Lucas Klappas: New York’s Favorite Photographer
“The thing about New York City that makes it unique is that it truly is a global unique city.”
It was in Central Park, Manhattan that I interviewed my friend, Lucas Klappas. I’d known the guy for a couple of years and was more than happy to have him on the UPcoming. When I interviewed him, it was a beautiful day, and we had the quietest spot we could find. So, as per the UPcoming, I introduced him, and then he reintroduced himself. He was studying at Baruch in New York City, initially studying at Purchase College (that’s how we knew each other). He’s a photographer for New Tradition, who in turn works with Spotify, whom he does photos for. When he’s not doing that, he’s taking jobs from other clients, managing a stable photography business.
Lucas broke down how he grew his business. When he started photography jobs, he saw the inconsistency with certain clients, like with birthday parties or bridal showers. When he came across realtors and advertisers, Lucas found the consistency he needed to earn a steady paycheck. He says, “I was working with what I saw was feasible at the moment. When I saw an opportunity to make it more long term or consistent, then I expanded the business.” I was curious about his upbringing in New York and how he feels about it, so I asked what made New York so unique compared to other cities. “It truly is a global unique city. There are so many different industries here and so many talents here.” He wasn’t wrong. New York is the home of Wall St, Broadway theatre, and a perfect place for industries such as entertainment, media, and publishing.
In a shift of topics, I asked Lucas about being a solopreneur and the challenges that forced him to stop and focus on him. As the founder and owner of his personal business, Lucas has gone out of his way to connect and bond with potential clients. Lucas knows that the road to success starts with getting out of your comfort zone. While he does not hesitate to reach for every opportunity, he makes sure to keep himself balanced. He makes sure to eat every day to avoid stress from hunger, go for drives to relax himself, and stays socialized. Human interaction is extremely important to him, so he regularly visits family and spends time with friends. Along the way, he’ll also “spoil” himself a bit, going on vacations and seeing new places. Take it from me, it’s not a part without him.
Thank you Lucas Klappas for being a part of the UPcoming and for embodying the month of business and financial literacy.
Kaitlyn Marsh: Social Love
Kaitlyn Marsh spent years working to become the leader she is now. Growing up in Texas, Kaitlyn’s first challenge is honestly the worst: Overcoming social awkwardness. She had a rough beginning in trying to make friends, going as far as to look up how to do so on wikiHow. After breaking out of her comfort zone, or as she calls it, “Embracing the awkward”, Kaitlyn found her power in building friendships, and this would impact her going forward. This embrace of awkwardness is how she navigated through complicated, and unfamiliar situations, which made her the perfect choice for the position of Marketing Intern with Digital 4 Good + #ICANHELP, where she contributes to building a positive and uplifting environment within the internet, along with Social Media and Fundraising Intern at Breaking Taboo, an organization dedicated to preventing suicide. Kaitlyn understands the value of community, and she wants others to understand too. That said, I had to include her for the month of love.
Upon joining #ICANHELP, the founder Kim Karr took Kaitlyn under her wing and the latter learned how hard the organization works in battling negative online experiences, especially cyber-bullying. The organization has seen some rough times, and there’s no better example than the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the isolation from quarantine, the reliance on social media, livestreaming, and other virtual platforms naturally increased the rate of cyber-bullying and loneliness amongst users. “It’s just something that requires constant, constant support, constant diligence, and just making sure that students are aware of what they say online.” Kaitlyn herself had to face the effects of the pandemic, forced away from the friends she worked so hard to gain. Still, her team amongst #ICANHELP, given that it was already remote, provided her with a community of people she could trust and enjoy being around.
We talked some more about mental health awareness and her work in Breaking Taboo. The organization’s goal not just the prevention of suicide but eliminating the stigma behind it. For example, there’s wording that Kaitlyn wants to change. “Died by suicide is the more preferred way to say committed suicide… commit implies that someone’s doing something wrong. By doing that, people are less likely to talk about suicide.” To say died by suicide makes people more open to talking about it. While this statement brought polarized reception, Kaitlyn stands by it as she wants to see more conversation with such an uncomfortable topic.
