Here From There: Conversations with Burroughs Alums
In conversations with long time faculty member John Pierson, alumni of the John Burroughs School in St. Louis share memories of the school and talk about their lives, their professions, and the paths that brought them from the students they were to the people they are today.
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Ep. 5 Johnny O'Neal '98
05/06/2024
Ep. 5 Johnny O'Neal '98
Board game designer and entrepeneur Johnny O'Neal '98 talks with John about how film school was not the start of his career in the film industry, but instead marked the beginning of a journey that took him through the toy industry, business school, the joys of community theater, and the profound importance of family. All of which has led to becoming a board game designer and the president and co-founder of Brotherwise Games. And Johnny has a story to tell that John ranks as one of his top ten Burroughs stories ever! Johnny is going to deliver a great teaser for that story, and the fully told tale (it's such a great one...) will be a part of a collection of several Burroughs stories John heard during this first season. That will be dropping as a bonus episode later this summer. Thinking that you want a new way for you to have some fun with friends and family? Thinking that just maybe you could use a little less screen time? Well, then try a new game and support a JBS alum in the process! Follow this link to check out Johhny's business at Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard
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Ep. 4 Leslie Stevens '95
04/01/2024
Ep. 4 Leslie Stevens '95
Singer/Songwriter and session vocalist Leslie Stevens '95 sits down with John mere hours after finishing an exhausting and exciting shoot of a video for the song "Blue Roses" from her just-released self titled album. The conversation ranges from Leslie first learning she could sing at her Baltimore elementary school, through learning the importance of irreverance at Burroughs, to harmonizing with Jackson Brown while singing backup vocals for John Fogerty. Leslie brought along her guitar and performs a live acoustic version of "Blue Roses" at the end of the episode. Check out the video for "Blue Roses" . Fellow Burroughs alums Stephanie Sanditz '95, Jon Hamm '89, and Susan Scafati '95 all worked on the project with her. You'll also here some studio samples of Leslie's music. Go find them wherever you buy your music. "Los Angeles" and "It's Okay to Trip" are from the album Roomful of Smoke with her backing band The Badgers. "On the Levee" is from her first solo album The Donkey and The Rose. And "Taken" and "Wahine F" are from her newest solo album Leslie Stevens.(All used by permission.) To connect with more of Leslie's music, merch, and show dates, head to her website Buy some vinyl! Buy a cd! Come on, people: treat yourself to a tshirt! Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard
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Ep. 3 Homework Episode: Bhi Bhiman's PEACE OF MIND
03/14/2024
Ep. 3 Homework Episode: Bhi Bhiman's PEACE OF MIND
It's Here From There's first homework assignment! Step 1. If you haven't already done so, listen to John's conversation with Bhi in Episode 1. Step 2. Listen to Bhi's music. (Yeah, come on go to and buy some!) Step 3. Find Bhi's podcast PEACE OF MIND on your favorite podcast platform. And now that you've finished the homework... Step 4. Check out this bonus bit of conversation between Bhi and John, which includes portions of "Brother, Can You Spare Some Peace of Mind" and "Beyond the Border"(used with permission) from Bhi's album (used with permission) Step 5. Enjoy! And while you're at it, follow these links to a couple of videos. They are both great tunes by Bhi, and when he's joined by and , the results are definitely worth checking out. Thanks for connecting with Bhi. Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard
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Ep. 2 Bryan Edward Hill '95
03/04/2024
Ep. 2 Bryan Edward Hill '95
For the second episode of the Los Angeles Season, John talks with filmmaker, screenwriter, and comic book author Bryan Edward Hill from the Burroughs class of 1995. For any current Burroughs students interested in writing for the screen, Bryan has plenty of words of wisdom to share! Among his , Bryan has written for the television shows Ash Vs. Evil Dead and Titans. He has also authored comics for , , and . You can follow Bryan on social media . Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard
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Ep. 1 Bhi Bhiman '00
02/22/2024
Ep. 1 Bhi Bhiman '00
Singer-songwriter and music producer Bhi Bhiman sits down with John for the very first Here From There chat. The conversation covers a lot of ground, from how Bhi's favorite Burroughs teachers were "all a little wild" to how Bhi felt when asked by childhood idol Chris Cornell to join him on tour. Bhi's journey from a rough ending at Burroughs to performing years later at Carnegie Hall alongside Booker T. Jones, Elvis Costello, and Chris Rock is just the sort of story to kick off the first season. To hear some of Bhi's music, check out his website: . During this episode, you will hear snippets from a few of his songs: "Moving to Brussels" off of , "Ballerina" off of , and Bhi's cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" from his EP Substitute Preacher (all used by permission). If you like what you hear, why not follow the links and buy a cd or two? At the very least, you should get a copy of Bhi's album and then listen to his podcast of the same name. Why? Because the Peace of Mind podcast will be the subject of Here From There's very first HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT! That's right: John is going to keep on being a teacher. And a teacher gives homework. A segment of his conversation with Bhi was all about the Peace of Mind podcast in which Bhi uses each episode to focus on one song from the album. He not only does a deep dive into his musical process, but he also interviews activists, experts, and other artists about the social and political issues that rest at the heart each song. Because their talk about the podcast really requires having listened to the podcast for context (and because John really wants you to explore Bhi's work!), here's the assignment: Listen to the album. (And come on, why not buy it?) Listen to the podcast. Check out the bonus "Homework" episode, which will drop in a few months. (So there is, you know, plenty of time to finish your homework!) Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard
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Season One Preview
01/31/2024
Season One Preview
To kick off Here From There, John Pierson travelled to Los Angeles to sit down with some of the many alums who live in the area. Give a listen to this short preview to find out who will be featured in Season 1. (And to all of you grads in LA who John didn't talk to, don't worry: he'll be back!) Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard.
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Introducing Here From There
01/31/2024
Introducing Here From There
Since 1923, graduates of John Burroughs School have left the St. Louis campus and found their way to fascinating lives and livelihoods all over the world. Longtime Burroughs teacher John Pierson loves a good story. And when he sits down with alums of the school, there are always good stories to be had. Some are about their days at 755 South Price Road. Some are about their careers. And some are about their personal journeys. For current Burroughs students and families, these stories might just offer a roadmap for the future along with an important reminder: there are many paths that can lead to the life and career ahead of you, and your future will very likely be not all what you're planning on, but it also might just wind up be so much more than you can know. For Burroughs alumni, these same stories will be a great way for some of you to reconnect with old classmates. And many of you will find all new connections as you're introduced to people you've never met, but with whom you share a bond that can transcend generations. And for anyone else who wants to listen? Fascinating people are still fascinating people, no matter your connection with them! Check out an episode that features someone working in a field that interests you and learn something new about a unique journey through life. Unique journeys. Unique stories. Unique people. All with something in common. They have all made it to somewhere in life that is very much their own, but they all started out at the same small school in St. Louis. Listen in as they tell us how they got here from there. Here From There is hosted by John Pierson. Theme music for the podcast is by The Bottlesnakes and Aves, and is used courtesy of Artlist (license # 9U88am). Artwork is by Ethan Orchard, John Burroughs School Class of 2017. See his work online at or follow him on Instagram: @ethan.orchard.
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