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Featured

Exclusive interview with Kristopher DeSoto, founder of Hiatus Tequila

by Avyana Chapman December 27, 2022
written by Avyana Chapman

The Knockturnal: We ask, why a tequila company?

Kristopher DeSoto: Having been raised in Texas, I was introduced to tequila early on and since then, I’ve traveled throughout Mexico extensively and spent nearly 8 years living there. In that time, I noticed that tequilas south of the border were often different from those found on US shelves, the flavors and aromas more robust and expressive. When I moved back to the US after a decade abroad, I was surprised to find that many of the new tequila brands that had become popular were nearly unrecognizable within their flavor to what I knew tequila to be. So, I decided that a traditional, honest tequila crafted from the finest ingredients should be available in the US.

I have not had a linear career path and for the majority of it I worked in helicopter sales and marketing for some of the largest manufacturers. That experience, along with my deep-rooted passion for travel, led me to explore over 50 countries and live on multiple continents by my mid-30’s. That cultural exposure is the best education I could have imagined and influenced what I’m doing today.

Speaking on our brand, a hiatus is a break, pause, or interruption in continuity. In other words, taking time away from the daily routine. Ultimately this is what every culture I’ve encountered aspires to when they are enjoying their adult beverages. We are all trying to have that little escape when we take a break to enjoy our favorite libation. The brand name is literal in that way.

Hiatus Tequila speaks for itself. We put all our focus on what’s inside the bottle, not how fancy the packaging is or what celebrity is pushing it. Respecting traditional processes and the integrity of the farmers and producers involved are key to a product that we can be extremely proud of. Real is good and tastes great!

The Knockturnal: What inspired you to start Hiatus Tequila?

Kristopher DeSoto: I’ve always loved agave spirits, especially tequila, but so much of what we find available on the US side of the border is mass-produced and “watered down” with artificial flavors and especially sweeteners. Long story short, I wanted to make real tequila as I knew it from living in Mexico. My goal was to introduce American consumers to what high quality, authentic tequila can and should taste like. It is vital for me to highlight the true celebrities of the tequila world, who are the hard-working farmers and amazing people that create this complex spirit that is deeply engraved in their culture.

The Knockturnal: What is your favorite tequila cocktail?

Kristopher DeSoto: Honestly, I like to taste the tequila, so less is more. A Hiatus Tequila soda with a twist of lime is full of the natural flavors and aromas that I love, and the fewer ingredients involved also means less calories! But I typically will drink any of our tequila expressions neat at room temperature or possibly with a few rocks if I’m feeling fancy. Tequila can be used in any classic cocktail; with both clear and aged expressions you can basically substitute tequila in nearly any cocktail. Añejo “Old Fashion”, Blanco “Dirty Martini”, Reposado “Mule”….to name a few.

The Knockturnal: What makes your tequila different from other brands?

Kristopher DeSoto: We believe less is more. Our tequilas are all natural, no added artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. We age our reposado and añejo long enough to add unique characteristics but not so long that we lose the complexity of the agave, which is what tequila is all about. We know what we are and don’t try to be something we are not. We make tequila for tequila people, the old-fashioned way. The vast majority of tequila sold in the US is mass produced in very industrialized ways, that while can technically be called tequila, is far from the aromas and flavors that good tequila is meant to express.

 

The Knockturnal: Any advice that you would give to someone starting their own alcohol brand?

 Kristopher DeSoto: Be patient. Everything will take much longer than you can imagine. When you think it is time to expand, wait another 6 months. Going too far too fast is not the path to success. And finally, this industry never sleeps, so be ready to work around the clock and particularly on holidays when everyone else is enjoying what your created!

The Knockturnal: Are there any new exciting projects/news you can tell us about? 

 Kristopher DeSoto: We can’t give away our secrets, so stay tuned! But we can say that we have a small production run concept in the works for the near term, and of course some big ambition for the longer term.

 

The Knockturnal: What are you and your team most looking forward to in the new year?

Kristopher DeSoto: We look forward to educating even more consumers and industry professionals about our favorite spirit! Knowledge is power they say. The more we know, the better decisions we make which ultimately helps keep our industry healthy. Millions of new consumers have started exploring the tequila category for the first time in the last few years. The market has seen a flood of new brands and there is generally very little information available where consumers drink or buy their tequila. Hospitality and alcohol retail professionals are the gatekeepers and the main source of information for their consumers. We, at Hiatus Tequila focus on education to all of these audiences, which is one of the most rewarding parts of our job!

