1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 What do anime, jazz trombone, and a sold-out national tour have in common? In this episode of Making It with Chris G, we sit down with musician, creative director, and founder of Cowboy Bebop Live — Corey Paul — for a high-energy, deeply honest conversation about the real journey of building a music career from scratch. 🎷 From growing up on classical and jazz in Orlando to turning his anime fandom into a full-blown multimedia concert experience, Corey shares the behind-the-scenes of how he built a career in live music — from local jam sessions to performing with David Foster and Ariana Grande, to selling out venues with his anime-jazz tribute band. 🎧 In this episode, we dive into: Corey's early days playing trombone and switching from classical to jazz Why UCF's location (not ranking) helped launch his music career The importance of community, the “hang,” and showing up like a pro A breakdown of Orlando’s gigging ecosystem: weddings, parks, corporate gigs &amp;amp; more How Cowboy Bebop Live went from dive bar to nationwide phenomenon What it’s really like to tour for 9 weeks straight with 13 people Financial realities: health insurance, taxes, unions, and planning for retirement as a freelance musician Corey’s advice for new musicians navigating the road, logistics, and creative fulfillment Plus: anime fans, this one's for you — hear how Corey reverse-engineered a dream show for fans and newcomers, and how he landed partnerships with Crunchyroll, Bandai, and Live Nation. 🔗 Connect with Corey Paul: Instagram: @cowboybeboplive Website: https://www.cowboybeboplive.com 🔗&amp;nbsp;Connect with the Making It Academy Network 🎓 Website + Courses:&amp;nbsp;makingitwithchrisg.com 📺 YouTube:&amp;nbsp;@chrisgoyzueta 💼 LinkedIn:&amp;nbsp;Making It Academy 💥 Patreon (Bonus Content + Live Workshops):&amp;nbsp;patreon.com/makingitacademy Making It with Chris G. http://makingitwithchrisg.libsyn.com/podcast <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/36852380/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/189209765