Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with model, dancer, actress and storyteller Kalena Ranoa! Kalena talks about her incredible 13 year journey with Young Storytellers, her passion for seeing the female voice continue to rise in all its vibrancy in hollywood, and what it's like to work on her original 1/2 hour scripted comedy series Giraffe The Series! Kalena's passion for helping others realize their dreams is truly inspired you don't want to miss this episode! Link to listen in my bio! About my guest: Kalena Ranoa knew as a child that she was to move to Tinseltown from San Jose, CA to pursue her dreams of acting. With Hawaiian family roots, she received a BA in Communication from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Measuring in at 6' tall, she opted to model, dance Hula, ballet and jazz instead of playing volleyball and basketball. Although, she did play a basketball player on TV when she co-starred with David Spade on Rules of Engagement. She recently appeared in Lena Waithe's new show Twenties on BET! Most notably, she and her bestie, Victoria Blow, created and starred in their own series, GIRAFFES, a comical tv show featuring tall gals. Kalena has studied acting at The Imagined Life, The Groundlings, Second City and The Beverly Hills Playhouse. She has been a proud volunteer head mentor & actress for 13 years with the Young Storytellers, leading children in developing literacy through the art of storytelling. And was recently awarded with the Mentor of the Year award! She directed two episodes of Razor Tongue with Now>Ever Artists. She proudly represents tall, strong Supersheroes in Hollywood--#timesup!

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with Professional NFL Cheerleader and NHL Ice girl Nicolina Claire. Nicolina shares wonderful insights on how to bring your best self to team experiences and how she is keeping the dreams of young dancers alive and well during quarantine through her zoom classes! Nicolina's energy and enthusiasm is truly infectious you don't want to miss this episode!

About my guest:

Nicolina Claire is an former NFL Cheerleader and NHL Ice Girl. She began figure skating at the age of 4 and credits her work ethic and passion to the lessons she learned in the ice rink from a young age. After an injury ended her skating journey, she became a competitive dancer and even represented the United States at Dance Worlds in Orlando, Florida. In 2015, she took to the ice again as an Ice Girl in the American Hockey League for the Ontario Reign. Then Nicolina spent 2 years as an Ice Girl in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings. Following her time with the Kings, she cheered for the National Football League with the Los Angeles Charger Girls. While working in the AHL, NHL and NFL, Nicolina completed her Bachelors Degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing. She is currently giving back to the dance community by teaching children's ballet, jazz and cheerleading classes.

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with business manager to some of the most accomplished athletes on and off the ice and former president of DARE Canada, Ken Hadall. Ken and I discuss the importance of maintaining a circle of friends and colleague that have the same heart and what it means to truly give back to communities you love. This episode is chalked full of delightful anecdotes for athletes and entrepreneurs alike!

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with award-winning writer and director, Nicole Jones-Dion. Nicole shares inspiration for aspiring writers and directors alike and offers some fabulous tips on how to keep the creative juices flowing during quarantine!

About my guest:

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with WGA | DGA | PGA | VES | ASCAP Award-Winning filmmaker Brian A. Metcalf. We discuss the importance of consistent study, networking, and what it means to truly commit to your craft! Brian's latest film, Adverse was recently acquired by Grindstone Entertainment and features Lou Diamond Phillips, Mickey Rourke, Penelope Ann Miller, Thomas Nicolas, Kelly Arjen, and Sean Astin. Coming to a theater near you soon!

About my guest:

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Brian A. Metcalf (WGA, PGA, DGA, VES, ASCAP) is an Asian-American award-winning filmmaker (writer, director, producer and actor). His most recent film, Adverse, is a drama/thriller that he produced, directed, wrote and acted in and stars a large ensemble cast with Academy Award® Nominee Mickey Rourke, Academy Award® Nominee Sean Astin, Golden Globe® Nominee Lou Diamond Phillips, Golden Globe® Nominee Penelope Ann Miller, Matt Ryan, Jake T. Austin, Andrew Keegan, Luke Edwards, Shelley Regner, Thomas Ian Nicholas and more. The film premiered as the opening film at the prestigious Fantasporto Film Festival and went on to win several awards, including a Platinum Remi Award from Worldfest. Previously, Metcalf worked as a creative director, writer, photographer, visual effects artist and supervisor working on games, DVDs, web, EPKs, music videos, film and documentaries for studios such as Warner Bros., Sony, Disney, FOX, Paramount, Lionsgate and more, including the award-winning music video, "Money Shot" by the band Helmet and Fox's 24: The DVD Board Game, starring Kiefer Sutherland. His directorial debut was the award-winning short film "Sorrows Lost." Metcalf moved on to write, produce and direct The Lost Tree, starring Thomas Ian Nicholas, Lacey Chabert, Scott Grimes, Clare Kramer and Michael Madsen and was screened at The Director's Guild of America. The premiere was held at the TCL Chinese Theatres and released theatrically on Friday the 13th. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences placed this script and two other scripts Brian wrote into their permanent core collection at the Margaret Herrick Library. Metcalf's next film which he wrote, directed, produced and acted was "Living Among Us," starring William Sadler, Primetime Emmy® Nominee John Heard, James Russo, Andrew Keegan, Esme Bianco and Thomas Ian Nicholas. The film was released in theaters and distributed through Vision Films/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and FOX International. Metcalf also helped to produce the documentary, Little Gandhi, which was announced for Oscar Consideration on October 6th, 2017 , the first ever nomination from Syria. Metcalf also won the 2017 Murray Weissman Movie Poster award for designing the movie poster for Little Gandhi. Upcoming projects include a film written by "Sideways" writer, Rex Pickett. Metcalf continues to develop numerous projects for film, television, multimedia. He is living in Los Angeles. Metcalf continues to develop numerous projects for film, television, multimedia. He is living in Los Angeles.

