Episode 045 – Wearing the Four Five Introduction & Welcome (DJ Warm Cookies) DJ Warm Cookies: [High-energy] Hello, hello, helloooo! Welcome back to “Why Make Music” – this is episode 045, and yours truly DJ Warm Cookies (Willa Mae) is in the mix! Today’s episode is titled “Wearing the Four Five.” Now, if you’re wondering what that means, let me break it down. It’s a nod to Michael Jordan when he returned to the Chicago Bulls wearing number 45 after his first retirement. Hip-hop heads know the reference – Jay-Z even rapped “When I come back like Jordan, wearing the 4-5…” in Encore. In our context, “Wearing the Four Five” is about comebacks and new phases. (And hey, 45 has other meanings too: it’s slang for a .45 caliber and it’s the speed of those small vinyl singles – the classic 7-inch “45” rpm records that DJs love!). In short, the title sets a tone: we’re coming back strong and spinning at full speed! DJ Warm Cookies: [Upbeat] I’m here with the one and only ThinkTimm, and we’ve got a jam-packed show. But first, let me give a big warm welcome and remind you where you can connect with us. We’re broadcasting via WDMN Media, and you can find ThinkTimm, DJ Warm Cookies, and WDMN on all the socials – Instagram, Facebook, Blue Sky, SoundCloud – you name it! We love hearing from you, so be sure to like, follow, subscribe, poke, DM, send a carrier pigeon – whatever it takes to stay in touch. We’re building a community here one click at a time. DJ Warm Cookies: Before we dive into the main topics, quick status update: “If I Was Your Producer, Volume 1” – our first beat tape/album – is out in the wild and slowly climbing. We’re at about 5,500 streams so far, which is awesome. High five! 🖐️ Now, 5.5k streams might not be breaking any Spotify records, but remember: our grand goal isn’t about going platinum on Spotify. It’s about getting ears in the industry! We’re using Volume 1 as a calling card to catch the attention of sync agents and music supervisors – basically anyone who might want to license our music for film, TV, games, you name it. Licensing is the name of the game. So those streams are like little beacons saying “Hey, check this out!” We’re playing the long game here, aiming for that big placement rather than short-term stats. Alright, that’s the intro scoop. Now, as a special treat, we’re doing a bit of a different format today. We’ve got ThinkTimm here live with us, chiming in throughout the show. So without further ado – cue the drum roll – ThinkTimm, take it away! 👏 (He’s coming to you live, folks!) [ThinkTimm’s Segment] (ThinkTimm shares his off-the-cuff thoughts, monologue style – e.g. personal reflections on why he makes music, the journey so far, the “Volume 1” grind, networking on social media, etc.) EPK Progress & “If I Was Your Producer” Vol. 2 Plans (DJ Warm Cookies) DJ Warm Cookies: [Energetic] Woo, it’s always great to hear straight from ThinkTimm himself – nothing like that genuine passion coming through the mic! Thanks for those words, Timm. Now, let’s get into some updates on our music production journey. First up: we’ve been working on something called Disco – not the genre (though I love me some disco beats 💃), but the app/platform DISCO.ac. This is a slick tool we’re using to craft our Electronic Press Kit (EPK). For those not in the know, DISCO is a popular music management and sharing platform, kind of a one-stop hub for storing tracks, embedding metadata, and sending out playlists to industry folks. It’s basically built for modern music marketing – think: Dropbox meets HubSpot meets mixtape, all in one. We spent this week polishing up our EPK on DISCO – adding our best tracks, writing up track descriptions, tagging everything with the right metadata – and we sent it out into the world! This EPK is now in the inboxes of a few select sync agents and music supervisors. 🙏 We’re feeling really good about this step. It’s like sending your kid off to college – we nurtured these tracks, and now we’re letting them fly, hoping they land on a blockbuster movie or hit TV show. DJ Warm Cookies: Next update: ThinkTimm has been on an absolute tear in the studio. No joke, he has outdone himself – we’re sitting on 90+ tracks (and counting) for the “If I Was Your Producer” series! Volume 1 was just the beginning; at this rate we could have Volumes 2, 3, 4… 10? 