Jimenez hopes he can keep expanding and growing Tastemasters. He hopes to keep talking to people in different areas of fermentation, such as kombucha and hot sauce. He also wants to host new kinds of guests, including politicians and policymakers. “If I ever come and reach out to an individual, I’m just here to truly hear your story,” he says. “So, don’t be afraid to come on or have a conversation with me.”
When it comes to celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Reverend’s legacy at large, Salt Lake City isn’t always the first place that comes to mind. In taking a closer look, there are numerous ways to celebrate this historic holiday in Salt Lake on January 16 and beyond. Through Utah’s own Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission, an organization that works year-round to promote diversity, equity, and human rights in Utah, the city comes together for several momentous celebrations. These celebrations include educating residents on Dr. King’s mission, curating a one-of-a-kind MLK Jr. license plate, and getting the Utah Jazz involved with Utah’s youth.
The big picture for Surmise in 2020 is continuing to take on more social and political issues in the vein of police brutality. Jones and Surmise want to make change through T-shirts and attempt to bring more attention to those kinds of problems in the world. “I’ve tried really hard to focus on only uplifting voices that need to be heard through this movement,” he says. “And to use my platform to share what is going on, as well as raise money for folks who need it—for mutual aid causes, for bail funds and stuff like that.”
Today, MAST is a program put on by SLFS and is driven to help young filmmakers and artists hone their craft and to become “artist entrepreneurs”—fledgling filmmakers who know how to construct a proper business plan in distributing their work, which is a skill many creators today lack. “Successful artists must be entrepreneurs,” says Romney, “but art schools rarely teach business-survival skills like marketing, networking, brand-building, accounting or even how to build a business plan. That’s where we come in.”