We both agreed that the effects of mental illness are not always helped by the media. When they get it right, they get it right (Ted Lasso, Manchester by the Sea), but when they get it wrong, they get it very wrong (Joker, Split). I told Kaitlyn about this show called The Idol, one of the worst reviewed shows of 2023. There was an infamous line in there, “Mental illness is sexy.” Her reaction is my favorite part of the episode. Hopefully, with more people talking about mental health, we’ll see more appropriate depictions in the future.
In my last question, I asked Kaitlyn how she’s evolved since she started her journey. “I feel a lot of it is learning to be more open about my own experiences,” She replied, “If you’re trying to get other people to open up to you, it’s a lot harder for them if they don’t know you if you don’t share anything about yourself.” She wants to understand others, but to do that, she knows that people must understand her as well. Good relationships have mutual feelings and actions. Kaitlyn has transformed into a person who leads by example, and in doing so, she brings those who feel isolated out of the dark. It’s actions like these that build community and lessen tragedies.
More power to you Kaitlyn! Episode 52 out now.
Phenomenon: Artistic Love
“What we do is not typical music. It’s us.”
Back in the day when I was an RA at Purchase College, I knew two residents that I was particularly cool with. They were always happy to see and I them. We loved chatting about Death Battle (Popular series on YouTube), video games, and their passion for music. To put it simply, these two were a band, and one that was going to become greater than the people who inspired them. I remember when they would practice their music in the floor lounge at, like, 1 in the morning, and sometimes I’d join them. I could see just from the way they talked how serious they were about what they did. They didn’t want it to sound good, they wanted it to sound unique.
Those two were lyricist/songwriter Osiris Warren, and Bassist Andres Merlano, and their band is called Phenomenon.
It was the start of February, the month of love. Their episode was the first, as they had an immense love for music. When I had them introduce themselves, Osiris went on to explain not just himself as a person, but how he and Andres met and became a band. Gotta say, Super Smash Brothers has an interesting way of bringing people together. Anyways, Andres, in his introduction, stated that he was initially looking to be more independent. “I didn’t believe too much in part of a band, because I really thought the best way for me to go was to go on, play with different people, and experiencing different genres of music.” Osiris himself was not expecting to be a part of a group either. Eventually, after performing a show together, the two decided to expand their horizons. Osiris would continue practicing his lyricism, and Andres would take on composing. After extensive time emailing each other their work, the two found they had something special.
They’ve had a lot of performances that would end with—less than pleasant responses from the audience. All the same, they persisted and kept honing their music. In time, the crowd loved what they had. Andres recalled the praise, “People would come to us and go, ‘Wow! I’ve never heard this in my life. This is amazing.’” Such high praise is appreciated, but it also made something clear: The two’s drive to create their own style and become recognizable from the many who become popular. They want to sound good, but more than they want to be unforgettable. “What we do is not typical music,” Osiris proudly said, “it’s us.”
I asked them what other things they enjoyed doing when they weren’t practicing. Besides playing Smash Bros, and spending time with family, it’s the moments he and Andres spend together that lets me know how tight their bond is. This was a duo that saw each other as more than just friends or bandmates, but like family. They loved spending time doing what they enjoyed and doing it together made the conversation more wholesome. I think it’s also what’s made them stronger artistically. They understand each other and work to build themselves and each other up.
In my final question, I asked what music was to them. For Andres, it was his second heart, giving him life. For Osiris, it was his GPS, giving his direction. Music is their greatest passion, and they demonstrate that artistic love in the best way they can. Episode 51, available now.
So I Spoke With Ezekiel Clare
“We are always living in the future. That’s why the past is so confusing.”
-Ezekiel Clare
For many people, art is a form of the human mind, a sense of expression and passion, and a way to critique society. For director Ezekiel Clare, (formerly known professionally as Ghost Nostalgia) art is life. It’s what fuels him to wake up each and every day and find something to create. Art is him, and he is art. This description is most prevalent in his latest film, Sow A Little Tenderness, or SALT for short. It is the story of a young man trying to find himself after he is put in a mental institution for a mysterious crime. The film stars Danté Crichlow and Siobahn Kiernan.
I had the privilege and the honor of talking to Clare on February 26th, a week after the release of the film. My first question to him was, in his own words, “who and what exactly are you?” His response could be summed up by three simple titles: Harlem native, Gemini, and artist. For context, Clare was born and raised in Harlem, New York. He found his love for filmmaking at the age of 10, when he discovered a camera that his mother kept in the house. In an interview with JP Morgan Chase’s Fellowship Initiative, he recalled “I was just like, ‘Ok Mom, this camera’s mine now.’”
