The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast

by Durell Peart

Entrepreneurship Self-Improvement Society & Culture

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast EP 14

Episode Title: Having The Right Perspective For Building Your Music Career & Brand Feat. Dr. Syleecia ThompsonEpisode Info: In this episode Durell is joined by educator, brand strategist and entrepreneur Dr. Syleecia Thompson. Durell and Syleecia start off the episode by talking about the fact that most indie creatives who enter the music industry and ecosystem only want to achieve success that includes winning a Grammy and going on a world tour. Syleecia shares how difficult it is to even secure world tours because most of the top promoters only want to deal with the top acts, and depending on your genre it’s truly an uphill climb. Syleecia and Durell talk about the fact that Cardi B is a great case study for what building an audience is really about when it comes to success. Syleecia shares what the next challenge is for when you have the type of success that she’s had. Syleecia talks about artists not being afraid to put their music out and take risks. Syleecia and Durell talk about her sister Syleena Johnson Unsung episode and her early career being signed to a label that really didn’t know what they were doing because of the lack of ideas and innovation to help Syleena build an even bigger brand and career. Syleecia talks about how Syleena was able to go through the ups and downs of being on a major label and then showed her ability to dabble in different industries that has allowed her to sustain and build a solid brand outside of music as a talk show host, actress, and health and wellness as a fitness competitor.Syleecia shares the fact that she’s been able to wear so many different hats as she’s gone along in her career from working in the corporate space as well as being an educator in the college academia space as well as the education she provides to many people as an entrepreneur. She educates on several different topics such as management, leadership, global business and entrepreneurship and the fact not many people of color teach on these topics from the black perspective and point of view.Syleecia also shares the importance for artists especially in R&B having more than one income stream because the money at times can be up and down. She said artists pretty much need 8-10 ways to make money for the sake of survival in the industry.Syleecia and Durell end the episode about her work as a brand strategist for her clients. She shares that she has a formula, belief system and strategy when she works with her clients and she applies them specifically depending on the person. She is big on her clients sharing their story as a key in building a strong personal brand. She also talks about her most recent book The Resilience Factor as well as the awesome projects that she’s working on as she started her own production company Dr. Syleecia Productions.For more info on Dr. Syleecia, please visit her website at:https://www.drsyleecia.com/

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast Episode 13

Episode Title: The Rockstar Advocate Feat. Suz PaulinskiEpisode Info: In this episode Durell is joined by Entrepreneur, Coach & Consultant Suz Paulinski. Durell talks to Suz about her early introduction to music, going to college for music business, graduating early and getting her first job in the music industry as the Midwest Sales Manager For EMI Records. Suz talks about being a young executive at the label and the fact that the record stores were closing as she was trying to get them to purchase their inventory. She talks about the fact that nobody was buying CDs and she was trying to navigate the early days of Facebook and social media. She talks about how she quit her job at the label 5 times but kept coming back but then decided to leave and venture out to start her own label with her old college roommate.After a couple years of running the label, she decided to shut the label down and start a consulting firm for artists. What Suz really began to realize is that she knew a lot about music but nothing really about entrepreneurship and what that all entailed. She went back to school and earned her Master’s Degree in Psychology but unfortunately her dad had fallen sick and she needed to come home to help the family. She took a part time job managing at Crate & Barrel where she would ultimately learn marketing, branding, and other skills that make a business successful. She still knew she needed to fastrack her learning curve so she hired a business coach. Suz hired her for three months and then within 6 months she was able to launch her company The Rockstar Advocate.Suz knew that wanted to be a counselor for those who suffered with substance abuse and mental health in the music industry. She ultimately saw there was a need for artists who were suffering from burnout after they got back from touring as an independent artist. Artists would talk with her about the things that ultimately led to the lack of productivity and time management. She saw an approach where she could help her clients continue to be them without fitting into the societal norm in terms of what time management and success looks like by leveraging their own unique strengths.Durell and Suz end the episode talking about how she launched the first version of the “Rock Star Life Planner” in 2016. She talks about the fact that musicians really want to be successful in their business but didn’t have the tools to be successful. She now is in the 5th edition of her book and it contains even more tools to help them be successful. Suz also is the creator of “The Music Pre-neur Podcast”. She focuses on musicians and their stories and struggles of learning how to become entrepreneurs. She has been able to also create a solid brand voice by creating brand equity by writing for other media platforms focusing on time management and productivity for musicians. For more information on Suz you can visit her website: https://therockstaradvocate.com/

