Superpower on the Side features WeWork team members and how they spend their time when they’re not at work.
On the first episode of the podcast Unfamous, the host introduces the concept for the series: “A place where we bring you artists and musicians who want to talk about everything behind their art. The stories that are not yet famous.”
The podcast is the brainchild of Chris Cashman, a technology lead based out of WeWork Constellation Place in Los Angeles’s Century City neighborhood. While Cashman is focused on proving a seamless technology experience for WeWork members by day, on the side he runs a management agency for musicians, photographers, videographers, fashion designers, and even tattoo artists called Granite Collective. In addition to representing them, he wanted to give his up-and-coming artists a platform to share their stories and inspirations. At first he thought video might be the way to go, but a friend suggested doing a podcast instead. Cashman was amenable to the idea—if he could find the right host.
“I’m terrible at talking,” says Cashman, 27. “So I definitely wanted someone that’s more comfortable with conversation.”
Enter Rachel McGowan, who works as a community lead at WeWork 312 Arizona Ave in Santa Monica. Though Cashman is based at Constellation Place, he covers technology operations for all of the WeWork locations on LA’s west side and is constantly traveling among them. He met McGowan during a visit to her location last year, and they discovered a shared passion: the music industry. McGowan is a vocalist and songwriter on the side, and both have previously worked with celebrity clients. When the idea for a podcast came up, he knew she’d be the perfect host.
“She’s very affable, easy to talk to, easy-going, always sparking conversations with people, and asking questions that break down barriers,” says Cashman.
McGowan jumped at the chance to host a podcast. “She said, ‘I love talking—say no more,’” recalls Cashman.
Unfamous released its first episode in April. The 30ish-minute episodes are Q&A style and released weekly or biweekly. Once McGowan wraps her hosting duties, Paul Hernandez, Cashman’s friend and a musician who performs as Paul Odir serves as the audio engineer. Cashman then takes care of distribution and advertising.
“A lot of podcasts are more storytelling,” says Cashman. “But this podcast is meant to be like you’re sitting in a living room with the artist and Rachel, just having a conversation.”
On top of being made by two WeWork employees, Unfamous is also recorded at WeWork. There are state-of-the-art recording studios at several WeWork locations in Los Angeles, and Cashman and his crew take full advantage of the podcast studio at Constellation Place.
“Having that WeWork studio made it a turnkey solution,” he says. “It makes the routine really simple.”
Several of the nearly 20 artists and musicians the podcast has featured are WeWork employees, whom Cashman has sourced thanks to a Slack channel for workers to share their creative pursuits. “The #WeCreate channel has been a great resource when it comes to finding new artists to bring on the show,” says Cashman. “It’s a cool place to find other creatives in WeWork who are doing some awesome stuff.” Unfamous’s second episode is an interview with musician Benjamin Carter, a community manager at the forthcoming WeWork 5161 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood, whom Cashman also manages through Granite Collective.
In November, Cashman is launching “Support Your Friends,” a venture supported by another Granite Collective artist. Its mission is to create social awareness about the value of art and encourage people to support artists by paying full price for their products and services rather than asking for discounts or freebies. A portion of profits will benefit LA charities focused on mental health, sustainability, and equality.
What motivates Cashman in these endeavors? “I grew up in a really rough neighborhood and environment,” he says. “I had a tough childhood. And I was always really set on getting out of that, working superhard, and staying out of trouble to build a healthy and comfortable lifestyle. So that entrepreneurial spirit, hustling and doing stuff on the side while having a full-time job, has kind of been my thing. And I’ve been able to find balance by finding a full-time job that allows me to do what I love on the side.”
Listen, subscribe, and like Unfamous on any major streaming platform including Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and Tune-In.
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