Life & Work with Cody Boston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Boston.

Hi Cody , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started filming live in-studio sessions at 90.7 KJHK the student run radio station at KU where I worked as a multimedia and content director. I was in charge of booking, filming and broadcasting a local or touring band once a week for our series Live @ KJHK. From there I interned at 90.9 The Bridge where I got to continue filming live performances for their 909 sessions but I missed the ability to run my own series that focused on hyperlocal artists.

Then one day, Mitchell Hewlett messaged me on Facebook about how he was interested in making a series out of his North Lawrence based recording studio which had formerly been chicken coop. I knew the video side of things, Mitch new the audio side of things so once a week I’d convince a few videographer friends of mine to cram into this tiny studio with a band to film a session. Two and a half seasons later we have put out over 60 sessions that populate on NPR’s website, the occasional live show in our backyard in midtown Kansas City, and two television specials coming out this winter. Right now we’re looking to add more sponsors to help us make a big push for Coop Sessions season 3.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. This has always been a passion project to support artists. We never charge bands we book so for the first season we made it completely on our own time. If it weren’t for our friends who also care about local music there’s no way it would have grown to what it is now. It wasn’t until season 2 that 90.9 The Bridge started sponsoring the sessions that we were able to compensate the crew for their work and even then it’s still far below what they should be paid. Then of course Covid knocked us off our weekly session output but also gave us a chance to collaborate with spaces like The Replay Lounge, The White Schoolhouse and DeepSpace Co-op.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Broadly speaking my work is in producing, directing, editing and filming. My specialty has mostly been in live music but in addition to that, I’ve worked for the last 4 years making short and long-form documentaries for Kansas City PBS and Flatland KC. I’m proud of both realms of work but the community stories I get to help tell at KCPBS is very meaningful to me.

A couple of documentaries I worked on with Nico Wiggins make me particularly proud: Land of Opportunity about the history of a KC neighborhoods fight back against racist housing policies, and 6 Streets which documented the creation of the Black Lives Matter murals across the city. Both aired on Kansas City PBS, LoO has since won an Emmy and 6 Streets has been nominated for another.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Surrounding yourself with people who are creative and supportive is really important I think.

It’s also good to say yes to new opportunities but not at the expense of your worth. Whether that’s getting paid right or being given time to just live your life.

Pricing:

• $3/month – A shout out in the credits of each session
• $5/month – Early access to knew sessions
• $10/month – .wav files of a pack of Coop Sessions singles and sticker pack
• $20/month – Attend a session once a month. Also comes with a Coop Ringer T-shirt and sticker pack

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: coopsessions.com
• Instagram: @cooplivesessions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coopsessions
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKUAYjVnXPcNx9kwUhxcAEA
• Other: https://coopsessions.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Betty Chung
Doug Bybee