Clare would later study theater at the Gramercy School of Arts in Manhattan before joining the Initiative, where he and other students were mentored and taught to find, prepare, and apply for colleges of their interests. That is how he found SUNY Purchase and graduated with a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies. He would then go on to pursue his directorial dreams, inspired by directors such as Christopher Nolan, his biggest influence.
When talking about SALT, Clare revealed his inspiration for writing the film, which included his time at Purchase before, during, and after the pandemic. “Right before quarantine I was having a life crisis… so when the pandemic happened, I was able to focus on [regaining his mental health]. I was having cycles of finding myself.” Clare’s time at purchase, especially during the pandemic, was emotionally confusing.
The kind of confusion that leaves one wondering how long they can go on. When the answer to that is unclear, the person eventually realizes that they must decide how they will find it, whether on their own or with help. For Clare, he managed to find it on his own, but first, like the movie’s protagonist, he had to figure out who he was before he would fight back. That would bring his first sense of order within the chaos.
Upon asking about his inspiration for SALT, his response was interesting. “I’ve always had a hard time at Purchase,” he told me, “And so, with the pandemic, and the last semester, the anxiety of graduating, and like, like coming off the isolation of quarantine, and everything, was a lot.” He found himself asking the same questions I asked in the beginning, “What am I? Who am I? What does it mean to be here at Purchase?”
While searching for these answers in isolation at his college, Clare found himself falling in love with the place. In his own personal fight for his identity, the quiet, solitary atmosphere of Purchase College, along with the people he met and stayed in touch with down the road gave him space and influence to gather his questions and form an answer through the movie’s script, which he considers a “love letter to Purchase”.
This letter displays a complex love, however. The allegory for the school is a mental health center, where the patients are misguided, mistreated, and misunderstood. Many will see it as him despising Purchase, but Clare sees it as the perfect response. “It kinda just became an allegory for how I felt, and what it means to be a person in the institution.” He is merely detailing this conflicting experience of pain, pleasure, and self-discovery within his time in education, and Purchase helped emphasize these feelings with its community.
It’s not just the institution that built these thoughts, good or bad, but the people he met, and the joy he felt from them, helped secure his love for the school. Therefore, he finds more affection in the movie’s message. “Purchase as its own living thing is incredible, but Purchase as a system for education is not as great as it could be. It’s not the fault of Purchase, but like, the greater whole of society.”
Going back to the film, Clare is very selective when naming his characters, and the protagonist, Logan Koliah, is given a very interesting one. When his full name is announced, his friend Sage, played by Kiernan, is amazed and says the title, “Koliah the Misguided”. That was the first time I ever heard that name, and when I asked Clare how he found it, the answer was surprisingly simple. “Pretty much… everything is a symbol. I want their names to also symbolize something. With Koliah, I was looking up words that represented angst or misguidedness, and Koliah was one of the names… I just like how it sounds.”
We both agreed that Koliah had a biblical feel to it, which attracted Clare. Funnily enough, because he himself has a biblical name, Ezekiel, many older adults have emphasized the value in it. Such significance, I expect, provided a lot of curiosity in the names of others. Everything has to mean something to exist.
At one point in our conversation, I mentioned the lack of background music, which occurs throughout most of the film. If anything, it contributes to the intensity and emotions of the dialogue, narration, and even silence of the characters. In the words of Clare, “When there’s silence in the film, you as the viewer, you’re just kind of just hearing your own thoughts after just taking in a whole scene of dialogue.” That rings true, especially when the dialogue is over. With no music to distract or build adrenaline, the viewer is left thinking about what they just heard. Whether the speaker is wrong, or right is irrelevant. All that matters is the audience fully grasping the words said. Then, they have the utmost power.
Clare is fully aware of how powerful his characters and their decisions can be within the right circumstances. As a director, he’s made it his solemn duty to give each character the exposition needed, so not only are their personalities and mindsets fleshed out, but the actors are more enabled to exercise their creative muscle.
