INTERVIEW - Carla Stickler (NYU - BFA & MA, Flatiron School; Broadway actress and Web/Software Engineer)

The Creative College Journey with Scott Barnhardt

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On this episode, Scott has the chance to interview Carla Stickler who has "defied gravity" and expectations throughout her varied careers as a vocalist, Broadway performer and web/software engineer. And she discusses the many educational paths she took to land some of her dream gigs, including Wicked on Broadway and her current work as a web engineer at Spotify.
Carla Stickler is perhaps best known for her news-making return to the role of Elphaba in Wicked in 2022, after a 7-year hiatus away from the show. That return single-handedly, helped keep Wicked open in a Covid-weary industry.
Her story and advocacy ideas about Artists in STEM have been featured in Marie Claire, NPR, Huffington Post, Vulture, Inside Editon, Nightline - among others.
As an actor, Carla toured the nation with Mamma Mia (covering Sophie) and toured Asia playing Liesel in the The Sound of Music. She has also performed her own cabaret as a guest entertainer onboard Norwegian and Disney Cruise Lines.
Carla has a BFA in acting from NYU-Tisch and masters degree in theater education from NYU-Steinhardt, and she was a voice teacher in New York City on the faculties of Marymount Manhattan College and Molloy College/CAP21.
And she also attended The Flatiron School in New York City, a software engineering bootcamp, that helped her as she career transitioned from the entertainment industry to the tech sector.
Carla mentors high school students through their college application journey through iMentor in Chicago as well as artists looking to make a career change into tech through Artists Who Code. Carla is passionate about reframing the narrative of the “starving artist” and encourages young artists to take agency over their careers by developing skills that can provide them with financial stability alongside their artistic journey.
To find out more about Carla Stickler:
Website: www.carlastickler.com
TikTok: @sticklercarla
Linked-In: www.linkedin.com/in/carlastickler/
Podcast References:
The Portfolio Life by Christina Wallace

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Introduction voice-over: Sara Cravens
Or find our host Scott Barnhardt on Instagram.

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1. Podcast Introduction (00:00:00)

2. How are you doing... actually? (00:03:00)

3. How do you identify creatively? (00:04:22)

4. High School Carla's college thoughts (00:06:50)

5. Transferring Colleges - CCM to NYU (00:10:50)

6. Support Systems (00:15:20)

7. Education and Confidence (00:19:30)

8. Agent of Chaos (00:28:25)

9. Finance (00:30:28)

10. Learning on the Job (00:37:34)

11. STEM and Artists in today's world (00:44:43)

12. What's the one thing you wish you had understood about the college application process before you started? (00:53:10)

13. Sign-Off (00:56:59)