State Of Flux

Behind The Lil Thrashers Universe! (Jimmy Lazer and Jesse Korman)

This month, Jimmy Lazer and Jesse Korman stopped by to give us a full behind the scenes look at the Lil Thrashers Universe. We spoke about the origins of the expansive cartoon universe, how to cover "all the hats" with a very small team, the innovative "Beat-To-Short" writing approach we've adapted for the series, and so much more. 
Welcome to Grimstone! 
About Lil Thrashers (as told by series creator, Jimmy Lazer)
Lil Thrashers was born from a love of cartoons and heavy metal - A match made in hell haha. Anyway, I've learned a lot of my most valuable life lessons from playing in bands over the years. Now that I am a dad, it's been exciting to share these lessons and interests with my young son. Lil Thrashers was sort of a one-off thing, wanting to have a Covid project that involved music while the world was separated- but it's evolved into much more than that, and really it's just been an amazing way to collaborate with like minded artists and musicians from all around. The goal is to capture the essence of that shared experience we call the heavy metal scene, the kinship of playing music with other weirdos who 'get you', and hopefully also capturing a smidge of the silliness and fun that we all indulge in even when we are trying hard to be super serious.
Follow Lil Thrashers:
Watch the New Short "No Weenies Allowed" - Web: lilthrashers.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcVcM1KAGejmgyWIVGtcsHgInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/lilthrashersTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lilthrashers
Follow The Team
Napalm Rainbow | Flux-88
 
Follow Flux88
Newsletter: Flux88.substack.com
Website: flux-88.com
Instagram: instagram.com/fluxeightyeight
TikTok: tiktok.com/@flux88_studios
YouTube: youtube.com/@flux88studios
 
Episode Hosted by Rich Nardo.
Intro contains music from:
"Plan A" by Dmytro Somov "Excuse Me Cat" by Geoff Harvey "Displace" by Danny Greenwood

Andre Howard (Music Industry Vet, Filmmaker)

Andre Howard has built a career as an innovator and disruptor in the music industry for two plus decades. He dropped a ton of knowledge in this interview about being relentless, pushing through innovation, how artists need to connect with fans in 2023, and why being an adjunct professor of music business at NYU has him so excited about what the next generation of music business professionals are going to accomplish. Hope you enjoy it!
 
Andre Howard
Andre Howard kick started his career at Def Jam's A&R department before moving into artist management with Family Tree Entertainment and Violator, collaborating with notable figures like Fantasia, Missy Elliott, Pharoahe Monch, and Busta Rhymes. He founded his own agency, The Media Music Inc., focusing on aiding artist management and marketing teams. This phase saw collaborations with Shady/Aftermath, Reebok/RBK, ESPN Games, HBO, seeking product placements, sync/licensing opportunities, and music production and distribution.
 
After rejoining Universal Music, he ventured into eCommerce and artist management. He later moved to Republic Records, making a substantial impact as an in-house Metadata Manager, notably contributing to Jack Johnson's innovative "From Here To Now To You" visual album as well as The Weeknd’s “Kiss Land”, Drake, Lil Wayne and other projects.
 
During his time at eOne/MNRK Music, Andre spearheaded digital and commerce initiatives across diverse projects. Notably, he played a pivotal role in the success of Brandy's "b7," which secured the top spot on Billboard's Indie charts. Additionally, he led the global re-release of Dr. Dre's groundbreaking album "The Chronic" on digital streaming platforms, successfully launched on April 20th, 2021.
 
At Warner/ADA, he managed commercial endeavors for artists such as Central Cee ("Doja" - platinum single), YoungBoy Never Broke Again ("From The Bayou" - Gold album / "Blackball" - Platinum single), Bonnie Raitt, Papa Roach, Sada Baby, Dylan Conrique, and Saint JHN ("Roses" - 3x platinum single), among others.
 
Currently the Head of Commerce at UnitedMasters, Andre guides partner artists in shaping their commerce narratives, driving fan acquisition, engagement, and streaming. He collaborates closely with UnitedMasters' Brand, Sync, and Product teams to establish the company as a leader in pop culture.
 
In addition, Andre serves as an Adjunct Professor at NYU's Tisch School of Arts and The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. He was also recognized as one of Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players in 2021.
 
Follow Dre Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drehoward/Twitter: https://twitter.com/drehow
And check out the trailer for "Risk Takers",  his upcoming documentary on the business of Hip Hop - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XvQ9q0u59Y
 
Follow Flux88
Newsletter: Flux88.substack.com
Website: flux-88.com
Instagram: instagram.com/fluxeightyeight
TikTok: tiktok.com/@flux88_studios
YouTube: youtube.com/@flux88studios
 
Episode Hosted by Rich Nardo
Intro contains music from the track "Plan A" by Dmytro Somov as provided through motionarray.com.

Brittany Brave (Comedian, Actress, Entrepreneur)

We were lucky enough to have comedian Brittany Brave share some amazing advice on how she's been able to successfully build her career on her own terms. We dive into creating your own opportunities, mental health challenges, and why it's a good thing if you're questioning yourself. Moral of the story, keep going!
Brittany is a comedian, actress, radio host, and entrepreneur based in Miami, Florida.
You can check her out on the interwebs here:TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@brittanybravecomedyInstagram: www.instagram.com/brittanybraveTwitter: twitter.com/BritBraveIMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm10700024/
And you can shoot Flux88 a follow below:Newsletter: flux88.substack.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/fluxeightyeight/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@flux88_studiosYouTube: www.youtube.com/@flux88studiosWebsite: flux-88.com
Intro contains music from the track "Plan A" by Dmytro Somov as provided through motionarray.com.

Jesse Korman (Filmmaker, Photographer, The Number 12 Looks Like You)

This month, we were lucky enough to be joined by the "Swiss Army Knife of Hustle" himself, Jesse Korman.
Jesse is a filmmaker, musician, writer, director, photographer, producer, and entrepreneur. His band The Number 12 Looks Like You are legends in the mathcore world, he's a creative producer at Yale Entertainment, and an in-demand music video director for his outfit, Napalm Rainbow.
We chatted how Jesse (somehow!) manages to juggle such a crazy plate of projects and still put out phenomenal work, the power of connecting with like-minded hustlers, growing up in the heavy music scene, and just generally GREAT advice for people trying to build a career in the creative field. Enjoy!
You can follow Jesse on Socials Here:Website: www.jessekorman.com/Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessekorman/IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm6399349/

TillaVision (Digital Artist, Blank Canvas Comics)

This is the first interview for the "State of Flux" Newsletter. We are lucky enough to be joined by the amazingly talented artist, TillaVision for this installment. Tilla is our partner in Metimmerse. He's also done 3d videos for some of the biggest artists in the world including Nicki Minaj, David Guetta, and The Game. He's also a cofounder on Lil Bitcoin (the world's first decentralized rapper) and the man behind Blank Canvas Comics.
We discuss how Tilla uses AI in his process and how it can help creatives increase their profitability as well as the quality of their work.
Follow Tilla on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at @tillavision.Follow Flux88 on socials at @fluxeightyeight.