Gilbert resident Lynette Carrington and her close friend Ari Levin share a love of the arts. Luckily, Lynette is the marketing and events specialist at AZ Big Media and Ari works as the executive director at the Madison Center for the Arts and executive producer of JOLON Productions. These two well-placed positions put them each in front of executives and creatives from the local arts scene—a perfect place to be for an arts-based podcast.
The duo recently launched “The Arts Scene Podcast with Lynette and Ari,” which explores all facets of the arts, upcoming performances and productions, and a focus on educational and community give-back angles. “The Arts Scene Podcast features high-level executives and creatives from the worlds of theater, dance, music, film and related productions, and the occasional surprise celebrity interview,” Lynette shares.
“Each episode is 15 minutes or less, the perfect amount of time to focus on important and timely information and keep your attention,” Ari adds.
“The podcast was in the planning stages for about six months,” he continues. “Lynette and I had been looking for a project to do together because we both have a passion for arts and entertainment, and we have a great work dynamic. We launched the first podcast episode in late September and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
So far, podcast guests have included Maestro Tito Muñoz, the Virginia G. Piper Music Director for the Phoenix Symphony, Floriana Frassetto, the co-founder of iconic Swiss theater troupe Mummenschanz, and actor Lee Arenberg from "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Once Upon a Time" among others. “Between the two of us, we regularly work with high-profile executives and personalities, so we'll aim to get as many of them on the show as we can,” Ari explains.
With 2023 right around the corner, Lynette shares that in the New Year they plan to continue their podcast and may even take the show on the road, broadcasting from special events. “We are also looking at developing some additional TV and film projects,” she adds.
“We are also looking forward to working more closely with our sponsor, The W.I.S.E. Scholarship Program facilitated by The Steele Family Foundation,” Lynette says. “The program recently expanded into Arizona, and they are gearing up to work with some incredible nonprofits that are doing outstanding work in education-related endeavors.”
Interested listeners can find the podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, by searching for “The Arts Scene Podcast with Lynette and Ari.” They can listen on any platform where podcasts are available, the biggest ones being Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Potential arts organizations looking to become guests can reach out at theartsscenepodcast@gmail.com.