039: Inspirational Entrepreneurism and the Reality of Acting

Catalyst: A Creative Industries Podcast

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 6 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.

Kicking off season six of Catalyst, Business Administration major/CCI minor Allison Feraren’23 and her interview partner French BA/TV Writing and Production double major/CCI minor Van Baumann’22 explore running an online fashion store with small business owner Gabriella Gomez. The duo explore with Gabriella the more traditional aspects of running her online business, Celestials, as well as some unexpected ones. In an age when business owners have a personal relationship with and increased responsibility to the consumer, what are the pros and cons? In our second segment, Business Administration major/Media, Culture & Society cluster student Melissa Lammle’21 dives into the world of TV sitcoms when she interviews Josie Totah. Known for her featured roles in shows like Champions and Saved By The Bell, Josie has also contributed as an author to Time magazine, with a 2018 article in the magazine’s Ideas section. Melissa and Josie cover her acting journey from early inspirations to what it is like juggling college classes while filming during the pandemic.