yeah races. No, it's like you need those relationships and friendships in your life way prior to having that um you know, incentive to like, be politically correct or whatever it is like you know it's funny.

Speaker 1 26:47

You say that it's kind of like the podcast here. It's like I didn't realize how many awesome connections I would be able to make with people you're super likable.

Speaker 1 26:57

Oh, thanks yeah I appreciate that, um, and like it's cool to like be able to just like make connections with people, like on a conversational level. You know it really helps me to. It just helps me with my conversations in general in life, you know, because what it does is it has me ask, it's it has me asking more questions and different questions that you know really help people to kind of understand life and like what they're going through. And you know answers to different questions that hopefully, like somebody can learn and, like you know, not have to like make a mistake, you know, along the way.

Speaker 2 27:40

But they're going to make the mistakes anyway. You're right Because artists, creatives, don't like to be told what to do even if it's in their best interest. Oh my God, oh my God, I swear like I can't. I don't know how many times I've suggested firmly you know, yeah, to an amazing artist that this song would be sick to cover, or, you know, maybe we can navigate social a little differently, like maybe you don't, maybe it's a chick and she doesn't need to be, so out there, you know, maybe she can lead with other aspects.

Speaker 2 28:12

You know her art and personality. Or maybe it's a dude and he's coming off like I don't know. He's coming off not as intellectual as he really, as he really is, because he thinks this is what people want from him, he dumbs it down a little, a little yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 28:23

So there's so many ways that like I was a psychology major, so like I kind of like I'm not just looking at what they're putting out, I'm looking at the perception coming back to them and like I want to look out for them and advocate and let them know, like I mean I even do this with my husband, like he hates me for it but like he'll, he'll share stuff and I'll be like honey. You look, that's a little bit. I don't know if that's a great.

Speaker 1 28:45

look You're honest. You're just really honest.

Speaker 2 28:47

Yeah, yeah, but I mean like, but for the most part he's phenomenal.

Speaker 1 28:51

Of course.

Speaker 2 28:52

He's fashionable and he's a curator of amazing, like cultural events, as well, yeah, do you?

Speaker 2 29:00

want to shout fashionable. On IG I'm hiding seeks H-E-I-D-N-S-E-E-K-S, but when I say what he was sharing, it's just like sometimes he'll get over, passionate like me, and share stuff that I used to share earlier on. I used to be very like, just boom, like this is my politics, this is my religion, this is my this, that, and that's great, and I admire people that are super open about that stuff and I will be, you know, one-on-one with people. But it takes so much energy out for me to post about very controversial things because you're exchanging back and forth and back and forth afterwards, because you have everyone's opinions to deal with and you don't want to.

Speaker 2 29:39

you know, offend people that you care about, but you still want to be true to yourself and it's just like it's a hot mess for me. I would rather, you know, focus on what I can control. You know, do good in the areas that I can do good. And yeah, I have been vocal and will always be vocal about certain things. But to be overly vocal, to have a dog in every fight, you know it, it really detracts from your purpose good, good point.

Books, Writing, and Creative Projects

Speaker 1 30:02

So let's see here. Um, I want to segue a little. Uh, I love what we're talking about, but there's something really important I think that you should tell the audience about your books. Yeah, yeah, let's talk a little bit about um circadian rhythm.

Speaker 2 30:18

Okay, and uh, why did I forget reflections of it? I think it's reflections of it's been so long um, reflections of a decade okay, so we can, we can find them. Oh yeah, amazon yeah, so the one is a book of poetry. You can find them on amazon. Just put my name in, heidi klotzman, and they'll come up um. And the other one um is is a book of facebook statuses. It's's the best. It's like 10 years of Facebook statuses that I wrote, which you'll see, some of that stuff that.

Speaker 1 30:48

I used to say your Facebook statuses, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 30:51

All yours. No, is there any other? People no, no, no no, they are all mine, but I curated them Like I only put in the funniest and like the deepest, like coolest ones, so it would be like a book of quotes that you could get like inspired by and have epiphanies from. Oh yeah, there you go, yeah, yeah no, that's dope.

Speaker 1 31:09

I'm excited I'm gonna order some yeah, please do.