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast Episode 12

Episode Title: The Journey That Played Out Just Right Feat Steve PageotIn this episode Durell is joined by Grammy award winning audio engineer and music producer Steve Pageot. Durell starts off the episode asking Steve about his experience being born in New York but growing up and spending many years in Montreal Quebec. Steve talks about how he developed a love for music by watching the TV show FAME as well as watching the Jackson 5. He shares that his dad also is a musician and has a love for music and wanted to have kids that were in a singing group but the only problem with that was that Steve was the only “Jackson”.Steve shares a great story about winning the Canadian Music Competition at the age of 16 as a concert flutist. He had a dream to go to Juliard School. He shared how difficult it is having hatian parents and trying to convince them to attend. He then decided to initially pursue a career in computer programming instead of pursuing music. He got a job after graduation as a PCB designer where he then started to buy equipment to start producing music.He talked about his meeting with Puff Daddy in 1993 and being told that his music wasn’t good enough and so he went back to Canada and then he moved back to New York years later in 1997 to pursue his dreams and goals of making it in the music industry and eventually meeting Ron Lawrence who was a part of the production group the “Hit Men”. Steve’s hard work and perseverance ultimately led to him being a part of the Platinum album Thug Mentality in 1999.Steve has also had the opportunity to work with some of America’s most recognizable brands as a jingle producer. Steve shares how fortunate he was to have the opportunity and experience of working with the “Queen Of Soul” Aretha Franklin.Steve has also been a veteran in the Sync Licensing and has had music placed in several reality shows because he inked a deal with MTV. He also talked about his experience being a judge on BET’s 106 & Park’s “Freestyle Friday”.Steve was also slated to work with Michael Jackson on his final studio album for Michael Jackson. Although it didn’t happen due to his passing he still looked at the opportunity as a blessing to even be considered and felt real validation as a producer.Steve and Durell end the episode by discussing some of his mentorship programs and guest lectures at SAE and his passion for artist and music production development.For more info on Steve Pageot please visit his website:https://www.stevepageot.com/

N’Couraged and N’Spired Podcast EP 11

Episode Title: Veteran Eye The Chief DIYIn this episode Durell is joined by indie hip-hop creative and entrepreneur Veteran Eye. Durell and Veteran Eye start off the episode talking about his early introduction to music and being heavily influenced by New York hip hop culture even though his origin is from the south in Greensboro, North Carolina. Veteran Eye talks about although being true to the culture, it’s still hard to not get caught into the trap of trying to keep up with the mainstream to achieve success. He also talks about the journey ,the grind and early days of paying the dues along the way. The journey is where the real success lies. He also talks about the early days in his journey chasing a record deal in the early 2000’s. Veteran is always conscious about how to stay true to his self expression, while still having a career that’s viable that can bring in income and develop a solid brand as an indie creative.Veteran Eye talks about how he found out about the Midem conference in Cannes France and how that played a major role in him being able to stay independent by being able to do business deals on an international level without the need of a major record label. He also talks about his ability to wear multiple hats between being the creative and executive in being able to provide opportunities to other creatives and music business entrepreneurs. Durell and Veteran Eye end the episode by talking about the importance for indie creatives to have an understanding of copyrights work, the ability to use merch and VIP experiences to generate income that allow creatives to have a career doing things their way without having to sacrifice personal and professional integrity.For more information on Veteran Eye please visit his website:https://chiefdiy.com/

