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How I Broke Into: Michael Prywes Interviews Artists and Entrepreneurs About Their Big Break

From writers, musicians, and actors, to tech magnates, to mom & pop businesses and food, beverage, or cosmetics entrepreneurs, New York-based startup attorney Michael Prywes (www.Proud.Lawyer) takes the audience on a deep dive into the world of creative business building. Every innovator has an important story to tell, and lessons to share. For more information, call 212.206.9104 or visit www.Proud.Lawyer
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How I Broke Into: Michael Prywes Interviews Artists and Entrepreneurs About Their Big Break
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Now displaying: August, 2016
Aug 18, 2016

Amy Ignatow is a writer and illustrator living in Philadelphia with her family. After graduating from Moore College of Art and Design she worked as a freelance illustrator, a stationery designer, an air-brush face and body painter, an art teacher, an SAT prep instructor, a reporter, a wedding singer, and a florist. Amy was not very good at working for other people. Or with other people.  Or around other people. Now she happily works in a studio by herself. She is the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed middle grade POPULARITY PAPERS series as well as the upcoming ODDS series. The first ODDS book, THE MIGHTY ODDS, debuts in September 2016. In her spare time Amy enjoys knitting, peeling oranges, yelling, and absurdity. She is a relatively good driver.

As an aside, she is pretty hilarious.

Notes from the show:

She loves it when boys read her book.

Each page is hand draw and handwritten, unlike "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

Amy has different handwritings for herself under different circumstances.

She was working gig jobs, including teaching, but they weren't her passion.

Shel Silverstein - The Devil and Billy Markham

'Ig City" - weekly web comic

An agent on Craigslist sought clients, didn't like her web comics.

She sent the site of the comics to the guy who ultimately became her agent. The agent told her she needed a story. He suggested writing for kids.

When they started sending out queries for Popularity Papers, 75 pages were sent out. She kept getting rejections, and then Random House made an offer. They leveraged that offer to get more offers.

"Amy, you're the writer. You get to wear anything you want."

Went with "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" imprint Abrams Books/Amulet.

Scholastic's office was awesome but they didn't offer enough money.

"You have to gauge: who am I most comfortable with? Who do I want to work with?"

Her agent gave her a huge packet titles, "Now You Have a Book Deal."

She went to Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She learned how to take criticism there.

"As an artist, you have to get really used to rejection. And get used to defending your work and get used to taking criticism to make you and your work better."

Long Island High School for the Arts

Illustrators are hilarious.

Jim Henson was a big influence.

Sesame Street Old School

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens

Canson All-Media Paper

Dyslexic kids like the handwriting in her book series.

Her new book has four main characters in a Lancaster, PA setting, based on Lititz, PA.

"A Better Place to Be" - Harry Chapin's Greatest Stories Live

She will be part of an anthology of stories called "Funny Girl."

She played Pictionary with Daniel Handler.

Farscape

Buck's Rock Camp

Interview with Charlie McWade

Dan Rothenberg at Pig Iron Theatre

Agent: "You are being a little too kind to your characters."

"Put the work out there. Even if you're afraid, you have to be fearless."

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyignatow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyignatowauthor/

Aug 4, 2016

For most of my life, I was a night owl. Starting a little more than 5 years ago, I went through a series of transformations to better my life, and one of my greatest and most difficult transformations was going from a night owl to an early bird. When people heard what I was doing, many told me about this amazing book, The Miracle Morning, widely regarded as “one of the most life-changing books ever written”. I read it (and listened to the audio book), and I was inspired. When I started up my podcast, "How I Broke Into," Hal Elrod was on the short list of people I just had to interview.

Hal Elrod is the #1 best-selling author of The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed To Transform Your Life… Before 8AM. It is also one of the highest rated books on Amazon with over 1,300 five-star reviews.

What’s even more incredible is that Hal actually died at age 20. He was hit head on by a drunk driver at 70 mph, broke 11 bones, died for 6 minutes, and spent 6 days in a coma only to wake up to face the news that he may never walk again... Not only did Hal walk, he went on to run a 52-mile ultra marathon, become a hall of fame business achiever, an international keynote speaker, one of the world’s top success coaches, he’s a hip-hop recording artist, has been featured in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, writes for Entrepreneur.com, has appeared on radio and TV shows across the country, and the list just goes on and on. Robert Kiyosaki, author of the all-time bestselling book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, said the following about Hal: “Hal Elrod is a genius and his book The Miracle Morning has been magical in my life. As my rich dad often said, ‘I can always make another dollar, but I cannot make another day.’ If you want to maximize every day of your life, read The Miracle Morning.'”

Notes from the show:

The Miracle Morning really changes lives: "What do you want to change in your life right now?"

At 19, Hal started in sales. He didn't know how to sell, but was enthusiastic and knew how to work hard.

At 20, Hal was hit by a drunk driver, and was told he would never walk again. He thinks it was one of the best things to ever happen to him. He chose to be grateful for what he had.

2 weeks after the crash, doctors were concerned that Hal was having delusions and was in denial. He was always telling jokes, smiling. He told his Dad, "I love my life by the five minute rule... It's okay to be negative when things go wrong. But not for more than 5 minutes."

"Everything happens for a reason, but I think we have to choose the reason."

"We can take an adversity... if we learn and grow from it, it becomes an advantage."

Cutco is a microcosm for life: "It's not about knives. It's about who we're becoming."

"For anything we do in life, it's who we're becoming that's more important than what we're doing. Yet, the interesting thing is that what we're doing determineswho we're becoming."

If it weren't for his mentor Jesse Levine, Hal would have quit Cutco on the very first day.

Before Cutco, Hal had never heard the terms "personal development" or "positive thinking."

You need to lead by example. You can't force people to change. He pushed healthy eating and the Miracle Morning practice on his wife, and she turned off. But when he stopped pushing, she responded.

It's important to ask a lot of questions.

He recommends Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday.

Started doing The Miracle Morning practice with 1 other person, his client Katie, and realized that if it could change two people's lives, it could change a whole lot more.

The book has been translated into 20 languages, but he still is surprised by its massive successful.

He believes the success of the book lies in distilling the 6 most powerful practices in personal development, which can be applied in every arena.

The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families is coming out in the fall of 2016.

The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Anchor

Happy for No Reason - Marci Shimoff

5 Minute Journal App

People have said they've gotten off of depression medication within weeks of the Miracle Morning practice.

The Optimistic Child - Martin Seligman

To be physically fit, you have to work at it. Why would emotional well-being be any different?

Hal believes in trying to exhaust other possibilities before anti-depressants. He knows someone who stopped chemo and went on a raw vegan diet, and hasn't had cancer since.

Socrates said, "Let thy medicine be thy food."

Make changes now that will allow you to live longer.

OmVana App

7 Minute Workout App - 30 seconds of exercise

Blinkist App

Hal's program is Best Year Ever.

Live program is in San Diego in December: http://bestyeareverlive.com/

Hal's web site portal: http://halelrod.com/

Hal's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyTMMCommunity/

I Am Not Your Guru with Tony Robbins

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