20? Who knows! This raises an interesting question for us: Do we keep numbering volumes indefinitely, or do we switch up the format? From an organizational standpoint, numbering each volume sequentially (Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3, etc.) keeps things tidy and lets fans follow along easily. But from a creative standpoint, maybe we don’t want to be tied down to chronological numbers forever. We could start grouping releases by theme or vibe rather than volume number. We haven’t decided yet – it’s an ongoing internal debate here at WDMN Media. The key point, though, is we’re creating like there’s no tomorrow. The sheer output (90 tracks!) means we have a ton of ideas flowing. And since our primary goal isn’t selling albums or chasing chart positions – it’s showcasing our sound and ideas – there’s a certain freedom in possibly breaking the format. Whether Volume 7 is the last numbered one or we go to Volume 10, rest assured the music will keep coming, and it will always be grouped in whatever way best tells a story or sparks interest from those music supervisors. Stay tuned on that decision! DJ Warm Cookies: [Playful] By the way, if you caught a whiff of excitement in ThinkTimm’s voice earlier, it’s because he’s been following through on some advice – from a pretty wise digital assistant, ahem 😉 – about networking more on social media. He went on a friending-and-following spree this week, connecting with a bunch of new folks in the industry. So if you see ThinkTimm or WDMN accounts pop up in your notifications, don’t be shy – say hi! It’s all about building that network organically. Alright, let’s move along and switch gears to one of our favorite segments… Lower Level Collections: G.I. Joe 6-Inch Figures (DJ Warm Cookies) DJ Warm Cookies: [Nostalgic tone] Alright collectors and 80s/90s kids, this one’s for you! In our Lower Level Collections segment today, we’re highlighting something near and dear to ThinkTimm’s heart (and shelf): the Hasbro G.I. Joe 6-inch action figures – specifically the G.I. Joe Classified Series. Now, what’s amazing about this line is that it’s thriving without any current movie or cartoon tie-in driving it. There’s no new G.I. Joe movie in theaters, no Saturday morning cartoon on TV – yet Hasbro is pumping out these incredibly detailed 6 inch figures and fans (like us) are eating them up. And let me tell you, these figures are top-notch. We’re talking extreme detail, tons of accessories, and great articulation for posing. They’re essentially collector-grade figures that still give you that kid at Christmas giddiness when you open one. * All-Star Lineup: The Classified Series has brought back all the iconic characters – Duke, Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Cobra Commander, Destro, Storm Shadow, Baroness – you name it. Each figure comes with character-specific gear (for example, the Snake Eyes figure comes with his sword, knives, guns, even his pet wolf Timber in the deluxe set!). The care put into sculpting the faces, uniforms, and weapons is impressive. These aren’t the simple toys we had as kids; they’re modern remixes of the classics that satisfy both the nostalgia and the desire for high quality * Detail & Accessories: What blows me away are the accessories. For instance, the Cobra Troopers come with removable helmets, goggles, multiple guns, knives, and tiny details like arm bands and web gear. Lady Jaye has different hairpiece options and her camera gun. Serpentor (yes, they made a 6-inch Serpentor!) comes with his air chariot. It’s clear the designers are fans themselves. And articulation? Most Classified figures boast well over 20 points of articulation (double-jointed knees and elbows, ankle rockers, ab crunch, swivels – the works), which means you can pose them in action stances that look straight out of a comic panel or cartoon frame. * Collector Community: ThinkTimm will tell you – we’ve basically collected every figure released so far in this line. It’s become a bit of an obsession at WDMN HQ! And we’re not alone. The collector community is huge, with forums and YouTube channels dedicated to these figures. The line’s popularity even allowed Hasbro to venture into crowdfunding special editions. On Hasbro Pulse, they launched HasLab campaigns to bring larger vehicles to life for the 6″ scale. The first was the iconic Cobra H.I.S.S. Tank, which absolutely blew up – it required 8,000 backers to fund and ended up with over 26,000 backers by the deadline! (Can you imagine 26k people all dropping money on a giant Cobra tank? Wild!) The result is a