Philly Who?
Telling the stories of the doers, thinkers, and performers of Philadelphia. From up-and-coming game-changers to well-known legends, you'll dive into their past, present, future, and how it all contributes to The City of Brotherly Love. Hosted by Kevin Chemidlin.
Episodes
November 16, 2021 • 47 mins
When Gabriel Escobar was a young boy, he immigrated from Colombia to America without knowing a word of English.
What follows is the story of how Gabriel went from working as a local paperboy to becoming one of Philadelphia's most seasoned journalists, He has been involved in the coverage of some of the most challenging news stories of the 21st century, including the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Washington D.C. snipers, and...
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November 2, 2021 • 40 mins
Chris Hytha is a digital artist and photographer whose work focuses on architecture and the built environment.
Before that, he was an aspiring architect at Drexel University. While he was a student, Chris began urban exploring, which led him to discover his passion for photography.
What follows is the story of how Chris's photos have sold for thousands of dollars online after he became one of the first local artists to get in on th...
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October 19, 2021 • 42 mins
Eli Kulp is an award-winning Philly chef and podcaster who has overseen local restaurants such as Fork, and a.kitchen.
One night, while he was, was at the top of his game, Eli was in an Amtrak derailment that led them that left him unable to walk, unable to use his hands, and unable to cook.
What follows is the story of how, despite his severe injury, Eli fought to recover and was able to revitalize his career as a chef and hospit...
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October 5, 2021 • 44 mins
Due Quach is the founder and CEO of Calm Clarity, a social impact organization that helps people overcome adversity through nurturing a mindset of growth, leadership, and resilience. She's also the founder of Collective Success Network, a nonprofit that provides support to low-income first-generation students.
When Due was a toddler, her parents moved her family from a Vietnamese refugee camp to an impoverished Philadelphia neighb...
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September 21, 2021 • 42 mins
Terrill Haigler is the Founder and face of Ya Fav Trashman, which is an online brand and Instagram account with over 30,000 followers. However, Terrill's story begins when he was working as a Philadelphia sanitation worker at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He originally created the Instagram account in 2020 when trash was piling up in the city due to the Coronavirus, and people were taking it out on him and his colleagues. Ter...
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September 7, 2021 • 44 mins
Jeannine A. Cook is the Founder and Shopkeeper at Harriett's Bookshop, named after Harriett Tubman.
In February 2020, Harriett's was born to celebrate women authors, artists, and activists. The space was immediately beloved, but when the Coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, everything Jeannine had worked for was in jeopardy.
What follows is the story of how her incredible grit and intuition helped Harriett's survive and thrive d...
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August 17, 2021 • 28 mins
Madeline Bell is the President & CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Children’s Hospital-- more commonly known as CHOP-- receives more than 1 million visits every year. And Madeline is the one making many of the big decisions: like whether to try and complete the world’s first double hand transplant.
But when she first walked into CHOP as an employee, Madeline was a pediatric nurse, fresh out of college, who had jus...
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August 10, 2021 • 42 mins
Chill Moody (@chillmoody) is a HipHop artist, entrepreneur, and activist. Born and raised in West Philadelphia, he started by making beats in his parents' basements and quickly rose to the top of the Philly hip hop scene. He was named 'Best Rapper' by PhillyMag and is the official Philadelphia Music Ambassador as named by City Council.
He also founded lifestyle brand "nicethings," which includes a consulting firm, clothing line, re...
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August 3, 2021 • 45 mins
Rakia Reynolds is the Founder & CEO of Skai Blue Media, a public relations agency that's worked with clients such as Serena Williams, Ashley Graham, and M. Night Shyamalan.
In the mid 2000s Rakia was a TV producer whose life was turned upside down when she was unexpectedly laid off. With a child on the way and the economy in recession, she decided to bet on herself and start her own firm.
Today, she's one of the most sought after c...
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July 27, 2021 • 103 mins
Tony Luke, Jr. is a cofounder of Tony Luke's, a cheesesteak franchise with multiple locations. He's also an actor, TV personality, musician, and an anti-addiction-stigma activist.