Speaker 2 31:12

I was gonna bring you some and I've of course, blanked on it, but then there's um. I'm also, like I said, working on one about my dad's tenure in the entertainment industry and the highs and lows and what he experienced and what that's going to. That would be super impacted um the world for better or worse. You know it's a real story.

Speaker 2 31:31

It's not just, you know, it's not just like claps and laughter and money. It's uh, it was, it was a very um. It is extremely inspiring and it's also devastating. You know a lot, yeah, a lot, along the way for him, for all of us, um, that you know. Love, love him, um, but and and I'm working on a memoir too you know of just my, my own life and my own trials and different things to maybe help people through some of the things that I've, I've been through, but I don't know if I'll ever really put that out because it's so personal. His, I don't know if we're going to put out, I'm going to finish it, but I don't know necessarily if that's something I want to put out either, because it's the damage control.

Speaker 1 32:15

Yeah, you have to think about where your mind went a few times right.

Speaker 2 32:20

Yeah, no, I mean, it's just, there's a lot you can't talk about. You know from from certain eras, just just to keep privacy. You know, for people keep their confidences and you have all these estates to deal with, you know, because people want their loved ones to be remembered a certain way. I'm talking about the celebrities.

Speaker 1 32:36

Gotcha.

Speaker 2 32:36

That that he promoted. So Gotcha. But I will finish it, and so I will have that masterpiece, oh, at least for yourself, whether it becomes a documentary or, you know, a feature film or a bestseller, or just a published book.

Speaker 1 32:55

Yeah, like I don't know what, what? Um path?

Speaker 2 32:56

it's going to take, but it will be complete.

Speaker 1 32:56

Oh nice, I like it's almost complete, that's inspiring to hear, because then I I think that helps me think about some of the things that I would like to to to make and finish and, you know, even if you don't finish it and like you're, even if you finish it and it doesn't like become this thing, like that, that shouldn't be the reason why you finish it.

Speaker 2 33:19

Yeah, a lot of people like publish to sell x amount of stuff like I published to just self-publish, like like I always wanted to.

Speaker 2 33:27

To accomplish that you know, with my book and I didn't care if anyone got it. I'd be happy if people got it and I wanted my friends and other people I cared about to kind of get to know me through that way, because the poetry book at least is like from middle to high school to now and it's chronological, like all the poems you can see, like how this weirdo, like you know, became who she is.

Speaker 2 33:46

So love that it's um, yeah, I really love that book and I'm actually going to be editing it to add all the poems, since, because I'm just like you know I don't feel like putting out yet another book.

Speaker 1 33:57

I just want to like update that gotcha, gotcha kind of re-release, in a way good, that's smart too, because yeah, you know, you know, you'll know when you're ready to kind of, you know, make something like that happen. So that's awesome. I'm looking to write my own poetry, or I'm writing my own poetry book. I just need to figure out how to uh, market it, um, and I have a great person for you that helps me.

Speaker 2 34:21

I mean not just marketing, but helped me like upload, helped me edit yeah, you know everything. I need that names aja and she is nice amazing like she really did the whole thing for me, so I could just do the creative part and just hand.

Speaker 1 34:34

Oh, I'd love to speak with her because I'm very serious about this yeah, and I just need.

Speaker 2 34:39

I would love to read it too.

Speaker 1 34:41

Yeah, I would love for you to read it. Awesome, I'm excited to read yours too. Um, let's see here. Why don't you tell me a little bit about what you have, uh, in the future? What do you have coming up in the, in the, you know, coming either months or maybe even like you know where do you?

Speaker 2 35:07

see yourself in like five years. Oh god, like interview. Well, I'm coming up. I do have some great tastemaker events coming up influencer, tastemaker, vip, whatever. It's all like interchangeable. I have some great ones coming up this year which I won't discuss where because they're always private okay and you find out about it like crazily after the fact and you're just bombarded with it after, during and after but, never before.

Speaker 2 35:32

Um, so they're at some restaurants and I have um some other creative developments going on. Um there's also, you know, a lot of talent booking coming up right now. I mean well this, if this comes out later right now, um, I'm working on preakness, um preak weeks coordinator um for this year, last year and this year. Um basically, preak weeks is an endeavor where um multiple local small businesses uh sell tickets for preakness and giveaway tickets um that preakness has given them to give away and um preakness in Return is highlighting those businesses, is getting them PR on TV and radio.

