We asked insiders and experts from various industries to tell us something they think outsiders are unaware of and we’ve shared a few of those responses below.

Mackenzie Bradley | Boutique Travel Advisor | Traveling Abode

When it comes to boutique hospitality, there is as much struggle for the independent hotel to be found by the guest as it is for the guest to discover the hotel. The Google search domain is a pay to play labyrinth dominated by the colossal marketing budgets of the hospitality giants and online travel agencies, like Booking.com and Expedia, paying top dollar to appear on the consumers “boutique hotel (enter destination here)” search results. Read more>>

Maha Afra | Mother, Educator, Dancer, Choreographer and Social Justice Warrior

most people are not aware that dance is culture and history. It is not just entertainment. Dance is a vehicle for social justice, resistance, intersectionality of identities and a powerful tool for positively bringing diverse communities together, whether through participation or just observation. Read more>>

Jack Chen | Music Producer, Audio Engineer, & Keyboardist

Working in music is not an easy job, especially in the beginning. As one of my supervisors explained to me before, a large majority of people will struggle to make it anywhere in the industry. Some won’t even be able to cover their monthly living expenses, so they’ll need to take up other jobs in order to make ends meet.  Read more>>

Uzma Majid | Founder of Uzzi’s Cookies

How physically taxing it can be. Read more>>

Shoshi Watanabe | Ceramics

Ceramics is essentially rooted in materials found in the local region. This idea has been somewhat blurred by the development of international trade and globalization. However, it is still true that mines where we get our materials get depleted and the look of our clays, glazes that are made from those materials change. Read more>>

Zuyou Liu | Screenwriter & Director

Every industry has a lot of stories and content that outsiders don’t know, and as a screenwriter in the film and television industry, one of the things that outsiders don’t know is just how long it takes to write a script for a movie or TV show. It is likely that many people are also wordsmiths who write for a living as well. Read more>>

Giselle Fischman | Actor // Producer

A+B doesn’t equal C; its a very nonlinear industry. This could drive a person crazy if you don’t have the right perspective. You never know if and when the decisions you make will pay off. This can be challenging to navigate at times. However, on the flip side the opportunities are endless…anything is possible! Read more>>

Shuqi Chen | CG Generalist

Group work is the most important thing in the film industry. Many dedicated individuals contribute and assist each other behind the scenes of TV shows, films, or any project. It requires close collaboration among many departments to create a very complete and cohesive work. Read more>>