Brad Siegel, Joe Levy and Sandro Kereselidze on How Rolling Stone’s Amplified Brings Rock History to Life
“Rock and roll, 30-odd years later, is another African-American art form, also rooted in freedom. Again, it’s a call to rethink how we think and express ourselves… Throughout its history, rock and roll has always been that. That’s one of the stories I wanted to tell as the writer of this show. And in the script, we wanted to tell it through the music and the images. Seeing those images 40, 50 feet high, seeing them all around you, feeling them, being in the heart of that emotion — that’s what we wanted to do.”
I had the pleasure of talking to Brad Siegel, Joe Levy, and Sandro Kereselidze of Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, at ARTECHOUSE NYC.
Brad Siegel is a veteran American television executive and producer whose career has spanned more than four decades and multiple transformations in the entertainment industry. From the early days of cable television to the current era of immersive media experiences, Siegel has played a central role in shaping networks, guiding content strategy, and identifying audiences often underserved by mainstream programming.
Siegel was raised in Cedarhurst, Long Island, during the cultural and social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s. A formative moment came in 1973, when, as a high school student, he organized a concert featuring singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. The experience sparked a lasting interest in connecting audiences with artists and laid the groundwork for his eventual entry into media.
Siegel earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979, and shortly thereafter began his career in media. He started as the promotion director for Sportswise magazine and, in 1982, took on an executive role at National College Television (NCTV), a campus cable service aimed at reaching younger viewers. This early exposure to niche programming would become a throughline in his career.
In 1989, Siegel joined American Movie Classics (AMC) as vice president of programming and production. There, he helped shape the channel’s identity around classic films, thematic marathons, and original interstitial content. His work at AMC caught the attention of Turner Broadcasting, and in 1993, he was recruited by Ted Turner to join Turner Entertainment Networks. Over the next decade, Siegel played a key role in expanding and refining the Turner cable portfolio, serving in leadership roles across TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
One of his signature achievements was the launch of TCM in 1994, a commercial-free channel dedicated to preserving and presenting classic cinema. The network launched with Gone With the Wind and established itself as a destination for film preservation and cinephile audiences. At TNT, Siegel helped develop a robust slate of original made-for-TV movies, many of which earned Emmys and Golden Globes. Under his leadership, both TNT and TBS achieved record viewership rankings, while Cartoon Network began airing late-night programming that would evolve into Adult Swim, a breakout hit among younger adult viewers.
Following his departure from Turner in the early 2000s, Siegel turned his attention to faith-based and family programming. In 2004, he partnered with Charles Humbard to launch the Gospel Music Channel, which aimed to bring Christian and gospel music to a broader cable audience. Over time, the channel expanded into scripted series and films and was rebranded as UP TV in 2013 to reflect a broader mission of providing uplifting, family-oriented content. Under Siegel’s guidance, the network grew its distribution dramatically and became a fixture in family cable offerings.
His work with faith audiences intersected with another underserved market when he partnered with NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson to launch ASPIRE in 2012. The network focused on African American stories and achievements, debuting on Comcast systems as part of an initiative to improve minority representation in cable programming. Siegel helped establish ASPIRE’s identity and programming direction during its critical early phase.
In 2015, he was named president of TV One, a cable network targeting Black adult audiences. At TV One, Siegel rebranded the network with the slogan “Represent,” introduced a slate of original movies and docu-series, and oversaw a period of ratings growth in key demographics. His tenure included a focus on reflective, community-driven content that balanced entertainment with cultural context.
After leaving TV One, Siegel founded Brand New World Studios, a production company focused on developing content across linear, digital, and immersive platforms. Through this venture, he has executive-produced feature films and television projects and has worked with investors and creative teams to shape media strategy in a shifting landscape.
In 2024, Siegel turned his attention to immersive storytelling with Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, a traveling exhibition blending music history, digital design, and archival journalism. The project, a collaboration between Rolling Stone, Illuminarium Experiences, and ARTECHOUSE, uses 18K projection, surround sound, and a vast collection of photographs and magazine covers to chronicle the cultural legacy of rock music. The show debuted at AREA15 in Las Vegas before opening in New York City and Houston. Siegel served as executive producer and helped shape the narrative concept — what he described as a “soundtrack of our lives” exploration of how music intersects with politics, identity, and memory.