Speaker 1 36:15

For putting effort into getting the tickets out.

Speaker 2 36:17

Well, yeah, they have their own QR codes and people can buy tickets through them at their restaurants and their businesses, and they're also giving tickets to attend themselves, the owners, owners of the businesses and to give away a pair, and there's a spotlight day where everyone like spotlights on them. This year is 19 businesses, so the 19 days leading up you know it's a Preakness, like the 12 days before- Christmas or whatever, all the businesses it is what it is Huh.

Speaker 1 36:45

Each business has a day.

Speaker 2 36:47

Yeah, each one has a day. Today was actually Nick's Fish House's day.

Speaker 1 36:51

Oh cool.

Speaker 2 36:52

Yeah, yeah, sweet, but yeah everyone has those.

Speaker 1 36:55

I'll pay attention to that. There's Different.

Speaker 2 36:56

Regard. There's Prima, dopo, there's a lot of great Restor's, lifemed, there's a lot of great businesses and so, yeah, so the cross-promotional aspect. And now there's four new businesses this year in Park Heights, which is right where Pimlico and Preakness has been to really have the outreach into the community. So I've loved working with them and interfacing with them and being like their liaison during this, and everyone amplifies their own brands and becomes richer and stronger because of it. I'm also doing some promotion for the Preakness.

Speaker 2 37:39

Festival which is the lead up for the First Lady, dawn Moore, and that's like some promotion for the concert with D-Nice and all these super dope throwback people, yeah, yeah, and Shanti Moore and Jadakiss.

Speaker 1 37:53

So let me ask you this so is there not going to be an actual like concert at Preakness, like there normally?

Speaker 2 38:02

is, there's normally that infield thing yeah, this year it's like Ray Lewis has like his own, like kind of his own party within a party. That's where the entertainment will be. Wyclef will be in that and then T-Pain I think will be at the end after, I think, the last race. So there are performances but it's not like the huge, like infield.

Speaker 1 38:24

Really they're switching it up.

Speaker 2 38:26

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 38:27

Gotcha. Yeah, I thought about that and I saw, so the events that are happening at what like Merriweather or like Pier 6, right.

Speaker 2 38:36

Oh yeah, it's at Pier 6. Yeah, it is, I would plug it, but you're not going to see it until afterwards. Oh shoot, you're right, it's all good though.

Speaker 1 38:46

Go next year. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly go to.

The Future of HeidnSeek

Speaker 2 38:48

If you haven't go to, go to the concerts and the events surrounding freakness festival next year, um, but yeah, I love being a part of that because racing and um the community and I mean encompasses all the elements like it's fashion, it's fun, it's food, you know it's, it's um sport and it's yeah, it's old sport. You know what I mean. It's again a lot of people coming together and gathering in our great city for a momentous occasion, for celebration and festivities. And that's my forte.

Speaker 1 39:24

So if you could go though like 10 years, 10 years from now, what do you see?

Speaker 2 39:28

Oh God, we're skipping from five to 10.

Speaker 1 39:30

Yeah, let's go to 10.

Speaker 2 39:32

Oy vey.

Speaker 1 39:32

Extra five years under your belt now.

Speaker 2 39:37

My dad's book will be done. My memoir, hopefully, will be done. If it's an autobiography, though, like I, should probably wait till I'm like old old, not midlife old.

Speaker 1 39:49

You still got to make decisions, though. Yeah, like I should probably wait till I'm like old old, not mid, not midlife old.

Speaker 2 39:54

Yeah, yeah, we'll see. Um. Yeah, uh, my music album will be done. I released like no, I didn't release it, but I recorded a song um at my friend, uh, tony corelli's deep end studio oh cool um, and he's great engineer, you're singing yeah, yeah, oh, shoot okay yeah, and I mean it's just for me, like this is my creative outlet, like I don't care if it's that's good purchased like yeah I mean, if I ever get feel like there's really like a song out there that really has to be out there for people to hear, like you'll make it happen, but

Speaker 2 40:24

um, so that, um, yeah, the, the books, the album. There's other things that I would like to accomplish more with the business. I would like to scale it more so that I can have more of a life. I'd like to delegate more and I'd like to have the hide and seek talent part, have the hide and seek talent part, like I'd like to have there be more of a private event element to it so that I can focus, have have portion of the agency focused on corporate and weddings, because this restaurant and influencer and all this, a lot of this is is very youth oriented and you know, at my age, like I was saying to myself, what do I, what can I?

