Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

By Dot Cannon: Public Speaker & New-Media ReporterSociety & Culture Education Arts

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak episodes

October 16, 2018 The CrunchCup: A Maker’s Inspiration
An Over Coffee® special-edition podcast

The CrunchCup resulted from an aspiration--and a conversation. It started off as a fun idea.

And then. it became something more.

CrunchCup is now a startup, and co-founder Rob Lambert was onsite in early October, as innovation hub Toolbox LA celebrated its Grand Opening in Chatsworth.

Rob and CrunchCup cofounder Kevin Meyer were displaying their product, which is the world's first portable cereal cup.

And--the CrunchCup's 30-day crowdfunding campaign begins on October 16th! Best of all, when you order a cup, Rob and Kevin will donate a meal to nonprofit No Kid Hungry.

Rob shared the story of the CrunchCup and his journey, as a maker, from concept to workable prototype, and what's next.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

*
How Rob first became inspired to become an innovator;

*
How a mealtime conversation led to the genesis of the CrunchCup;

*
The steps Rob took, from concept to creation;

*
A good "maker lesson" Rob learned, from the process of creating the CrunchCup;

*
Details on their Kickstarter campaign;

*
A fun, social-media way to participate in CrunchCup's give-back efforts;

*
Rob's experiences with Toolbox L.A. and why he'd recommend the facility to fellow makers.

12 min
October 16, 2018 The CrunchCup: A Maker’s Inspiration
An Over Coffee® special-edition podcast

The CrunchCup resulted from an aspiration--and a conversation. It started off as a fun idea.

And then. it became something more.

CrunchCup is now a startup, and co-founder Rob Lambert was onsite in early October, as innovation hub Toolbox LA celebrated its Grand Opening in Chatsworth.

Rob and CrunchCup cofounder Kevin Meyer were displaying their product, which is the world's first portable cereal cup.

And--the CrunchCup's 30-day crowdfunding campaign begins on October 16th! Best of all, when you order a cup, Rob and Kevin will donate a meal to nonprofit No Kid Hungry.

Rob shared the story of the CrunchCup and his journey, as a maker, from concept to workable prototype, and what's next.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

*
How Rob first became inspired to become an innovator;

*
How a mealtime conversation led to the genesis of the CrunchCup;

*
The steps Rob took, from concept to creation;

*
A good "maker lesson" Rob learned, from the process of creating the CrunchCup;

*
Details on their Kickstarter campaign;

*
A fun, social-media way to participate in CrunchCup's give-back efforts;

*
Rob's experiences with Toolbox L.A. and why he'd recommend the facility to fellow makers.

12 min
October 15, 2018 His Talent Will “Haunt” You

"Haunters: the Art of the Scare" is, quite simply, a great documentary.

It's also a study of a world we haven't seen before: that of haunt professionals.

At ScareLA 2018, in August, filmmaker Jon Schnitzer talked about the process of crafting his documentary. Jon, who produced and directed Haunters: the Art of the Scare, says his original idea, and the resulting stories, evolved during the process of filming.

His final result: three compelling stories, of the creatives behind three different haunts. Legendary scare actor/speaker/producer Shar Mayer (who stars in our previous podcast), Nightmare on Loganberry creator Donald Julson and Russ McKamey, of the controversial McKamey Manor, all give their perspectives on their work and the ways it affects their lives.

Jon Schnitzer moderates his "Haunters: the Art of the Scare" panel at ScareLA 2018.(Left to right: scare actor Shar Mayer, haunt creator Donald Julson, haunt creator Josh Randall, composer Alexander Burke, and actor Jessica Cameron

Jon, who is co-owner of Los Angeles-based immersive entertainment company The Brain Factory, is no stranger to taking his viewers into uncharted territory. In 2017, he created and produced Flatline Experience. This 3D virtual-reality simulation takes viewers through a near-death experience, inspired by a real-life story Jon had heard, years earlier.

And Jon says that, with Haunters: the Art of the Scare, much more is coming! There's footage which he couldn't include in the original documentary, due to costs. In addition, he's presently in the middle of some exciting plans for a sequel--and possibly a series!