Throughout his career, Siegel has consistently focused on niche audiences — film buffs, faith-based viewers, African American communities, and music fans — building platforms that deliver both commercial success and cultural relevance. His work reflects a blend of entrepreneurial risk-taking and strategic programming, shaped by a belief in the enduring power of media to inform, entertain, and inspire.
Joe Levy’s trajectory through American music journalism spans more than three decades and multiple media platforms, from legacy print publications to immersive digital storytelling. A former editor at Rolling Stone, Blender, Maxim, and Billboard, Levy is widely regarded for his ability to interpret the evolving culture of music while helping to shape how it is documented, critiqued, and remembered.
Levy was born and raised on Long Island, where early exposure to his father’s voracious reading habits helped kindle an interest in storytelling. A formative influence came in the form of The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, a gift from his father that combined critical essays and striking photography. The book, Levy has said, opened his eyes to the possibility of writing about music in a way that was simultaneously historical, personal, and analytical. That realization laid the groundwork for a career that would blend criticism with editorial strategy and long-form cultural documentation.
After graduating from Yale University, Levy began his professional career at The Village Voice, where he served as music editor from 1989 to 1994. His tenure coincided with a period of ferment in downtown New York’s media and music scenes, and his work there helped establish his voice as both a writer and editor. At The Voice, he oversaw coverage of emerging genres and rising artists, often elevating underrepresented voices in hip-hop and alternative rock.
In 1994, Levy joined Rolling Stone, where he rose to executive editor. During a decade-long tenure, he edited features on artists ranging from Jay-Z and Radiohead to Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, working to modernize the magazine’s approach to cultural criticism without straying from its brand of personality-driven storytelling. He also edited several of the magazine’s definitive book projects, including Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2006) and The Rolling Stone Interviews (2007), the latter co-edited with founder Jann Wenner. These collections demonstrated his penchant for curatorial rigor and his belief in the power of canonical lists and oral history as editorial forms.
Levy’s next major role came as editor-in-chief of Blender, where he led the magazine to a National Magazine Award before it folded in 2009 amid a broader media downturn. He subsequently helmed Maxim, where he served both as editor-in-chief and chief content officer. While the brand had traditionally been known for lifestyle content aimed at young men, Levy worked to expand its coverage of music, technology, and broader cultural subjects — an effort to reposition the magazine amid shifting reader demographics and declining print sales.
In 2012, Levy was recruited by Guggenheim Media to reboot Billboard, a publication then facing questions about its relevance in the streaming era. As editor-in-chief, Levy introduced more rigorous chart analytics, integrated social media metrics, and expanded investigative coverage of the music industry. His tenure also marked a return to deeper reporting and feature writing, efforts that were aimed at re-establishing Billboard’s authority in the business side of music. After stepping down from day-to-day leadership in 2014, he stayed on as editor-at-large.
Throughout these institutional roles, Levy has maintained a parallel presence in broadcast and public media. He became a regular commentator on music culture for VH1’s Best Week Ever, NBC’s Today, and Access Hollywood, among others. His commentary has often emphasized both the social significance and the industry mechanics behind musical trends. In 2016, amid a period of management instability at The Village Voice, Levy returned briefly as interim editor-in-chief, a move that was widely viewed as a stabilizing gesture during a turbulent moment in the paper’s history.
In recent years, Levy has turned increasingly toward audio and multimedia storytelling. He is the host of two music-focused podcasts, Setting the Standard: Stories from the Great American Songbook, produced in partnership with Warner Chappell Music, and Auriculum. The former blends archival research with interviews to examine the legacy of American songwriting, offering historical context for the evolution of pop standards.