To keep up with Hiatus Tequila check out the links below!

Website: https://hiatustequila.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiatustequila/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HiatusTequila/

December 27, 2022 0 comment
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EventsMusicThe Latest

Amazon Studios Presents: Sleazy World Go

by Chris K. Singh December 6, 2022
written by Chris K. Singh

Amazon Studios presents Sleazyworld Go, the event gave fans a chance to get a first look at the Kansas City native presenting his music and story in his own words. After a brief interview breaking down his upbringing, Sleazyworld made it clear that those same circumstances were instrumental in the way that he developed his own sound and was able to handle all that has come with his current fame.
The intimate setting complimented Sleazyworld Go’s quiet confidence as he took his time and carefully and clearly answered each question- it was clear that he understood how big of an opportunity he was receiving as he sheaded a light on the fact that there are but a few rappers coming out of his city.
“I think what I am doing now is big- but I want to make a way for the artist’s down the line. Like, in ten years I want my city to look like Atlanta, Memphis- you know what I mean.”
Going into deep dive, Sleazyworld discussed some of the main influences that made his project “Where The Shooters At” exactly what it is. 

While he is known for the hard hitting anthems, he mentioned showcasing his ability to make slower love songs- such as his single that was released in August of this year “India Me”. In the song Sleazyworld Go elaborates on his fantasy of finding a female that will stick by his side through thick and thin. A rare sight to see an artist this early into his development willing to experiment with his sound, especially when he has already developed a formula that has been successful thus far. 

Shortly after the interview wrapped, Sleazyworld Go proceeded to show those in attendance as well as those live streaming exactly what they came for. His soft spoken energy disappeared almost immediately as he showcased his high energy that worked almost hand in hand with his music.
From his smash hit single-”Sleazy Flow” to the single he elaborated on “India Me” he did not hold back anything. It felt like he had an endless supply of energy once he began performing, each song carrying the energy that the previous song had held. Throughout the entirety of the performance- one thing was evident, the sky’s the limit in terms of potential.

December 6, 2022 0 comment
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MusicThe Latest

Singer Brynn Cartelli Talks New Song “Convertible in the Rain” and Touring [Interview]

by Nicole Casillo November 8, 2022
written by Nicole Casillo

Make some room on your fall playlist for acclaimed 19-year-old singer-songwriter Brynn Cartelli’s new song “Convertible in the Rain”

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November 8, 2022 0 comment
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Fashion & BeautyFeaturedLifestyle

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SAM PAIGE

by Avyana Chapman September 2, 2022
written by Avyana Chapman

The Knockturnal: Please tell us a little about yourself.

Sam Paige:  “I am a content creator who blew up on TikTok during the COVID-19 quarantine. I have 3 million followers, I am 27 years old, and grew up in Connecticut but currently reside in South Florida.” 

 

The Knockturnal: If your life was a theme song what would it be and why?

Sam Paige: “Juice” by Lizzo would be my theme song. “I resonate with so many aspects of Juice. Lizzo sings, “If I’m shining, everybody gonna shine.” If I am shining I want all my friends and family to shine. Also, on the internet, I want everyone to feel like they are so beautiful and the best version of themselves… literally shining. A Lizzo “Juice” line states, “I was born like this, don’t even gotta try.” I was born like this, I was born thick and fat. It is what it is and I am rockin’ with it. Another line I resonate with is, “I’m like Chardonnay, get better over time.” I, like many others, was not one of those girls that peeked in High School. I am out here growing and becoming my better self each and every day. Lizzo: “Heard you say I’m not the baddest bitch, you lie.” I have faced hate comments online and IRL. Despite the negativity, I don’t care what you say, I am the baddest bitch.”  

The Knockturnal: Tell us about your TikTok journey. What made you want to start a TikTok?

Sam Paige: “I got into TikTok, like most of us, during quarantine. My friend wanted to learn a dance and realized how great of a dancer and how quickly I could catch on to the moves. After this, I rediscovered my love for dance after not being in the studio for about 6 years. It started with dancing in bikinis (what I continue to do) and sharing my love for body positivity. I genuinely didn’t think anyone would care to see a plus-sized girl dancing in swimwear but is happy the internet proved her differently because it is now my career.” 