Jon offered a look at the creative process behind Haunters: the Art of the Scare, as well as a preview of what may be coming next! (Note: this is the first Halloween season that Haunters: the Art of the Scare is available on Netflix!)
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

*
The roots of Jon's love of Halloween and haunts;

*
How he first became inspired to create his documentary on the world of Haunters;

*
What was involved in his VR storytelling of Flatline Experience;

*
How he worked on his first Halloween project with director Tim Burton (creating effects for a Halloween party at President Obama's White House!)

*
How a college project led to Jon's first meeting with Tim Burton;

*
What the filmmaking process was like, creating Haunters;

*
The effects Jon's documentary has had, in sparking dialogues about haunting and "how far is too far";

*
How Jon saw his story evolve over time;

*
Some of the "bonus material" available beyond the documentary, and plans for forthcoming projects;

*
Additional Halloween projects in which Jon has been involved (including one for YouTube!);

*
Jon's thoughts on how to make a great haunt (or film project) on a limited budget;

*
A preview of the updates you'll see when you follow Haunters: the Art of the Scare on social media;

*
One of the effects the Haunters documentary had on one of the film's subjects--and the haunt industry;

*
36 min
October 15, 2018 His Talent Will “Haunt” You

"Haunters: the Art of the Scare" is, quite simply, a great documentary.

It's also a study of a world we haven't seen before: that of haunt professionals.

At ScareLA 2018, in August, filmmaker Jon Schnitzer talked about the process of crafting his documentary. Jon, who produced and directed Haunters: the Art of the Scare, says his original idea, and the resulting stories, evolved during the process of filming.

His final result: three compelling stories, of the creatives behind three different haunts. Legendary scare actor/speaker/producer Shar Mayer (who stars in our previous podcast), Nightmare on Loganberry creator Donald Julson and Russ McKamey, of the controversial McKamey Manor, all give their perspectives on their work and the ways it affects their lives.

Jon Schnitzer moderates his "Haunters: the Art of the Scare" panel at ScareLA 2018.(Left to right: scare actor Shar Mayer, haunt creator Donald Julson, haunt creator Josh Randall, composer Alexander Burke, and actor Jessica Cameron

Jon, who is co-owner of Los Angeles-based immersive entertainment company The Brain Factory, is no stranger to taking his viewers into uncharted territory. In 2017, he created and produced Flatline Experience. This 3D virtual-reality simulation takes viewers through a near-death experience, inspired by a real-life story Jon had heard, years earlier.

And Jon says that, with Haunters: the Art of the Scare, much more is coming! There's footage which he couldn't include in the original documentary, due to costs. In addition, he's presently in the middle of some exciting plans for a sequel--and possibly a series!

Jon offered a look at the creative process behind Haunters: the Art of the Scare, as well as a preview of what may be coming next! (Note: this is the first Halloween season that Haunters: the Art of the Scare is available on Netflix!)
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

*
The roots of Jon's love of Halloween and haunts;

*
How he first became inspired to create his documentary on the world of Haunters;

*
What was involved in his VR storytelling of Flatline Experience;

*
How he worked on his first Halloween project with director Tim Burton (creating effects for a Halloween party at President Obama's White House!)

*
How a college project led to Jon's first meeting with Tim Burton;

*
What the filmmaking process was like, creating Haunters;

*
The effects Jon's documentary has had, in sparking dialogues about haunting and "how far is too far";

*
How Jon saw his story evolve over time;

*
Some of the "bonus material" available beyond the documentary, and plans for forthcoming projects;

*
Additional Halloween projects in which Jon has been involved (including one for YouTube!);

*
Jon's thoughts on how to make a great haunt (or film project) on a limited budget;

*
A preview of the updates you'll see when you follow Haunters: the Art of the Scare on social media;

*
One of the effects the Haunters documentary had on one of the film's subjects--and the haunt industry;

*
36 min
October 08, 2018 Finding the “Inner Monster”

"Everybody haunts differently," says legendary haunter Shar Mayer.

The look, the technique, the psychology behind the scare, and the location are all factors to consider, she says.