He also played a central role in the creation of Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, an immersive exhibit that debuted in 2025 at ARTECHOUSE NYC. As executive editor and music supervisor, Levy helped shape the project’s narrative arc, which spans multiple generations and genres of rock and roll through a mix of visual and audio storytelling. The show, he noted, sought to emphasize rock’s ongoing role as a disruptive, expressive, and liberating force — one that, like jazz before it, challenges established norms and invites continual reinvention.
Across his body of work, Levy’s editorial sensibility reflects a blend of journalistic discipline and creative interpretation. He is known for elevating underappreciated voices, mentoring younger writers, and adapting his approach to the demands of new platforms — whether that means legacy print, social media, or immersive installations. Industry peers often cite his influence not only in editorial decisions but in the professional development of a generation of critics, many of whom have gone on to lead culture desks across major publications.
Levy lives in New York City with his wife and family. He lectures at the Clive Davis Institute at New York University and regularly appears at industry events including SXSW, Grammy Week, and editorial summits. Even as the modes of music journalism evolve, his focus remains fixed on storytelling — finding new ways to interpret and communicate the emotional, social, and cultural significance of sound.
Sandro Kereselidze is a Georgian-American entrepreneur and curator whose work operates at the intersection of art, technology, and cultural storytelling. As the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of ARTECHOUSE, he has helped shape a new category of immersive media art in the United States, creating permanent venues where digital expression merges with public experience. His career spans experimental exhibition design, pop-up cultural events, and cross-disciplinary collaborations with organizations including NASA, the Society for Neuroscience, and Rolling Stone magazine.
Born in the Republic of Georgia in the mid-1970s, Kereselidze grew up in a family of artists, a formative influence that instilled in him an early appreciation for creative expression. After immigrating to the United States in the early 1990s, his family settled in Washington, D.C., where visits to the historic Uptown Theater with his father, a filmmaker, shaped his interest in cinematic storytelling. This background helped develop the foundation for his later work in immersive art and large-scale media environments.
Following academic studies that included time at San Francisco State University, Kereselidze turned to cultural programming and marketing. In 2009, he and his wife and long-time creative partner, Tatiana Pastukhova, launched Art Soiree. The venture, initially self-funded, staged pop-up art shows, concerts, and multidisciplinary festivals across Washington, D.C., with a focus on showcasing emerging talent. Over nearly a decade, the pair produced hundreds of events, building a community of artists and establishing a distinctive curatorial approach that emphasized experiential design and audience immersion.
By the mid-2010s, Kereselidze began to focus on the growing disconnect between rapid advancements in digital tools and the limitations of traditional gallery formats. In response, he and Pastukhova founded ARTECHOUSE, a platform devoted to technology-driven art experiences. The first venue opened in June 2017 in a 15,000-square-foot subterranean space near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The location featured floor-to-ceiling projection systems, spatialized sound, and real-time generative graphics, positioning itself as one of the first cultural spaces in the U.S. dedicated entirely to immersive digital art.
As Chief Creative Officer, Kereselidze leads the ARTECHOUSE studio, overseeing original productions and curating partnerships that fuse science, design, and storytelling. Subsequent venues were opened in Miami in 2018 and in New York City in 2019, where ARTECHOUSE transformed a century-old boiler room beneath Chelsea Market into a high-resolution projection space. Each location operates with its own creative direction, but all share a mission of making digital art more accessible to the public while pushing the boundaries of the format.
One of ARTECHOUSE’s most high-profile collaborations to date came in 2025, when the institution partnered with Rolling Stone magazine to present Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, an immersive audiovisual exhibition chronicling the cultural history of rock and roll. Debuting in New York, the installation featured more than 1,000 photographs, 200 video clips, and a soundtrack narrated by actor and musician Kevin Bacon. The project aimed to capture the emotional and cultural power of rock music while leveraging ARTECHOUSE’s technical infrastructure to create a sensory-rich environment. Kereselidze’s studio adapted the original concept, developed by Brand New World Studios and Illuminarium Experiences, specifically for the New York audience, resulting in an experience that was described by visitors as more intimate and immersive than its previous iterations.