The Knockturnal: Tell us more about Dance.

Sam Paige: “I started dancing when I was five, I told my mom that I wanted to be on Broadway. She believed in me and my dream and placed me in dance, choir, and theater. I really love dancing, I stuck with it for 15 years! I even danced for one year on my college’s pom team. Honestly, the experience was shitty… I couldn’t jump as high due to me being a big girl and was told to sit out of dances multiple times because of that… But now the jokes are on them because I am the only one dancing for a living. I think dance is a great way to express myself and I find these TikTok dances extremely fun and enjoyable to learn.” 

Fun fact: Sam learns TikTok dances in about 10-15 minutes depending on the difficulty and only needs to do them 3-4 times to get the perfect one. 

The Knockturnal: Has TikTok led you into any other creative passions?

Sam Paige: “Since joining TikTok I have discovered a love for modeling. I feel when people model via Instagram they are always considered “Instagram models.”  All because of TikTok and my followers I have been able to walk in the past two Miami Swim Weeks. Last year (2021) I walked for boohoo – this is when I really discovered my passion for modeling in a more serious light. The boohoo show was at the Versace Mansion in Miami which was a magical experience.. After, I made my way to NYC for New York Fashion Week (2021) where I walked for two different clothing designers.  Just recently I walked in Miami’s 2022 Swim Week, where I walked in three different shows and represented four different designers. I have also done some modeling gigs for e-commerce brands in South Florida. I really enjoys the modeling experience and being a part of the evolution in body positivity within the modeling community.” 

Email Sam to inquire about her modeling services.

 

The Knockturnal: What are some struggles you face as a plus-sized content creator?

Sam Paige: “Some struggles that are faced are; people are really shocked that a fat girl could have a following. I see this struggle when collaborating with different brands. I feel that many brands and businesses are shocked and are in disbelief that a curvy girl can help represent them. I also have noticed that the bots on social media are always flagging my posts for nudity or inappropriate content because I have physically more skin on my body, even though I am showing the same or even less skin than others on the same social channels.” 

The Knockturnal: What does diversity and inclusion in the modeling and content-creating world mean to you?

Sam Paige: “Diversity and inclusion mean the world to me… I wouldn’t be where I am if I was just a stick figure little girl dancing on TikTok… There are a million billion girls of that nature.” What has really gotten me far in my career is the fact that I am different. I am curvy and plus-sized. My goal is to include more plus-sized people as content creators or models. I really want people to see that just because they are bigger they should not be limited from being a content creator or model as a career. I am so pleased that significantly more companies are giving curvy girls these opportunities. I have gotten to work with brands that I thought would never give a plus-sized creator or model the time of day. Some brands I have worked with are Lucky Brand, Aeropostale, and boohoo. Even some plus-sized companies, like Torrid, see the value in a plus-sized girl representing them online and modeling. I owe everything to people who want to have inclusion. I can’t wait to have more diversity!”

 

The Knockturnal: Although the fashion industry has progressed a lot in the past few years, what are some challenges that you believe still need to be addressed or faced?

Sam Paige: I believe although the fashion industry still has a long road of progression ahead of them they have been trending in the right direction. It has really helped my confidence to wear outfits that make me feel good in my own skin… I have seen a lot of changes in fast fashion. I find fast fashion is a lot easier to shop while being plus-sized whereas luxury brands still have a long way to go. It’s great that Gucci offers a 3XL now but it’s still not enough for the masses. I love shopping at Shien but think they could be more size-inclusive as well, their biggest size is only one size bigger than mine. I would really love to see extending in size so all people could experience the clothing they want to wear to express themselves. I am extremely sick of oversized clothing being available to straight-sized girls and making the clothing fit plus-sized girls but not offering it their size… It makes no sense.”

 

The Knockturnal: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into content creating or modeling? 

Sam Paige: “I have only experienced the modeling world as an influencer and it has definitely helped in my case. I want to say I am not trained as a model so everything I have learned has been from my own experience, photographers, and fashion designers that have guided me. I suggest that you sign up with an agency that you trust and go from there. Content creation comes down to consistency. It is also very important to find your niche and work your niche to its full capacity. Even now it’s hard for me to post things that don’t consist of me dancing due to my following. Post three times a day on TikTok if you have to. Whatever you decide your niche is stick with it!!!!” 

