One year. Eighteen episodes. Twenty-nine guests.
The University of Denver’s Entrepreneurship Podcast launched in January 2023. Every month, DU student and alumni entrepreneurs have shared their firsthand perspectives on innovation and problem-solving in a wide range of industries, including hospitality, arts and culture, media production, and more.
The E@DU team decided to catch up with three of its 2023 podcast guests to see how their ventures have progressed.
Eli Bucksbaum
Eli Bucksbaum
Artist, creator of STUDIO MAXIMA. Featured on Episode 3 of the E@DU Podcast (Jan. 17, 2023)
Since graduating from DU and relocating to Los Angeles, Eli Bucksbaum has expanded his creative entrepreneurism. Previously, his creative entrepreneurship was limited to selling artwork via his artist Instagram page. On the E@DU Podcast, before his move to LA, Bucksbaum told us about his plans to establish a space where he could help artists connect with one another. Since then, he opened his studio, MAXIMA, and started Artist Assembly.
Every other week, creatives of all disciplines (screenwriters, painters, architects, comic book writers and everyday arts appreciators) come together in Bucksbaum’s art studio, where he facilitates a vibrant conversation into the nuances of the creative act. Through these conversations, Bucksbaum helps artists grow sustainably in their craft and build systems for creative success. At the same time, he has created a space where artists can share their perspectives and start meaningful creative partnerships.
“Artist Assembly is a nexus for artists,” he told us. “It’s not just a space; it’s an incubator for ideas of all kinds. We agree and fundamentally disagree with each other. We share our beliefs and we take risks.”
Through Artist Assembly, Bucksbaum is building out a unique experience to help people implement art into their everyday lives. For those of us who can’t pull up a chair at Artist Assembly, Bucksbaum releases audio recordings of each Assembly on his newsletter so that we can all be part of the conversation. MAXIMA’s content includes Bucksbaum’s creative writing, industry insights and Artist Assembly podcast episodes, among other resources for his expanding community. While the newsletter itself is free to the public, its subscription-based model allows patrons to contribute so Bucksbaum can continue nurturing relationships between artists.
“Artist Assembly speaks to different people in different ways,” Bucksbaum said. “For some, it’s a therapeutic outlet; for others, they are learning how to talk about themselves as an artist.” Just as he hoped, these Artist Assembly gatherings have led to meaningful connections and collaborations between LA artists who otherwise may not have crossed paths. In an industry that demands self-promotion and a dedicated entrepreneurial spirit, Bucksbaum is thrilled to see artists nurturing their own relationships in their own time at Artist Assembly and beyond.
With much of his time dedicated to MAXIMA and Artist Assembly, Bucksbaum said his painting has taken a back seat to his other responsibilities, but he remains devoted to working on his art practice when he can.
Sheila Schroeder
Sheila Schroeder (Right)
Filmmaker, Director of Project DU F.I.L.M. Featured on Episode 7 of the E@DU Podcast (March 28, 2023)
Since her podcast appearance alongside Zyann Rodgers and Leif Soederberg, Project DU F.I.L.M.’s documentary web series “Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling,” which addressed gender inequity among golf course superintendents, has published all of its episodes on YouTube. “We are super proud of the series,” Schroeder said. “Not only have we reached our intended audience on YouTube, but through several Women in Turf social media channels as well.”\
Schroeder created Project DU F.I.L.M. (Film Initiative Linking Mentors) in 2015. It was founded as a means of providing students with mentorship and filmmaking opportunities alongside industry professionals. “Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling” not only impacted women in the turfgrass industry, but it also helped expand professional portfolios for the student filmmakers on the web series. “Leif Soederbrg, a lead student on the series, got a job alongside Emmy award-winning cinematographers at a New Hampshire TV station,” Schroeder told us.
For many members of the team (who are full-time students), it was difficult juggling deadlines and other responsibilities while working on the web series. Schroeder, a full-time professor in DU’s Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies, likened the challenge to “climbing a Fourteener.” The team relied on strong coordination, communication and trust to stay on schedule. “I’m proud to say we met all those deadlines,” Schroeder said. “We fulfilled all the promises we made to our funders, and our audience got a new episode every week.”
Schroeder suggests anyone who takes on big projects like this—whether in film or any other industry—would benefit from giving themselves a deadline. “Set a date and hold yourself responsible to that date,” she said. “Then, making progress just becomes part of your routine as you approach that deadline.”
Now, Schroeder is part of a filmmaking team creating “The Womanhood Project,” an anthology series of short films about the challenges, quirks and triumphs of women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This August, a team of writers and STEM professionals will attend a writer’s retreat in Evergreen. Schroeder will take one of the team’s screenplays and direct the short film under the Project DU F.I.L.M. umbrella. Students, faculty and alumni will be part of the creative team.
Ryan Mclean
Ryan Mclean
Co-owner of Mountain Crust. Featured on Episode 11 of the E@DU Podcast (May 16, 2023)
From middle school pizza-party host, to the “Michael Scott of the Pizza World” (a reference to the lead character in The Office sitcom). Ryan Mclean has created one of Colorado’s most exciting catering services. On the E@DU Podcast, he gave us the inside scoop about how his company’s unique branding and “pro-party” attitude sets Mountain Crust apart from the competition.
Since then, the operation has reached a massive milestone, moving into a Mountain Crust headquarters, which centralizes all the company’s catering equipment on-site. “It’s the full entrepreneur dream, right here,” Mclean told us. “Being able to build your own headquarters and have a spot where employees actually want to hang out…it’s something we’ve been working on for seven years.”
Not only are the facilities great for Mountain Crust’s operations, but they represent a major step forward for the company’s sustainability goals. With 110 solar panels installed in January 2024, Mclean said Mountain Crust will have almost all of its electricity covered in 2024. “Building from the ground up allowed us to go green. It’s up to small businesses to make these changes, and we’re gonna pull our weight.”
With a full kitchen and massive parking lot on the premises, the new headquarters stands proud, right across the way from the company’s event venue. Currently, Mountain Crust is using its off-season to prep for a jam-packed season of parties and events. In fact, it’s already fully booked for the 2024 calendar, including more than 80 weddings at the venue (not to mention off-site catering gigs). “Word has gotten out,” Mclean said. “We’re not hustling to fill spots, and it’s very gratifying.”
On the podcast, Mclean highlighted the challenges of running a catering company without a headquarters. Before moving, Mountain Crust was still utilizing DU’s Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management to wash dishes. Those challenges have been resolved, but this milestone comes with its own new set of obstacles.
“We’re working with tons of appliances and massive pieces of equipment,” he said. “It’s crucial we keep good maintenance schedules going forward.” Along with the practical upkeep of these new facilities, Mclean told us his team is hard at work evaluating the backend structure of the company. “We’re trying to organize a more corporate structure within the business. We’ve grown big pretty fast, and now we want to hunker down and focus on building ourselves internally.”
While this corporate restructuring will change things behind the scenes, Mclean assured us Mountain Crust will stay true to its lighthearted brand. “We want to stay true to ourselves. We still love to party with our guests, and the fun job titles are better than boring corporate titles. I’m still the Michael Scott of the pizza world!”