Speaker 1 41:07

do and really, we're all getting older. Yeah, yeah, no. What can I do? Really, I'm messing with you. We're all getting older. Yeah, yeah, no. What can I do? What will have?

Speaker 2 41:13

longevity, and so, for me, I feel that what will have longevity is these timeless events, these timeless special events that people will always be having forever.

Speaker 2 41:21

And then I can supply talent for those, and it doesn't matter what you look like or how old you are or whatever. It just matters what your service is and how great your roster is and your track record. So I think that that is something that can go on indefinitely. But I always wanted to have hide and seek cures, which is something where people would go. They buy a ticket to a specific event and then they could choose, like a, from a dropdown where their ticket money would go to like.

Speaker 2 41:46

Casey, local nonprofit Casey cares or living classrooms, Gotcha Leaders of tomorrow youth center Like that would be amazing, Cause I really want to do do a lot more and give a lot more back.

Speaker 1 41:59

Yeah, I think, I think that's a great thought. You know, how can, how can we do a little more and how can we give back to the community itself? How can we give back to the community itself? Do you feel like there's any way that other people can do that, can give back to their community, that maybe they're not like paying attention to as much, or at least like with some of the events? Like how can people support, you know, certain events?

Speaker 2 42:27

I mean, I think people can give back by like giving birth to their ideas and implementing them out, like. I think, um, like one of the many, I always wanted to open my own small space here that was like cushy but like and very exclusive, um, like very sexy vibes and uh, we'll see if we'll see if that materializes, um, because it's one thing to send all your people to everyone else's place. And so I just, I mean, I'm just thinking to myself like why not send it to your own place?

Speaker 1 42:58

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 2 42:59

Yeah, I mean, I know, it took 20 years. My company's 20 years old this month.

Speaker 1 43:04

Oh, congrats. Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 2 43:06

Thank you so much, so cool. But yeah, I did want to have a place and in five or ten years, you know, hopefully I'll, you know, have had a child, or if we don't go that route because there's all kinds of fulfilling lives, definitely a Pomeranian or something of the sort.

Speaker 2 43:25

A little yapper, yeah, yeah, something like that. But yeah, there's so many ways to nurture impact in your community and in your own inner world, and procreating is one of them. So you know, we'll see, but I'm very blessed. I want my parents to live forever. I hope they're there and I hope Mo is there. He's my best friend and my rock and always supportive. Love that yeah, exactly. But you said what can people do to support the events?

Speaker 2 43:54

Yeah, well, you can follow me on IG at hideandseek H-E-I-D-N-S-E-E-K I said that already and HNSeekcom H-N-S-E-E-Kcom is the website, but HNSEEKcom is the website. But if you follow me, you'll see what I have going on. A lot of times I'm just telling my life story like through the IG stories. Yeah, because like I wanted to be a whole person, so it's like you'll see, like an event. I just went to an event that's coming up like me with some like super abstract quote, you know, or sharing something else, or saying, or saying like we need to rise up against this, you know, or we need to support this or supporting something, yeah and jokes, like you know, just funny funny stuff too, and and um, yeah, I mean life.

Speaker 2 44:41

Yeah, people can. People can support the events by watching what I'm doing and when they're doing, they can see what I have going on and then they can come and they can be a part of it.

Speaker 1 44:51

Yeah, Love that I have a special section here that we're going to pull up. Okay, this is.

Rapid Fire Questions

Speaker 2 44:58

I don't know if I told you about this. Yeah, in Novo too. Yeah.

Speaker 1 45:01

Okay, so I have a bunch of questions here that I'm going to ask you. Okay, and this is rapid fire, so off the dome. I need you freestyling like the homie. All right, put 10 seconds on the clock. Would you rather be able to speak every language or play every instrument?

Speaker 2 45:22

Play every instrument.

Speaker 1 45:24

If you could be good at something overnight, what would it be?

Speaker 2 45:27

Oh, that's not rapid fire.

Speaker 1 45:29

Yeah, come on Good at something overnight. What would it be well, that's not rapid fire.

