Face2Face with David Peck

Petr and I talk about his new film Never Alone and about choice, fascism, ideological issues that concern us all and why he’s still an optimist.

TIFF Runs from: September 8th – September 18th, 2016

For more information about the festival go here. 

Trailer

IMDB

Biography

Petr Vaclav graduated from Prague Film Academy FAMU. His short documentary MADAME LE MURIE (1993) was nominated for Student Academy Award.

Vaclav ́s first feature film, MARIAN (1996) - the story of a Romani child - won the Silver Leopard and the FIPRESCI Award in Locarno and other prizes at Angers, Thessaloniki, Belfort, Cottbus, Bratislava and Tehran film festivals, and had theatrical release in France, the Netherlands, the USA and South Korea.

His second feature, PARALLEL WORLD, (2001) was selected for the San Sebastian Official Competition.

His recent feature THE WAY OUT about a young Romani woman fighting for an ordinary life was screened at Cannes (ACID Selection 2014) and released in France under the name ZANETA.

Petr is currently finishing his latest feature SKOKAN. His documentary CONFESSION OF THE VANISHED, portraying Czech composer Josef Myslivecek (1734-1781) was released in April 2015 and is the part of the work on Vaclav ́s ambitious project, Il BOEMO

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Saik

Nick talks about his new film Know GMO, drought resistant crops, weed management and rational optimism versus irrational pessimism.

Synopsis

A 90-minute science based documentary that shows the public what the words “Genetically Modified Organism” really mean; Know GMO examines the real world challenges of Organic food production globally. We want to know: has biotechnology contributed to global food security? Are new agriculture technologies actually decreasing disease? Are they conserving land? Can it all really be done in a sustainable manner? We’ve set out to improve the public understanding of sustainable agricultural tools spanning Organic and Genetically Modified food production all across the globe.

Know GMO is a film about different points of view. This film is really three films in one. It’s a story about Genetically Modified Food, and how it’s been setup as the antithesis of Organic Food. It’s a story about fathers and sons, how Director Nick Saik and his father, Rob Saik have taken on this project together, and must resolve their differing views on the world and its food supply. It’s also a story about truth versus belief. In today’s world, the speed of a conversation, and the desire to contribute to it, has taken priority over actively listening to an alternate view and understanding it. We’ve seen a general retraction from the knowledge that science has given us, and this film aims to examine and understand that retraction.

In all the story lines of the film the objective is to find truth and seek the understanding that comes when two perspectives can be reconciled into a common view. In Know GMO, we are trying to see if the values that lead to Organic methods of production have anything to do with the values that allow Bio-Technology (GMO) to exist as a tool in the food supply chain. This endeavour will take Nick, and Rob, to various agricultural centres around the world. They will gain depth in their understanding of the world ’s requirement for food. Agriculture in Hawaii, Kenya, Uganda, Argentina, all have specific needs and concerns to address, and they all have different views on the use of GMO technologies to help solve problems.

The film uncovers the definition of quality in food as it’s seen by different individuals, organizations, and countries. Understanding what quality means from different perspectives will allow Nick to reconcile the values of GMO supporters and Organic supporters. During this production it becomes extremely evident that there are positive attributes to support various viewpoints. GMO and Organic do not end up being mutually exclusive, neither do Rob’s or Nick’s ideas, and neither does truth and belief.

Belief, tempered with truth ends up showing Nick that his Dad’s ideas about quality in food are valid, and that conservative ideals cause quality to be seen in a certain way. It also shows Rob that Nick has an understanding of this GMO/Organic debate that came from a young liberal curiosity of the world’s food needs. A father and a son have found some common ground that not only they can comfortably share, but it might just have enough space in it for the rest of the world too. Know GMO aims to help Organic supporters and GMO supporters find enough understanding to contribute to solving the world’s food problems without so much fear in the discussion.

For more info here: www.knowgmothemovie.com

Biography

Born in Alberta, Canada and raised in an agricultural household, Nick fostered an appreciation for the stories found in the Ag industry and began working with his father Rob Saik in the early 2000’s to tell the story of Agriculture through film.  

After graduating in 2009 with an applied degree in Cinematography from Red Deer College Motion Picture Arts program, Nick co-directed and photographed a feature length documentary shot in Sudan called The Ladder of my Life, produced by Unveil Studios Inc.  Nick learned a great deal about capturing extraordinary stories with the smallest possible crew and dealing with less than ideal shooting situations - an experience that proved invaluable during the production of KNOW GMO.

