Welcome to the first special episode where I will be interviewing trailblazers from all backgrounds. Because let's face it, being Tuckered Out is universal.

Bill Teck is a writer, producer, director, and the founder of the Generation ñ Media brand. His films include One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich & the Lost American Film (2014). A Cuban-American who grew up in Miami, Bill has been named by Newsweek Magazine as One of 20 Latinos to Watch and by Hispanic Business Magazine as One of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America.

His amazing new HBO documentary, Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Chronicling the legendary Stevie Van Zandt, it features a wealth of never-before-seen footage that traces Van Zandt's career as a producer, musician, songwriter, activist, actor, and a whole lot more. For those who know Stevie best as consigliere to Bruce Springsteen and Tony Soprano, Bill beautifully captures the story of a true Renaissance man and amazing human being.

In this episode, Bill recalls his Miami days as an out-of-place rock and roll fan in a disco town, and we bond over our love of British invasion music. Bill dives deep into the making of the documentary, revealing the challenges of keeping up with a man who never stops creating and the thrill of finding lost footage that even Stevie didn’t know he had. Bill describes how Stevie’s driving force is his passion for rock ‘n’ roll as a force for social change. Finally, he shares what observing up close Stevie’s musical originality, his fifty-year-old marriage to Maureen, and his close lifelong relationships have taught him about life and himself.

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple debuted on JUNE 22 (8:00 p.m.–10:25 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

• Talking Stevie Van Zandt: Falling in love with Stevie + the British invasion music scene + how Bruce Springsteen and Stevie “lived the legend” as lifelong friends (04:12)
• Landing the Dream Job: How Bill’s early love of Van Zandt inspired the documentary + the years of rejection before being accepted by Stevie’s “powerhouse” wife + being inspired by Stevie and Maureen’s touching relationship (08:53)
• Hanging out with the Legends: Learning the secret to a great band + talking Stevie with fans Bono and Paul McCartney + singing with Eddie Vedder at 4 a.m (10:41)
• Back in the Day: Bill misses wild rock stars flying everywhere, but welcomes the new diversity of voices in the music industry (13:58)
• “This Beard Was Not Gray When I Started:” Touring Barcelona one day and going to a trial in DC the next (15:57)
• Rock and Roll Evangelist: Bill reveals Stevie’s unique way of linking music to political change (17:40)
• The Unseen Stevie Van Zandt: Stevie and Maureen’s rock and roll wedding + film of the couple falling in love + the Stevie and Mandela tape lost in a drawer (19:50)
• Quiet Pioneer: How Stevie combined hip hop with punk before Run DMC and Aerosmith, and his Grammy-winning reggae song (22:39)
• Lessons Learned: Bill relates how observing Stevie taught him not to compromise in work (24:09)
• Stevie the Mensch: Convincing Stevie to appear in the film + filming Stevie with his family + Stevie inviting fans to eat with him + how Ami doesn’t mind Stevie wearing a Ganesh shirt (25:16)
• Lessons From Stevie: If your first dream dies, just stay with it, because you never know what's gonna happen + how even a two and half hour film doesn’t do justice to Stevie’s career (27:07)
• Miami and Music: Bill recalls reading Rolling Stone while his friends were into disco + learning to love all music + why the Smiths are so popular with Latinos (33:32)
• Concert Stories: Bill’s most epic concert + seeing Stevie and Bruce before Hollywood stars + how Bono stopped a fight at his concert (35:30)
• What Next for Bill: (40:01)

Connect with Bill

• billteck.com
• Bill's IMDb page

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media

Anjali Virmani is the Global Head of Creative Solutions at Time Out Media. Shuttling between 10 global offices with a brief of 333 cities, she crafts and implements the Time Out global brand story, strategy, and identity, building bridges between the Time Out brand and its consumers globally.

Anjali’s passion for diversity, uniting, and empowering people of all ages and cultures shines through in her life and career. She sees her role at Time Out as a gateway to building bridges between brands and consumers and fostering connections worldwide. And she is in a unique position to unite diverse communities through the shared experiences of food, culture, and general joy.