Projects such as Amplified underscore Kereselidze’s broader creative philosophy. He regularly seeks out partnerships that merge complex subject matter with accessible storytelling. Previous ARTECHOUSE productions include Life of a Neuron, developed with the Society for Neuroscience to illustrate brain function through digital animation, and Beyond the Light, created in collaboration with NASA to visualize data from the Hubble and James Webb telescopes. These projects reflect a desire to connect abstract scientific content with emotionally resonant visuals.
In addition to original productions, Kereselidze has positioned ARTECHOUSE as a platform for global artists experimenting with data-driven aesthetics. The venue has featured work by Refik Anadol, Julius Horsthuis, and others working with artificial intelligence and fractal modeling. Kereselidze emphasizes collaboration and often participates directly in the creative development of exhibits, working alongside designers, engineers, and technologists.
His efforts have been recognized by media outlets including NPR, Forbes, and Architectural Digest, and he was named to BizBash’s list of Event Innovators for his work in redefining the live art experience. He is also a regular speaker at conferences focused on the intersection of creativity and technology, such as the Kennedy Center’s Creativity + Tech Summit and FutureSpaces.
In 2024, Kereselidze and Pastukhova secured a long-term lease on the Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C., with plans to restore the 1936 Art Deco cinema as a hybrid venue blending traditional film with interactive, media-driven art. Branded “Uptown Experiences,” the project seeks to preserve the architectural legacy of the theater while equipping it with the projection and sound systems necessary for twenty-first-century programming. The endeavor reflects Kereselidze’s ongoing interest in honoring the past while updating it for new forms of cultural engagement.
Throughout his work, Kereselidze has voiced concern about what he sees as the fragmentation of cultural identity in the digital age. He has spoken publicly about the challenges of preserving authenticity in an era shaped by marketing, algorithms, and what he calls a “copy-paste” culture. For him, the enduring value of rock music and other historical art movements lies in their ability to express individual voices and channel collective emotion.
Asked what kind of movement he would like to inspire, Kereselidze pointed to the need for spaces that promote self-expression, mutual respect, and artistic freedom. “To me, what’s most beautiful about being human is our ability to express ourselves, to respect others, and to accept one another,” he said. “That combination is what makes us powerful.”
As ARTECHOUSE continues to expand and its productions tour to new cities, Kereselidze remains focused on reimagining the role of art institutions in a digital-first era. His goal, as he often describes it, is not just to showcase innovation but to create environments that leave lasting emotional impact. Through immersive storytelling and technology, he aims to help audiences not only see art but step inside it.
Yitzi: Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn about each of your origin stories, briefly. I’ll start with Brad, Brad, could you share with us the story of your childhood, how you grew up, and the early seeds of this project?
Brad Siegel: I grew up in Long Island, New York, in Cedarhurst, around the 60s. So I’m a child of the 60s and 70s.
The early seeds of what I’m doing now started when I was introduced to a guy by the name of Harry Chapin in 1973. I got to promote my first concert that year at my high school with Harry Chapin, who was a pretty big star at the time. That gave me the spark I needed to become attracted to entertainment — introducing people to new sounds and artists they might not have been familiar with. That’s really how I got into this business.
Yitzi: Joe, want to share your origin story with us? We’d love to hear about the first seeds of your journey into journalism.
Joe Levy: Sure. You want to know how I came to be doing this and that sort of thing?
There are probably a lot of different entry points to that story, but one I always focus on is when I was a kid. My dad was a voracious reader and joined the Book of the Month Club. God knows one book a month wasn’t enough for him. But he bought me a copy of The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll. He knew I was a music fan, and that book really helped chart my course as a music writer.
It’s also an absolutely astounding book visually. Originally published as a huge oversized edition, I got it as a trade paperback. The photos are the illustrations, and they’re amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them are actually in our show. But the essays in that book — written by many of the great critics, some of whom I’d later work with — were truly inspirational. They showed how you could talk about music from a personal, historical, and critical perspective, sometimes all at once. That’s what made me want to do what I do. Eventually, I came to work at Rolling Stone, and if you fast-forward 15 or 20 years from there, you get to this show, which is another illustrated history of rock and roll.