By 2012, after much time working with small cameras mounted in interesting places, Nick developed an innovative shooting technique using GoPro Cameras mounted to hula hoops.  This technique gained Nick significant recognition in the GoPro filming community, and started a worldwide shooting trend.  Nick has licensed this shot for several different productions around the world, such as Adult Swim’s Off the Air - Body. 

In 2013, Nick and his wife Toni moved to Vancouver to experience another facet of filmmaking. Nick completed IATSE 669’s Camera Trainee Program and spent time working on major productions in the Vancouver area as a Camera Trainee.  Having experienced the smallest and largest scales of filmmaking, Nick now had the perspective to choose a scale of production that best suited him and launched Nick Saik Productions. KNOW GMO is the company's first feature length film. 

Today, Nick is once again based in Red Deer Alberta.  HIs experiences lead to the conclusion that his place is in the Prairies, and his passion lies in capturing and relating the rich and diverse nature of his home province, and specifically the Agriculture industry.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rick and I talk about kitchen table culture, aspiring leaders, 3 part epiphanies, and why conversation is a deeply creative process.

Biography

Rick Wolfe is the originator of the Kitchen Table Conversation approach to facilitated dialogue. He developed the process for use in his management consulting practice. As a consultant he specializes in strategic planning, brand development, stakeholder engagement and business development. Based in Toronto, Rick has frequently undertaken assignments across Canada, the US and in the UK. Stakeholder engagement assignments have also taken him to various European centres and Tokyo.

Among the clients he has served: IBM, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Smith & Andersen, RBC, TD Bank, Barclays Bank, Sun Life, Lifelabs, EXL, TCS, Siemens, SAS, Microsoft, Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright, Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, LG Electronics and the University of Waterloo.

Prior to opening his consulting practice, Rick was a senior account service executive with the advertising agency, McCann-Erickson Worldwide. He was first with the firm in Toronto, then in Tokyo for four years. As a regional Account Group Director there, he supervised the development of strategy and the creation of marketing campaigns for use in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and other Asian markets.

Rick has a B.A. from York University and an MFA in Drama, specializing in Stage Direction, from the University of Alberta. The Globe and Mail described his directorial work as ingenious and memorable.

Read more about Rick here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anita and I talk about racism in Canada, why we need to build inclusion, how hate speech and free speech are very different and why there is only one human race.

Biography

Anita Bromberg is the Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a Canadian Crown Agency dedicated to eliminating racism and maintaining harmonious relations across diverse communities.

A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Community Program Excellence Award, Anita brings to the position three decades of experience working on issues of racism and discrimination, as well as human rights, countering hate and intergroup relations.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Anita is a lawyer by profession, and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1982. She is a frequent spokesperson, lecturer, trainer and media representative on topical issues of the day, particularly as they relate to racialized communities. A court recognized expert on racism and extremism, she has also instituted and participated in numerous intercultural outreach and educational initiatives.

Formerly she was the National Director of Legal Affairs for B'nai Brith Canada and human rights coordinator for the League of Human Rights where she coordinated the legal initiatives of the organization’s advocacy efforts and was responsible for the operation of the organization's Anti-Hate Hotline and its annual report on racism.

Read more about the foundation here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles Plant

Charles and I talk about fear, doubt and uncertainty, success and entrepreneurship and why gossip is a way to regulate one’s own behavior.

Biography

Charles is a serial entrepreneur. He has an MBA in marketing and was trained as a Chartered Accountant and a banker.

He spent 15 years as co founder and CEO of Synamics, a telecommunications software firm that provided mass calling platforms to telcos. Since then he has co-founded two other technology companies and been an officer, director or investor in a dozen others. He’s provided financing, consulting and coaching services to several dozen other firms and provided training to thousands.

Charles spent four years at MaRS ending as CFO. For most of his time at MaRS he spearheaded a group of former entrepreneurs and specialists who developed thought leadership, provided education, mentorship, market intelligence and capital to over 2,000 technology startups in Ontario.

Among several other jobs in management consulting and investment banking, he spent seven years on the faculty of York’s Schulich School of Business and is now spending a lot of time at the University of Toronto where he’s a Senior Fellow at the Impact Centre doing research on innovation and entrepreneurship.

He also teaches an undergraduate course in the Faculty of Arts and Science and a course in Strategy Execution for the School of Continuing Studies.

Read more about Charles here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bobby Motta

Bobby and I talk about magic, deception, mentalism, entrepreneurship and building a business from the ground up and about why perspective is everything.

Biography

Experience Bobby Motta, the mentalist and mind reader who gives a performance you have to see to believe. Canada’s own master of the unknown earns props from celebrities here and abroad, astounding stars like Russell Crowe and Nelly Furtado.