Anjali shares her incredible journey from her childhood, always feeling out of place, to finally finding her home in New York and Time Out. She reveals the challenges and the exhilaration of managing the amazingly diverse Time Out brand. We dive deep into the evolving nature of DEI, race, and what it means to be South Asian for our generation compared to our parents. We go into breaking out of the mold of Good Indian Girl and the importance of learning new things. Finally, we reflect on being the freest South Asian generation and look forward to a new era of diversity for our children even if we still have a long way to go.

• The Lowdown on Time Out: Time Out’s story from its humble origins as a free magazine to its rise as a global brand + the excitement of creating food spaces and music festivals in Lisbon, Abu Dhabi. and New York + the challenges of appealing to Gen Z (5:38)
• Spreading the Time Out Message: The challenges of combining local, national, and global brands + traveling in Asia and Europe + future expansion of Time Out into Barcelona and Budapest (12:45)
• “Indians Come In All Shades, Right?”: Anjali shares her story of growing up in Manchester and the US as the only brown girl, not knowing if she’s white or black, and finding her voice in the “blonde hair” publishing world + the joy of living in New York and having a mix of everything + the shift from “multicultural” to “mainstream” marketing and uniting diverse cultures rather than emphasizing “otherness” (20:03)
• Our Parents and Us: Anjali on moving to the United States at 10 years old + Anjali and Ami envy their parents’ social lives and sense of community + how parents allow their children freedom while keeping them grounded + how the price of freedom can be loneliness (27:48)
• Back In The Day: - Anjali shares her early days of acting and tending bar and always wanting to do new things + backpacking and worrying her poor parents + how South Asian parents give their children freedom while keeping them grounded (31:13)
• Rapid Fast Round: (38:11)
• Anjali’s Bucket List: (39:39)

Connect with Anjali:

• LinkedIn Profile
• Time Out

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

Utkarsh Ambudkar, aka UTK, is an actor, rapper, and singer and is featured in the CBS hit show Ghosts. He is also known for his roles in Pitch Perfect, The Mindy Project, and Never Have I Ever.

Kaly, aka Kunal Patel, is a highly-respected rapper who has collaborated with artists such as Indian musical composer and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman. As a side hustle, he also happens to be an attorney.

These guys have been friends forever, but they've never really worked together. Now, in collaboration with their producer, Shankar Tucker, they have released their independent seven-track EP titled Too Grown Men, exploring themes of heartbreak and struggle and defying stereotypes.

In this episode, we dive into the familiar theme of growing up on the fence between American and South Asian cultures, their own personal growth and experiences as artists, what they each bring to their music, and their plans for the future.

Utkarsh discusses his early years in the music scene with MTV Desi, the BTS of his epic Oscar Performance with Questlove, why he hasn't been to an ashram in India to find himself yet, and the potential plans for going on tour. Kaly tells me about growing up Jersey without any brown people around him, why he is a rappers rapper, how he still keeps his east coast roots living in LA, and what it has been like working with the legendary A.R. Rahman.

• The Story of Too Grown Men: Utkarsh and Kaly dive into the creation of the EP and the theme of growing up between cultures and achieving a sense of freedom + Don’t Care, the first album Utkarsh and Kaly worked on together + how Utkarsh’s writing compliments Kaly’s prolific output + getting married and having kids + their producer Shankar and white people who are more Indian than Indians (03:45)
• Back in the Day: Utkarsh talks about leaving college, VJing for MTV, and his first break + the early Indian music scene and meeting Karsh Kale and future Grammy winners Goldspot(13:10)
• Indian Music Scene: Kaly celebrates his good luck in working with A.R. Rahman + Punjabi rappers going viral on TikTok + Indian artists who now write for mainstream performers (16:52)
• Out on the Road: Utkarsh lays out his movie and TV schedule for the next six months + how he’d love to tour with Kaly and his wife + not getting enough Indian food in the White House + the age and beauty of Indian culture (19:01)
• Growing up Indian and American: Kaly talks about not growing up in India and seeing his relatives in India every six months + Ami and Utkarsh go deep into what makes a healthy attitude to being South Asian and American, proudly wear the flag on your chest or just relax and operate as a human being + Utkarsh describes being relaxed about taking roles originally for white and black people, and being less worried about what people think + Kaly and Ami discuss growing up brown and being ignored rather than discriminated against + the importance of a natural, organic pride in South Asian culture (23:40)
• Organic Chemistry in the Studio: The story of the song Bring in the 808s. From thinking up the first line driving into the studio to writing the whole song in less than an hour (30:53)
• Rapid Fast Round: Highlights include rapping at the Oscars, asking Tom Hanks' wife permission to use the restroom and changing in a janitor’s dressing room (35:24)