The Knockturnal: Give us all the Miami Swim Week 2022 tea!

Sam Paige: “This past Swim Week I participated in three different walks. I walked in “Splashing Lights” for FLKD, the next show was for “The Society” created by designer Krissy King, and the last show was for “Miami Swim Week – The Shows” which was hosted at the SLS. In the next show the designer, Diva Kurves, had only curvy girls which were really inspiring to walk with plus-sized girls. I also walked for another brand called “Porshia” where I walked in a swimsuit cover-up. I enjoyed all the walks and found each one to be very different. I also got invited to an influencer event and got to go to the “Good American” event at the 1 Hotel South Beach Miami.” 

The Knockturnal: What has been the best vacation you have been on?

Sam Paige: “I graduated from Johnson and Wales with a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Traveling Tourism with a concentration in cruise line management. I always had an interest in traveling but decided I didn’t want to work on a cruise ship after working on one for a little. Travel has now become something I am even more passionate about because I have experienced some crazy things. Last year, my best friend Morgan, AKA @bald_baddie on IG, and I went on a 20-day Europe trip. It was probably the best trip of my life.

The Knockturnal: Any new and exciting news you can share with us?

Sam Paige: “I will be walking in New York Fashion Week in September of 2022, I will also be going to Playlist Live in Orlando (The Ultimate Creator Event) in September (right after my birthday).” Playlist Live will be my first content creator event, and I am super excited! I also am slowly working on a swimsuit line with a company hopefully coming out in April.”

Keep up with Sam on TikTok and Instagram to follow her journey. 

September 2, 2022 0 comment
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EntertainmentFilmThe Latest

Cast Talks ‘Dino Dana: The Movie’

by Eliana Arian June 18, 2022
written by Eliana Arian

Image result for dino dana the movie

Based on the award-winning kids’ tv series, now in its 4th year, “Dino Dana the Movie” is currently available on Amazon. Presented by Fathom Events and Sinking Ship Entertainment, “Dino Dana the Movie” follows Dana, a 10-year-old paleontologist-in-training, as she and her friends embark on an epic dinosaur adventure and try to figure out where all the kid dinosaurs are. The Knockturnal spoke to Michela Luci (Dana), Saara Chaudry (Dana’s on-screen sister) and Emmy-winning series creator, JJ Johnson about the inspiration behind the movie, the message they hope to send to audiences, and of course, their favorite dinosaurs.

The Knockturnal: I just wanted to start out by asking JJ, what inspired you to create Dino Dana The Movie?

JJ: We have always wanted to create a movie, and we had just finished the fourth season and it felt like there was room to tell a much bigger story. We stumbled across a scientific theory that was looking at why they had found a lot of baby dinosaurs and a lot of adult dinosaurs but no kid dinosaurs. When we dug into that theory, it turns out that when paleontologists were digging up dinosaur bones in the 1800s and the 1900s, there was a lot of money to be made in finding new bones. Anyone could say they had found a new dinosaur, or discovered something new, and now we’re beginning to see that a lot of those bones actually belonged to other dinosaurs and that they’re just smaller versions of them. It just felt like such a cool story, the fact that some dinosaurs, including some popular ones, might not exist, and we were excited to focus on it. I love that the character of Dana loves failure just as much as success because those failures lead to something, and this is one of those ideas, that even if we lose some of those popular dinosaurs, there is still that journey of discovery, and it just felt like it was a big enough story to tell on the big screen.

The Knockturnal:  Michela, how did you get involved in acting initially and how did you get involved with Dino Dana specifically?

 Michela:  I became involved with acting by accident, when my mom signed me up for musical theatre classes at a dance studio. We found out that the owner of the studio was an agent and she asked me and my mom if we were interested in acting and we went from there, so it was stumbled upon by accident but I really love it. And I was on a show with Sinking Ship called Odd Squad. It was one of my very first acting jobs and I really really loved being on it, such a fun show, and so I met JJ through that show and then I started auditioning for Dino Dana.

The Knockturnal: And how many years have you been on Dino Dana?