His incredible ingenuity and stage effects have also made him one of the industries most sought-out consultants behind the scenes, loaning out his secrets to names like David Blaine, and Criss Angel, and consulting on some of Stage and TVʼs biggest production spectaculars to date.

His ultra-thrilling style and mesmerizing technique grabs hold and won’t let go, blurring lines between reality and the paranormal realms as he pulls you in. Bobby is the epitome of his craft with international appearances that set the bar.

He’s been featured on almost every major television network and starred in exclusive engagements for a VIP clientele list including the likes of Google, Nike and the Bank of America to name a few. His jaw dropping performances leave even the biggest skeptics as wide-eyed as little kids at a carnival. Bobby is based in Toronto.

Read more about Bobby here.

Find out about his products here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David and I talked about entrepreneurship, what’s wrong with our educational system, why learners need to be engaged and how passion plays such an important role in pretty much everything and about his exciting initiative called Kaajenga.

Biography

David founded KAAJENGA after a 25-year career in consulting, eLearning, technology, and banking. He became Chief Executive Officer of Spring Valley Architectural Innovations in 2011 and helped turn it around, grew sales 435% creating a national sales network in the process. At various stages throughout his career he has held many executive management positions in both private and public organizations including; INTERCHANGE, The Executive Knowledge Exchange, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Networks North NETWORKS NORTH INC. (NASDAQ:NETN), IRGATEWAY (TSX Venture Exchange) and Curriculum Services Canada (Not for Profit). He was nominated for Canadian Young Entrepreneur of the Year and built a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution for his service-based business in the early 80’s, managed the global launch of a leading eLearning software solution in the 90’s, built a virtual learning hospital in the 20th century, and through INTERCHANGE, The Executive Knowledge Exchange helped a number of the Profit 100 companies grow sales, raise capital and execute growth strategies. A number of the companies in the portfolio of companies were architectural products manufacturers or related architectural innovators. Having completed multiple rounds of funding through to an IPO, he was twice featured in the annual report of a large Canadian Bank, for his creative financial and management strategies. David spent the past 10-years developing a systematic sales process that resulted in the creation of KAAJENGA, Video marketing, social sharing system for the architectural industry that centralizes and manages sales activity through a CRM, promotes social sharing, reports on the analytics, and rewards engagement activity. His specialty is his systematic sales models for value-based selling. He spent two years guest lecturing on Strategic Management at the University of New Brunswick, taught entrepreneurship in the 90’s, co-authored entrepreneurial books, sales methodologies, and numerous white papers including; “Crossing Death Valley”, a discussion paper on early stage funding and management support.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eugene Burger

Eugene and I talk about magic as a “way”, storytelling, how words have hypnotized us, why we all need to wake up and why mystery is really the problem.

Biography

He's amazed and delighted audiences from Las Vegas to Tokyo. As Stagebill magazine proclaimed, Eugene Burger is "universally recognized as perhaps the finest close-up magician in the world."

"Close-up magic" is just that: magic performed right under your nose, where everyone becomes part of the show. And with Eugene Burger it is an unforgettable experience, for as the Chicago Reader noted in an unprecedented eleven-page cover story about him, "Burger adds something extra." His warmth and humor are captivating and his magic is simply amazing.

By definition, magicians are pretty special people, but Eugene Burger is considered exceptional even by other magicians. He has written fifteen best-selling books for the trade, starred in eight instructional videos, lectured extensively to magicians' groups in over a dozen countries, and his writings have been translated into several languages.

His deep understanding of the psychology and philosophy behind the magic have won him international accolades, cover stories in conjuring magazines, and four awards from the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood.

But as much as he loves discussing magic with fellow performers, Eugene's true passion is bringing mystery and enchantment to the public, and at this he is unparalleled. His special presence has led to numerous television appearances in Great Britain, Canada, Belgium, Finland and Japan, and on such highly acclaimed shows as The Art of Magic on PBS andMysteries of Magic on The Learning Channel. He's been profiled twice on CNN.

During the past several years, Eugene has been a featured speaker for top executives of such major companies as Coca-Cola, Williams-Sonoma, Unisys and Pottery Barn, as well as top business schools including Wharton, and the graduate schools of business at the Universities of Chicago and Maryland. His talk, "How Magicians Think," applies his special understanding of deception and perception to the corporate world.

When the leading international trade journal Magic magazine compiled its list of the one hundred most influential magicians of the twentieth century, Eugene Burger was included for his ability to "arouse feelings of astonishment, as well as a host of other indescribable sensations."