Shar, who has been a professional haunt actor and producer for four decades, is familiar with all of the above.

She's seen the haunt industry develop and grow to its current high-tech status. Meanwhile, she's been having a lot of fun scaring the daylights out of horror fans! Shar has worked in venues including Sinister Pointe, Knott's Scary Farm and Delusion.

Besides being an actor, Shar is a producer and haunt consultant. She co-produced "Legend of the Iron Witch," the first original haunt to appear at Los Angeles' original summertime Halloween convention, ScareLA. And for the past few years, she's been working in the development and casting of Fullerton extreme haunt "The 17th Door". She performs, mentors and teaches aspiring haunters, and has taught workshops to community groups (including Girl Scouts) on horror makeup.

In addition, Shar appears as one of three featured horror professionals in Jon Schnitzer's documentary, "Haunters: The Art of the Scare", which is currently available on Netflix!
On this addition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

*
How haunting became Shar's passion;

*
Why she sees scaring someone as a "relationship" of sorts;

*
A "how-to" mini-lesson on horror makeup--and some easy scary looks to create this Halloween;

*
The techniques behind successful haunting;

*
Shar's advice to scare actors as they prepare to work in a haunt (including the number-one thing to do, to succeed!);

*
The psychology and boundaries of professionalism in haunting;

*
How to stay safe, as a haunter;

*
The ways Shar has seen the haunt industry change, over her four decades as a haunter;

*
How The 17th Door is creating elements and special effects to scare visitors;

*
What Shar's currently doing, and how to contact her with questions.

31 min
October 08, 2018 Finding the “Inner Monster”

"Everybody haunts differently," says legendary haunter Shar Mayer.

The look, the technique, the psychology behind the scare, and the location are all factors to consider, she says.

Shar, who has been a professional haunt actor and producer for four decades, is familiar with all of the above.

She's seen the haunt industry develop and grow to its current high-tech status. Meanwhile, she's been having a lot of fun scaring the daylights out of horror fans! Shar has worked in venues including Sinister Pointe, Knott's Scary Farm and Delusion.

Besides being an actor, Shar is a producer and haunt consultant. She co-produced "Legend of the Iron Witch," the first original haunt to appear at Los Angeles' original summertime Halloween convention, ScareLA. And for the past few years, she's been working in the development and casting of Fullerton extreme haunt "The 17th Door". She performs, mentors and teaches aspiring haunters, and has taught workshops to community groups (including Girl Scouts) on horror makeup.

In addition, Shar appears as one of three featured horror professionals in Jon Schnitzer's documentary, "Haunters: The Art of the Scare", which is currently available on Netflix!
On this addition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

*
How haunting became Shar's passion;

*
Why she sees scaring someone as a "relationship" of sorts;

*
A "how-to" mini-lesson on horror makeup--and some easy scary looks to create this Halloween;

*
The techniques behind successful haunting;

*
Shar's advice to scare actors as they prepare to work in a haunt (including the number-one thing to do, to succeed!);

*
The psychology and boundaries of professionalism in haunting;

*
How to stay safe, as a haunter;

*
The ways Shar has seen the haunt industry change, over her four decades as a haunter;

*
How The 17th Door is creating elements and special effects to scare visitors;

*
What Shar's currently doing, and how to contact her with questions.

31 min
October 01, 2018 The Exorcist: Legion VR: Intense Horror–and Fun
(Photo courtesy of Fun Train, and used with permission.   Photographer: Karen Strauss, difficultegg.com

The Exorcist: Legion VR will immerse you in a terrifying, demon-infested world.

It'll also show you an interactive great time. This is a game with lots of storytelling, an ominous atmosphere and occurrences designed to raise the hairs on the back of any horror fan's neck.

Douglas Nabors is both a filmmaker and the Founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based virtual reality publisher Fun Train.

And the challenge he and his team faced: to design an equally-compelling and intense episodic gaming experience, after obtaining a license to one of the most popular--and chilling--classic horror titles ever created.

(Photo courtesy of Fun Train, and used with permission.    Photographer: Karen Strauss, difficultegg.com.)

