Architecture, Design & Photography

In this episode, Trent Bell sits down with Lee Schneider to explore the role storytelling plays in creativity, architecture, and the way we understand the places around us. They discuss imposter syndrome and creative confidence, why stories help communicate complex ideas, and how architects and designers can use narrative to make their work more meaningful and engaging. The conversation expands into city branding, the identity of place, and even the ways architecture can communicate ideas about culture and gender. At its core, it’s a conversation about how stories shape not only the things we create, but how we experience the world around us.

About Lee:

Lee Schneider draws on a multi-decade career in media-making, and education to help architects and design professionals use storytelling to transform complex concepts into projects that get funded.

For more than 10 years, he has taught a popular graduate-level media-making class at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Architecture. He has taught workshops at the University of Minnesota College of Design and at Public Architecture. As the founder of Red Cup Agency, an award-winning podcast production agency, Lee has developed a storytelling masterclass called the Storyline Sessions.

The award-winning author of novels, screenplays, teleplays, stage plays, and audio drama podcasts, Lee has written for Good Morning America and been a producer for Dateline NBC. He has created hit TV shows, and produced, directed, edited, and written documentaries for the History Channel, the Learning Channel, CourtTV, Discovery Health, the Food Network, and ReelzTV. 
Website: https://www.redcupagency.com/
Personal Website: https://leeschneiderbooks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docuguy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeschneiderbooks
YouTube:  @leeschneiderpodcasts

In this episode, Andrew James Gregor joins Trent Bell for a thoughtful conversation on homelessness, wealth disparity, empathy, art, and the deeper societal structures that shape American life.

Together, they explore the complex roots of homelessness, including mental health, economic inequality, cultural values, and the systems that often fail to preserve human dignity. Andrew shares insights into innovative shelter models and systemic design solutions, while Trent reflects on broader questions around American culture, technology, and the growing gaps in human connection.

The conversation also touches on the role of art, the importance of empathy, and the potential for AI and emerging technologies to either deepen societal harm or help create more compassionate solutions.
About:
Andrew James Gregor is an architect and author whose work explores the fragile systems that shape everyday life, from fear and social division to homelessness, dignity, and the meaning of shelter. Raised in Beirut and later based in the United States, Andrew brings a deeply personal and cross-cultural perspective to his writing. His debut novel, Them, examines paranoia, prejudice, and the ways fear can corrode a community, while his latest novel, Roscoe, offers a compassionate look at homelessness and how quickly stability can disappear. Alongside his writing, Andrew has spent years working in architecture and design-build construction, giving him a grounded understanding of shelter not just as a structure, but as a basic human need.

More from Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgregor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluedogconstruction

Latest book - Roscoe: https://www.amazon.com/ROSCOE-Andrew-J-Gregor-ebook/dp/B0GX3771MT?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1

More from us:

Website: www.adppodcast.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/adppod_

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/architecture-design-photography/id1447381737
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qTtT0lpXkVGyksEkN57VS

In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell sits down with curator, writer, and arts leader Suzette McAvoy.

Suzette reflects on her career at the Farnsworth Art Museum and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, along with Maine’s long history as a place where artists come to live, work, and find space to think. 

The conversation explores why art matters beyond beauty or market value, how it can build empathy and connection, and why some work takes time to understand. They also discuss contemporary art, creativity, spirituality, artistic risk, AI, and why artists may become even more important as technology continues to shape how we think and create. 

It’s a thoughtful conversation about learning to look, staying curious, and the role art plays in helping us better understand ourselves and others.

About Suzette: 

Suzette McAvoy is an independent curator, arts writer, and art advisor with more than thirty-five years experience in the field of fine art and museums. A leading authority on the art and artists of Maine, she has curated more than sixty exhibitions throughout her career, including nationally traveling exhibitions of the work of Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Noland, Lois Dodd, Karl Schrag, Alan Magee, and Alex Katz. 

Website: https://www.suzettemcavoy.me 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzettemcavoy

More from us: 

Website: www.adppodcast.com 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/adppod_ 

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/architecture-design-photography/id1447381737 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qTtT0lpXkVGyksEkN57VS

In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell welcomes back architect Rick Staub, co-founder of Your Modern Cottage and partner at Point One Architects, for their first in-studio conversation.

Together, Trent and Rick explore how homeowner expectations have shifted in the age of HGTV, Pinterest, Instagram, DIY culture, and AI. They discuss the growing gap between what people think design is — often a collection of images, trends, and wish-list rooms — and what it actually requires: strategy, discipline, budget awareness, trust, and a deep understanding of how people live.

Rick shares why good residential design goes far beyond aesthetics. From the emotional impact of a home to the importance of proportion, balance, natural light, privacy, flexibility, and long-term livability, he makes the case that architecture should help people feel grounded, calm, and supported in their daily lives. 

The conversation also touches on the value of working with architects and builders early in the process, the danger of designing from superficial trends, why budget conversations need to happen sooner, and how homeowners can become better prepared before building, renovating, or buying land.

Our previous episode with Rick: https://youtu.be/gvrBtOeAzfU 

More from Rick Staub: 

Website: https://www.yourmoderncottage.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourmoderncottage 

Point One Architects: https://pointonearchitects.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pointonearchitects/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-staub-7751115/

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Website: www.adppodcast.com I

nstagram: http://instagram.com/adppod_

In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell sits down with architect and author Danish Kurani to discuss his latest book, The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World. 

Trent and Danish explore the powerful ways architecture and environmental design shape our psychology, behavior, relationships, and overall well-being. From the spaces we grow up in to the cities we move through every day, the discuss how thoughtful design can influence how we connect, feel, and live.

The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World: https://www.amazon.com/Spaces-That-Make-Us-Healthier/dp/1400249120

About Danish Kurani: Danish Kurani sees how buildings are failing to nourish people. After witnessing how poorly designed environments hold back people across the globe – from the middle of Manhattan to villages in India – he’s made it his mission to remake architecture for human flourishing. His groundbreaking designs for New York City, Google, and communities on four continents prove that thoughtful architecture can unlock human potential.

Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Architects by Fast Company, Kurani has pioneered a human-centered approach that’s transforming lives worldwide. His work spans from floating homes in disaster-prone areas to schools in informal settlements, always focusing on one question: how can architecture solve our most pressing social challenges? 

A Harvard-trained architect and urban designer, Kurani’s architectural ideas have been shared at leading institutions including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Columbia, and featured in TIME, World Economic Forum, and the Wall Street Journal. National governments recognize him as a leading voice in social impact architecture – not because he builds beautiful buildings, but because he builds spaces that work for real people.

More from Danish Kurani: 

Website - https://danishkurani.com 

Architecture Website: https://kurani.us/ 

LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/danishkurani

More from us: 

Website: www.adppodcast.com 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/adppod_