Nuno Seixas, 24, grew up in Sintra and attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. When he came back, he didn’t only bring his music: he brought a bench, a camera and a simple request: sit down and share what’s going on in your life. The project “Everyubody’s Going Throug Something” took him through the streets of New York, Pittsburgh or Los Angeles. Nuno believes that behind every face there is a story that needs to be told.

His grandfather hooked him on Frank Sinatra, he took saxophone lessons at 14 and a friend convinced him to submit his application to Berklee. He shared writing sessions with producers that worked with Ed Sheeran (one of his idols), Nina Nesbitt or Shawn Mendes. This year, he recieved the award for Best Videoclip at the IPMA, a notification he recieved in his pajamas, about to go to bed. Nuno is not looking for fame, instead, he is looking for light, hoping that his music reaches someone that needs it. That might be a simple ambition, but it’s the simplest things that touch us more dearly.

Nuno Seixas, 24, grew up in Sintra and attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. When he came back, he didn&rsquo;t only bring his music: he brought a bench, a camera and a simple request: sit down and share what&rsquo;s going on in your life. The project &ldquo;Everyubody&rsquo;s Going Throug Something&rdquo; took him through the streets of New York, Pittsburgh or Los Angeles. Nuno believes that behind every face there is a story that needs to be told.
His grandfather hooked him on Frank Sinatra, he took saxophone lessons at 14 and a friend convinced him to submit his application to Berklee. He shared writing sessions with producers that worked with Ed Sheeran (one of his idols), Nina Nesbitt or Shawn Mendes. This year, he recieved the award for Best Videoclip at the IPMA, a notification he recieved in his pajamas, about to go to bed. Nuno is not looking for fame, instead, he is looking for light, hoping that his music reaches someone that needs it. That might be a simple ambition, but it&rsquo;s the simplest things that touch us more dearly.

Each week, join Tony Gonçalves—a U.S.-based Portuguese immigrant and successful media executive—as he explores the stories of those driving Portugal’s influence on the global stage. From visionary entrepreneurs to cultural pioneers, The Heart and Hustle of Portugal uncovers the unique ways the Portuguese identity thrives worldwide. As Expresso’s first English-language product, this series bridges cultures and connects the global audience to Portugal’s spirit of innovation, passion, and resilience.

Each week, join Tony Gonçalves—a U.S.-based Portuguese immigrant and successful media executive—as he explores the stories of those driving Portugal’s influence on the global stage. From visionary entrepreneurs to cultural pioneers, The Heart and Hustle of Portugal uncovers the unique ways the Portuguese identity thrives worldwide. As Expresso’s first English-language product, this series bridges cultures and connects the global audience to Portugal’s spirit of innovation, passion, and resilience.

Tony Gonçalves—a U.S.-based Portuguese immigrant and successful media executive— explores the stories of those driving Portugal’s influence on the global stage

The Heart & Hustle of Portugal

The Heart and Hustle of Portugal

Nuno Seixas’ ambition is to bring light to the world. He started writing songs in 2019 and has recently won Best Video at the IPMA. He joins host Tony Gonçalves for a very earnest conversation about belief and light

Nuno Seixas music invites you to sit down and share what’s going on with your life

After working at the Portuguese mission to the United Nations and trying out journalism, Ana Miranda decided, in 2011, to build something of her own: a platform to show contemporary Portuguese culture abroad, starting with a short film festival she funded out of her own salary.

Fifteen years later, the organization has taken more than 1,500 Portuguese artists to stages in 37 countries, from Saramago Week and Pessoa in New York to dance programs at Alvin Ailey and a film festival now in its 16th edition. Ana Miranda says the lack of institutional recognition from Portugal remains her biggest frustration. Public support, she notes, has barely changed, and funding came first from companies such as EDP. She argues that culture should be treated as investment, not charity, and points to Brazil, whose telenovelas, music and cinema built its international image, as proof.

The conversation also takes in what Miranda calls a Portuguese habit of envy and self-criticism, a theme she links to the treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo, to whom she says the country owes much of its global visibility. Her view is that the diaspora, with the perspective that distance brings, has a role in pushing Portugal to see its own potential. She names resourcefulness, the Portuguese knack for “making do”, as the defining national trait. Her advice to those chasing a dream is simple: know what the dream is, and the energy follows.

After working at the Portuguese mission to the United Nations and trying out journalism, Ana Miranda decided, in 2011, to build something of her own: a platform to show contemporary Portuguese culture abroad, starting with a short film festival she funded out of her own salary.
Fifteen years later, the organization has taken more than 1,500 Portuguese artists to stages in 37 countries, from Saramago Week and Pessoa in New York to dance programs at Alvin Ailey and a film festival now in its 16th edition. Ana Miranda says the lack of institutional recognition from Portugal remains her biggest frustration. Public support, she notes, has barely changed, and funding came first from companies such as EDP. She argues that culture should be treated as investment, not charity, and points to Brazil, whose telenovelas, music and cinema built its international image, as proof.
The conversation also takes in what Miranda calls a Portuguese habit of envy and self-criticism, a theme she links to the treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo, to whom she says the country owes much of its global visibility. Her view is that the diaspora, with the perspective that distance brings, has a role in pushing Portugal to see its own potential. She names resourcefulness, the Portuguese knack for &ldquo;making do&rdquo;, as the defining national trait. Her advice to those chasing a dream is simple: know what the dream is, and the energy follows.

Ana Miranda arrived in New York in 2006 with a plan to spend three months studying acting before heading to Brazil. She stayed. In this episode of The Heart & Hustle of Portugal podcast, the founder of the Art Institute speaks to Tony Gonçalves abou how the city's energy changed her course. 