Connect with Utkarsh:

• Instagram
• IMDB page
  

Connect with Kaly:

• Instagram
• YouTube channel
  

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

Maryanne J. George is a Grammy Award-winning artist and a clinical mental health therapist. With five Grammy wins and nine nominations attributed to her collaborations with Maverick City Music, her impact on the music industry is undeniable. Together with Maverick City Music, she has helped redefine the boundaries of contemporary Christian music (CCM) earning critical acclaim, widespread recognition, and a dedicated fan base.

Maryanne has released a brand new independent track called Labor, just in time for Mother's Day, and this song really captures the journey not just of motherhood but womanhood and personal growth.

In this episode, we talk about motherhood and the journey we thought it would be, the journey that it is, and all the beauty and ugliness of it. We talk about how motherhood is the hardest thing you'll ever do, and the most rewarding. Finally, we go deep into how we navigate the expectations of being South Asian, career, and motherhood, and how they shape the lessons we teach our children.

What We Talked About:

• A Labor of Love: Maryanne reflects on being a mom at the height of her career, the expectations and judgments about motherhood, and her desire to give a gift to her daughter inspired her new song, Labor (4:48)
• The Great Journey of Motherhood: Maryanne and Ami talk frankly about the challenges of motherhood, including not wanting children and a career, difficult pregnancies, and post-partum depression, and how they would never go back and make a different decision + motherhood as the highest form of growth: how being a parent helps you reflect and heal in your own life, how children teach you what matters + Maryanne describes being a mother has made more confident and comfortable in her skin than she has ever been (7:42)
• South Asian Motherhood, Then and Now: Ami and Maryanne acknowledge how the sacrifices of their South Asian parents enabled them to pursue their dreams + the conflict between the traditional expectations of South Asian motherhood and the need to be happy and fulfilled for oneself and one’s children + how their pursuit of career and motherhood can help their children grow and live their dreams + how Ami is being a cool mom (11:47)
• Growing Up Brown in America: Maryanne opens up about the expectations of her culture and her constant fear of how her decisions would impact her wider family + the balance between being American and celebrating and defending her culture + navigating the music and gospel worlds while being neither white nor black (17:13)
• “You Know What, Girl? There's No Typical South Asian:” Maryanne celebrates her multiple identities of being South Asian, Christian, a female artist, and a mother all in one (19:53)

Connect with Maryanne:

• https://maryannejgeorge.com/
• Instagram
• Twitter/X
• YouTube Channel
  

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media

Zarrar Khan is an award-winning Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker. Born in Karachi and currently based out of Toronto, Zahra’s works have been screened and awarded in over 100 festivals, including TIFF, Bocarno, and BFI London.

In Flames, his genre-bending feature directorial debut, premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director's Fortnight. A story about Pakistani women, about resilience, it’s a perfect mixture of education, entertainment and thriller, and has garnered critical acclaim and prizes worldwide.

In this episode, Zarrar delves deep into the process of creating In Flames and its subsequent controversy, and the importance of portraying Pakistan in all its complexity. He passionately expresses the importance of telling stories of Pakistani women at a time of worldwide crisis for women’s rights. He shares his thoughts on the state of Pakistani cinema. Finally, he shares his insights into living as both a Canadian and a Pakistani and learning to fall in love with all of Pakistani culture.