Michela: I started when I was nine, so four years now. 

JJ: I love that 30 percent of your life is Dino Dana, it’s crazy! 

The Knockturnal: So are you guys all like a family at this point?

Group: Yes!

Michela: One big, happy family.

JJ: Well we’ve been lucky to shoot four seasons and a movie so we’ve spent a lot of time together. When we’re auditioning, as much as we’re auditioning for how they can perform the character, we’re also trying to see what they’re like as people and are they gonna be fun to hang out with for five+ years? And honestly with these two, the chemistry was there immediately, and they’re both super smart and fun, to just have around and come up with ideas. I mean Saara’s even written one of the episodes. 

The Knockturnal: So Saara, how did you get involved with Dino Dana and what have been some of your past experiences?
Saara: I’ve been acting since I was six, and I kind of got into acting by accident as well. I had just gone to a drama camp and my mom was like, “Okay you’re in kindergarten, get out of the house it’s March break.” You know, just that kind of thing, but then it turned out that there were agents scouting in the audience for the end of year performance…

The Knockturnal: Oh wow.

Saara: Yeah I know it’s weird, people scout five-year-olds. But they asked if I wanted to get involved with acting, so my Mom and I looked around and decided it was really something that I wanted to do. So I started and I had done a couple of shows and guest appearances, and I had been on a Nickelodeon sitcom for a little while. Then the Dino Dana audition came around, and this was after I had been on Odd Squad for a couple episodes, and I had just had the best time on set and everyone at Sinking Ship had been incredible. I can’t say this in front of JJ. He’ll be like “hey, remember that time you complimented me..” 

JJ: Because we are all incredible.

Saara: No, but in all seriousness, Sinking Ship is really a family. It’s such a welcoming environment, especially for kids on set, and you can really feel the love everyone has for each other. Having a production company that values the experience of how kids feel  on set, and enduring it’s a fun environment to be in is really special. So anyway, the Dino Dana audition came around and it was just a really fun experience. We were doing a scene where I was listening to music and at the end of the scene I had to take my headphones off to talk to Dana, and at the end of the scene I had to put the headphones back on and I put them on upside down. 

JJ: I thought you were just trying to stand out. 

Saara: No!! It was the dumbest decision of my life.

JJ: We ran with it. 

Saara: But it was great. 

Image result for dino dana the movie

The Knockturnal: Can you guys tell me a little bit about the characters you play. How would you describe them?

Michela: So my character is Dana. She’s a paleontologist-in-training, she’s adventurous, she’s brave, she’s outgoing, and she’s very passionate about dinosaurs. She loves solving dino-experiments, she’s a lover of science and loves to explore the world around her, and she also has an incredible imagination. 

The Knockturnal: I love that! And what do you like most about playing her?

Michela: The thing I love the most about playing Dana is all the lessons I’ve learned from her. I got to see how she doesn’t care about what other people think of her and how she does what makes her happy. I’ve learned so many lessons from her and it’s so great to see that the audience has learned the same lessons that I did from the show. It is such an honor to play a role model that a lot of young kids look up to, especially young girls. 

Saara: I play Saara which is my actual name (laughs). It was really cool because my character was originally named Emily but then they changed it. We really owe it to production companies like Sinking Ship, when there’s someone that comes around that they want to cast who  may look different, or maybe a name doesn’t fit, or a family that they were expecting to cast isn’t the type of family that they’re able to cast now, they’re able to adapt the characters which I think makes the show that much more interesting. Boys and girls get to see people of different colors and diversities on the screen and that’s something that I never really had growing up so I think it’s really special that I get to be that person for kids. But back to my character, Saara is sarcastic, fun loving, and despite all the sarcasm and jokes that she’ll make with Dana and the fact that she kind of likes to be in her own teenage world sometimes, I’ve learned a lot from her because at the end of the day she always comes to Dana’s side.  I think it’s really special that we’re showing kids that family sticks together and that it doesn’t matter what you look like, whether you’re “real” sisters or not, we kind of cover that in the series. But it’s really cool that I get to portray that story. 

The Knockturnal: There’s a lot of interesting family dynamics in the movie with all of the step-siblings, and step-parents, JJ why did you feel that was important for you to include in the story?