In the early 90s, Tony, his brother, and his father built and opened a small sandwich shop in South Philly. Back then, Pat’s, Geno’s, and Jim’s were the only names synonymous with Philly Cheesesteaks. But pretty soon, everyone was talking about Tony Luke’...
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July 20, 2021 • 52 mins
Over two decades ago, one wardrobe stylist had an ambitious dream to see her beloved hometown become the movie metropolis she always knew it could be.
Now, after more than $5 billion of economic impact to the southeastern Pennsylvania region, Greater Philadelphia Film Office Executive Director Sharon Pinkenson has successfully elevated the GPFO from the little-known permit office it once was to one of the most well-respected film c...
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July 13, 2021 • 41 mins
At the time of this episode's release, Jesse Ito was the Co-owner and chef of Royal Izakaya and Royal Sushi, a 2-in-one restaurant combo in Queen Village. Jesse’s claim to fame is his exclusive 10-seat omakase sushi bar, which is one of the very few restaurant experiences in Philly to get a 4-bell rating from the Inquirer. In 2017, Jesse was honored by Eater as a Young Guns Award Winner and made Zagat's 30 Under 30 list.
In this ep...
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July 6, 2021 • 37 mins
Michelle Angela Ortiz is a visual artist, skilled muralist, and community arts educator who uses her art as a vehicle to represent people and communities whose histories are often lost or co-opted. Through painting, printmaking, and community arts practices, she creates a safe space for dialogue around some of the most profound issues communities and individuals may face. Her work tells stories using richly crafted and emotive imag...
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June 29, 2021 • 44 mins
Michael Nutter served as the 98th Mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 through 2015. Before that, he had been a Member of City Council since 1992.
When Nutter decided to run for mayor, the odds were stacked against his campaign. That didn’t deter him. In 2007, he ended up winning the election in a landslide, with a plan to boost Philadelphia’s graduation rate, lower its homicide count, and make the city greener. Minutes after he was swo...
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June 22, 2021 • 47 mins
Judy Wicks is the founder of the White Dog Cafe, a restaurant in University City that she started in the first floor of her house in 1983. What started as a muffin shop quickly grew into a renowned 200-seat restaurant that was among the first to feature farm-to-table local food.
In this episode, which was originally published in 2018, Judy will share how, before starting White Dog, she and her then-husband opened Free People, a ge...
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June 15, 2021 • 93 mins
Todd Carmichael (IG: @todd_carmichael) is the co-founder and CEO of La Colombe Coffee Roasters. He and his cofounder JP Iberti started the first La Colombe Cafe in Rittenhouse in 1994, and as of when this episode was recorded, it had 30 locations nationwide. Todd also invented the Canned Draft Latte, which took only 1 year to be found in 60% of all stores in the US.
Todd holds the world record for the fastest solo trek from the Ant...
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June 8, 2021 • 49 mins
Alex Scott was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was just a few months old. She would undergo various cancer treatments her whole life.
When she was four years old, she thought it was time for her to give back. She decided to raise money to fund cancer treatments for other kids, and she wanted to do so by holding a lemonade stand. This idea started a national movement that would thrust her into national fame, including appearan...
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June 1, 2021 • 55 mins
William Tyrone Toms is the Founder and Head of Strategy at REC Philly, a creative agency and incubator for local artists and creative entrepreneurs.
In 2019, after this episode was recorded, REC Philly opened up a new, state-of-the-art facility that features podcast and music studios, a coworking space, a visual lab, and more.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Will and his cofounder, Dave Silver, would make a name for themselves t...
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May 27, 2021 • 35 mins
Bon Ku, M.D. (@BonKu) is the Assistant Dean for Health and Design and an Associate Professor at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He is the founder and director of JeffDESIGN, a first-of-its-kind program in a medical school that teaches future physicians to apply human-centered design to healthcare challenges.
Since we recorded this episode back in 2018, Bon has started his own podcast, Design Lab, c...
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In January 2018, Rebecca Rynhart was sworn in as the first woman City Controller in Philadelphia history. Before that, she served as Mayor Kenney’s Chief Administration Officer, and during the Nutter administration, she served as Treasurer and then Budget Director. This year, she is seeking re-election to continue her work.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Rebecca initially worked in Finance on Wall Street. After years of seeing go...
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