Meditations with Ryan Zlomek

Embracing the Space Between the Street and the Stage with Juggling Comedian Michael Hilby

This week Michael Hilby comes on the show to talk about his career in street and stage performing. More commonly known as Hilby The Skinny German Juggle Boy, Michael Hilby has been entertaining audiences all over the world for over 3 decades. A performer who started as a juggler, Michael has evolved his show into a mixture of playful comedy, improv, unicycle riding, guitar playing, and juggle stunts that keep families entertained everywhere from cruise ships to festivals. In this conversation Hilby shares his origin story from growing up in Germany to fleeing the country in adulthood to find himself while traveling. He shares his chance encounter to learn how to juggle and the manner in which his new talent brought him to Japan to make a living as a street performer. Through a lot of hustle, he talks about bringing his show to the states and the work it took to book gigs all over the US. Digging into the creative process, he dissects the manner by which he adds comedy to his routines and pulls in the audience as characters. He talks about his work at the NYS Fair, touring with Weird Al Yankovic, and the history of the Skinny German Juggle Boy persona. And most importantly, Hilby shares what life is like behind the juggling and the important role his family plays in keeping him on his toes. It’s a great chat exploring the possibilities that lay ahead if you follow your passions. For more information on Michael Hilby, you can find him @hilbytheskinnygermanjuggleboy on Instagram and Facebook as well as by visiting www.hilby.net [http://www.hilby.net]. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @ryanzlomek on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky, or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Transforming Baseball into an Entertainment Business with Syracuse Mets General Manager Jason Smorol

This week Ryan sits down with Jason Smorol, the General Manager of the Syracuse Mets. Jason is no stranger to minor league sports having worked for the Watertown Indians, Staten Island Yankees, Batavia Muckdogs, and Auburn Doubledays before taking over GM responsibilities for the Syracuse Chiefs in 2013. But to limit Jason to a list of teams is to miss out on the magic that he brings to sports. Jason has used the world of competition to build bridges in the communities he resides in. Since 2013, Jason has transformed Historic NBT Bank Stadium and the baseball season into a welcoming environment for countless fans of all backgrounds, provide business opportunities for local restauranteurs, raise awareness for hundreds of not-for-profits, and provide entertainment in all forms to the greater Syracuse community. His leadership is a successful demonstration as to how to turn a business into a community hub. In this conversation, Jason talks about growing up in North Syracuse and his time at Bishop Grimes. He shares college stories from his studies at SUNY Fredonia and the United States Sports Academy as well as his time teaching Sports Management at SUNY Cortland. He shares his approach to sales citing examples from the industry of Minor League Baseball and Hilti USA. Additionally, he shares his Syracuse Mets management approach sheds light into a leadership style that encourages the best out of everyone. It’s a great conversation about the value of hard work, passion, and welcoming ideas from all avenues. To learn more about Jason Smorol and his work with the Syracuse Mets, visit www.SyracuseMets.com [http://www.SyracuseMets.com] or find them on social media @SyracuseMets. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @RyanZlomek on Instagram, BlueSky and Tiktok, or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Building Communities Amongst the Chaos with Halo Tattoo Owner DJ Rose

This week Ryan chats with DJ Rose, owner of Halo Tattoo and a community builder of underground culture. Despite being best known locally for founding Halo Tattoo in 1997, DJ’s entrepreneurial spirit also helped build the Syracuse hardcore punk scene in the early 90s when he booked groundbreaking bands like Fugazi, Earth Crisis, ALL, Quicksand, and Uniform Choice using resources at Syracuse University. Internationally, DJ is a vegan straight edge icon, having made appearances on media outlets like MTV and CBS to talk about animal rights and the global sobriety movement. In this conversation, DJ sheds light into his early home life growing up in a little town called North Bay, NY. He talks about attending SUNY Potsdam, starting his first band, and then transitioning into booking shows in Central New York. He talks about his unique method of utilizing college resources from Syracuse University to book large shows and establish Syracuse as a staple of hardcore punk culture. As the originator of the band name “Earth Crisis,” he talks about his brief time in the metalcore band and expresses the pride he feels seeing them reach the world with messages of animal liberation. DJ sheds light onto his goals in creating Halo Tattoo and the chance encounter with famed artist Dan Higgs that helped him feel confident to start tattooing clients. He also talks about the importance spirituality plays in his life and how his relationship with god has provided comfort in difficult times. It’s a conversation filled with messages of self-empowerment and perspective into the way in which one person can truly help change the world. For more information about DJ Rose you can find @DJRoseDNA on Instagram, Halo Tattoo on Instagram and Facebook @HaloTattoo, or email him djrosedna@gmail.com [djrosedna@gmail.com]. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @ryanzlomek on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok, or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com [meditations@ryanzlomek.com].

