Harmony in Collaboration: Composer Michael Kooman on 20 Years of Creative Partnership

In this episode of Creative Risk, Emmy-nominated composer Michael Kooman shares insights from his 20-year collaboration with lyricist Christopher Dimond. Together, they’ve crafted music for acclaimed stage productions and hit TV shows like Vampirina and Ridley Jones, proving that creative partnerships thrive on trust, compromise, and clear communication.

Michael dives into the art of collaboration—how to navigate creative disagreements, balance egos, and create an environment where both partners feel heard. Whether you’re a songwriter, filmmaker, or entrepreneur, Michael’s wisdom on building resilient partnerships, tackling blind spots, and finding joy in the creative process is invaluable. With guest co-host Shayna Blass (Shay and the Good People) this is a fun and very informative episode. Listen now!

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Do the Thing: Co-Working Salon: Over six weeks, Mike and Joshua will lead a group of artists through the messy, exhilarating, and deeply rewarding process of getting a creative project to the next stage - whether a short film, concert, reading, play, or Youtube channel. It’s a pressure cooker of accountability and risk-taking designed to help us move our projects forward. Projects at all levels of development are welcome.

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“CREATIVE RISK”, is a new podcast hosted by actors Joshua Morgan and Mike Labbadia of Artist’s Strategy where they explore all things art, entrepreneurialism and everything in between. The acting industry is more volatile and competitive than ever before, therefore the artist must evolve in order to take radical ownership over their creative businesses. Each episode, Mike and Joshua will get raw and unfiltered, giving hot takes and cutting edge strategies on how to build a sustainable career in the arts.