beast of a toy: a high-speed black tank scaled for 6-inch figures, loaded with LEDs, removable panels, and it even came with multiple figures as stretch goals. Hot on its heels, Hasbro did a HasLab for the G.I. Joe Dragonfly XH-1 – that’s the Joe team’s classic assault copter (think of Wild Bill’s ride). That one also smashed through its goal, ending around 24,000+ backers. For a cool ~$275, backers got a nearly 34-inch-long helicopter (yes, almost 3 feet long!) with working rotors, canopy, and a detailed cockpit – basically a dream display piece for Joe fans. These crowdfunding successes show just how passionate the fan base is, even with no movie pushing the hype. DJ Warm Cookies: Now, let’s time-travel for a moment. ThinkTimm’s connection to G.I. Joe goes way back – we’re talking old school, the original 12-inch G.I. Joe figures of the 1970s. Back then, G.I. Joe was more about being a generic “action figure” (fun fact: the term “action figure” was literally invented by Hasbro for G.I. Joe in 1964 to market dolls to boys). These were the big figures with “life-like” flocked hair and the legendary Kung-Fu Grip hands. Kung-Fu Grip was a game-changer introduced in 1974, giving Joes flexible rubbery fingers that could actually grip weapons and gear. ThinkTimm often reminisces about his Adventure Team Joes – those were the era where Joe wasn’t just a military man but an adventurer: Air Adventurer, Land Adventurer, Sea Adventurer, etc., each with different hair/beard colors and specialties. * Childhood Playsets: One specific playset ThinkTimm always lights up about is the G.I. Joe Adventure Team Training Center from 1973. Picture this: a bright orange three-foot-tall tower, a crank-operated crane, zip-lines – the works – and a huge fold-out vinyl floor mat that simulated the ground/base. He remembers setting up missions on that big 7×7 foot mat, with the tower in the middle and Joes rappelling down on zip lines. It had a little elevator chair lift in the tower, targets for shooting practice, a cave for adventure scenarios – basically the ultimate playground for a young imagination. And yes, he still has those original pieces proudly displayed on a shelf next to the new 6-inch Joes. It’s a full-circle moment: from childhood toys to high-end collectibles, the spirit of G.I. Joe lives on. Yo Joe! 🐍💥 DJ Warm Cookies: Alright, before I start trying to play with these figures on-air (be glad you can’t see me, I’m totally holding a little Cobra Commander right now), let’s move on to our next major topic… Star Wars “High Republic” Era – Grand Finale (DJ Warm Cookies) DJ Warm Cookies: [Epic narrator voice] In a galaxy far, far away… it is the end of an era. Star Wars has been exploring a period known as The High Republic for the past few years, and now that epic multi-year story arc is reaching its grand finale. For those who might not be familiar, The High Republic is a bold publishing initiative that Lucasfilm kicked off in 2021, telling Star Wars stories set approximately 200 years before Episode I: The Phantom Menace. This was the golden age of the Jedi Order – the Jedi were numerous and at their peak, the Republic was expanding, and things were… well, relatively peaceful, at least at the start. The High Republic introduced us to a whole new cast of Jedi heroes(like Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Keeve Trennis) and terrifying villains like the space Vikings known as the Nihil, and mysterious creatures called the Nameless. It’s been a wild ride across books and comics, and it’s nearing its conclusion now. * Three Phases of Storytelling: The High Republic initiative was meticulously planned out from day one. The story has been delivered in three phases (akin to trilogy eras). Phase I: “Light of the Jedi” introduced the era’s main conflict – starting with a catastrophe called The Great Disaster and the rise of the Nihil marauders. Phase II: “Quest of the Jedi” actually went back 150 years further (a prequel phase) to give background lore and depth (a time of explorers and settlers in the Outer Rim). And now we’re in Phase III: “Trials of the Jedi”, which jumps back to the original characters a year after Phase I, to deliver the climactic confrontations. According to the official timeline, Phase III is the thrilling conclusion that pits the Jedi against powerful new foes in a time of chaos for the Republic. Essentially, all the plot threads and character journeys from Phase I are coming to