Yitzi: Sandro, it’s so nice to meet you. Before we dive into the ARTECHOUSE experience, we’d love to hear about your origin story. Can you share with us some early seeds from your childhood that connect to what you’re doing at ARTECHOUSE?
Sandro Kereselidze: Absolutely. I’m probably the sixth or seventh generation of artists in my family. Throughout my life, I’ve always joked that I wish we had some doctors or lawyers in the family. But everyone — my dad, my grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, my brother — everyone who’s blood-related to me is involved in the arts. I grew up in a family of movie directors. My dad was actually one of the first jazz vinyl collectors in the Soviet Union. Back then, if you had jazz records at home, you could basically be locked up for life. During the communist era, that kind of cultural expression was dangerous. But he took that risk and brought American culture into our lives as a source of inspiration. That played a big role in how I ended up here.
Living in the 21st century, I started questioning where the arts were heading and what tools artists were using. About 15 years ago, I discovered some incredible artists who were using technology to tell stories. That really inspired me to create a space for today’s art — a place where a 21st-century audience can experience something relevant and cutting-edge. As we all know, technology plays a massive role in today’s world, and it’s increasingly becoming central in the art world too.
ARTECHOUSE was created with that vision in mind — to be a home for art created through technology. The “Emphasize” show is a perfect example of storytelling and experience that connects with people of all ages. I just came from our opening in Houston and got incredible feedback from both kids and parents. What’s really exciting about this show is how immersive it is and how it celebrates American culture. As someone who came from abroad and grew up inspired by that culture, it’s amazing to see it brought to life in such a powerful way.
The show highlights what America has created over the past six decades and more. Sometimes we take that for granted, but we’ve given artists a platform to express themselves freely. That freedom of expression is one of the most powerful tools America has, and it’s still so relevant in today’s world. This experience offers a meaningful retrospective and also gives a glimpse into where we’re heading.
Sorry if I went on a bit long — it’s just a really exciting project. We’re thrilled to bring it to New York. It’s such an iconic city for storytelling, and we hope it becomes an amazing, educational, and inspiring experience for many people — both New Yorkers and visitors alike.
Yitzi: Joe, you probably have some amazing stories from the creation of this project. Can you share one or two that really stand out in your mind from the development and curation process?
Joe Levy: From the very earliest stages to the end, this project was more than a two-year process, with about a year of continual, dedicated work. One reason it took so long was figuring out how to tell the story in a new medium. Another was the sheer volume of material — the photo and video team combed through thousands and thousands of images to find the right ones. At first, those images were meant to help tell the story, but eventually, they started telling a story on their own.
During the design process, Pentagram began organizing images in different ways — sometimes by color, sometimes around themes like fire. There were a surprising number of photos involving pyrotechnics and live performances with fire. As these subcategories came together, other themes began to emerge.
We always knew we wanted to tell a story about rock and roll. We wanted it to span genres and generations. There were certain chapters we had in mind — fans, hair — but when we started developing a chapter about the staging of a concert itself, it opened up so many possibilities. One of the most beautiful and unexpected parts of the show is the backstage section, where you’re face to face with artists as they come face to face with themselves — sometimes in a dressing room mirror, trying to unwind or hype themselves up before a performance. I didn’t anticipate that at all in the beginning, and now it’s one of my favorite parts of the entire show.
The fan section is also full of beauty and life, mostly because it’s so full of devotion. There’s an incredible moment where it shifts from the fans to live performance, and you see musicians stage diving, being held aloft by the crowd. It’s a perfect visual representation of that devotion. I always knew there were certain photos I’d loved for years that would fit that moment — like Iggy Pop being held up at the 1969 Cincinnati Pop Festival. That image is iconic. But discovering that there was a similar moment with Madonna was a complete surprise, and it’s amazing. It’s become one of my favorite moments in the show.
Yitzi: Incredible story. Sandro, this show is ultimately a celebration of rock and roll. What do you think the message of rock and roll was when it was created, and what is it today?
