And while she admits being very new to the podcasting world, she is no novice when it comes to creating content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I obviously knew what a podcast was. I didn’t know what to do with one, though, because I was so focused on production, television, digital content, and all the things I was used to doing. But last summer, I came up with this idea to sort of marry multiple ideas I’ve had over the years to give voice to any and all underrepresented groups. I’m very concerned with all of the complexities the world is dealing with right now (and even before the pandemic).\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to her goal of her show, Evelien said: <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

“So many of my off-camera conversations were much more interesting than what I was doing on camera. That’s not to say that the my on-camera stuff wasn’t thought-provoking, but it was just very different. I thought it would be so great to be able to provide the audience at home with a sense of who the people I was talking with <\/span><\/i>really<\/span> are, beyond what you see through a screen\u2026 beyond the resumes\u2026 beyond the sort of superficial.”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

To that end, Evelien provides a more authentic look at, and understanding of, the people behind the talents and insights they bring to their work, so we get a better sense and appreciating of who they really are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The best vehicle in terms of learning is storytelling. It’s hearing about other people’s experiences, because you can get so much from that. It’s the easiest and best way to connect on a human level.”<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

It makes perfect sense\u2014stories bring a voice to the hardships and challenges we\u2019ve faced, and how we overcame them. It helps us understand how we, too, can make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>“We have to learn to actually listen to one another,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Evelien continued, \u201c<\/span>to start seeing one another for who we really are. In so many conversations, instead of listening, we\u2019re just waiting for an opening to get our point across.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Evelien\u2019s challenge: to accomplish her goal in a life-affirming way versus a political, heavy-handed way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/i>“I didn’t want to do anything that would send people running to their therapists. There’s just too much going on in the world today. We’re overloaded. So the trick was to kind of look at all these really important socially enforced issues, but from a slightly different perspective, so it wouldn’t be so overbearing.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With Evelien’s producer background, her production workflow routine is set: she records for about an hour, and then precisely edits the show down to about 30 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t want to fill it with just \u2018stuff,\u2019 <\/span><\/i>she said.<\/span> “I\u2019m always wearing my producer hat. I read as many articles as I can that feature the guest I\u2019m bringing on. I watch past interview clips. I look at their profile IMDB page online. I watch clips of past shows, movie clips, and YouTube clips, and then read their bios. I like to get my hands or any and all information I can about them beforehand, and I take it from there.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In listening to <\/span>Reppin<\/span><\/i>, I was struck by the feeling I had of eavesdropping on intimate conversations… almost like being a fly on the wall. The way Evelien talks with her guests seems to put them at ease, inspiring them to share some pretty profound moments in their lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Evelien recalled the first guest she ever invited on the show, before there even was a show:\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0“Angie Thomas. She\u2019s a New York Times best-selling author. I called her up, and I was like \u2018Angie, I have nothing to show you. But I have this idea\u2026\u2019 I knew what I wanted the show to be, and asked her if she\u2019d come on. I got an immediate \u2018yes,\u2019 and she shared some very personal stories with me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Referring to <\/span>Reppin<\/span><\/i> as a <\/span>\u201ccreative outlet\u201d<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>\u201cpassion project,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Evelien says, <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s been incredible, to be able to talk to people who are saying, \u2018Let\u2019s celebrate our differences!\u2019 I\u2019ve learned a lot about myself and my own journey and experiences, too.\u201d <\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Which brings us full circle to the title of this article\u2014I commend Evelien for delivering hard-hitting discussions around tough topics in the form of a warm hug.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 2020 Podcast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you hear the word \u201crepresentation,\u201d what comes to mind?\u00a0 What if I asked you to consider a few more details, and guess the topic of this month\u2019s article? Details like\u2026 a Television Producer\/Director based in NYC with over 25 years of experience in entertainment\u2026 with additional credits that include award-winning documentaries for\u00a0MTV, and\u00a0digital content for shows like\u00a0FX’s The Americans, EMPIRE, and SNL\u00a0\u2026 and films like\u00a0Primal Fear, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,\u00a0and\u00a0Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.\u00a0 You might think this one\u2019s about casting and getting an agent. It’s not.\u00a0 It is about a gem of a podcast called\u00a0Reppin, which is short for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":12134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[2730,2729,2727,895,2731,2725,2726,2728,2724,894],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n