In this special Alumni Edition of Creative Currents, host Mark Clague sits down with two University of Michigan alumni who have built careers rooted in creativity, collaboration, and saying "yes" to the unexpected.

Tony DeRosa, co-founder of Ann Arbor's Hear.Say Brewing, shares how a career in leadership development at Google led him back to Michigan to create a brewery where craft beer, improv comedy, and community come together. Actor and comedian Anna Garcia reflects on her journey from U-M to television, film, and the national improv scene, including roles in Fly Me to the Moon, Hacks, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Party Down, and Die Hart.

Together, Tony and Anna explore how the arts continue to shape their work long after graduation—from building confidence and embracing uncertainty to strengthening communication, leading teams, creating community, and forging unconventional career paths. Whether you're pursuing the arts professionally or simply looking to bring more creativity into your life, this conversation is a reminder that the skills developed through artistic practice extend far beyond the stage and well beyond your undergraduate experience.

This episode launches Creative Currents: Alumni Edition, a special two-part miniseries that previews a larger October series released during the Michigan Arts Festival, spotlighting alumni, entrepreneurs, comedians, and creative changemakers. Together, these conversations explore one central question: You studied the arts at Michigan—now what?

In this episode:

• Why improv is about much more than comedy
• How creativity fuels leadership, entrepreneurship, and creative innovation
• Building community through collaboration and shared experiences
• Navigating nonlinear careers and embracing unexpected opportunities
• Advice for current students on taking creative risks after graduation
• The launch of the inaugural Yes, Ann Improv Festival

Production Note: Creative Currents is produced by Jessica Jenks and edited by Brian Lillie.

• Subscribe to the Arts Initiative Newsletter
• Checkout our website
• Learn more about the Michigan Arts Festival

In this episode of U-M Creative Currents, host Mark Clague sits down with historian and professor Colin Gunckel from the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Gunckel is a faculty member in both the Program in American Culture and the Department of Film, Television, and Media (FTVM), where he also serves as department chair.

Colin shares insights from his extensive experience teaching film and media studies. As a historian specializing in Latinx media and art, Latin American cinema, and popular culture linking the U.S. and Mexico, he brings a rich transnational perspective to his work. His book Mexico on Main Street: Transnational Film Culture in Los Angeles before World War II (Rutgers University Press, 2015) explores the relationship between Mexican audiences, the rise of Hollywood, and the development of Mexican cinema.

This fall, students across U-M will collaborate with internationally acclaimed performer and filmmaker John Cameron Mitchell—visiting faculty in LSA’s FTVM Department—through the Arts Initiative’s Student Creative Fellowship program. Their work will culminate in a public showcase on November 16.

Additional Show Links:

• FTVM Full Calendar of Events
• John Cameron Mitchell – Fall 2025, Visiting Professor, Writer, Director, Performer
• Michigan Theatre Free Showings on Mondays at 10 a.m.
• New Course: FTVM 368.002 – Queer and Trans Gaming

Related episodes:

• The Arts on Screen: How film shapes student life at U-M with Lauren Horne
• Discussing Disfluency with Anna Baumgarten & Danny Mooney

*Production Note: This episode is part of U-M Creative Currents' special Michigan Arts Festival podcast series and is edited by Sly Pup Productions.

• Subscribe to the Arts Initiative Newsletter
• Checkout our website
• Learn more about the Michigan Arts Festival

In this episode of U-M Creative Currents, host Mark Clague talks with Clare Croft, Faculty Director of Research & Creative Practice for the U-M Arts Initiative, and Anne Mondro, visual artist and professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. This episode is part of Creative Currents’ special podcast series on the Michigan Arts Festival (September 25 – October 26, 2025).

Featured Programming & Highlights include:

• ARIA Faculty Research Showcase, October 23 at 4 p.m., Michigan Union Ballroom
• Faculty projects exploring art, health, design, and interdisciplinary collaboration
• Works highlighted during the episode include: Mondro’s Tethered, Perpetual Sunshine & The Ghost Girls, The Heirloom Project, and Hygroscopic Envelope

Croft discusses how the Arts Research: Incubation & Acceleration (ARIA) program elevates creative practice as research, fostering new interdisciplinary partnerships across campus. Mondro shares insights on Tethered, her ARIA-funded project using woven metal forms to explore empathy, illness, and human connection through art.

*Production Note: This episode is part of U-M Creative Currents' special Michigan Arts Festival podcast series and is edited by Sly Pup Productions.

• Subscribe to the Arts Initiative Newsletter
• Checkout our website
• Learn more about the Michigan Arts Festival