Speaker 2 45:31

Yeah, come on, come on good it's good at something overnight um eating, but that well, that's a superpower eating without gaining weight, right yeah yeah, okay, so I'd be super good at that bang.

Speaker 1 45:42

Yeah, would you. Would the world be better or worse if no one carried around phones both? Oh, 50, 50, all right, all of your clothes have to be one color, forever black.

Speaker 2 45:57

There you go all the sins oh, there you go, all right.

Speaker 1 46:02

Okay, let's see here. Do you ever think about your parents as kids? What do you picture?

Speaker 2 46:08

oh my god. Yeah, I just wish they could be my age now so we could grow together oh, I love that.

Speaker 1 46:13

Yeah, good, good point, name something that always puts you in a good mood pizza ah, what's toppings? What's the 30? What's?

Speaker 2 46:22

the three new york style extra cheese straight up and last uh yeah, all right.

Speaker 1 46:27

What do you think your favorite teacher does when they aren't at school?

Speaker 2 46:32

back in back, oh, back in the day yeah, um, the favorite teacher was a theater guy and I.

Speaker 1 46:40

If you had a second job, what would it be? Um a philosopher nice yeah like that um, okay, let's see here what is something that you don't understand about the world hatred, violence and math.

Speaker 2 47:04

Oh shit the great I've never been great at math or science, but I really appreciate it now and I'm kind of, you know looking at investing in compounding interest and how you can set up more financially secure future.

Speaker 1 47:18

Let's see here what would be in your perfect packed lunch.

Speaker 2 47:22

The pizza would be back, of course, and mozzarella sticks, because you just can't get enough of the same thing.

Speaker 1 47:29

You can't.

Speaker 2 47:30

Yeah, and like brownies from chopped salad, the chopped salad place the brownies are better than the salads.

Speaker 1 47:35

Really, the salads are amazing. Okay, I know it's very weird, I dig it. I dig it At.

Speaker 2 47:40

Woodholm Center, that's like. And they're not a client, I just go there Just smelling, maybe.

Speaker 1 47:50

Maybe there'll be a client now. Alright, let's see. If you could choose to be born anywhere, where would it have been?

Speaker 2 47:56

here, nice, good answer same hospital, sinai, to the same people, maybe not at the same time because, like I miss, like the music, the throwback music right you know back in the day like that everyone's sampling now were the origins of everything Romance and protest and everything, everything we love and hold dear is just being regurgitated. Now we put our own spin on it, but we need to respect our elders in the history of music and art.

Speaker 1 48:31

And how to show. Appreciation to that. Let's see here If you had your own talk show, who would be the first guest?

Speaker 2 48:40

You, of course.

Speaker 1 48:41

Oh, good answer.

Speaker 2 48:42

I was lying. No, no, no, no, you would be Other than me, other than me?

Speaker 1 48:47

Yeah, of course they can be living, or dead.

Speaker 2 48:48

No, you know, other than me, other than other than me, yeah of course they can be living or dead living or dead I, I think I would bring my grandma's back, yeah, and then after that, uh, I would interview our first lady in maryland, uh, dawn moore. Dawn Moore, because she's doing a lot for our community and to uplift Baltimore City and bring festive events to engage all of us, and I just have a lot of respect for her, so she'd be up there with you and the grandmas.

Speaker 1 49:26

I love that, perfect. And then one last one Pineapple or coconut.

Speaker 2 49:33

Together, together and sparkling ice.

Speaker 1 49:36

Oh my gosh, good, good, you're the first person who said that.

Speaker 2 49:40

Yeah, I mean, you haven't had sparkling ice.

Speaker 1 49:43

Is that what sparkling ice is?

Speaker 2 49:44

No, I mean, there's so many different kinds, but my favorite is, like Mo's friend Mark put me onto it, it was like this I think it's a pineapple coconut, okay.

Speaker 1 49:54

Something like that.

Speaker 2 49:55

And then you can mix it with you know rum or whatever.

Speaker 1 49:56

Right, whatever you want, nice, okay, I'm gonna have to try that it's sparkling too, so it's perfect.