Zarrar is truly committed to telling stories that amplify historically marginalized communities, about voices that need to be heard.

In Flames comes out April 12th across North America

What We Talked About:

• The Birth of In Flames: Zarrar describes how he developed the idea for In Flames through his early short films + the strong relationships he forged with his female cast + the urgency to show this film to the world at this time of crisis in women’s rights from Iran to Roe vs Wade (3:28}
• Pakistani Culture and the Making of In Flames: Zarrar explains how he combined the genres of thriller, family drama and supernatural to capture the fear-filled lives of women in the religious society of Pakistan + why the Pakistani Oscars called the film a “lasagna” (5:56)
• Stirring the Pot: Zarrar describes how the film generated controversy across Pakistan + navigating the censors through the controversial parts + how the film has resonated with young people and how the old guard's objections are “a badge of honor.” (9:23)
• Seeing Pakistan in A New Light: Zarrar discusses the value of an outsider’s perspective in exploring traumatic issues + how being a male director helped him tell the stories of Pakistani women + how female directors can bring the same outsider’s perspective to shining a light on toxic masculinity (11:48)
• Shooting Karachi: Zarrar describes the challenge of capturing the unique beauty of his birthplace on a microbudget + his pride in debuting his Karachi-born female lead + fleming the racier scenes in closed sets and the importance of having females in the crew (13:53)
• “They’re Actors - They Can Act:” Zarrar opens up about filming the racier scenes in closed sets + how his process of making cast feel safe and relaxed contrasts with the legacy of “traumatizing” actors (17:53)
• Shining a Light On Pakistan: The challenge of representing Pakistan in film without stereotypes + pride in showing the lives of Pakistani women in their complexity and diversity (21:14)
• A Karmic Moment: Zarrar shares the joy of shooting their take in a pregnancy ward at the same time a man’s wife had a baby (22:55)
• A Renaissance in Pakistani Cinema: Zarrar reflects on Pakistan’s first attendance at the Cannes Directors Fortnight for 40 years + how Pakistani cinema emerged from the “dark ages with the help of the internet and social media” (24:21)
• Between Two Worlds: How Zarrar divides his time between Canada and Pakistani + how his children have lived in four different cities + he describes his idyllic childhood and his gratitude to for his family’s support for his career in the arts + the joy of reuniting with Pakistani culture as a member of the diaspora (27:05)
• Pakistan And Me: Celebrating the diversity of Pakistan’s subcultures + Zarrrar’s relationship with religion and his take on Islamophobia (33:29)
• Rapid Fire Round: (36:08)
• Zarrar’s Bucket List: (41:32)
  

Connect with Zarrar:

• Instagram
• Company website
  

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

Anu Seghal is a children's author and the founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education company that celebrates South Asian culture. Priya Krishna is a food reporter and video host for the New York Times and the best-selling author of multiple cookbooks, including Indian-Ish and Cooking at Home. Her latest book is Priya's Kitchen Adventures.

The Culture Tree will be hosting their first annual AAPI Children's Literary Festival in collaboration with the Asia Society. This is a unique gathering place for writers, illustrators, publishers, and fans of AAPI literary works. It features readings, meet-and-greet sessions with authors like Priya, illustrators, panel discussions, and writing workshops, engaging the youth with the full diversity of South Asian culture.

Anu and Priya delve deep into how The Culture Tree and the AAPI Literary Fest will help immerse children in South Asian culture through the love of reading and food. We talk about the importance of food in our culture and what comfort food we still love, Anu shares her journey with The Culture Tree , and Priya discusses how her dad gets stopped at Costco to discuss his recipes that are now shared worldwide.

The AAPI Children’s Literary Festival will be in person Saturday, May 11th from 1 to 5 p.m. at 725 Park Avenue, New York City.