In this episode of Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder I chat with power house voice over artist and director, Dana Power. We discuss her brand new Fantasy Audio Series, Carcerem (which drops 9/22!) The surprising and beautiful way her career evolved from the stage to the microphone, and what self-care means to her during the quarantine. This is an uber special episode you do not want to miss! Link to listen in my bio!

About my guest: Dana Powers, a voice actress and director located in Los Angeles, began her love of the Performing Arts at the age of 8, doing Community theatre in Marin County. She was later accepted into the Marin School of the Arts for theatre, where she took her training and interest to a new level, experiencing Shakespeare and Commedia dell'arte for her first time; winning theater competitions, and stretching her knowledge of performance. A proud member of the Independent Shakespeare Co. for 6 years, Dana performed outdoor Shakespeare in Griffith Park during the summers to audiences filled with thousands of Angelenos. She also spent her years after college performing with other SoCal traveling Shakespeare companies, enjoyed new works in black box theaters in Hollywood, and classics at the Glendale Centre Theatre. She began working as a full time voice actress 8 years ago, and has since booked countless commercials, along with a variety of animated projects, video games, promos, narrations, dubbing, and more! You can currently hear her voice on TV commercials such as, Kit Kat Duos 'Mint and Dark Chocolate', Robinhood, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cox Communications, and Purina pet food. She has most notably voiced various characters on Cartoon Network's popular animated TV show 'We Bare Bears' (Season 1 & 2), and the video game 'State of Decay 2'

In this episode of Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder I chat with singer/songwriter Taylor Hurst. We discuss his incredible journey overcoming his speech block to singing in front of thousands and performing original songs for big-screen movies! This episode is sure to inspire the dreamer in all of us to remember the power of our passion when facing any obstacle. Don't miss this one!

In this episode of Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder I chat with world-famous comedian, Mike Marino. We discuss some of his most magical, Hollywood moments, how invaluable the support of family is, and how laughter is such a necessary ingredient to keeping our friends and colleagues' spirits up during the quarantine.

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with Stanley Cup Winner, coach, sports analyst, and published children's author Jamal Mayers. We talk about the team component of hockey, inclusion in the sport, and how he is sharing his passion for the sport with young people with his book Hockey Is For Me. You don't want to miss this episode!

About my guest:

Jamal Mayers began his hockey career in 1996-97 with the St. Louis Blues for ten seasons before moving on to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and finally winning a Stanley Cup in 2013 with the Chicago Blackhawks. Mayers represented Canada three times at the World Championship (2000, 2007, 2008), which included helping Canada win the gold medal in 2007 and the silver medal in 2008. Mayers played college hockey at Western Michigan University from 1992-1996 and graduated with a Business degree. His new children's book, ''Hockey Is For Me,'' in which he encourages other kids to fall in love with the sport that helped him achieve so much throughout his life is now available on NHL.com

In this episode of Distance Makes the HeART Grow Fonder I chat with Academy Award Winning producers Karen and Howard Baldwin. We discuss the special combination of passion, follow-thru, and commitment filmmakers must have to see their project through to the end and how vital it is to never give up! This episode is full of wonderful anecdotes about their unique history in hockey and Hollywood and will surely serve as an inspiration to all! We also discuss their latest film 'Odd Man Rush' which is available today 9/1 on all VOD platforms.

About my guests:

Howard and Karen Baldwin. They are best known for producing with Stuart Benjamin the Academy Award nominated motion picture "Ray" (starring Jaime Foxx) which was nominated for two Golden Globes (Best Motion Picture and won for Best Performance by an Actor – Comedy or musical) and six Academy Awards (Won for Best Actor in Leading Role, Won for Best Sound Mixing, Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design). The Baldwins have also produced films such as "Mystery Alaska" (starring Russell Crowe), "Sahara" (starring Matthew McConaughey) and "The Game of Their Lives" (starring Gerard Butler).