N’Couraged and N’Spired Podcast EP 10

Episode Info: Episode Title: Tell Your Own Story & Truth Feat. Godfrey FletcherIn this episode Durell is joined by his great friend and brother from another mother Godfrey Fletcher. The main premise of this episode is all about not being afraid to tell your truth and coming through the back door instead of the front door. Durell and Godfrey start out the episode talking about how he got first introduced to music at 6 years old. Godfrey then talks about how he first learned to DJ at the age of 18. Godfrey shares the story of how he first got started working in the music industry as a professional. Godfrey has a passion for working with unsigned talent and the youth. As he continued to work with youth and unsigned talent this ultimately led to him starting his company Neo2Soul Promotions. The episode ends with Godfrey sharing about the work he does for prostate cancer awareness as he’s a survivor of it himself. This is an episode with so many gems that will keep you N’Couraged and N’Spired to continue striving for success. For more info on Godfrey follow him on IG @neo2soulplaylist

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast Episode 9 - Guest Katie Zaccardi

Embracing Mindset And Debunking The Myth Of Scarcity Feat Katie ZaccardiIn this episode Durell is joined by music business consultant and coach Katie Zaccardi. Katie and Durell talk about what it was like for her growing up in New York and being introduced to entrepreneurship at an early age by watching her parents start an e-commerce business. Katie also shares how she first got introduced to music and when she knew she wanted to pursue music professionally. Katie and Durell get into a bit of a masterclass of how to help indie creatives achieve success in their music business by covering a few key points such as having the right mindset, the misconception of having to be working all the time to be considered being productive, social media strategies to help grow an audience organically, and how indie creatives shouldn't be afraid to ask for the money from their audience once they've built community and how to properly launch and execute offers for a core audience.For more info on Katie please visit her website: https://www.katiezaccardi.com/

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast - EP 8

Episode Title: Welcome To The Blackout: Paul Porter's 40 Years In The Music BusinessIn this episode Durell speaks with music industry veteran Paul Porter. Paul has had a career that spans 40+ years in the music and media industries. Paul & Durell talk about how he got his start in radio in the early 1970's while he was in college. He talks about meeting a young Wendy Williams & Slyvia Rhone.Paul shares how his days in radio lead him to BET as a program director. Paul is a big advocate of getting the right education for those who want to enter into the music industry which is the reason he decided to write his book called "Blackout: My 40 Years In The Music Industry"Paul also shares his opinion on why a lot of artists today struggle to make a career in music and much more....

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast EP 7

Podcast Title: A Change Agent Leading Others To Success.In this episode Durell speaks with Oriana Campbell who is entrepreneur and culture agent leading others to success. Oriana and Durell talk about how she's assisted over 500 individuals with their brand and business helping them to create revenue generating marketing plans. Oriana and Durell talk about how passionate she is about helping others in the community as an event curator with events like her Back To School Music Fest and her S.I.S. (Support Influences Success) event. Durell also shares that something he and Oriana have in common is that they are both facilitators and connectors of people.Finally Durell and Oriana talk about what it's like for Oriana to have a son with a disability called Spina Bifida.

The N'Courage & N'Spire Podcast 6

Episode Title: Jack Of All Trades Master Of Some Feat Songwriter Producer & Entrepreneur Barry CoffingIn this episode Durell is joined by Songwriter, Producer, & Entrepreneur Barry Coffing. Durell & Barry talk about how Barry got introduced and started in music growing up in Houston. Barry shares how he got his professional start in music as a jingle singer, music producer, and composer that led him out to Los Angeles CA. Barry shares some great stories about how he got his record deal that went double cardboard and flopped and how that led him to pivot into writing songs for film and TV. After finding success in film and TV that led him into a career now as an music supervisor where he works with over 17,000 labels worldwide via his company Music Supervisor.Durell & Barry talk about one of his passion projects Springboard Music Fest & Band Bootcamp. The episode ends with Barry discussing why the current DSPs have a major problem with music discovery and what he's been working on as a solution to that problem with his platform We Get Music.If you are an indie artist, and you are interested in finding out more about how to get started with his platform please go tohttps://wegetartists.com/

The N'Courage & N'Spire EP 5

Episode Title: Introducing Mr. WattIn this episode Durell chops it up with music producer Chris Watt. Chris and Durell talk about what it was like for Chris to grow up in Chicago and how that shaped his early love for music. Chris talks about how he built up his brand as a hip hop producer that really plays piano. Chris also talks about how he's been able to get his music placed in various different mediums without being around the major players and residing in Cincinnati Ohio and much more.....

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