AUN 123 : Aaron Cooper - Enabling PLAY Can Create Innovation!

Girls and Boys, welcome back! On todays podcast we host a footwear designer who has worked with all our favorite athletes - from Lebron, Jason Kidd, or Serena Williams. But we don't just talk about his work. We extract the tangible things he has found success in and how you can apply it to your creative lives! Check out Aarons work: https://www.instagram.com/aaron.ac.cooper/?hl=en

Welcome back beautiful people! Michael Tanzillo is a 3D creator, animator and leader from some of your favorite films such as Ice Age or Spies in Disguise. In this episode we talk about his growth through curiosity, becoming a leader, and building a community full of builders. Check out Michaels work: https://www.instagram.com/michaeltanzillo/ https://www.michaeltanzillo.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx0syBLmndvoJJYL0MN5o3w

Welcome back girls and boys, this weeks podcast features the incredible story of Kibbee Miller. Kibbee is a digital marketer within the footwear industry, but has incredible balance with her other passions: DJing and Ceramics. In this episode we talk about her influences, how she manages her time and energy, and has learned to be incredibly patient during her creative pursuits. Learn more about Kibbee: https://www.instagram.com/kibsta/

Girls and boys, we are back with another incredible deep dive into the footwear industry. Morgan Weekes of Morprime Industries is an incredible creative. From graphics, photography, storyteller and sneaker archivist, Morgan does it all for the love of shoes. This weeks episode is not through the lens of a designer, but from a unique angle in the shoe world where Morgan has built events, elevated community, and launched his own business through sneakers. Check out Morgans work: https://www.morprime.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/morprime/

Girls and boys, we are back with a stellar episode this week, hosting Joe Amoruso of The Paper Plane Workshop. The PPW is a design and development studio out of Italy, that's worked with the likes of your favorite brands - including Mark Wahlberg's Municipal. This conversation brings us through the highs and lows of business, what it takes to persevere, and how to build a foundational, strong culture in a small team. Check out more of Joe and The PPW: http://www.the-ppw.com/https://www.instagram.com/the_ppw/

Welcome back beautiful people, in Episode 118 we return to the podcast with a solo episode by your host - David Filar (me). This week marks the 10 year anniversary since I entered the footwear industry as a designer. I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about some key thoughts and learnings over the past decade. Some of those include: taking risks, doing nice things for people, saying yes, and a lot more. Would mean the world for anyone to like, comment, share, subscribe if this brought you value!

Che Anderson is not your typical creator. He is much more. While his work title is Assistant Vice Chancellor for City and Community, he finds himself sitting at the intersection of politics, sneakers, company boards, and artist communities.  In this podcast Che talks about being tired, while maintaining perspective on your happiness. He gives an extremely valuable take on the sneaker industry and its current state, but also what he’s focused on for the future of his work.  Che's work has been seen in the Boston Globe, he has been voted Person of the Year, and continues to motivate and inspire people around the globe. https://www.instagram.com/vivaelche/

Welcome back beautiful people. Todays episode features former Converse & Reebok VP of Design, cofounder of Meg/Bryan agency, and all around great human, Bryan Cioffi. This episode boasts conversation around leadership, finding personal happiness, and all around good design principles. It was an absolute pleasure to have this conversation with Bryan. Find out more: https://www.megbryan.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bctoys1/

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are back with the incredible Q4 Sports founder, footwear designer, creative astronaut, and professor at SCAD - Quintin Williams. Q has done a lot in his career, but he's still hungry. In this episode he brings us through his personal process of staying the course of your vision and goals, being in service of others, and how to not compare yourself to others. Check out his work: https://q4sports.com/ https://www.instagram.com/q_designs/

Welcome back beautiful people! On this weeks show we deep dive into the creative mind of designer and entrepreneur Kevin Bethune. Kevin has amassed success not only through his world class design skills, but by taking his career learnings and applying them to reach a global audience. His speaking engagements range from universities to Ted, and his best selling book is applicable for not only designers, but creatives across industries. Find out more about Kevin Bethune here: https://www.kevinbethune.com/ https://www.instagram.com/kevinbethune/