What we talked about:

• Growing the Culture Tree: Anu breaks down the Culture Tree’s mission of celebration and education + the importance Anu places on the languages of South Asia + how South Asian culture is one of the most diverse in the world and the need to celebrate it all + the heartwarming support the Culture Tree receives from the wider community (3:28)
• Anu’s Journey: Growing up in an inter-religious, multilingual family and her passion for teaching South Asian languages + how having children inspired her to challenge South Asian stereotypes + her pride in seeing her kids haggling in a Delhi bazaar (7:33)
• Lit Fest: Putting Kids First: The original inspiration for the Lit Fest + TikTok and teaching middle schoolers the lost art of recipe reading + having children do their own writing and illustrating + how children run their panel discussion in the Festival (18:12)
• Priya's Kitchen Adventures: How Priya’s created an interactive cookbook that normalizes South Asian cooking from a young age + how she came to be involved in the Lit Fest + how she refused to bring Indian food to school so she could fit in + how she first promoted Indian cooking + celebrating the support she has received from Madhur Jaffrey and other South Asian cooking experts (23:15)
• Priya’s Further Adventures: Priya describes how her local Mutai shop was her first New York Times project + Her pride in her YouTube videos highlighting the unseen labor in the food industry + her latest project exploring identity beyond the South Asian American paradigm + her parents suddenly becoming famous (30:51)
• Final Goals: Anu and Priya express their hopes to promote the Lit Fest annually for children as young as five as well as middle schoolers + their wish for parents to join in the fun (35:17)
• Rapid Fire Round: (37:43)
• Anu’s Bucket List: (40:39)
• Priya’s Bucket List: (40:46)

Connect with Anu:

• Linkedin
• The Culture Tree
• Instagram
  

Connect with Priya:

• Website
• Instagram
• Linkedin
• Twitter
• YouTube

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

Rochelle Pinto is the head of editorial content for Vogue India. She has had quite a career and is exactly how you think a Vogue head would be-poised, intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful, and as a bonus, she’s totally down to earth. In case you were also wondering if she does gets to work with and receive advice from Anna Wintour, the answer is yes. Yes she does.

Rochelle shares her insights into what is currently happening in Indian fashion, content, beauty, and all things Vogue. She speaks frankly about the challenges of representing India in all its diversity and richness and describes growing up in Goa free of gender stereotypes, how her parents keep her grounded, and the ways Vogue India is currently uncovering untold and fascinating stories all over the country.

What we talked about:

• Walking The Vogue Tightrope: Rochelle talks about the need to balance a younger audience without alienating Vogue’s original supports + appealing India’s growing market outside of Delhi + the ever-changing role of editor-in-chief and having to deal with twitter wars (2:38)
• The Vogue Sisterhood: Rochelle talks all about learning every day from the legendary Anna Wintour and getting to see her work up close + She expresses her gratitude for the support and advice of her predecessors Megha Kapoor and Priya Tanna (8:56)
• Tapping into the Indian Zeitgeist: How the boom in the fashion scene and demand for Indian luxury goods in even small towns reflects the growing pride in Indian identity + discovering pride marches in small Indian towns + Indian artists not needing validation from America (22:06)
• Current Projects: Balancing 64 projects across multiple time zones + the booming beauty industry in India + celebrating the third year of Forces of Fashion (23:46)
• Rochelle’s Learning Curve: Being the youngest columnist in Hindustan Times and what she wouldn’t get away with on today’s social media + Co-authoring Kareena Kapoor Khan's first book + Adapting to the age of cancel culture and the perspective from her mother “You’re not that important.”
• Working with Twinkle Khanna: Rochelle shares her experience as founding editor of Tweak, and how Twinkle taught her to stand by her convictions (34:05)
• Growing Up in Goa: Rochelle celebrates learning to change tires as well as diapers + the inspiration she draws from her parents (37:56)
• Keeping a Shanti Over You: How staying with her parents and sleeping in her old bed keeps Rochelle’s perspective + not letting your identity be defined by your job (45:17)
• Rapid Fire Round: (48:20)
• Rochelle’s Bucket List: (49:36)

Connect with Rochelle:

• Linkedin
• Instagram

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.