That is something Clare taught me when describing his relationship with Kiernan, who he’s worked with since his arrival at Purchase, “I see film as gifts. Like, all my films are specific to someone, and SALT was specifically to Siobahn. I wanted and I wanted me to really snap and show our full potential…Just for her, because she did so much for me.” It’s only fair for a director to want the best from his actors, and in this case, Clare was providing his collaborator and friend the opportunity to show all the viewers how talented and dedicated she really was, granting her greater recognition than before. A testament of his appreciation.
Towards the end, we talked about his organization, Oddbat Collective; his founding of it, its purpose, and his time spent within it. Founded in 2015, The collective is run by directors, actors, artists, and musicians who all want to provide the world with their own personal visions, just like Clare. I asked him if he saw Oddbat as an extension of himself, and he agreed. “It’s so weird that it became its own thing about myself, and as time passed, I had a hard time accepting that.”
Still, even before people joined, he found a purpose within the collective, “I had to let go of my ego and understand that this is something I wanted for the community that I would eventually build,” he said, “I can’t make it about me.” Looking at it now, it seems SALT, produced by the collective, demonstrated their creative prowess. Anyone viewing the film will see the dedication within each member, and Clare proudly stands by them and his work.
Looking at Clare and his journey to create and distribute SALT, I found myself inspired by his trials and tribulations, working to create his own personal love letter to a world he’s moved on from. Now that his past has been written, the future is for him to decide. Whatever happens next, I’d love to see a movie about it.
What I’ve Learned From My Guests
Where do I begin? If you’ve heard me on social media, or on my podcast, then you know I have nothing but love for all of my guests. I invited them for a reason. Lately however, I sat and thought about how someone’s life can go completely differently from another. How one succeeds where another fails. Life is unpredictable, and someone my age is always going to do better or worse than me. Does it make me jealous if someone does better than me? No… A little, but life is about choices, not just circumstances.
My point is that after interviewing 38 people so far, everyone had their ups and downs, but they’ve continued on the path they’re on now. Some of the things I’ve learned from this past year ring especially true.
Be grateful for the lows. Episode 6 guest, Emma Steen, worked tirelessly on her application for the music conservatory at Purchase College, only to be told that they didn’t even see her application by the time the deadline had passed. Crushing right? Regardless, she persisted and applied again, and was included. Looking back on it now, she’s grateful for her determination and willingness to get back up again. Episode 2 guest, Ivin Huggan competed in the Shark Tank at Purchase College, hoping to get the grand prize and fund his startup. He ended up losing, but one of the judges pulled him aside and told him that they saw this going internationally. That kind of encouragement was more than enough for him, and he’s still building his company. The most rewarding journeys are hard before they become easy.
Just go out and do what you want to do. Everyone I’ve interviewed reinforced this, but Ivin Huggan and episode 19 guest, Shaine Holloway, openly encouraged this. Ivin himself told me that he saw that something was awry in the world, something that needed to be done, but wasn’t. Then one day, while still in college, he found that haircuts could be more convenient if the barbers came to the customers and not the other way around. With his idea and no doubt in his mind, Ivin took off on his journey. Shaine Holloway sees where he can contribute to stronger learning and uplift a generation, and he’s researching and building his brand. Just do it. There’s plenty of people who want to do the same thing as you, but something’s holding them back. Let nothing hold you back.
Be aware of where you want to go. I’ve had a lot of guests in the music business. I usually ask how they’re going to build their brand, how they’re going to navigate their stage life and personal life, and especially how they’re going to protect themselves against the music industry, which is notoriously exploitative. Let’s face the obvious, big industries, especially in the arts, will always be desired, no matter what story comes out about them. So, at the very least, people should be aware of what they’re getting into. My episode 47 guest, Monday, talked about how she almost got roped in by con artists pretending to be professionals that had her best interests at heart. The trick was to trust her gut and know when someone is really trying to take advantage.
Guard your mind. The world is a rough place, where everyone is going to go through something hard or even traumatic. For example, my episode 49 guest Jahleel Hills described getting stopped and frisked by police at 15. A terrifying moment where anything could have and would have happened to him if the police hadn’t confirmed he wasn’t a suspect and left. My episode 1 guest described how he was struggling with his mental health, which led to contemplating suicide. Life is a difficult journey, so the most important lessons are: surround yourself with people who support you, take time for yourself to replenish and calm yourself, and do things that give you peace of mind. More importantly, cut out what’s negative and holding you back. Getting dragged down is what will ultimately destroy you as you’re being pulled away from what you desire. Never let the world, or even yourself drag you down.
