Dec 12, 2022
In Part 1 of a two-part series, Dennis is joined via Zoom by four different creative entrepreneurs who have products that are perfect for holiday gift giving. First up, is writer and film critic Alonso Duralde who is the co-author of I’ll Be Home For Christmas Movies: The Deck the Hallmark Podcast’s Guide to Your Holiday TV Obsession and the sole author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas. Alonso talks about the cozy Christmas TV movie boom and how it shows no sign of letting up, which of these season's offerings are the best--and gayest, the clichés at play in these movies (Big city people are demons!) and how it feels for him to be the go-to Christmas movie experts. He's pulled a Mariah! Next up is Hollywood makeup artist Brett Freedman, the man behind Dennis’s favorite stocking stuffer; Dr. Kiss lip balm. Brett talks about the exhausting process of getting the balm just right, his retro influences like cherry Chapstick and how starting his own side-business has made him feel smart. Next is Tom Judson, the founder and sole designer behind Tom’s Trendy Tees, an Etsy shop that features T-shirts inspired by flop Broadway musicals, obscure classic movie logos and other niche oddities. Tom talks about how the business began as a way of recreating the old Broadway show shirts that his mom accidentally threw away, doing the graphic design himself and shares how starting the business has shown him there are "weird" people with offbeat taste like him all over the world. Finally, Yasir Naama, the founder of Sir Candle, talks about how every one of his candles tells a story and breaks down the stories behind his candles Smells Like Silverlake, Venice Daddy, Yosemite Trip and Holiday Spirit. And all four guests talk about how creating their business and getting their stuff out in the world has enriched their lives in unexected ways.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas Movies book: https://www.amazon.com/Ill-Home-Christmas-Movies-Obsession/dp/0762499354
Dr. Kiss lip balm (Discount code DENNIS): https://brettfreedman.com/
Tom’s Trendy Tees: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TomsTrendyTees?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=497169330
Sir Candles (Discount Code Sir25): https://www.sircandle.com/