Alphabetical Alumni Lineup
FEATURED ARTIST ARTIST, SPEAKERS, & PERFORMERS
Bob Boilen
Host of NPR's Tiny Desk Series
Bob Boilen
Host of NPR's Tiny Desk Series
In 1979 I quit my job running a record warehouse and bought an Arp Odyssey synthesizer. In a few months I was performing at dc space in Washington, D.C. with Tiny Desk Unit. I joined Impossible Theater in 1982, writing music for a handful of original multimedia productions with some incredibly talented artists from Baltimore. Some of my favorite music was written then and can be found on the cassette I released called Music For Unitards. In 1988 I quit my TV production job and went to NPR looking for work. I showed up every day hoping I could make radio. In about a year I was somehow directing All Things Considered. At the end of the last century I started NPR's online music show All Songs Considered. After 18 years of directing, I am now hosting All Songs Considered full time for NPR. I started an intimate series of concerts at my desk called Tiny Desk Concerts featuring both emerging artists and well known musicians.
These days I make music under the name Danger Painters with former Tiny Desk Unit guitarist and musical soulmate Michael Barron. We've made 10 albums and 2 EP's together. I've been making music with electronics for about 40 years. Tiny Desk Unit reformed briefly in 2007. Michael, Susan Mumford and I wrote an album for the RPM Challenge (the make-an-album-in-a-month challenge) called Sputnik Fell on my Birthday in honor of the passing of our drummer Lorenzo "Pee Wee" Jones.
In 2016 I completed my first book, "Your Song Changed My Life." I asked 35 artists about a song that changed them forever and then wrote essays linking the artist with their inspirational song.
I've also become a concert photographer these days using Sony's mirrorless Alpha 6000 camera. I've enjoyed storytelling with images, some I'll post here but I'm most often posting on my Instagram account Tinydesk.”
Albert Berger
Film Producer
Albert Berger
Film Producer
Albert Berger formed Bona Fide Productions with Ron Yerxa in 1992. Their producing credits include King of the Hill, Election, Cold Mountain, Little Children, Little Miss Sunshine and Nebraska.
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival they premiered Juliet, Naked (Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, and Chris O’Dowd) and What They Had (Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner and Robert Forster) with both films voted “favorites" by the audience. They are currently completing The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson.
Berger’s executive producing credits include the award-winning documentary Crumb, the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart and the Levon Helm documentary Ain’t In It For My Health. Berger and Yerxa were also co-executive producers on the current HBO series “The Leftovers”.
After graduating from Tufts University, Albert Berger returned to his native Chicago where he owned and managed the Sandburg Theatre, a revival showcase for obscure and classic films. He attended Columbia University film school before moving to Los Angeles to write scripts for Paramount, TriStar, MGM, Orion, and producer Roger Corman. Berger went on to serve as Vice President of Development for Marvin Worth Productions where he worked on several projects, including Malcolm X.
Scott Goodstein
Geopolitical Social Media Strategist
Scott Goodstein
Geopolitical Social Media Strategist
Goodstein is best known for his work with unique political campaigns that blend art, music, and culture. Having co-founded Punkvoter.com, Rock Against Bush, Artists for Obama, Artists for Bernie, DailyAction, CreativeMajority, and LadyPartsJusice; he has truly built impactful programs that have changed the world in which we live.
In 2009, Goodstein founded Revolution Messaging, which would grow to become America's leading progressive digital agency. With Revolution Messaging, he created infrastructure and new technology for a different types of grassroots movements. His tech firm specialized in revolutionizing call, mobile, and online communications. Under his leadership the company was awarded Digital Agency of the Year by the American Association of Political Consultants and Best Global Presidential Campaign by the European Association of Political Consultants, both in 2016.
Prior to launching his own firm, Goodstein was External Online Director for Obama for America, creating the campaign’s 2008 groundbreaking social networking, mobile and lifestyle marketing strategies; this was widely seen as the biggest, most effective grassroots organizing campaign of modern history, and a watershed moment for the use of digital technology in politics.
His ability to take on uniquely challenging projects has seen him assist national efforts on international campaigns, including several in Brazil, Canada, France, Iraq, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Goodstein has also been a featured speaker at South By Southwest, PopTech, Brookings Institute, the Milken Institute, and Personal Democracy Forum. He has also given presentations at Columbia University, American University, George Washington University, and Georgetown University.