Sherife Lindi, Author at Current Artisan

Pioneering the New, Exciting World of Esports

Posted by Sherife Lindi | Apr 23, 2018 | Arts & Entertainment, Featured, Interviews

335 million. That is the number of people around the world who stream and watch esports every year. That’s more than the entire population of the United States. Even though major esport audiences may not fill giant stadiums, likely indoors streaming via smart device or laptop, the numbers speak for themself. In just thirty years, the gaming industry has gone from being virtually nonexistent after the Atari-led crash of 1983 to one of the most exciting and promising industries around. While games have become incredibly realistic and consoles have evolved into full-fledged entertainment systems, one of the primary drivers...

Wells Fargo back in the Hot Seat over Auto, Mortgage Abuses

Posted by Sherife Lindi | Apr 14, 2018 | Featured, News

Wells Fargo, the third largest bank in the United States, is facing a potential, record-breaking fine for consumer abuses. Reuters reports the bank is being targeted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for altering mortgage contracts without consumer consent and forcing drivers to buy auto insurance they didn’t need. The historic company is still reeling from the September 2016 scandal which revealed employees had fabricated 3.5 million bank accounts for customers without consent. The strict sales goals Wells Fargo inforced eventually landed it with a $100 million fine from the CFPB and another $85 million to other authorities,...

Composing in the Visual and Digital Age: an interview with Vinicius Barbosa

Posted by Sherife Lindi | Apr 14, 2018 | Arts & Entertainment, Featured, Interviews

From the live stage, to the recording studio, to the gaming console, the career opportunities for accomplished musicians and composers range greatly. What was once a role more defined and traditional has become more diverse yet equally as applicable in the digital age, but the competition for these jobs has remained just as cut throat. Vinicius Barbosa is one such composer who has combined his academic knowledge of music with an entrepreneurial spirit, creating opportunities for himself such as opening for world renowned band Franz Ferdinand in addition to composing for several video games. We had the opportunity to...

What’s Funny and What Sells: Exploring the Role of a TV and Film Producer

Posted by Sherife Lindi | Apr 12, 2018 | Arts & Entertainment, Featured, Interviews

America loves its television. While this notion may seem obvious to most, as both the television and movie epicenter of the world still reign in Los Angeles, California over a century since the film industry began, the current numbers regarding the amount of media and television consumed by Americans are astounding to say the least. In just one week, the American television industry produces approximately 3,000 shows worth of programming. Almost entirely gone are the days of scrolling through seemingly endless cable channels searching for anything remotely entertaining and interesting to watch, as streaming giants Hulu and Netflix continue...

Spotify Defies Traditional Route to IPO

Posted by Sherife Lindi | Apr 6, 2018 | Featured, News

Spotify, the international music-streaming service, joined the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) public market on Tuesday by an untraditional path. Spotify staked their initial public offering (IPO) on their international record as the leader in music-streaming and the potential market capitalization that comes with over 150 million monthly listeners. SPOT, Spotify’s NYSE ticker symbol, changed common practice by entering the market without a set price. With reported earnings of $5 billion dollars last year, Spotify forgoed the horse-and-pony show normally necessary to educate investors about the company and the market for their product and services. The company is still...