Getting an Assist from the State w/ Joel Brennan, Wisconsin Dept of Administration

This week, the gang welcomes Joel Brennan, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration, to the pod to talk about the $5 million state grant program to help our state's arts and culture organizations through COVID-19 and how his former roles as the President/CEO of Discovery World and at VISIT Milwaukee inform his own view of the role of arts and culture in a thriving state. Along the way, Joel drops some basketball wisdom on Mac and David (don't worry, Secretary Brennan does not pose any threat to Giannis coming back next year). 

David assays the damage after his weeklong break (00:23), Football: a billion dollar pop-up (2:00), Smallwaukee/Smallwood story time (3:28), Welcoming Joel Brennan and basketball wisdom (12:35), Joel's formative arts and culture experience and the entrepreneurial nature of being a creative (15:07), The role of the arts and creativity in building a great Milwaukee (17:59), The state's role in supporting at-risk industries and keeping the creative fabric of communities intact (21:23), How the public can help state administrative leaders and elected officials to increase public funding for the arts (30:04), Expanding public-private partnerships and future investments in the arts and culture sector (40:18), The challenge of leading arts and culture organizations - or any business that depends on bringing people together - in a public health pandemic that requires physical distancing (43:43), Mac breaks the first rule of pod club (49:18), Joel's arts and culture shout outs (49:40), Despite Mac breaking the first rule of pod club, Joel gets his plugs (51:42), The first rule of pod club (54:55), Extended outro with arts and culture catch-up (1:00:13), Easter Egg (1:03:00)

Web: Wisconsin Department of Administration | Like & Tweet: @WisconsinDOA  | Apply: COVID-19 Cultural Organization​ Gra​nt Program | Watch: Grant Program Webinar

Audio transitions: "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," Wes Tank

Episode 33 ephemera

• "Epstein was Murdered," Mixed Media, David Najib Kasir, March 11, 2020
• The Old Time Rock & Roll Scene, Risky Business
• The Shakespeare Prison Project (Racine) 
• Thank Governor Evers and tell your federal elected officials that they must pass the next round of coronavirus relief to #saveourstages, #redalertrestart our creative economy, and #ensurethefuture of arts and culture

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