JJ: I think science is made more relevant when it has actual applications or dovetails into storylines that affect our lives, and so this movie is all about how we spend a lot of time looking at our differences and not a lot of time looking at what makes us all the same. And so to find a scientific question that kind of does a deeper dive into that subject and then to find a kid-relatable story that’s touching on the same thing, I feel like that’s the perfect alchemy that we look for. Whether it’s an episode or a movie you want to be able to understand that question on numerous levels, not just as an interesting fact but what that means for us as human beings.

The Knockturnal: This next question is directed at Michela and Saara. Was filming challenging for you because of the animation?  How does that work for you?

Michela: At first it was challenging because not only do we have to look in the right spot, but we have to make sure our reaction and the way we move our bodies makes sense with what the dinosaur is doing. And that was tough because we didn’t know what the dinosaurs reactions were going to be, or how they were going to move when we were speaking to them.  So I kind of had to imagine, just as Dana does, and the special effects team is incredible, and they would help me too. 

Image result for dino dana the movie

JJ: A lot of our shows have one foot in the imaginary, but you know with younger performers– I mean Saara you were talking about having an imaginary friend growing up– kids just naturally are able to use their imaginations…

Michela: My personal favorite is when JJ or any director that we have on set stands in for the dinosaur to go and start running and making the noises. It’s the funniest thing ever.

Saara: In the series, apart from special episodes, Saara doesn’t really see dinosaurs. It’s really Dana doing the experiments, and Sara’s always like “Oh my God I don’t see anything, stop being so annoying Dana.” In the movie Saara finally gets to go on the adventure and participate and she really finds the magic in science and the magic in imagining things and there’s a whole part of the movie where they talk about Sara having to “grow down.” I think that’s really timely just for people having empathy and being able to see eye to eye with youth but it was really cool when we were filming it because with four cast members, kind of looking at the same thing, we all had to be really careful about eye-lines and that sort of thing. There’s one part where I have to grab onto a huge Dino and that was done later, we went back and filmed that because we did that with a green screen and something that the art department or the VFX team had made for me to grab onto and  I was harnessed up and it was just really awesome.

The Knockturnal: Oh my god, that sounds amazing. This next question is directed at Michela and Saara. How do you think the movie incorporates girl power? 

Michela: Well Dana and Sara are both strong female leads and like I said before, Dana is in a role as a young paleontologist -in- training that we would typically see on television as a male role. So I think just that in itself really shows girl power because Dana is taking on something that people have never really seen before, and she’s leading by example.

Saara: Yeah I think just having the characters be their true authentic selves and seeing girls onscreen that aren’t just your basic characters and having them be passionate about something and love things like science which you don’t really see on screen is so important.  I think the whole movie emulates girl power just by being. For example, this year at school I signed up for a computer science class. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to and I genuinely thought I could not do it because I had never seen any other girl in real life or on-screen that had done that before. It was really my sister who kind of pushed me and was like “hey you can do this, I do this, there’s other girls that do this, I know you haven’t seen too many examples, but you’re just like any of the other guys that are signing up for the class.” Now I’m only one of three girls in the class but at least I’m serving as a role model for other girls. If I saw a girl coder on screen when I was younger, I wouldn’t have had that problem.

JJ: I think there’a many subtle things we tried to do in the movie, for example the fact that the dinosaur heroes are also female, the fact that it’s a female T-Rex at the core of this story trying to save her babies, and the main villain is a female dinosaur trying to protect her birds.. It’s just the little things I think you don’t pick up on. We were really deliberate in the show that we called the Dino’s male and female, 50 50, because I think there’s this natural inclination where you refer to something as “he” or “him.”

The Knockturnal: What are your favorite dinosaurs?

Michela: I’ll start! My favorite dinosaur is a small chicken sized dino- it’s very cute.  

JJ: Why is it your favorite dinosaur?

Michela: Because it’s small just like me. 

Saara: My favorite dinosaur is the maiasaura. We did an episode dedicated to the maiasaura in season one that was really memorable to me just because the whole episode was about the maiasaura protecting its babies and being a very nurturing, motherly creature so that was really special to me. Just the fact that a dinosaur could embody such gentle characteristics really stood out to me so it made it my favorite.

The Knockturnal: And what about you JJ?

JJ: Mine used to be the T-Rex for a long time for obvious reasons.