Sandro Kereselidze: That’s a serious question. I think, like any art form, it comes down to storytelling and self-expression. For me, what’s important — and maybe this is a longer conversation — is the idea of identity over time. If you look at the last 100 years, starting from the 1920s, each decade had its own clear identity. From the clothes to the music, to the furniture and overall style, every era stood out. You can track that through the 30s, 40s, and 50s — my favorite, by the way — through the 60s and 70s. And all those decades were reflected in the arts. They gave a time and place a clear identity, a unique sound, a look, and a feel. The music evolved through all those stages and helped shape that cultural expression.
Then we had the 80s, the 90s, and the early 2000s. But now, I feel like the identity is more mixed. I don’t want to sound old-school, but when we look back 50 or 100 years from now, what will we say the 2020s were? What is our defining sound or style? A lot of what we see now feels like inspiration from the past, remixed for today. It’s harder to identify a singular voice or cultural stamp. I mean, who’s the Jimi Hendrix of today? Who’s the Prince? Who’s the Queen? There are amazing artists out there, no question, but things feel more fragmented.
And that’s partly because of technology — the internet, the constant flood of information. Inspiration is everywhere, but so is distraction. Back then, Rolling Stone magazine was a source of inspiration. Someone would read an article or see a photo and say, “I want to do that, but in my own way. I want to be better, or different.” That’s how movements grew. Elvis inspired people, but no one wanted to be exactly like him — they wanted to bring something new.
Now we live in more of a copy-paste culture. I hate to say it, but there’s also a kind of greed mentality around success. A lot of what stands out today is driven more by PR or marketing than raw talent. But when you look at the artists in this experience, you see true stars. People who stood out through the power of self-expression. That’s what made them shine.
We’re living in an overwhelming galaxy of information. It’s harder to recognize what’s truly authentic or groundbreaking. Sometimes it feels like the only reason something rises to the top is because someone is pushing an agenda behind it.
So, maybe I’m drifting a little from your original question, but to me, all of that is part of what defines an era’s art. Rock and roll, in its time, represented a massive explosion of energy, sound, and new tools — like electric guitars — that allowed artists to channel something raw and powerful. That energy inspired people and created a direct connection between the artist and the audience. That’s what art should do, in any form.
And now, with technology and AI evolving so fast, it raises new questions. Where is real human expression going? Are we pushing it online, into platforms that end up flattening everything? Will we need to go back underground to discover truly amazing talents? Maybe it’s all part of a cycle.
That’s why I created ARTECHOUSE. This show fits perfectly with our mission — not just to show something flashy, but to create an experience that hits you in the soul. We try to do that with every exhibit. And for someone who loves music and this culture, it’s especially exciting.
Yitzi: Joe, as somebody who’s been a music journalist for such a long time, how do you define the message of rock and roll, and why is it relevant today, particularly in this moment?
Joe Levy: Sure. I’m going to build off what Sandro was saying and take a 100-year perspective. If we go back 100 years in popular music, we’re in the era of explosive artistic expression in jazz. Louis Armstrong is making some of his great recordings with his Hot Five, then with the Hot Seven, then with Earl Hines. Jazz is this wildfire in popular music. It’s an African-American art form that spreads around the world as a conquering force, but it’s also a disruptive force. It’s a force of freedom and a call to rethink the way we organize and play music.
Rock and roll, 30-odd years later, is another African-American art form, also rooted in freedom. Again, it’s a call to rethink how we think and express ourselves. Both jazz and rock and roll in the 1950s were seen as massive disruptive forces, and they were condemned. People said, “This will destroy our youth.” You can find older generations looking disapprovingly at this rhythmic, unusual, disruptive, very sexual music and actually saying it’s the downfall of civilization.
And here we are, 100 years after jazz first erupted. Civilization has not fallen. Rock and roll still exists in many different formats, and again, it calls us to think differently, to express ourselves differently. It’s a force of freedom and disruption. Throughout its history, rock and roll has always been that. That’s one of the stories I wanted to tell as the writer of this show. And in the script, we wanted to tell it through the music and the images. Seeing those images 40, 50 feet high, seeing them all around you, feeling them, being in the heart of that emotion — that’s what we wanted to do.
