Some preliminary things to note about Vincent Piazza: he’s perhaps better known as Lucky Luciano on the hugely popular HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire. More importantly, we’ve come to learn that he’s supremely charming and real in person. His first dream was to become a professional hockey player before he incurred an injury that rerouted…

Christopher Abbott bristles at the thought of taking his profession too seriously. “In the grand scope of things, it’s a silly thing to make a movie or to do a play,” he says in that self-effacing manner we’ve come to associate with unpretentious, if not sensible, actors. A conversation with the 26-year-old plays out similarly…

Is there anything more rewarding than discovering new talent? At Institute, we are always on the lookout for those ingenious gems on the verge of some sort of greatness. We also recognize that as eager as we are to help these artists, we selfishly thrive on their creative energy—we need them as much as they…