Michela: He even named his son after it! 

JJ: My son’s name is Rex but now my favorite dinosaur is the therizinosaurus. It’s the dinosaur that has the longest claws of any animal that ever existed. For the longest time they thought it was a carnivore because they thought it would use the claws to impale things but they found out it’s actually a herbivore and uses them to dig. 

Image result for dino dana the movie

You can watch the trailer for the movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lzHfATMmgk

 

June 18, 2022 0 comment
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Fashion & BeautyLifestyleThe Latest

Exclusive Interview With Courtney LeMarco, Founder and CEO of MOTSI Couture

by Avyana Chapman June 3, 2022
written by Avyana Chapman

A swimsuit from MOTSI is a must-have as we roll into Summer 2022. MOSTI is a black-owned fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brand.

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June 3, 2022 0 comment
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MusicThe Latest

Exclusive: Rising singer/songwriter chae shares details about new music video, blossoming career, and upcoming debut EP

by Andrea Lorena May 23, 2022
written by Andrea Lorena

We sat down with rising singer/songwriter chae to get the scoop on her upcoming debut EP, ‘Letters I’ll Never Write.“

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Jenny Cho at Cartier Women's Initiative. Image: Cartier Women's Initiative
EventsLifestyleThe Latest

The Journey of Female Entrepreneurship: Wingee Sampaio Discusses the 15 Years of the Cartier Women’s Initiative

by Benjamin Schmidt May 8, 2022
written by Benjamin Schmidt

On this Mother’s Day in the US, we recognize and celebrate the working mother: those women who transform their lives for their children, while still contributing to the work force. Of this group of hardworking individuals, female entrepreneurs face unique challenges in the workplace, sometimes dealing with fundamental issues that men may never encounter.

To this end, for the past 15 years Cartier has championed women entrepreneurs through their Women’s Initiative, an all-encompassing international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. The program is open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have a strong and sustainable social or environmental impact. We joined Cartier in celebrating the 15th anniversary of the program earlier this year along with a celebration for International Women’s Day in Dubai.

Now, we share highlights from an interview with Wingee Sampaio, the director of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, who spoke on the evolution of the program, the unique challenges female entrepreneurs experience, and the triumphs she’s witnessed. Quotes were edited for clarity and brevity.

Female entrepreneurs encounter unique challenges in business

There are specific kinds of challenges. I think the most well known one is around funding. Women have a challenging time raising capital because there’s less women on the other side [as investors], so there some biases. Often it comes from the type of questions that they receive. So something, for example, when a male investor meets a fellow male, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, what is your business potential? What is the growth, etcetera?’ Very focused on growth.

 

But when it’s a woman, the questions are, ‘What are the risks that you see? how are you addressing all these risks?’ Then at the end they’re like, ‘Wow, she’s full of risk and I’m not so sure.’ It’s a good investment, but, this is the nature. Growth-orientated versus risk-adverse type of questions for women entrepreneurs.

 

But it’s not much of it, I would say is necessarily intentional. It may just be a bit of an unconscious bias amongst investors. And of course now with the research being published, there’s greater awareness around this challenge.

 

This is one of the reason why our program exists. We are specifically focused on impact entrepreneurs because we believe business is an important force for good. And we’re specifically focused on the woman doing this work because despite the fact that they’re creating businesses that the world needs, they’re facing more barriers than normal to solve for these challenges.

 

Female Entrepreneurs feel pressured to shift their personality to satisfy perceptions of entrepreneurs

We posed a question about the behaviors that Wingee has encountered in her coaching and mentorship experience, having worked with hundreds of women through her career and the Initiative.

The most common thing I see is a little bit holding back in personality. Sometimes they feel like they have to sound a certain way in order for them to be heard and that there is a certain way to pitch. So sometimes they deviate from what their true expression is. We want women impact entrepreneurs to hold true to what their purpose is. They’re building a business around that and they want the business to resonate with investors.

 

So in terms of coaching, it’s more about this: how do you self-reflect and be more self-aware? How do you be more comfortable actually with what you are working on. For the woman impact entrepreneur, we try to create a sense of belonging and a sense of community so that they can feel like other fellows in our program.

