Are Non-Linear Careers The New Linear? (EP.94)

Emil Kang became the head of one of the largest orchestras in the U.S. at 31. He went on to direct arts grantmaking at The Mellon Foundation, where he helped imagine Creatives Rebuild New York, a $125 million workforce development initiative during the heart of the pandemic. Now he's an arts consultant, writer, and educator based in New York City, and his Substack, The Reprise, has become required reading for people working in and around arts institutions.

In this episode, host Tim Cynova and Emil trace what all those vantage points reveal about careers, hiring, and the institutions we build. They start with the question behind one of Emil's essays: who are you without the title? From there, the conversation moves through nonlinear careers, the relational job search most people skip, what search committees often get wrong before a search even launches, and why nonprofit governance often operates with so little accountability.

Whether you're navigating your own next move, serving on a search committee, or wondering why a nonprofit board works the way it does, we explore all of those things and more.

Links & ResourcesThe Reprise, Emil's SubstackEmil’s website, emilkang.comCreatives Rebuild New York

Related Podcast EpisodesHiring with Intention: An Executive Search Case Study (EP.93)Inside the Search: What Executive Hiring Actually Looks Like (EP.91)Hiring in the Age of A.I. (EP.90)Hiring as Improv: Embracing the Unscripted in Job Searches (EP.85)Values-Based Hiring: Re-Imagining the Search Process (EP.58)Inclusive Hiring Practices (EP.45)

About the GuestsEmil J. Kang is a cultural strategist, leader, and educator, working at the intersection of arts, philanthropy, and public policy. He has an active consulting practice working with arts leaders and organizations driving change.

Previously, Kang served as Program Director for Arts and Culture at The Mellon Foundation—the nation's largest arts funder—where he led a $120 million annual portfolio and conceived Creatives Rebuild New York, the largest guaranteed income program for artists in U.S. history. He founded and led Carolina Performing Arts at UNC-Chapel Hill, building it into one of the country's premier university-based performing arts programs while commissioning over 60 new works from internationally renowned artists. While at UNC, he also served as Professor of the Practice in the Department of Music and Special Assistant to the Chancellor for the Arts.

He continues to serve on the National Council on