Find out why this engaging entertainer is in constant demand for private parties, corporate functions and special events. Discover for yourself what the Chicago Tribune hailed as the "delightful excitement" that is uniquely Eugene Burger.

Read more about Eugene here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthew and I talk about his latest TV appearance, Las Vegas, why he’s finally left his ego behind as a performer and how he thinks there’s an audience for everything now.

Biography

Having worked with comedy greats such as Drew Carey and Jerry Seinfeld, and submitted for a Canadian Comedy Award, Matthew DiSero performs everywhere from Casino’s Las Vegas to corporate events in Tokyo. Headline performances at Canada’s Walk of Fame Ceremonies, Ohio’s “Great Lakes Comedy Festival”, Regina Comedy Festival and Moncton’s HubCap Comedy festivals, have led to television appearances on the Comedy Network, ABC, The CW network and Bite TV.

Matthew DiSero is both a comedian and magician, blending the two disciplines together to create the perfect interactive, clean and funny show for after dinner and special events. Talent buyers the world over regularly hire Matthew because he is consistently funny, entertaining and on target with their audiences.

In demand internationally Matthew DiSero can also be seen performing on some of the world's largest cruise lines such as Princess, NCL, Holland America and Royal Caribbean. Additionally Matt donates his time to performing for the military, entertaining troops in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Italy, Dubai, Cyrpess, Greenland and even WAY up at the North Pole. Yes, he’s been to the actual north pole.

Read more about Matthew here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Glenn Mullin

Glenn and I talk about “humourful humility”, the power of the inner life, Buddhism, the first Tibetan fart joke and the beneficial presence of others.

Biography

Glenn H. Mullin is a Tibetologist, Buddhist writer, translator of classical Tibetan literature, and teacher of Tantric Buddhist meditation. He divides his time between writing, teaching, meditating, and leading tour groups to the power places of Nepal and Tibet. Glenn lived in the Indian Himalayas between 1972 and 1984, where he studied philosophy, literature, meditation, yoga, and the enlightenment culture under thirty-five of the greatest living masters of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His two principal tantric gurus were the late great masters Kyabje Ling Dorjechang and Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang, who were best known as Yongdzin Che Chung, the two main gurus of the present Dalai Lama. The list of Glenn’s other teachers and initiation masters includes the Dalai Lama, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Ngakpa Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche, Tai Situ Rinpoche, Khenchen Konchok Gyaltsen, Geshe Ngawang Dargyey, Geshey Rabten, and Gongsar Tulku. Glenn is the author of over 20 books on Tibetan Buddhism. Many of these (published by Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY) focus on the lives and works of the early Dalai Lamas. Some of his other titles include Tsongkhapa's Six Yogas of Naropa and The Practice of Kalachakra (Snow Lion); Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition (Arkana/Viking Penguin); Mystical Verses of a Mad Dalai Lama (Quest Books); The Mystical Arts of Tibet (Longstreet Press); and The Fourteen Dalai Lamas, as well as The Female Buddhas (Clear Light Books). He has also worked as a field specialist on three Tibet-related films and five television documentaries, and has co-produced five audio recordings of Tibetan sacred music. In 2002 his book The Fourteen Dalai Lamas was nominated for the prestigious NAPRA award for best book, and in 2004 his book The Female Buddhas won a Best Book Award from Foreword Magazine. After returning from India in 1984 Glenn founded and directed The Mystical Arts of Tibet, an association of Dharma friends that was instrumental in bringing the first tours of Tibetan monks to North America to perform sacred Temple music and dance, as well as create mandala sand paintings. He gave this to Drepung Loseling Monastery in 1994, and it continues to bring Tibetan spiritual culture on tours around the world. Glenn has also curated a number of important Tibetan art exhibitions. The first of these, “The Art of Compassion,” was created for Tibet House in New Delhi, and toured Europe for two years. Another, entitled "The Mystical Arts of Tibet, featuring personal sacred objects of HH the Dalai Lama," was created for the Summer Olympics of 1996 as a joint project with The Drepung Loseling Institute (DLI) and the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA). It premiered in Atlanta during the Summer Olympics of 1996, and then for the six years to follow toured North America. Recently (in 2001) Glenn curated "The Female Buddha: Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mysticism" as a joint project with OUMA and the Rubin Museum of Art in New York (RMA). In 2003 he curated “The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism,” again as a joint project between OUMA and the RMA. He also wrote the readers that accompanied these four exhibits. As well as leading tour groups to the Buddhist power places of Nepal and Tibet, Glenn acts as consultant and advisor to independent groups wanting to travel safely and meaningfully through these sacred sites.

You can read more about Glenn here.

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For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here.

With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.