OURSELVES is the world’s first open-source podcast that dives deep into the worlds of creativity, culture, & personal growth. Hosted by film & music video director Arrad, each episode brings you unfiltered conversations with visionary artists, trailblazing entrepreneurs, and thought leaders shaping the future. From behind-the-scenes stories of groundbreaking projects to candid discussions about mental health, reinvention, and navigating the creative industry, OURSELVES is your space to feel inspired, challenged, and connected.
Made by ourselves, for ourselves.
The Secret Weapon Behind the Choreo of Cardi B, BLACKPINK's LISA, and Lil Nas X.
Sean Bankhead got cut from Usher's tour at 19. Almost 15 years later, he came out of retirement and danced next to Usher at the Super Bowl.
Sean is the choreographer behind Cardi B, Normani, Tate McRae, Lil Nas X, Missy Elliott, Victoria Monét and Lisa. He started out as a shy kid from Atlanta who couldn't book a dance job, so he made his own videos, put them on YouTube, and the world knew his name before the industry did.
In this conversation I break down with Sean how his "Run The World" dance video dropped before Beyoncé's own video and got his whole channel taken down, how he ended up performing "Single Ladies" with Beyoncé, why Normani was the first star he saw coming, and how he gave Tate McRae real pop dance. We also get into the parts nobody posts about. Why choreographers and directors sell the music but never see the royalties, the one thing he looks for when he hires dancers, why technique doesn't beat taste, the BET moment with Lil Nas X nobody planned, and what his therapist told him about needing to be needed.
If you're a dancer, choreographer or creative trying to get paid what you're worth, this one is for you.
0:00 Cold Open
1:37 The Kid Who Couldn't Book A Job
2:12 Living Out Of A Suitcase Since 19
3:19 His First YouTube Channel
4:39 The World Knew Him Before The Industry Did
9:52 Beyoncé's "Run The World" Call
14:51 The Dance Video People Thought Was Real
15:48 Copyright Strikes Killed His Channel
17:37 Frozen In The Room With Beyoncé
20:15 How To Build Aura
22:55 Fatima Robinson Took Him Under Her Wing
23:42 Prince Showed Up To His Birthday Party
26:11 Atlanta Became Black Hollywood
27:30 Normani Was The First Star He Saw Coming
31:04 Giving Tate McRae Real Pop Dance
32:31 From Choreographer To Creative Partner
33:37 Underpaid For The Vision
34:44 1.5 Billion Views, Not A Penny
35:48 "We Sell The Music"
40:18 Creatives Are 100% A Business
41:52 How Dancers Actually Make Money
42:56 Taylor Swift's Dancer Bonuses
44:39 Why He Books The Same Dancers Every Time
45:04 The #1 Thing He Looks For In A Dancer
47:03 Technique Doesn't Beat Taste
48:57 How He Really Started With Beyoncé
49:33 His First Big Break, "Promise Ring"
50:53 Performing "Single Ladies" With Beyoncé
53:42 Stomp The Yard 2 And Hannah Montana
54:06 Cut From Usher's Tour At 19
57:04 Out Of Retirement For The Super Bowl
59:34 Next To Usher On The Biggest Stage
1:01:18 Why Cardi B Outperforms Everyone
1:05:45 Chris Brown's Edit Room Lesson
1:06:34 The Secret To Viral Choreography
1:08:16 Lisa And The K-Pop Process
1:11:13 K-Pop Stans And Twitter
1:12:07 How Lil Nas X Found Him
1:14:34 The BET Kiss Nobody Planned
1:15:57 Everything Checked Off Except Janet
1:17:48 You Can't Delegate Taste
1:18:23 Therapy And The Need To Be Needed
1:22:10 Will Stepping Back End His Career?
1:23:08 Why He Hasn't Done His Own TV Show
1:24:03 Jumping To The Next Ladder
1:25:17 Filling Your Cup Back Up
1:26:15 Rapid Fire: Doja Cat Is Underrated
1:27:45 The Artist Who Learns Fastest
1:28:45 How They Shot Normani's "Wild Side" Slide
1:29:50 TikTok Dancers And The Frosted Flakes Check
1:31:59 Card Pull: What He's Always Wanted To Try
1:33:44 Where To Find Sean
Follow Sean here
Follow Arrad (podcast host) here
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30 Sept 2026
Hollywood Is DYING And It’s Not For The Reason You Think
The collapse is worse than you think. Over 50,000 California production jobs disappeared in two years, soundstage occupancy fell from 95% to 62%, and not a single Best Picture nominee at this year's Oscars was shot on a Hollywood lot.
I've been directing for 14 years. In 2012, 99% of my shoots were in LA. Starting in 2019, my work moved to Atlanta, Miami, Jamaica and Paris. The industry didn't die. It left.