a head. The bad guys (Nihil leader Marchion Ro and his forces) have thrown the galaxy into disarray – there’s an “Occlusion Zone” cutting off planets, communications blackouts, and a mysterious Leveler creature turning Jedi to stone – really dark, dire stuff. The Jedi are fighting on multiple fronts to prevent total disaster. It’s the kind of high-stakes, all-or-nothing scenario Star Wars fans love. * All Mediums, All Ages: One cool thing about The High Republic is that it’s been a multi-platform storytelling effort from the start. We got adult novels, young adult novels, kids’ books, comic series from Marvel and Dark Horse – even an audio drama and manga. The idea was to give fans many entry points. If you’re a hardcore reader, you read all the books and comics. If you’re a younger fan or just want visuals, they even created a children’s animated series on Disney Junior/Disney+ called “Young Jedi Adventures,” which is set during the High Republic era and follows younglings on lighthearted missions. (Fun fact: Young Jedi Adventures is actually the first-ever TV show set in the High Republic period – introducing little kiddos to concepts from that era in a cute, age-appropriate way.) And for the older audience, Lucasfilm has the action series called “The Acolyte.” This show (on Disney+) is set at the tail end of the High Republic era, roughly 100 years before Episode I, and it explores the emergence of the dark side – think Sith shenanigans brewing while the Jedi are still complacent. The Acolyte attempts bridge the High Republic era to the era of the films, focusing on a former Padawan reuniting with her Jedi Master to investigate crimes – only to encounter shadowy forces of the Dark Side. (Chills, right?) * Creative Team & Impact: The High Republic has been helmed by a brain trust of renowned Star Wars authors. The original team of five architects included Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Justina Ireland, and Daniel José Older. They mapped out the era’s big story arcs together (in a project initially code-named “Project Luminous”). Later phases brought in additional talented writers like Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, George Mann, Lydia Kang, and others. This collaborative approach gave the whole initiative a cohesive feel, even as the stories spanned different formats and age groups. And the result? A refreshing new take on Star Wars that still feels quintessentially Star Wars. Fans got to see Jedi in a new light – wearing white and gold robes, patrolling the frontier, each having unique Force philosophies and abilities. We saw the Republic at a time of optimism and expansion, launching great beacons and fairgrounds in space. And we got truly terrifying villains in the Nihil, who are very different from Empire or First Order – more chaotic and Mad Max-like. DJ Warm Cookies: Now, here in mid-2025, the High Republic saga is wrapping up. Phase III (titled Trials of the Jedi) launched in late 2023 and is scheduled to conclude by spring 2025. The final wave of novels and comics is on the horizon: for example, Charles Soule (one of the chief architects) is writing the capstone adult novel Trials of the Jedi due in 2025, which will likely be the big finale. The storytelling has been intense – major Jedi characters have fallen, the stakes are super high. Without spoiling anything, it’s safe to say the High Republic era will go out with a bang, leading into whatever The Acolyte shows us on-screen. It’s been quite the experiment for Star Wars – focusing on books and comics to carry an epic narrative – and from the fan response, it’s been a success. It expanded the lore, gave us memorable new characters, and proved that Star Wars can thrive outside the Skywalker saga timeline. If you haven’t checked out The High Republic, now’s a great time to binge the books as the full story comes to fruition. And for those who have been on this ride: buckle up, the finale is here! DJ Warm Cookies: [Excited] I know ThinkTimm’s been reading some of these comics and novels too, so let’s swing it back to him for his take. ThinkTimm, what are your thoughts on the High Republic and its conclusion? 