Rachael Pazdan, AdHoc Projects
š Thoughts on Aretha Franklin, becoming a more patient person, and the best pub on the planet.
Thought Enthusiast is an AdHoc Project where we chat with fascinating thought leaders across various facets of music, tech, and culture whose work we admire, simply asking āwhatās on your mind?ā and āwhy do you care?ā š
Rachael Pazdan is an event producer and arts presenter based in Brooklyn. She is currently the Director of Creative Production at AdHoc Projects, leading our team on creative, production, strategy and project management for our agency's roster of clients. RP spends her spare time co-producing dance and music projects for her baby four/four presents and creating short films with her partner Seramic. When sheās not indulging in production, music, and dance projects, she enjoys cooking New York Timesā recipes, watching film marathons on her couch, and aggressively saying hello to puppies on the street.
ć°ļø Different creative wavelengths
Weāre currently working on some really fun projects at AdHoc - a winter fundraising event called Freelance Isnāt Free for the Freelancers Union, an upcoming sexy night marketplace event for Audiofemme, and we just started production on The Libera Awards for A2IMās 2024 show, among other client work. I really enjoy the breath of arts and culture projects that weāve been working on. I tend to get bored quickly doing the same thing all the time, and this work allows me to exercise my brain on different creative wavelengths. Iām also working on a new project for four/four presents with my creative partner Loni Landon that will launch right after APAP in January 2024 - a new bi-monthly live NYC dance listing which will also feature interviews with dance makers and performance reviews.Ā Ā
ā±ļø The Iconic Shade of Aretha FranklinĀ
This video The Iconic Shade of Aretha Franklin is always on my mind, I refer to it as āGreat Gownsā. I worship Aretha and have never understood Taylor Swift and this video really gets to the heart of how I feel.Ā
š„ Ten films a week
Iāve become a bit of a cinephile this year and have been watching about 10 films a week. Iām usually watching a dark, suspenseful thriller, something dystopian and sci-fi, or a documentary. My junk food picks are always true crime (Curious Case of Natalia Grace!), Chopped, or Drag Race (Anetra STAN!). I recently cried through an incredible doc called Filmworker about the life of Leon Vitali, who was the unsung hero behind Kubrickās work and sacrificed his own sanity for his belief in the craft of filmmaking. And then of course David Attenborough-anything when I need to soothe myself to sleep after all of the drama and crying!Ā
Iāve also been getting into John Martynās music. This live version of Couldn't Love You More is the one. Iām also very excited to see the return of Flock of Dimes at Public Records in a few weeks, and excited for my chance to see DāAngelo liveā¦whenever that happens!
šļø Becoming a more patient person & better listener
Lately, Iāve been committed to becoming a more patient person and better listener. Iām going to rinse and repeat from a previous Thought Enthusiast submission here. One of the wisest people around, Mr. Kim Robinson Jr. from 3pts wrote something life changing for me, āTell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understandā. Everyone is overloading their brains with information all day long. How can we really get people to pay attention these days? Involve them. Collaborate with them. Listen to them. I have been a serial collaborator my entire life and projects always seem to turn out richer with input from people of different backgrounds and experiences.Ā
š» Best pub on the planet
I am so excited to return to the Isle of Wight on the English Channel for Christmas this year. My partner is English and his family has spent the holidays there for decades. The island is a micro-climate on the sea with beautiful cliffs and fields of blazing yellow rapeseed plants with the best pub on the planet, The Spyglass Inn! Beer hits different when poured from an English tap.Ā
š A Substack for every side of your brain
Iām a huge fan of Substacks. I like them for their brevity and for their very personal flavor, and iāve made a habit of catching up with my SS feed on the subway. My favorites are The Culture Journalist for my music + culture brain, Bitches Gotta Eat for my exact sense of humor (Iām a devout follower of Samantha Irby. Her column who's on judge mathis today kills me), for my brands and trends brain itās Feed Me, and of course, Thought Enthusiastā¦for all of my brains!Ā Ā
š§ Workinā on my night cheese
You honestly want to know the one thing I can't live without? Cheese. Why? Itās fucking delicious. Cheddar on an apple? YES! Cream cheese on celery? YES!!! An entire brick of cheddar when the sun goes down at 4:45pm? ABSOLUTELY.