My guests all have their fair share of success and challenges, but it’s about how they meet those challenges that makes them worthy of being on the UPcoming. The next guest to come on, I can’t wait to see what challenges they’ve overcome.
Reflecting on 1 year
It all begins with an idea.
I’ll never forget the first time. The first interview I gave in my college dorm room, the first time I gave my podcast’s intro, and especially not the day I first launched the UPcoming: June 3rd, 2022. That was a moment of triumph, because for months I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the show or how I would release my first episode. To this day, I’m grateful to my friend and episode 1 guest, Ezekiel “Zeke” Clare, for helping to kick this thing off.
Like I said, I started this in my college dorm room as a senior at Purchase College. I had nothing but a recording app on my phone, and a list of questions already prepared. My friend Zeke had just released his film, Sow A Little Tenderness, and I really wanted to ask him about it. So, I invited him in and he agreed to talk about it. One thing about me is I never want to ask simple, or stupid questions because I never want my guests to feel like I’m wasting their time. I always go deeper into them and their work, rather than just what they do or have done. I’m proud to say Zeke was impressed after the interview.
For some more background, the entire idea of the UPcoming came after chatting to a mentor and fellow podcaster. When I asked him a deep question on his life, he went into a tragic story and how he overcame his woes, ending it with, “no one’s ever asked me that question before. You’d make an excellent journalist or podcaster.”
The magic words. I’d make an excellent podcaster.
I never thought much about it, but I was made aware of my ability to ask questions. Back in my freshmen year, author and poet, Kevin Young did a reading then Q&A. I asked him about the influence of music in his writing, and afterwards I was told by my professor that Young really liked my question. So, it was there, I just never knew how I would use it.
Back to the UPcoming, for months I tried to figure out what I would do with my new content. I spoke to another mentor of mine (I have a lot of mentors), and he said to just make it a podcast. He supplied me with the logo and the mic, and eventually I took over from there. I’m grateful to him for that, because now people will see that logo and know what I provide.
I was a program counselor for the School of the New York Times when I first launched the UPcoming. I was out with a friend of mine and roommate at the time. I showed it to him, and he shook my hand, congratulating me. I was off, and now it was time to make history.
For a good long while, I used my mic, Zoom, and my phone’s recording app to get the content out. I was new to the whole thing, and really didn’t know what I was doing at first, but I adapted. I can’t say it was easy balancing my job and the podcast, but I made it work. Word spread of my show, and one of my coworkers, Misa Love Smith, joined as the 5th guest. I wanted to build the podcast more, but that meant a lot of hours of reading on how, and not a lot of doing, while also trying my best to get episodes out. This did improve my audio editing skills and my time management, but I was still under some stress.
Eventually, I caught a breather when I left the School of the New York Times. I continued on Zoom until episode 20, when I switched to Riverside.FM. Honestly, I’m glad I made that shift. The videos look way better. Since I left my job, I’ve also seen how much people enjoy my content. A good portion of my guests reached out and asked to be on my show. Seeing how much they enjoyed their interviews only strengthened the UPcoming’s reputation.
I always started with an introduction to my guests, listing who they are, what they’ve done, and the greatness they’re achieving. Then, I let them introduce themselves, not wanting to speak for my guests. This is about them, after all. Finally, I go into questions. For a long time, I used scripted questions, just so I could think of something good to ask. My favorite response is “That’s a good question.” That’s how I know I’ve asked something no one else has. Eventually, after episode 20, I stopped doing scripts. I let the conversations become more natural and less robotic. It’s really helped me in my communication, since it forces me to think of questions off the top.
I wanted to interview people working their way to fame or success. You see podcasts of people who are established, with millions of followers or mansions, but how many will you listen to about people with none of those things? That’s what I wanted the UPcoming to be. Everyone has a story to tell and I’m here to help them tell it. I’ve gotten a lot of great comments about my show. many of my guests and listeners have told me to keep doing what I’m doing because it’s important.
After a year of podcasting, I’m happy to say that I will. We’re not done here.