👇 [ThinkTimm’s Segment] (ThinkTimm shares his off-the-cuff reaction/opinions on the High Republic stories, the creative direction, maybe comparing it to classic Star Wars, etc. This segment is unscripted, giving a personal touch.) Closing Remarks & Shout-Outs (DJ Warm Cookies) DJ Warm Cookies: [Cheerful] Well, folks, that was awesome – always love hearing ThinkTimm’s perspective. As we wind down Episode 045 “Wearing the Four Five,” let’s quickly recap what’s coming up and do our shout-outs, because we’ve got lots of goodies in the pipeline: * Volume 2 Incoming: Mark your calendars for August 22! That’s when we’re dropping “If I Was Your Producer, Volume 2.” 🎉 All the groundwork is laid – the tracks are selected, mixed, and mastered. Over the next few weeks, we’ll ramp up the sneak peeks and marketing. Expect some teasers on social media, maybe even a trailer or some behind-the-scenes clips of ThinkTimm in the studio. Volume 2 is going to build on the concepts of Volume 1 but with fresh twists and even more genre-bending production. We’re super excited to share it with you all. * Live DJ Mix Sessions: Surprise! If you follow us on Instagram (@ThinkTimm, @DJWarmCookies, @WDMNationMEDIA), you might have caught something new we’ve been trying. Several times this past week – at totally random, unscheduled moments – ThinkTimm and I have been hopping on Instagram Live to do impromptu DJ mix sessions! 🕺🎶 Think of it as a pop-up radio hour where we spin tracks from Volume 1, some remixes, and even sneak in unreleased material that nobody outside WDMN has heard yet. We’ve done it twice so far, roughly 45 minutes to an hour each session. Yes, the audiences have been small (hey, if you don’t schedule it, people don’t know to come – that’s fine!), but we’re not sweating it. The whole point is to experiment and have fun with spontaneous live interaction. It’s actually been a blast seeing even a handful of folks join, throw emojis in the chat, ask questions like “What song is that?!” etc. It makes our day to get that real-time feedback. And we plan to keep doing these at random times – it could be late night, could be lunchtime – whenever the mood strikes and the turntables are hot. So keep an eye on those IG notifications; you might catch an exclusive jam session where new tracks get played first on live stream. All the music we spin, by the way, is 100% original – written, produced, and arranged by ThinkTimm and the WDMN crew here. No top-40 filler, just our catalog in the mix. It’s a new way for us to reach out and engage with you in a raw, unfiltered setting, and we’re loving it. DJ Warm Cookies: [Heartfelt] As we close out, I want to give shout-outs to everyone and everything making this journey possible. Big thanks to all the streaming platforms carrying our music – Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal – you guys let us share our sounds globally at the click of a button. Shout-out to the podcast platforms where this show might be syndicated – whether you’re on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or any podcast app, we appreciate you tuning in. Social media fam – Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads – wherever you follow ThinkTimm or WDMN – we see you, we appreciate you. The DMs, the comments, the likes, the shares – it all matters and keeps us motivated. And let’s not forget, if you want to rep the movement: we’ve got merch! Check out our designs on TeePublic and Thread less – some really cool ThinkTimm and WDMN Nation apparel and accessories are up there. Wear a t-shirt, slap a sticker on your laptop, hang a poster – show the world you’re part of this creative journey. Every little bit of support helps (and it’s also just really cool to see our logo out in the wild!). Last but not least, a huge shout-out to our websites: ThinkTimm.com and WDMNationMedia.com. These are the hubs for all things WDMN. You can find our complete catalog, videos, blog posts, contact info, and more. The sites have been freshly updated, and they’re looking slick. Dive in and explore – who knows, you might discover a song or a story you missed. DJ Warm Cookies: Alrighty, that’s it from DJ Warm Cookies for this episode. It’s been a pleasure, as always, sharing laughs and knowledge with y’all. Remember, whether you’re “wearing the four-five” or the two-three or whatever jersey life gives you, keep coming back strong and keep that music playing. ThinkTimm is gonna hop back on for a final goodbye after me, but until next time: stay creative, stay inspired, and stay hungry (and I don’t just mean for cookies!). Love you all – WDMN Nation represent! ✌️🎙️ DJ Warm Cookies: [Signing off] This is Willa Mae, a.k.a. DJ Warm Cookies, signing off... ThinkTimm, take us home!🎧👋