Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brooklyn Sample. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brooklyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My production company, Blind Toe Productions, and our new nonprofit, Art Crush LA, were formed for different reasons but share the same purpose. Our mission is to support and create arts and culture during a time when funding and opportunities are limited. Blind Toe Productions was founded seven years ago, during a time when my partner, Melanie Lee, and I were immersed in motherhood but driven to create content. We were approached with an idea for a docuseries that we knew would be sensational and entertaining, so we got to work developing and pitching it. With interest from another production company, the show was optioned! We were thrilled and felt we had a creative outlet that was manageable from our desks. See, we come from the theatre world, where you are on other people’s schedules with extended hours in the theatre. Having young children makes it very difficult to do. So here we were! Telling story differently through ideas through a new company, and people loved the work! But then, COVID hit. And with it, the wind in our sails. However, we pushed through and continued innovating new ways to create that have helped us even in this post-COVID world.

This led my husband, Matt Sample of hi5.agency, and me to think about new ways to support the arts and culture in Los Angeles. Times continue to be tough for the arts, and audience participation post-COVID is down. For the last few years, we have been exploring the idea of a nonprofit, and we finally secured our nonprofit status for Art Crush LA at the end of 2024. The idea? To examine how we approach live performances and events differently to attract and build a community around our work. One way we approach this is through marketing. There seems to be a collective complacency around how to market events that seems very outdated. Our goal is to attract theatre goers and event seekers with fresh approaches to our social campaigns and printed media. Once we attract them in, the work speaks for itself, and our community will grow into future projects. We are already seeing this in real time with our first play, To Each Their Own, at The Awater Village Theatre running through May 4th.

Brooklyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I entered the Entertainment business out of a desire to share artists’ stories and bring their characters to life. Initially, I found joy in acting, but then I discovered the thrill of being involved in the entire creative process, from directing to creative producing and development. With professional acting training from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I have been able to apply that training to my directing and overall understanding of the importance of a story, and how, with dramatic stagecraft, we can tell it in unique and powerful ways.

With over 25 years of experience in the industry, our expertise is applied to both the production company and the nonprofit. We strive to assemble a professional, ego-free team of creatives who are dedicated to the project’s success. Blind Toe Productions assists in creating a production timeline through development, brings together a creative team that best represents the project’s specific needs, and gets it up and running in a positive and fun way. We take the most pride in our dedication to running things differently. There is an old guard in the theatre and production world that insists things be done a certain way, which can sometimes come across as negative and unnecessary, resulting in an unhappy team and ultimately a less-than-exciting show. We avoid that kind of leadership and instead put our focus on fresh, positive leadership.

Art Crush LA’s 2025 focus is on presenting high-quality plays and events, ranging from shows centered on vintage car culture and vintage lifestyle to art exhibitions and scholarships supporting high school graduates as they transition to college with an art degree. We are also exploring ways to support artists affected by the Eaton Canyon fires, as this is part of our community, and many people have lost not only their homes but also their musical instruments, art supplies, and other essential items.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

People are people, and you never know what they are experiencing outside of the workplace. I think that when you come from a place of positivity, even in the hard times, you set the tone that reminds your team that no matter what’s going on in their lives, their workspace will be a positive one. That then radiates into the work and eventually into the finished product.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

An example of positive leadership, even during challenging times, is a recent one. My family, our home, and our community are directly affected by the Eaton Canyon Fire. We were displaced for months with extensive damage to our house, all the while learning every day about friends who lost everything. During this collectively tragic event, we still had a nonprofit to launch, a play to put up, and a musical in development with contracts and lawyers lawyering. As the producing company and director, I had to stay positive for my team. Showing up for rehearsal or production meetings, living through so much uncertainty and devastation, I had to remain unfazed and professional for the projects to keep moving forward and keep my team encouraged. I now see the benefits, not just for them and the final product, but also for my overall mental health. I was able to channel the pain into the art in a positive way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artcrush.la. www.blindtoe.com. www.brooklynsample.com
• Instagram: @crushartla @blindtoeproductions @brooklynsample
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artcrushla https://www.facebook.com/brooklynsample
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooklynsample

Image Credits

To Each Their Own marketing photos by Kie Sample – IG @kiesample
Marketing Art for To Each Their Own by Matt Sample – IG @maxheadrum