Every Deal Is a Dance

From Hollywood Editor to Creative Technologist: Editor Christopher Hill on Reinvention, VR, and Building Your Own IP

Christopher Hill is a storyteller, editor, and creative technologist whose career tracks the changing landscape of Hollywood itself. In this episode, host Mishawn Nolan talks with Chris about growing up surrounded by New York's creative and intellectual community — with a father who acted in films and on television and a mother who shaped visual culture at Rolling Stone, Ms. Magazine, and the Village Voice — building a 20-plus-year career as an editor across reality TV, documentaries, and feature films, and how he used an editor's mindset to pivot when the industry shifted beneath him. Chris shares how he taught himself to code, built a VR puzzle game for the Meta Quest, and created ShowBuild — a Mac productivity app designed to solve real post-production problems. He also opens up about imposter syndrome, the courage it takes to own your own IP, and why refusing to define yourself by what you do may be the most important creative skill of all.

Musician Adam Gaynor on The Art of the Pivot: From Matchbox 20 to Creative Entrepreneurship

Adam Gaynor, guitarist and founding member of Matchbox 20, shares his journey from selling 30 million records to building Creationville, his family animation company. Adam discusses perpetual creativity, knowing when to pivot, the danger of building without launching, meeting the universe halfway, and why 2025 is the year of the pivot for creative entrepreneurs navigating AI and industry upheaval. Guest: Adam Gaynor, Musician & Founder of Creationville Host: Mishawn Nolan, Attorney & Co-Managing Partner, Nolan Heimann LLP

From Dishwasher to Empire Builder: Chef Gavan Murphy on Food, Hospitality, and Creative Entrepreneurship

What does it mean to connect people through food? For Gavan Murphy, co-founder of the Healthy Irishman Catering Company in Las Vegas, the answer runs deeper than any menu. In this episode of Every Deal Is a Dance, host and Nolan Heimann co-managing partner Mishawn Nolan speaks with Gavan about a journey that began in County Kerry, Ireland — wound through culinary school, Martha's Vineyard kitchen jobs, celebrity personal chef work in Los Angeles, a seven-year run building a pecan butter product line, and ultimately a thriving hospitality business in Las Vegas. Gavan shares the philosophy that sets his work apart: hospitality is a feeling, not a service. He talks candidly about the loneliness of entrepreneurship, the discipline of pivoting fast, and why authenticity — in business and in life — is non-negotiable. He also reflects on how mentorship, marriage, and fatherhood have shaped his values as a business owner, and what he's teaching his son Dylan about building your own path. For anyone navigating Creative Entrepreneurship with clarity and conviction, this episode is a masterclass in Alignment and Flow.

Authenticity and Vision: Horror Director David Yarovesky on Building a Hollywood Career from Obsession

Episode Summary In this deeply personal episode, attorney Mishawn Nolan interviews her brother, writer/director David Yarovesky, whose films include Brightburn (starring Elizabeth Banks), Nightbooks (Netflix), and Locked (starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins). From dressing as Superman every single day as a toddler and declaring "every day is Halloween for me," to filling their shared bathroom with fake blood and body parts, David's authenticity and vision have been unwavering since childhood. This conversation explores how he converted his obsession with horror into a multi-decade career in one of the world's most competitive industries. Key Topics Discussed On Authenticity & Early Vision * Why David has been obsessed with scaring people since childhood * The transformative phone call with legendary makeup artist Dick Smith that redirected his path from special effects to filmmaking * Knowing at 15 years old exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life On the Craft of Horror * What defines the horror genre (and why Silence of the Lambs isn't actually a horror movie) * Why the scariest part of any horror film is someone walking through a house saying "Hello? Who's there?" * The emotional journey from fear to that immediate grin of relief On Building a Career * The long road from high school filmmaker to making his first feature at age 34 * Working as a music video and commercial director with everyone from Good Charlotte to 50 Cent * The brutal milestone of turning 27 when Spielberg, Tim Burton, and Robert Rodriguez had already "made it" * Realizing at 32: "I bet my whole life on being able to do this and it might not work out" On Managing Doubt & Staying Focused * Why David questions himself on every single movie release (and a million times in between) * The importance of making high-pressure situations look easy, even when you're climbing a mountain * The profound loneliness of being a director and why there are no peers on set * The phone call from idol Sam Raimi that reminded David of his original unwavering belief On Industry Reinvention * Why the war between industry and artist is shifting in artists' favor * How democratized tools mean storytellers need the industry less and less * David's advice for creatives rethinking their path: if you can imagine being happy doing anything else, do that * The importance of being crushed by feedback, fixing it, trying again, and repeating until someone says "that didn't suck" About the Guest David Yarovesky is a writer and director specializing in horror and dark fantasy. His feature films include: * The Hive - about an infectious virus transmitted through vomit (pre-COVID) * Brightburn - a retelling of Superman where the hero is evil, starring Elizabeth Banks * Nightbooks - a family-friendly horror film for Netflix, starring Krysten Ritter * Locked - starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, about two disturbed men and their twisted relationship David has also directed numerous commercials and music videos throughout his career. About the Host Mishawn Nolan is co-founder and co-managing partner of Nolan Heimann LLP, a law firm specializing in helping creators monetize their creative ventures. Before becoming an attorney, Mishawn was a professional dancer and choreographer, and she brings principles of alignment and flow to her legal practice.

From Brows to Brand Empire: Damone Roberts on Transformation as Strategy

In this episode, Mishawn Nolan explores the economics of transformation with Damone Roberts — an artist turned transformational entrepreneur whose work reshapes how people see themselves. Damone shares: * How art school shaped his approach to beauty and symmetry * Why eyebrows became the ultimate creative niche * The business logic behind specialization and efficiency * Building a Beverly Hills salon from scratch * The leap from services to product development * Inventing the Brow Blueprint and navigating patents * Customer experience as a competitive advantage * Staying inspired through creativity, service, and alignment * Why following your gut matters more than trends or validation This episode is a masterclass in Creative Entrepreneurship, Reinvention, and Alignment and Flow — and a reminder that transformation creates lasting value.