Behind The Splice of the Motion Picture Industry with Film Editor Corey Trench

This week Ryan chats with Corey Trench, a TV and movie editor based in Los Angeles. Having worked for over 15 years for such companies as MTV, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Walt Disney Television, CBS, and Blumhouse, Corey has made his way around Hollywood to become a staple of the post-production world. Getting his start with shows like Parks and Recreation as a Production Staff member in 2009, Corey graduated through the ranks to eventually become a solo editor with the show Teen Wolf. Not limited by genre he has worked on projects ranging from Tau for Netflix to television shows such as SYFY’s Krypton, Fox’s The Gifted, MTV’s Eye Candy and Punk’d, and Freevee’s Leverage: Redemption and Almost Paradise. In this episode, Corey shares his childhood fascination with making arts in all forms from music, performance, and video making. He discusses his time learning about video production at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Onondaga Community College, and Ithaca College before moving to Los Angeles to start his career. He discusses his entry into production work with a stint on Parks and Recreation before editing various reality TV shows and eventually landing a long term position on Teen Wolf. A lifelong fan of Superman, Corey shares the experience working on the character in the show Krypton and the work involved developing post-production systems used throughout the shows 2-season run. Additionally, Corey discusses his more personal film work, sharing his latest documentary project dedicated to the memory of his late brother Colin. It’s a wonderful conversation about finding passion young in life and seeing where it can take you when you’re led with determination. For more information on Corey Trench you can find him on Twitter @coreytrench or at his website www.coreycuts.tv [http://www.coreycuts.tv]. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @ryanzlomek on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com [meditations@ryanzlomek.com].

Life Behind the Lens with Photographer Jessica Montgomery

This week Ryan chats with internationally renowned photographer Jessica Montgomery. Originally hailing from Oklahoma City, Jessica moved to Syracuse, NY in 2018 to handle the photographic needs of Stay Fresh, a creative agency started by Tommy Lincoln. While most photographers are known for a niche talent, Jessica captivates and controls the still image no matter the subject. Jessica is known for her 31 Days Of Halloween project in which she plans and collaborates shoots with different models to share her imagination and storytelling capabilities every day in the month of October. This level of quality and dedication is seen in every project she tackles. Whether photographing beverage cans for 1911, models for publication in Selin or IMIRAGE, toys for Jay And Silent Bob, or action shots at summer concerts, Jessica’s knowledge of lenses and how to arrange her subjects makes the result jump off the screen every single time. In this conversation Jessica talks about growing up and finding a passion for photography early in life courtesy of the toy Suzy Snapshot and the affordability of 110 film cameras. She discusses the value she found building a creative foundation in art school before focusing her attention exclusively on the mechanics and capabilities of her camera. Shifting to the professional sphere, she shares her start as a wedding photographer and the eventual move to Syracuse to take on accounts like Beak & Skiff, Ayrloom, Oh My Darling, Glazed And Confused, Funk N Waffle, Syracuse Cooperative Market, Salt City Market, Elevate, LM Social, and dozens of others. Jessica goes into depth on the narrative aspects of her work and shares examples of how her imagination takes off when the ideas start flowing. It’s an engaging conversation about the infinite depth one can explore when they truly love their chosen medium. For more information on Jessica Montgomery you can find her @jessica.stayfresh on Instagram and Threads or visit www.stayfresh.design.   For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @ryanzlomek on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok, or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.