Amplify Music Communities Podcast

Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam, CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Atoms, shares her journey from starting in a family-run animation studio in India to leading global teams at Rhythm & Hues and DreamWorks. In conversation with Gigi Johnson, Vani explores how storytelling, cultural heritage, and trust have guided her career in animation, VFX, and filmmaking. She discusses building communities through Women in Animation India, ASIFA India, and Epic’s Women Creators Program, while also championing women’s leadership in immersive media. This episode highlights how Vani blends creativity, resilience, and mentorship to shape both stories on screen and opportunities off-screen.

I'm joined by the multitalented Mark Brymer, a creative entrepreneur with hands-on expertise in turning musical concepts into spectacular shows. Mark brings a wealth of experience — from arranging a vast collection (400,000) of...

Today's guest is a true pioneer in the burgeoning field of virtual reality theater: Deirdre V. Lyons. She'll share her groundbreaking work in VR at the Ferryman Collective, such as her innovative productions like "Welcome to Respite" and "Gumball Dreams," and discuss...

In this conversation, we are joined by a long-time innovator and entrepreneur in talent management -- Harry Abrams. At the venerable age of 88, Harry reflects on a career where passion eclipsed paychecks, taking a step into adventure from lawnmower manufacturing in...

Mike Butera has gone on some intriguing journeys, connecting music performance passions, philosophy and sound studies, and tech in creating new musical instruments for regular people to get into music. He shares his path to launching Artiphon after years in academic...

Jason Kramer shares his journey to being an EMT during the AIDS Epidemic, LA Riots, and Northridge Earthquake to Fox Sports to KLOS and KCRW. He talks about the magic of Sunday nights, how he created and drove his own luck through persistent work, asking for...

Dominique Wu is a real leader in bringing together education and VR for regular people. She's created the XReality Pro program. She'll talk about what it's like to be an immigrant in the United States as a creative, a different story than we've had a lot of guests...

Peter Kiesewalter creates at the divergent edge -- at the intersection of art and science. In this case, he's working at the edge of ecology and biology along with music and location-based entertainment with The Moth Project. It's a live experience in beautiful places...

Isaac Saldana leans on two core values: asking the right questions and humility. Along with a good friend, he launched several companies. And several failed -- until he launched SendGrid in 2009. After learning to hire up with strong CEOs, the company went public in...