Speaker 1 50:01

Okay, okay, and if I'm wrong, um, okay, gosh, uh, heidi, listen, I think that, um, I think that we had an awesome conversation. I think we were able to dive into so many different things throughout life. Uh, you were able to give some awesome ways for people to support their shows, events and community, um, you know, but highlight a lot of the different, um, you know, artists, aspects of how to like appreciate an artist and like to really like put them on with, like certain events and things like that. And, yeah, I mean, if you ever have any events in the future that you need a dope lyricist for, you know call your boy, uh, call your boy, uh, no, no, your shot.

Speaker 1 50:47

Call your boy up, no, no.

Speaker 2 50:50

I actually took some time when you first connected to hear what you have going on. Nice and it's very unique to me. Sweet I super, dug it and I would tell you if I didn't. And so maybe we can collab one day.

Speaker 1 51:04

Yeah, I'm 100% down. I'm actually putting together my first or my second album release party, so I'm looking at venues.

Speaker 2 51:14

actually, that's what I need your help on a song, but yes and yes yeah, yeah we'll do both, okay?

Speaker 1 51:21

do you have one little bit of inspiration that you want to leave the audience with?

Mental Health and Final Thoughts

Speaker 2 51:31

Yeah sure, Investing your mental health. I know everyone is saying that right now and they're all talking about it and thank God, I mean it's about time. But the things that I do maybe they can help you, the things that I do to restore my mental health I go to acupuncture, I do, maybe they can help you, the things that I do to like restore my mental health, or I go to acupuncture, I meditate, I go to chiropractor, I mean I have a whole regimen.

Speaker 1 51:57

My whole life is self-care.

Speaker 2 52:01

I, you know, get massages Like I mean I do so many things to. I mean I emote, like you know. I have a great therapist. Um, I just make sure that I have an arsenal ready, you know, for all the challenges, um, and the tragedies that come up in life, and if you're sensitive, they come up pretty often and hit you hard.

Speaker 2 52:24

They're not typical. It's not just death and it's not just illness. I mean, there's like little cracks along the way. Rejections and, you know, miscommunications and all these different things that you know can add up and like make you freak out, right. I mean, beside what's going on in the world, like the disarray, you know, of everything, I mean that has its own like, like collective impact. But yeah, so what? I would say, um, find your own things that you love to do, that restore you, that bring you back to center, because without having a center, you know, you really can't reach the potential that you're meant to reach, you can't be the you that you're destined to become if you're constantly like trying to regain balance, like you got to start from that place.

Speaker 1 53:10

Yeah, you have to grow from that place.

Speaker 2 53:13

Yeah, and it's not easy to get there. I'm just saying, like you know, I'm I'll be doing this forever, questioning and wondering and but but definitely mental health, huge it's been. It's been, you know, overlooked for so long and now people are really coming out with what they deal with, their specific disorders and imbalances, and I came out long ago with the ones that I deal with and I'm really glad that it's become commonplace for people to be out there, because then other people feel like they can be out there and they don't have to suppress yeah, you know, because it's not our fault Like we didn't cause this, like we came't cause this, like we came out, like this you can all work on your problems together.

Speaker 1 53:50

I think it's important in different ways.

Speaker 2 53:53

And there's blessings that come from these, like neurodivergent and different conditions that many of us have. You know, the ability to connect so deeply and the empathy that we have for other people. And you know just appreciating um, appreciating balance and happiness and serenity, like when you get it, because, um, it's not always, it's not always the default for for everybody, it's just not nice love, that great, great way to put that. And your words were beautiful thanks, you're my manager now, oh shit, I got you, I got you, I'll be your agent.

Speaker 2 54:31

All right, all right it's a little softy.

Speaker 1 54:34

All right, listen, perfect gosh. Heidi.

Speaker 2 54:36

Thank you so much for being here, and I'm sure everybody who's listening also is thankful for you and um, thank you so much for first putting the spotlight on a lot of creatives and different people making impact, and you are also making your own impact. You know your music, but also by doing this and you, you can tell you genuinely care you really do, I feel it, I think I do, I feel you do you do, I would tell you. If you didn't appreciate that thanks.

Speaker 2 55:04

I'm getting better reading people in my old age there you go right.

Speaker 1 55:07

That's one thing that comes with it, um, okay, well, hey, thank you all for joining us. Uh, on this episode of the respecting perspectives podcast. All right, until we see y'all on the next one. Peace out.