Emmy nominated and executive producer of movies and television shows like "A Match Made In Heaven," "Call Me Zaddy," "False Advertisement," and "Sorry About That," Lena Jenkins-Smith doesn't give a lot of interviews. She is more comfortable being behind the camera, managing a team of creatives, to produce non-traditional content - films different from typical Hollywood stories. She has been in the game for more than 20 years, having got her big break working for renowned comedian Katt Williams, whom she still does some production work. She would say it started from being at the bottom, but now, she leads her own production company Goldstrand Media with business partner Jonathan Williams.

Coming from behind the camera, Lena sits down for a conversation on this episode of The Offshoot Podcast. From her beginnings as an extra in the classic John Singleton film "Poetic Justice," to her leadership role as a entrepreneur, motherhood, and producer, Lena has taking many pivots in her career but has stayed on the path - through the ups and downs. She is still learning and growing, and with that she is bringing young people along with her. In her conversation with The Offshoot, Lena speaks truthfully about the disappointments, the euphoria, the challenges, and her faith.

Dating isn't what it used to be - at least not prior to the advent of social media and reality TV dating shows. It seems that in today's world of dating, there is an over emphasis on romance, which is not always a bad thing, when it is genuine, but it is certainly not a good thing when it is expected to be what is seen in the fictional world of motion pictures. On this episode of The Offshoot, the discussion is about the fantasies surrounding dating in a time of heavy social media use and false realities.

Baltimore, that once thriving industrial city caught between the nation's capitol of Washington, D.C. and the city of brotherly love Philadelphia, is again making noise with music. A new form a house music and club music, that is unique to Baltimore, is drawing dancers and club goers to the city, and the musicians behind it all are now taking their creations to wider audiences globally. DJ and producer S.DOT is among the artists bringing attention to Baltimore's new and growing music scene, and he is on this episode of The Offshoot Podcast to talk about his music and what's happening musically in Baltimore.

The Baltimore house and club music sound had been in the city for years but it was considered, somewhat, underground. One still has to be in the know to get into the best clubs to dance and sweat or just vibe to the music, and S.DOT has a plethora of tracks befitting any mood down for a good time. On The Offshoot Podcast, S.DOT talks of the vibrancy of house music and club music in Baltimore, and he talks about talking influence from Chicago house and AfroBeats to create a Baltimore House sound that is infectious and damn right good to listen to.

S.DOT is about to go on tour, which means he can be seen and heard:
May 2 at 1722 in Baltimore
May 3 at 618 Cocktail & Whiskey Lounge in Washington, DC
May 10 at 1835 W Oxford Philadelphia
May 17 at Pianos in New York City

https://www.instagram.com/p/DItbZJDs4cs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ruvWpLs2aMVuibVXpsJwL?si=TQDvPcIcSEmYgymRETdIKQ

https://sdotmusic1.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/sdotmusik/tracks