Meet Callan Milani | Showrunner at Boosh! Entertainment

We had the good fortune of connecting with Callan Milani and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Callan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My freelance work as a trombonist encouraged me to branch out. My trombone and I were exposed to a variety of concert experiences, recording sessions and collaborations with many of my favorite artists. The inspiration behind Boosh! came directly from these experiences and artist collaborations. The freedom I found in the creative process allowed me to incorporate my hobbies, pastimes, and curiosities into original content that makes you say Boosh!

Boosh (noun): An energetic expression of excitement, enthusiasm.

During the pandemic, like most people I had more time on my hands that I would have liked. I took that time to transform my interests in illustration, storytelling, and music teaching into an interactive music education program for a full symphony orchestra. The deeper I got into the project, the more curious I became and realized that I needed to know more. So, I jumped into a beginner’s mindset to learn as many skillsets as possible to become the visual storyteller I needed to be.

There was a lot to master learning to illustrate and curate a program, but I have been fortunate to find the right people and resources along the way. Finding a supportive community of illustrators, writers, educators, and musicians allowed me to improve show elements that lacked clarity. This process allowed me to find a level of openness, curiosity, and a willingness to create original content my way.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
At Boosh!, I created a trilogy of Interactive Elementary School Music Programs. The programs are aimed at grades 3-5 and are designed to help general classroom teachers introduce their students to music fundamentals. Each original story and its characters guide the students in their learning through fun activities, challenges, and reflections. The trilogy goes like this:

1. Sound and Silence answers the question “What is music?” with a story about a quiet bubble kid named Silence and how the world turns upside down when a rowdy musician crash- lands on the idyllic silent planet.

2. Melody and Harmony answers the question “How does music connect us?” with a story about a flea named Melody and an un-harmonious wolf pack named Harmony learning to perform together.

3. Beat and Groove answers the question “How does music move us?” with a story about a girl named Groove and a boy named Beat learning to put sound in motion.

While each show has a specific core focus, the program’s underlying connectivity allows students to develop musical literacy no matter which story begins their adventure.

Creating each show stretched my limits as a visual storyteller, curriculum developer, and a person. I met the particular challenges presented by the individual productions by working closely with collaborators at the San Diego Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

I also am fortunate to work with a diligent group of educators that help me understand the needs of the teachers in the classroom. Their critical eyes, insights, and input allow me to develop programming and materials that is simple to facilitate, fits their already busy schedule, and allows them to find their joy of music too. When teachers enjoy their work, the classroom truly comes alive.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’re going to my favorite place, DTLA! We stay there all day because there is so much to be seen!

We start the first day of our adventure week grabbing a coffee at Endorffeine in Chinatown. The former biochemist, Jack Benchakul, personally makes every drink. We will caffeinate on our way to Won Kok to get some BBQ pork buns.

Our next destination is Olvera Street. I love walking about the marketplace with its colorful shops and street vendors. We’ll most likely stop at Cielito Lindo and secure some taquitos with avocado salsa because it would be weird if we didn’t.

At this point we’ll head to the jewelry district to explore a few jewelry emporiums that are repurposed theaters. The insides still have all of the glory of an old-school theater. We’ll hit up the Last Bookstore and end up at Garcon du Cafe in the Spring Street Arcade for some killer wine and some charcuterie.

If we nailed our timing, which we will, we’ll check out the Jazz Underground at The Stowaway. It’s literally an underground midcentury music venue with the best performers in town. Every time I go, I’m blown away.

Because we’ll be inspired, we’ll head to Max Karaoke Studio in the Little Tokyo Galleria. The private rooms with a killer selection of songs will get us ready for tacos at Avenue 26 and they’re open until 3 AM. So, no matter when you show up, there is a party to be had with some epic street tacos.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Don Kennelly, a trombonist with the San Francisco Opera, deserves a shoutout because he unlocked a quiet kid’s curiosity into a noisy world.

I didn’t know what to expect from my first trombone lesson (at age 13) and I’ll never know, because I blacked out. I have no recollection of what we worked on, what we discussed, or even what Don looked like, but when I left and emerged from the haze, I knew one thing, I was going back.

Trombone lessons with Don felt like adventures, filled with laughter and imagination. His eclectic living room was a place that inspired my curiosity of music and fostered a lifelong dedication to craft. The trombone is not an easy instrument to learn, but that didn’t matter because we shared a joy of music.

Don shaped me and my views of friendship, community, and art. I cherish every moment I spent in that living room and I strive to recreate that sense of community in my interactive elementary school music program. My characters, their worlds, and their stories are a shoutout to my time with Don.

Website: https://www.milankalani.com/

Instagram: @milankalani

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callanmilani/