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

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

By Dot Cannon: Public Speaker & New-Media ReporterSociety & CultureEducationArts
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Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak episodes

  • In Remembrance of Heroes
    by Dot Cannon
    As we explore innovation, creativity and people who make a difference, there's something we don't want to forget.

    Without freedom, none of that would be possible.

    A warm "thank you", this Veteran's Day, to our service members, veterans, and their families.

    Here's a link to award-winning Canadian songwriter Billy Grima's new single, which he wrote in honor of those who serve.  Entitled "Picture of You and Me", it may very well give you chills.

    AND--Billy says he and his band want to lend their talents to help families of fallen soldiers.  Here's a short clip from an upcoming Over Coffee® interview, in which he talks about "Picture of You and Me", and what he has in mind.

    Billy's new single, "Picture of You and Me" is available on iTunes, and is one of the tracks on his latest CD, "Sugar and Cream".   He can be reached for potential concert appearances through MTS Management.
    4 min
  • His Many Facets of Magic


    For award-winning magician Michael Stroud, the real magic is in giving, evolving and "firsts".[powerpress}



    Michael talked about his journey as a magician,  the Magique Bazaar's current work (including an exciting show in the planning stages for 2016!) and some of the lessons other artists can take away from his experiences.
    On this episode of Over Coffee®, you will hear:

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    The early creative lesson Michael still uses (and teaches) today

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    The creative offshoots of his work that enable him to do what he loves for a living

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    How he and musician Fontain Riddle created The Magique Bazaar in 1998

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    What's involved in keeping the Magique Bazaar going with new show material every month

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    A preview of the Magique Bazaar's upcoming special show for 2016, "The Year of the Monkey"

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    What was involved for Michael, as a Caucasian magician, in getting to learn Bian Lian

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    Some of the ways Michael and his troupe are giving back to the community

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    What Michael teaches his young students about planning their lives and careers

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    The three essential qualities for performing magic, OR succeeding in other areas of life

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    Some exciting upcoming developments for the Magique Bazaar

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    How the Magique Bazaar became the resident theatre company for Chinese Performing Arts of America

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    Michael's perspective on one of the main challenges for any artist, and how he overcomes it


     

     
    31 min
  • A Storyteller’s Journey


    Evangeline Duran Fuentes used to claim that she wasn't an author.

    Fortunately, nobody believed her.

    A storyteller all her life, Evangeline published her first book earlier this year.   Cry on Hallow's Eve is a children's Halloween ghost story, incorporating elements of Mexican folklore and culture.

    Since then, Evangeline has gone on to publish two other children's books:  Friends Across the Border  and Feel the Sound.   Her richly imagined and compelling stories immerse young readers while delivering subtle lessons on compassion, courage and friendship.  And both Friends Across the Border and Feel the Sound teach new language skills: Spanish and sign, respectively.

    Evangeline talked about the background that developed her creative talent, her journey to becoming an author, and some of the ways to spark children's imagination and creativity.
    In this edition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    What Evangeline's growing-up years taught her about developing her creative gifts;

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    How she evolved from storyteller to writer;

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    How she came to publish her first book;

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    A selection from her first children's book, Cry on Hallow's Eve;

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    A preview of her two subsequent children's books, Feel the Sound and Friends Across the Border;

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    The lessons of her books that she and her family put into practice;

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    How Evangeline has grown as an artist and learned from her young audiences, since publishing her first book;

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    How she inspired her young listeners to create their own stories and get past "writers' block";

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    Her tips on getting children excited about reading;

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    The lessons she's taken away from her experiences, about writing and pursuing a creative dream.

    29 min
  • Eleven Interpretations of “Boo”


    This Halloween, eleven gifted directors are going to scare you.

    And they've had a lot of fun doing it--with their nine-segment anthology horror film, Tales of Halloween.



    At a ScareLA special panel presentation in August, the team previewed their new collaborative project   Each director had created a short film for inclusion in the work, with the theme of Halloween night in a small town.



    After the program, some of the filmmakers talked about their experiences bringing Tales of Halloween to life.



    Axelle Carolyn (left) first came up with the concept for Tales of Halloween.  Alexandra Essoe co-stars in her segment, "Grim Grinning Ghost".

     



    Mike Mendez had fun being "the bloodiest of the bunch" with his short film, "Friday the 31st".

     



    Andrew Kasch (l) and John Skipp (r) co-directed the segment "This Means War", in which they take lawn rivalry to a new level.



    In his segment, "The Bad Seed", Neil Marshall features a pumpkin set on revenge.



    Ryan Schifrin re-imagines a classic short story, in his "Tale", "The Ransom of Rusty Rex".

    And all of the above, and their colleagues, wish you a "screamingly" fun Halloween!
    In this episode of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    The unprecedented development that took "Tales of Halloween" from concept to project

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    The on-set experience Neil Marshall described as "fun but nerve-wracking"

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    The Halloween holiday Axelle created, during her growing-up years in Belgium

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    Alexandra's and Axelle's favorite experiences filming "Grim Grinning Ghost"

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    John and Andrew's on-set "crazy fun" challenges with "This Means War"

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    Mike's favorite experiences on set for "Friday the 31st"--and the fake-blood "oops" that caught a crew member unawares

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    Ryan's creative lesson from working with director John Landis

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    A funny post-shooting experience from "The Ransom of Rusty Rex"

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    Each creative team member's advice to other filmmakers--and to anyone involved in a creative project

    25 min
  • The Magic of His Craft


    Author Peter Saenz says he isn't Wiccan.  However,  he still conjures up a magical mix.

    Peter's Coven of Wolves books combine fantasy, epic battles, ancient mythology and a great love story to hold readers spellbound.   And you'll get a chance to hear him read from his latest book, Coven of Wolves II: Blood Ties, this Saturday afternoon at 3:00 in the Author's Forum at San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival 2015!

    With the second book in his trilogy completed, Peter is currently working to produce Coven of Wolves as a regular television or cable series.  This summer, he founded his own production company, Tri-Wolf Entertainment,  which is set to option the pilot script.

    Peter talked about his background, the creative process and the developments of his story arc in his latest book, Coven of Wolves II:Blood Ties, as well as hinting at things to come in  Book III.  (He also offered an inside look at the process of getting a pilot script produced!)
    Peter will be reading from Blood Ties at the Author's Forum of San Gabriel Valley Pride 2015, themed "Fall in Love with Pride", this Saturday, October 17th, at 3 pm in Pasadena's Memorial Park, 85 East Holly Street near North Raymond Avenue.  However, you might like to get there earlier.  This free, family-friendly event runs from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, with entertainment, dance lessons, Big Draw LA art table, pet adoptions, a wedding expo, vendors and more!   Everyone's invited to come and celebrate.
    In this episode of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    How Peter's background fueled his imagination as a writer;

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    The story of Coven of Wolves, and Book II's new developments;

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    The different aspects of love illustrated by his characters;

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    How a favorite (four-legged) character plays a key role in Book II;

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    An ancient Greek myth many people don't know (that provides a lot of the fun in Book II);

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    The creative process behind the story arc;

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    The leadership journey that parallels published writers' experiences;

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    Peter's go-to resource for creating authentic scenes;

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    His current process, producing Coven of Wolves as a pilot;

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    A great tip for writers on submitting a script to production companies;

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    Where to contact Peter to find out more about the pilot script for Coven of Wolves, or submit a script for consideration to his new production company;

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    AND where you can meet him and get signed copies of his books, at Comikaze Expo 2015!

    24 min
  • “Blood Moon” on the Rise


    A Halloween celebration no one's imagined before?

    That's what artist, actor and entertainment-event manager Troy Yu is creating for next Halloween.

    Troy is the founder of a new, month-long Halloween festival: Blood Moon Faire.  This is an immersive event, like the Renaissance Faire, with a dark-fantasy Halloween theme.  Entertainment, vendors, games and music will all be part of the fun.  And Troy's vision includes a "haunt" that does something no other haunt in Southern California has done before.  (Hint: if you're an artist who loves Halloween, this is an opportunity for you!)

    Troy just launched his Kickstarter campaign, with the goal of bringing his innovative Halloween event to Southern California in October, 2016.

    Troy talked about his background creating Halloween haunts, his goals for Blood Moon Faire and the challenge he's facing to make it a reality.
    In this episode of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    Troy’s background as a Halloween haunter (this includes one of the best "Halloween stories" we've ever heard!)


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    The dark, spooky (and fun!) roots of “Blood Moon Faire”

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    The essential work involved in creating this special event, prior to starting the design process

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    The arts-to-business challenge of making “Blood Moon Faire” a reality

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    Troy’s insights on marketing through Kickstarter as a local artist

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    What Blood Moon Faire attendees will experience in October, 2016

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    Casting information for Blood Moon Faire

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    The story of Gothic Hills Manor—the world’s first haunted attraction to do something different in the creative field

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    Troy’s professional advice on creating your own Halloween home haunt!


    30 min
  • A “Halloween” Homecoming


    October is here--and time to start thinking of Halloween!

    John Murdy and Chris Williams have already been thinking about it, for quite some time.


    John, right, is the Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood, while Chris, at left, in Universal Studios' Art Director.  At ScareLA in Pasadena, in August, they announced a new maze for Universal's 2015 edition of "Halloween Horror Nights".

    The capacity crowd saw the preview slide and screamed with joy.

    This year, John and Chris have designed a new haunt based on the 1978 John Carpenter classic film, "Halloween".

    This is the first time since 2009 that Universal Studios has had a "Halloween"-themed maze.   John and Chris told the audience that an important consideration, intheir design, was getting the "1970s" look and feel just right.

    After their presentation, John and Chris talked about their experiences creating the new haunt,  entitled, "Halloween: Michael Myers Comes Home".
    Welcome to the start of a month of Over Coffee® Halloween-themed programming!   (And, BOO!)
    In this episode of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    What scared both John and Chris the most when THEY first saw "Halloween"--and how they've worked that into this new maze

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    What they've done differently from the creative process for Universal's 2009 "Halloween"-themed maze

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    What visitors can expect to experience inside Michael Myers' "homecoming"

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    Each of their favorite memories of creating this fan favorite for Halloween, 2015


    Universal Studios' "Halloween Horror Nights" are open Thursdays through Sundays, now through November 1st.   Hours are 7:00 pm to 2:00 am, every event night.  Here's the link for information.
    8 min
  • A Dynamic “Butterfly”



    Media marketing specialist Carole Sanek knows all about making a podcast a success.

    Carole is the "Chief Expressive Creator" of Butterfly Boom Productions (formerly The Social Butterfly Media Marketing), a Florida-based media marketing firm.  She's also a creator/host of "The Crazy Marketing Ladies Show" podcast.  So far, Carole and her fellow "Crazy Marketing Ladies" have posted 50 episodes.  And they're "crazy good"!  Just a few of their topics are SEO optimization, effective Twitter marketing and  content creation.

    For International Podcast Day, Carole talked about the creation of "The Crazy Marketing Ladies" show, offered advice for getting started in podcasting, and even gave an inside look at the process, with a second new podcast she's starting in October!



    On this special edition of Over Coffee® for International Podcast Day, you'll hear:


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    What Carole's growing-up years taught her about marketing




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    Her experience sneaking into the Rolling Stones’ dressing room




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    A preview of her most recent episode of The Crazy Marketing Ladies Show, featuring web designer Mike Mueller




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    How she first discovered podcasting




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    The genesis and current work of The Crazy Marketing Ladies Show podcast




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    One of her own most inspiring “crazy” marketing moments—and what you can take away from it about booking celebrity podcast guests




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    What she learned about the challenges of podcasting during early episodes of “TCMLS”




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    Her advice to anyone who wants to start a podcast




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    Her resource recommendation for album-cover design and equipment: “For $100 you can be up and running.”




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    The services she offers podcasters through her company, Butterfly Boom, and her additional brand-new podcast, coming out in October—this is going to be a great one!




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    Her professional advice on “branding”




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    The creative process of putting together her new podcast—and what new podcasters can learn from it.




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     The "dream" podcast guest she'd like to book!   See if you know him or can help her with a contact?



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    How to nurture your new creative idea--podcasting or otherwise.

    30 min
  • He’s Cruising “Back In Time”


    Jeffrey Weissman goes "back in time" on a regular basis.

    Jeffrey can portray just about any historic character--from Charlie Chaplin to Mark Twain.  But you may remember him best as he hung upside down, as "George McFly" in Back to the Future 2 and 3.

    Now, he'd like to invite you to "time-travel" with him--as a number of BTTF's cast members celebrate the film's thirty-year anniversary (can it be possible?!?) with a cruise, in November, for a great cause.



    Jeffrey says they have some cabins still available, and he and some of his fellow cast members would love to celebrate "1955" with you!

    Here is a rebroadcast of the interview we did with Jeffrey, earlier this year, about his journey as an actor, his current projects--and what it was really like to have to create a character while hanging upside down!
    54 min
  • Can You Make This?


    In autumn of 2014, the first-ever SoCal Maker Con brought "maker magic" to Southern California.

    This Saturday, it's going to do it all again.   And as Aaron Berg, Events Manager at J6 Events, LLC (producers of the Southern California Maker Convention) says, there will be some exciting upgrades!

    So, what all could you see at last year's SoCal Maker Con?  Well--it kind of went like this...



    Robots battled, sometimes to a fiery end.   3D printers created attendees' likenesses.   Speakers took standard ideas about education, design and everyday life and not only challenged them, but turned them turned upside down--and sometimes added LED lights.



    As SoCal Maker Con prepares for its second event at the L.A. Fairplex, in Pomona, on Saturday, November 7th, just two of their new additions are the addition of drone races and a brand-new program to involve local students.

    As Aaron offered a preview of this year's SoCal Maker Con, and ways to get involved, he also gave an unexpected bonus.  There's a special discount on admission for Over Coffee® listeners!
    The second annual SoCal MakerCon happens Saturday, November 7th at L.A. Fairplex, 1101 West McKinley Avenue, west of North White Avenue, in Pomona.  Here's the link for more information.   And if you're buying tickets, don't forget to type in your Over Coffee® listeners' special discount code!
    20 min

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

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Would you like to know more about the art of twenty-first century "cool stuff" that's changing our world? Such as: robots, space exploration, new media, wearable technology and other innovations that…