 

Affirmations can offer validation and a gentle challenge

When asked about what lessons Wingee has learned from leading the Cartier Women’s Initiative, she had this to say:

I’m actually on a very similar boat as many of our women entrepreneurs in the sense that we are all women change makers. We see something in the world that we would like to do something about and we are trying our best to create that change. Holding onto the purpose, being a firm and confident that what you’re doing is needed is a constant challenges.

 

The pandemic has disproportionally impacted women and minorities. That said, if ever there was a moment to witness the resilience of a woman leader, the current times have really reinforced the importance of our work.

 

For me, I try to have an affirmation of why I do what I do. Reminding myself of my north star so that you can do your best work. I intentionally make time for that.

 

The Cartier Women’s Initiative has evolved from a single event to an ongoing story of award, fellowship, community, and thought leadership

The program’s awarding of grants has been steady, but now the Initiative works closely with the entrepreneurs and expert third parties to synthesize the economics of the entrepreneurial work, allowing for closer and more accurate alignment from the perspective of story, business stage, and market potential, ultimately setting these entrepreneurs up for success.

We’ve been around for 15 years which is a tremendous testament in terms of commitment by Cartier. For the first 10 years we were more of an award; a single event. It was an event to recognize and these incredible women entrepreneurs.

 

But fortunately, five years ago, we had the commitment of Cyrille to really grow this program and to do more work in this space. I felt that it was time to get the pieces in this place, so we grew from an award to the current four pillars of our work: award, fellowship, community, and thought leadership. So the next step was to figure out how to measure the impact of each of those so that we could continuously reflect and improve on that work.

 

In the beginning years, there was a Laureate and then there was the runner-up, and only the Laureate received the financial grant. When Cyrille joined, he changed it so there would be a financial grant, even for the second and third place. This was great because all of these women are doing incredible work. So then we had $100,000 grant for the Laureate, $30,000 grant for the two runner-ups.

 

Then in the last three years, we have been evolving our selection process, and now we engage with an impact investment firm that does the due diligence for us around each of the entrepreneurs. Our knowledge and our work with entrepreneurs is much closer than it has ever been. So as a result of that, we do know more in detail, the differences between their businesses. We wanted to increase our commitment to the space, and this is why for us we again changed the grants to $100,000. $60,000 and $30,000, and that’s how we will be going forward.

 

The Cartier Women’s Initiative differentiates between coaching and mentorship

Wingee proudly shares the difference between coaching and mentorship, and expresses that finding the perfect personality and skills match between the mentor or coach and mentee is critical for success.

For us, when we are talking about coaching, it is about executive leadership and it’s about fully expressing your intentionality. It’s much more of a leadership and mindset training, and we call that coaching. Coaching involves actually helping entrepreneurs reflect on how they could be more of what I’m trying to do myself. Almost holding you accountable.

 

Mentoring is actually professional experience. For example, say I lack expertise in medical device product development, or I lack expertise in growing my business from five people to 100 people. Mentoring is more of a transfer of professional experience; someone who has been there and done that and what you are trying to do from a practical sense.

 

One of my biggest challenges with initiative is actually finding the right supply of the contribution with the right demand from the fellow. We have been very fortunate to have such a large selection of people who are interested in mentoring and entrepreneurs who have a lot of need. It’s a game of matching.

You can learn more about the work of the Cartier Women’s Initiative here, and get the full details about this year’s Impact Award winners, nine former fellows who continue to succeed, here.

May 8, 2022 0 comment
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MusicThe Latest

Exclusive: Interview With LP – And Her Newest Album ‘CHURCHES’

by Chloë Siller September 10, 2021
written by Chloë Siller

LP was born in Long Island and lived in New York City for a good portion of her life. She’s characterized by her raspy, electrifying voice, and songs are filled with overflowing emotion.

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September 10, 2021 0 comment
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EntertainmentFilmThe Latest

Exclusive: Jessica Beshir Talks About “Faya Dayi” & The Importance Of One’s Home

by Chloë Siller September 5, 2021
written by Chloë Siller

Faya Dayi is a film written and directed by Jessica Beshir, and the film has won both the Grand Prix in the Nyon Visions du Réel and the FIPRESCI Prize. She has also directed He Who Dances on Wood (2016) and Hairat (2017), with the latter tying into Faya Dayi.

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September 5, 2021 0 comment
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