Yitzi: Sandro, this is our signature question. You must have learned a lot from your experience helping to create this show. Can you share five things you’ve learned that you wish you knew when you first started this particular project?
Sandro Kereselidze: Just to clarify, the project was brought to us already kind of developed, so our studio had to readapt it to our spaces. One thing we definitely learned was how many people were involved in this project and how important it was to adapt it properly. That was a big learning moment.
Overall, since we opened our locations — almost a decade ago — this is probably the first show we’ve brought in from outside our studio’s own work. I really love that we opened the door to new experiences and other shows like this. For instance, we adapted it from the Vegas version, but in New York, it’s very different. It’s a lot more immersive, a lot more intimate. Everyone says that. Making those changes so it fits our spaces and audience — many of whom have already experienced multiple shows with us — was a wonderful collaborative process.
It really opened up opportunities. Sometimes we live in our own world at ARTECHOUSE, constantly creating our own shows. We’ve got around 12 shows in production right now. So getting the chance to collaborate with people outside our ecosystem was definitely a learning experience and a great one at that.
Yitzi: Amazing. How about you, Joe? Can you share five things that you’ve learned now that you wish you knew when you first started?
Joe Levy: Yeah, I think I can. Although to be honest, all five might end up being versions of the same thing.
- First, two things can be right at the same time. Two ways of looking at something, or two ways of expressing something. And more than two, really.
- Second, listen to the people around you. That’s definitely connected to the first point. In the creative process, this was new for everyone. No one had the one right answer, so it became really important to hear how different people approached the same thing — sometimes even the same photograph — from totally different angles.
- Third, storytelling changes depending on the medium. Whether it’s immersive experience, TikTok, or anything else, each has its own language. I knew that going in, but this was a whole new medium for me, and learning its language from scratch was eye-opening.
- Fourth, the HoloPoint speaker system at the Illuminarium in Las Vegas and Atlanta is as good as they say it is. You can actually feel it when you’re listening. It’s incredible.
- And fifth, tied to what I was saying earlier about the freedom at the heart of rock and roll — that sense of freedom keeps up with, and is even amplified by, changes in technology. I think I already understood that, but to be immersed in it, right in the beating heart of it through this experience, was tremendously exciting.
Yitzi: This is our final aspirational question. Sandro and Joe, because of each of your respective platforms, you’re people of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be? We’ll start with Sandro.
Sandro Kereselidze: Wow. I know it probably sounds cliché — love, of course — but it really does start with love. And it starts with respecting each other. For me, the reason I created ARTECHOUSE was because I wanted to create a home where artists could be discovered. Similar to those underground jazz clubs where legendary musicians first emerged. Unfortunately, a lot of music from that era was never recorded, never preserved.
Living in the 21st century, I wanted to create a space for talented people using the latest technology — a place where today’s artists could come and express themselves. I feel very fortunate to have made that a reality. A space where artists can fully be who they are.
To me, what’s most beautiful about being human is our ability to express ourselves, to respect others, and to accept one another. That combination — expression, respect, and acceptance — is what makes us powerful. That would be the movement I’d want to inspire. And all of that comes back to love and appreciation for one another.
Nature accepts everyone. The sun doesn’t decide not to shine on someone because of who they are. I believe in God, and to me, that divine energy is love, hope, opportunity, and the chance for every human being to be whoever they want to be. That’s already a beautiful thing.
Yitzi: I love it. Beautiful answer. How about you, Joe?
Joe Levy: I’m going to be super quick about this.
In the words of George Clinton from 25 years ago: free your mind, and your ass will follow.
Yitzi: Nice. Thanks so much for these amazing ideas. Wishing you both continued success and good health.
Joe Levy: All right. Back at you. Zei gezunt.
Sandro Kereselidze: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Yitzi: Thank you, my friends.
Brad Siegel, Joe Levy and Sandro Kereselidze on How Rolling Stone’s Amplified Brings Rock History… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.