With The Exorcist: Legion VR, Douglas and his team serve up elements of exorcism, mystery, suspense--and, of course, moments that will scare the daylights out of you. Gamers have given it rave reviews, calling The Exorcist:Legion VR "terrifying" and "one of the best VR horror experiences available".

At the time we recorded this interview, Fun Train had released three of their five episodes of The Exorcist: Legion VR. Since then, they've released Chapters Four and Five, for the Oculus, Steam and Humble platforms.   In late September, they announced the release date, October 9th, of these chapters for Playstation, as well.

Douglas talked about his background and the creative process involved in creating The Exorcist: Legion VR, as well as offering some guidance for fellow creatives who want to design VR experiences.
On this edition of Over Coffee® , you'll hear:

*
How Douglas first became interested in creating entertainment as his life's work;

*
How he first discovered virtual reality as a vehicle for storytelling;

*
What the creative process was like, in bringing The Exorcist: Legion VR to life in virtual reality;

*
Parts of The Exorcist: Legion VR that actually scared Douglas--even though he knows they're coming!

*
One of the biggest creative challenges Douglas and his team encountered, while telling a story in episodic virtual reality;

*
The resources Douglas recommends, for anyone who wants to create stories or games in virtual reality;

*
His vision for the ways Fun Train VR will be evolving and upgrading their VR experiences in the future.

26 min
October 01, 2018 The Exorcist: Legion VR: Intense Horror–and Fun
(Photo courtesy of Fun Train, and used with permission.   Photographer: Karen Strauss, difficultegg.com

The Exorcist: Legion VR will immerse you in a terrifying, demon-infested world.

It'll also show you an interactive great time. This is a game with lots of storytelling, an ominous atmosphere and occurrences designed to raise the hairs on the back of any horror fan's neck.

Douglas Nabors is both a filmmaker and the Founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based virtual reality publisher Fun Train.

And the challenge he and his team faced: to design an equally-compelling and intense episodic gaming experience, after obtaining a license to one of the most popular--and chilling--classic horror titles ever created.

(Photo courtesy of Fun Train, and used with permission.    Photographer: Karen Strauss, difficultegg.com.)

With The Exorcist: Legion VR, Douglas and his team serve up elements of exorcism, mystery, suspense--and, of course, moments that will scare the daylights out of you. Gamers have given it rave reviews, calling The Exorcist:Legion VR "terrifying" and "one of the best VR horror experiences available".

At the time we recorded this interview, Fun Train had released three of their five episodes of The Exorcist: Legion VR. Since then, they've released Chapters Four and Five, for the Oculus, Steam and Humble platforms.   In late September, they announced the release date, October 9th, of these chapters for Playstation, as well.

Douglas talked about his background and the creative process involved in creating The Exorcist: Legion VR, as well as offering some guidance for fellow creatives who want to design VR experiences.
On this edition of Over Coffee® , you'll hear:

*
How Douglas first became interested in creating entertainment as his life's work;

*
How he first discovered virtual reality as a vehicle for storytelling;

*
What the creative process was like, in bringing The Exorcist: Legion VR to life in virtual reality;

*
Parts of The Exorcist: Legion VR that actually scared Douglas--even though he knows they're coming!

*
One of the biggest creative challenges Douglas and his team encountered, while telling a story in episodic virtual reality;

*
The resources Douglas recommends, for anyone who wants to create stories or games in virtual reality;

*
His vision for the ways Fun Train VR will be evolving and upgrading their VR experiences in the future.

26 min
September 19, 2018 A Taste of Space Science
(Photo courtesy of Alli Westover, NASA HUNCH, and used with permission.)

Preparing meals for consumption aboard the International Space Station can present some unique problems.

And currently, through the NASA HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge, a number of high school students are getting to solve those firsthand.

NASA Project Engineer Allison Westover is the HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge Program Manager. (She is also the NASA JSC HUNCH Mentor for the HUNCH Design and Prototype program.)

HUNCH is an acronym for "High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware". The HUNCH program empowers high school students by mentoring them as they create real-world items for NASA.