In this episode I break down why American culture is losing its grip on the world and how Hollywood is dying. From your favorite NBA player being French to your favorite pop star being Korean to your favorite movie being shot overseas. I get into the FilmLA and Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, why Netflix being a tech company changes everything, how inflation priced LA out of its own industry, and why a $20 million American production can be shot overseas for $4 million. Then I make the case that this isn't a collapse. It's a reset, and it's the biggest opening outsiders have ever had.
If you're a filmmaker, artist or creative still waiting for Hollywood to call, this one is for you.
0:00 Cold Open
0:56 America Is Never Going Back
1:41 No More Michael Jacksons
2:08 Your Favorite Stars Aren't American Anymore
4:04 When 99% Of My Shoots Were In LA
5:20 How LA Priced Itself Out
6:32 Why My Jobs Left LA In 2019
7:14 The 2023 Strikes Changed Everything
7:41 Soundstages Fell From 95% To 62%
9:23 50,000 Jobs Gone In Two Years
10:29 The Oscars Say Hollywood Is In A Death Spiral
11:54 Shoot Days Cut Almost In Half
12:47 Netflix Is A Tech Company
13:44 Capitalism Swallowing Itself Whole
14:48 Shooting For A Fifth Of The Price Overseas
15:22 Inflation Is Through The Roof
16:52 If You Live Overseas, This Is Your Time
18:08 Three Hard Decisions For American Creatives
18:33 The Gatekept Industry Is Dying
20:20 America Isn't The Center Anymore
20:59 Curry Barker, Kane Parsons And YouTube
21:40 The End Of One Country Controlling Culture
22:02 Think Globally As A Filmmaker
22:26 Bad Bunny, Blackpink And Burna Boy
23:26 The Immigrant Hunger America Lost
23:52 Do We Blame AI? No. We Adapt.
24:49 America Still Has The Infrastructure
25:32 Build Something Undeniable
26:10 This Era Belongs To The Outsiders
27:03 It's Not A Collapse. It's A Reset.
Follow Arrad (podcast host) here
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21 Aug 2026
Drake Was P-Lo's Dream Artist. He made it happen.
P-Lo produced the Drake record that put Mac Dre back in front of the world, and the Bay had a lot to say about it.
P-Lo is a producer, rapper and Bay Area architect who helped build the sound that came out of Pinole, Richmond and Vallejo. In this episode he breaks down how "Too Hard For The Radio" actually came together, why honoring Mac Dre mattered more to him than the placement itself, and why he thinks people misread the whole thing as a shot at the West Coast. He also gets into the two records that built Empire, why being independent is more fruitful now than it has ever been, and the day he told his job he was gone with $400 to his name and half of it already spent on a flight to LA.
He talks about what G-Eazy taught him, why the Warriors started a record label, what AI is really taking from artists, and the sacrifice nobody warns you about. Then he makes the case that his best work is still ahead of him, because Quincy Jones made Thriller at 50.
0:00 Cold Open
1:37 The Drake Record Nobody Knew He Produced
2:09 Drake Was The Dream He Spoke Into Existence
2:30 Drake Wanted To Honor Mac Dre
3:06 Was It A Shot At The West Coast
4:04 The Bay Had Mixed Feelings About It
4:40 Mac Dre, Forefather Of Bay Area Rap
6:23 Growing Up In Pinole
7:25 The Records That Raised Him
8:44 Cataracts, The Pack And The Team
10:01 When Your Song Becomes Their Love Story
11:33 Producers Are Already Using Suno
14:54 The Real Problem With AI Is Your IP
16:40 Notebooks Full Of Raps Over Kanye Beats
17:45 Meeting iamSU And Building HBK
19:00 Empire Was Built Off Two Records
20:21 Why Artists Still Sign To Majors
21:52 Why Give Away That Percentage
24:33 Honor The Music And It Honors You
25:25 Being A Good Person Is The Strategy
29:11 Build Horizontally, Not Just Up
31:03 If He Lost Everything Tomorrow
32:38 Passing Out CDs At Rasputin And Hilltop Mall
37:08 The Sibling Rivalry That Built His Confidence
39:03 His Parents Didn't Want Him Making Music
39:54 What His Immigrant Parents Risked
42:19 Why Filipinos Can Sing And Dance
44:56 The CMC Channel After School
46:20 Chad Hugo Made It Feel Possible
48:08 The Crossroad: Wiz, Berner And Juicy J
49:26 He Told His Job "I'm Gone"
49:55 Down To His Last $400
51:27 What G-Eazy Taught Him
53:57 The Warriors Own A Record Label
58:55 Music As A Vehicle Into Everything Else
1:00:49 Quincy Made Thriller At 50
1:03:38 The Sacrifice Nobody Talks About
1:05:58 You Need That Delusion
1:07:27 The New Album, Out The Box
1:09:39 Card Pull: Proudest Moment
1:11:07 Where To Find P-Lo
Follow P-Lo here
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
30 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
53
Social presence
97
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Ourselves Podcast
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