Final Thoughts
(Photo by Diana Lambert) Today is Wednesday, February 24th, 2021. It has been four months since I first began this project. I’m still sitting in my bedroom in my tiny off-campus apartment in Philadelphia. We’re still in the middle of a global pandemic. As we approach one full…
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A Message to 2021 Graduates
(Photo by Diana Lambert) During the course of this project, I was curious as to what advice my interviewees would give the Class of 2021 – those students, like myself, who have worked tirelessly the past four years and are finally on the brink of graduation, attempting to…
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The Rise of TikTok & Its Impact on the Entertainment Industry
(Photo by Diana Lambert) The COVID-19 pandemic has put the normal practices of each sector of the entertainment industry on pause. Touring is nonexistent, theaters are desolate, and production on film and television has been halted. Our society has been stuck in their homes with nothing to do…
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Riding The Wave: A Conversation with Joe Somerville
(Photo by Joe Somerville) Joe Somerville is the man behind it all. While Pat Sajak and Vanna White may be the faces of Wheel of Fortune, the decorations, the footage, the locations – anything that appears on your screen while you’re watching at home – that’s Joe. After…
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Shining Through: A Conversation with Jenny Hossain
(Photo by Diana Lambert) “All I wanted to do was help artists get the word out about their music,” says Jenny Hossain, Senior Publicist at WMA. “To reach those kids like me who were at the shows, who were in a corner of the library reading the latest…
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The Give & Take: A Conversation with Shelley Butler and West Hyler
(Photo by Shelley Butler and West Hyler) In March of 2020, everything changed for theater directors Shelly Butler and West Hyler. After their graduations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of California San Diego, respectively, the couple found their professional careers flourishing…
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Staying Afloat: A Conversation with Shenna Somsmieh
(Photo by Shenna Somsmieh) 2020 was supposed to be the year for indie-pop artist SHENNA. Fresh off the release of her album Blue Memories and its subsequent tour in Japan, SHENNA was gearing up for a slew of performances across the globe pre-pandemic. She was beginning to find…
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Bright Enough: A Conversation with Steve Holloway
(Photo by Steve Holloway) Drummer and percussionist Steve Holloway grew up in a small town in Nebraska, where he began playing percussion with dance bands while still in high school. By the time he got to college in the 1980s, he had worked more or less professionally every…
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The Dark Side of the Communicator: A Conversation with Kate Bussert
(Photo by Kate Bussert) For Kate Bussert, Literary Agent at Bret Adams LTD Artists’ Agency, it’s the little things. Whether it’s negotiating a contract or finding creative solutions for her clients, Kate sees herself as the conduit of communication between producers and artists, finding satisfaction in the small…
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A Pianist’s Pandemic: A Conversation with Dan Crisci
(Photo by Dan Crisci) Dan Crisci grew up with an undeniable love for music. His journey began at the age of seven when he began to play piano, and when it came time to decide on an undergraduate major, he chose to pursue a degree in music. Midway…
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Slowing Down: A Conversation with Bill Fennelly
(Photo by Diana Lambert) Although he couldn’t articulate what it was at the time, Bill Fennelly always knew he wanted to be a director. At the age of twelve, he saw a production of Hedda Gabler directed by Mark Lamos at Hartford Stage Company. Looking up at the…
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Love, Loss, and Live Music: A Conversation with Cindy Ciullo
(Photo by Cindy Ciullo) Tucked away in the infamous New Jersey music town of Asbury Park is vintage clothing store Backward Glances, owned by live music aficionado Cindy Ciullo. In a typical year, the store would see it’s fair share of musicians and fashion connoisseurs, each of whom…
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A Summer of Safe Shows: A Conversation with Bill Brandenburg
Richard Thompson and Bill Brandenburg, left to right (Photo by Rob Wasilewski) For Bill Brandenburg, his love of music began in the early 1960s when he saw The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Immediately infatuated, Bill was inspired to partake on a journey of musical discovery,…
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The Happy Medium: A Conversation with Al Schaefer
(Photo by Al Schaefer) Before March of 2020, there were two typical days for Al Schaefer, Director of Operations and Production Manager for Performing Arts at William Paterson University. First, there were the pre-production days, filled to the brim with booking acts, scheduling student events, attending meetings, and…
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An Overview: The Television & Film Industry
(Photo by Emma Duffy) Ah, Los Angeles. Home to the entertainment business, and to the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States. Film and television, like all of the sectors I have discussed thus far, have been uprooted by the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been…
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An Overview: The Music Industry & Live Events
(Photo by Diana Lambert) As an avid lover of music and live shows – this one hurts to write. Live music has been absolutely decimated by the pandemic. Tours have been halted with no start date in sight. Crews have been put out of work indefinitely, robbed of…
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An Overview: The Theater Industry
(Photo by Diana Lambert) “It’s Only Intermission” theater companies across the globe coo. But, March has turned into May. May has turned into September. September has turned into January. Those standard fifteen minutes have turned into what seems like an eternity. When will the show begin again? Will…
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About Me
(Photo by Therese Lambert) My name is Diana Lambert. Today is Monday, November 2nd, 2020. I’m sitting in my bedroom in my off-campus apartment in Philadelphia. We’re in the middle of a global pandemic. The most important Presidential election we’ve ever had is tomorrow. I’m completing my senior…
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Entertainment During COVID-19 