Ana Miranda turned New York dreams into a global stage for Portuguese culture

Joey Bats put pastéis de nata on the map in NYC, and he did it by refusing to sell people a history lesson. He'd never cooked a day in his life. Engineer, corporate job, bored out of his mind. He got his mother's Bolo de Bolacha recipe first, sold it door to door to restaurants and bodegas, then switched to pastéis de nata because they freeze and travel. Early on, giving away free samples on the street, people heard "Portuguese pastry" and walked. It doesn't look like much. Nobody knew what it was.

Then Joey changed the pitch. He stopped mentioning Portugal. He told people to imagine a warm creme brulee wrapped in a croissant. That one sentence took him from selling a few to selling thousands.

But the bigger opportunity was never inside the diaspora. Joey has a theory about why Portuguese food stayed invisible in America - Portuguese immigrants came to New York, then left for Long Island and New Jersey, away from the cities that shape what the country eats. New York has more Ethiopian restaurants getting written up than Portuguese ones, and there are hundreds of thousands of Portuguese people around this city. Joey built his shops in exactly the cities with that kind of exposure, on purpose.

Ten years, a pandemic, an outdoor shed he built himself with no permit, and now a shop in Boston already doing the same daily numbers his original Chelsea Market spot did on day one.

Joey Bats put past&eacute;is de nata on the map in NYC, and he did it by refusing to sell people a history lesson. He'd never cooked a day in his life. Engineer, corporate job, bored out of his mind. He got his mother's Bolo de Bolacha recipe first, sold it door to door to restaurants and bodegas, then switched to past&eacute;is de nata because they freeze and travel. Early on, giving away free samples on the street, people heard "Portuguese pastry" and walked. It doesn't look like much. Nobody knew what it was.
Then Joey changed the pitch. He stopped mentioning Portugal. He told people to imagine a warm creme brulee wrapped in a croissant. That one sentence took him from selling a few to selling thousands.
But the bigger opportunity was never inside the diaspora. Joey has a theory about why Portuguese food stayed invisible in America - Portuguese immigrants came to New York, then left for Long Island and New Jersey, away from the cities that shape what the country eats. New York has more Ethiopian restaurants getting written up than Portuguese ones, and there are hundreds of thousands of Portuguese people around this city. Joey built his shops in exactly the cities with that kind of exposure, on purpose.
Ten years, a pandemic, an outdoor shed he built himself with no permit, and now a shop in Boston already doing the same daily numbers his original Chelsea Market spot did on day one.

Joey Bats never cooked a day in his life. He started selling Pasteis de Nata and now he has his own Boston place. Join us for this fascinating story about one of Portugal’s most enduring sweets and how its success on the other side of the Atlantic

Joey Bats never fried an egg, now he ships pasteis de nata worldwide

Chef Nuno Sousa reflects on his journey from immigrant worker with three jobs to restaurant owner, and on how New York’s culture of resilience, risk-taking and reinvention shaped both his career and his outlook.

The conversation traces the growth of Leitao from a street-food concept inspired by New York’s Smorgasburg market to a restaurant that introduced many American diners to Portuguese dishes such as leitão, francesinha, bacalhau and octopus. Sousa discusses the challenges of presenting Portuguese food outside Portugal, the importance of quality ingredients and hospitality, and the opportunity created by the growing international interest in Portuguese culture, tourism and gastronomy.

Sousa also looks ahead to Galo, his new restaurant project, which aims to showcase Portugal’s regional wines and culinary traditions in a more ambitious setting. Throughout the conversation, he reflects on identity, migration and the values he associates with the Portuguese community: resilience, courage and hard work. The result is a portrait of an entrepreneur using food as a way to represent Portugal on one of the world's most competitive culinary stages.

The synopsis of this episode was created with the help of AI. Read more about Impresa’s use of Artificial Intelligence

Chef Nuno Sousa reflects on his journey from immigrant worker with three jobs to restaurant owner, and on how New York&rsquo;s culture of resilience, risk-taking and reinvention shaped both his career and his outlook.
The conversation traces the growth of Leitao from a street-food concept inspired by New York&rsquo;s Smorgasburg market to a restaurant that introduced many American diners to Portuguese dishes such as leit&atilde;o, francesinha, bacalhau and octopus. Sousa discusses the challenges of presenting Portuguese food outside Portugal, the importance of quality ingredients and hospitality, and the opportunity created by the growing international interest in Portuguese culture, tourism and gastronomy.
Sousa also looks ahead to Galo, his new restaurant project, which aims to showcase Portugal&rsquo;s regional wines and culinary traditions in a more ambitious setting. Throughout the conversation, he reflects on identity, migration and the values he associates with the Portuguese community: resilience, courage and hard work. The result is a portrait of an entrepreneur using food as a way to represent Portugal on one of the world's most competitive culinary stages.
The synopsis of this episode was created with the help of AI. <a href="https://expresso.pt/sobre/estatuto-editorial/2020-01-20-estatuto-editorial-3c79f4ec">Read more about Impresa&rsquo;s use of Artificial Intelligence</a>

Chef Nuno Sousa left Barcelos for New York with no formal culinary training, a background in football coaching and a determination to build something of his own. Nearly a decade later, he runs Leitao, a Portuguese restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village that has become a reference point for Portuguese cuisine in the city. Listen to the premiere of The Heart and Hustle of Portugal’s Season 5, recorded on location in New York

Nuno Seixas music invites you to sit down and share what’s going on with your life

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