We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Em Persico a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Em, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am happy as an artist; pursuing creative projects like producing a podcast, planning networking events like Wig Brunch, hosting a monthly variety show for queer artists, and heading in the filmmaking direction. The thing is, I do know what it is like to have a regular job because as an artist it takes time for art and creative projects to pay the bills. My day job is at an Electrical engineering company which is in a field not relevant to my interests or Bachelors degree in cinema but it is flexible to allow me to focus on my creative goals outside of work.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started a production company called Emico Productions LLC in 2020 when the world started shutting down and I wanted to acquire the skills to get a creative job eventually. I went to school for film, I did music all through school, I loved podcasts, and I wanted to make content that I’d enjoy consuming. I decided that if I wanted a job in these passions, I would have to hire myself. So I filed to start a company, I looked into starting a podcast, and I pursued these goals like a job. Since starting the company I have pushed myself to do all types of events, shows, and content. I have hosted many types of Live shows with comedians, clowns, and musicians. I put out an original podcast full time for a whole year surpassing my goal to put out at least one episode a week. I have also brought a lot of artists together at networking events and shows where they were able to show off their skillset.
My goal is to continue working with more artists, especially minorities that do not get their voices heard like Queer artists and artists of color.
Moving forward my company will be gathering artists and helping them develop the skills required to make more films and narrative content.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Most artists don’t get paid much for the work they put into their projects. Society consumes so much of our work once it gets well known, but we need support before we are big. We need people to come to buy tickets to our small shows, donate to help us produce a passion project, lend us a location to film or host an event. So many artists aren’t supported by their neighbors or community, and if you want the high quality content that you are used to, you need to support artists at every stage of their projects and career.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There is not one direction that a creative person can take with an arts degree. My classmates in film school can go in any path in the entertainment industry as well as not be in the industry at all. There is no obvious path like going to nursing school and becoming a nurse, and it’s really hard and scary to graduate with an arts degree. From an outside perspective, my path to becoming a producer and film director may seem random. After college, I did a crazy acting class, many clown classes, I worked on random passion projects and commercials, I tried many types of performance styles, as well as honing skills that I was introduced to in film school. The biggest lesson that I learned from all of these pursuits was confidence as an artist and producer, and that is not an obvious skill that non-creatives know that we must attain to be an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/empersico
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empersico/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067490569307
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/em-persico-13911289/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/emicoproductions/ https://www.instagram.com/artistswithem/

Image Credits
Em Bolka Shannan Calcutt Mary Huth Aver DelVecchio made the poster in the background.