Alli says teams from participating high schools can participate in one of six different HUNCH competitions. Each starts at the beginning of the new school year and culminates in a final review, in the spring, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Winning projects go into use on the International Space Station.
A school-year commitment
In the Astronaut Culinary Challenge, participating student teams research food processing in microgravity. After coming up with ideas in accordance with NASA's nutritional guidelines and this year's Challenge theme, a school submits the best two to Alli. Then, according to the timeline on the HUNCH Culinary Challenge website, she'll review and critique the proposals--sending recommendations by mid-December.

Then, students get to work, developing and tweaking their recipes. The goal: to be one of the selected finalist groups, who will go to Johnson Space Center in the spring. Finalists get to have their dish reviewed by an astronaut and the ISS program office. And the winning recipe, goes on the menu for the ISS crew!

But cooking is only part of the preparations.

Teams research, fine-tune their recipes, write a final paper and even produce a 2-minute video, prior to the pre-selection competition.

Alli talked about the HUNCH Culinary Challenge, what students (and educators) can expect when they participate and some of the considerations involved in cooking for astronauts aboard the ISS.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

*
How the NASA HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge first began;

*
How interested educators can get their schools involved in the HUNCH program;

*
What happens for the student groups, once they get involved in the HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge for the school year;

*
The considerations NASA (and the HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge teams) have to keep in mind, when cooking for the space station crew;

*
What types of foods astronauts have liked, in the past;

*
The theme for the 2018-2019 Culinary Challenge;

*
Some of the mistakes past student teams have made, from which this year's teams could learn;

*
How much of a time commitment team members can expect to make;

*
Some additional HUNCH program options available to high school students, in addition to the Culinary Challenge.

17 min
September 19, 2018 A Taste of Space Science
(Photo courtesy of Alli Westover, NASA HUNCH, and used with permission.)

Preparing meals for consumption aboard the International Space Station can present some unique problems.

And currently, through the NASA HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge, a number of high school students are getting to solve those firsthand.

NASA Project Engineer Allison Westover is the HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge Program Manager. (She is also the NASA JSC HUNCH Mentor for the HUNCH Design and Prototype program.)

HUNCH is an acronym for "High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware". The HUNCH program empowers high school students by mentoring them as they create real-world items for NASA.

Alli says teams from participating high schools can participate in one of six different HUNCH competitions. Each starts at the beginning of the new school year and culminates in a final review, in the spring, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Winning projects go into use on the International Space Station.
A school-year commitment
In the Astronaut Culinary Challenge, participating student teams research food processing in microgravity. After coming up with ideas in accordance with NASA's nutritional guidelines and this year's Challenge theme, a school submits the best two to Alli. Then, according to the timeline on the HUNCH Culinary Challenge website, she'll review and critique the proposals--sending recommendations by mid-December.

Then, students get to work, developing and tweaking their recipes. The goal: to be one of the selected finalist groups, who will go to Johnson Space Center in the spring. Finalists get to have their dish reviewed by an astronaut and the ISS program office. And the winning recipe, goes on the menu for the ISS crew!

But cooking is only part of the preparations.

Teams research, fine-tune their recipes, write a final paper and even produce a 2-minute video, prior to the pre-selection competition.

Alli talked about the HUNCH Culinary Challenge, what students (and educators) can expect when they participate and some of the considerations involved in cooking for astronauts aboard the ISS.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

*
How the NASA HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge first began;

*
How interested educators can get their schools involved in the HUNCH program;

*
What happens for the student groups, once they get involved in the HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge for the school year;

*
The considerations NASA (and the HUNCH Astronaut Culinary Challenge teams) have to keep in mind, when cooking for the space station crew;

*
What types of foods astronauts have liked, in the past;

*
The theme for the 2018-2019 Culinary Challenge;

*
Some of the mistakes past student teams have made, from which this year's teams could learn;

*
How much of a time commitment team members can expect to make;

*
Some additional HUNCH program options available to high school students, in addition to the Culinary Challenge.

17 min

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Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak episodes

About Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak