What we will talk about:

1. Why the book thesis and project?,

2. Why is ‘financialization’ a dirty word?,

3. Financing vs. financialization - the difference?,

4. Did ‘Hollywood accounting’ draw scrutiny from ‘financial actors?,

5. Was operating record of studios, broadcasting companies and labels subpar, on average, drawing attention of activist investors?,

6. What was returns record of studios, broadcasting companies and labels before financialization?,

7. From tax shelters, conglomeration in the 1970s - concentration of ownership not new?,

8. 1990s - monetization of libraries and back catalogues - logical operating decision?,

9. Content treated as a capital asset - when?,

10. Effect of Telecommunications Act of 1996 on cultural industries?,

11. Citibank deal for 20th Century Fox - blueprint for future acquisitions?,

12. AOL Time Warner merger considered disastrous - why?, what was learned, by whom?,

13. Effect of 2008 crisis on Wall Street‘behavior’?,

14. Effect of streaming on musicians’ earning potential?,

15. Why musicians sell their catalogues?,

16. Maximization of value of IP assets - reasonable operating decision?,

17. Capitalizing on IP success - reasonable operating decision (i.e. sequels)?,

18. Effect of AI on creatives in LA?

19. Anticipated impact of Paramount’s takeover of Warner Brothers Discovery?,

20. More than 4,000 Hollywood actors and industry professionals joined the ‘Block the Merger’ campaign - what did they want?, why did WB shareholders apparently not care what they wanted?,

21. Are audiences aware of the impact of financialization on cultural industries?, Should they care about who owns what?,

22. What can/should consumers do to exert influence?,

23. What would it take for lobbyists to support legislative reform to ‘protect’ cultural industries’?

https://sites.google.com/view/andrewdewaard

1. Has the store experienced an incarnation with each new family owner over the past 111 years?,

2. You’ve said that as you were growing up, you always knew you wanted to run the store (family business)- why?,

3. How big a burden is ‘legacy’ in managing a family business?,

4. How big a burden is ‘longevity’ in managing a family business?,

5. Changes you’ve made over the last 34 years?,

6. You pride yourself on ‘old fashioned service’ - what does that mean?,

7. Which products sell best?,

8. Which artists have attracted the most visitors?,

9. Is stationery considered ‘old fashioned’ vs. today’s electronic messaging?,

10. Profile of customer who wants personalized stationery?,

11. How big is wedding invitation business?,

12. Do you sell online? If not, why?,

13. Do people buy ‘journals’?

14. How to compete in the electronic/digital age?,

15. Innovations you’re most proud of?,

16. Representing Swarovski seems incongruous?,

17. What is capacity for the store re: guests for art or music?,

18. How seasonal is the business: Christmas, graduations?

19. How do you decide which greeting card makers to carry?,

20. Who prices greeting cards - manufacturer or Corrick’s?,

21. What sells a greeting card- message or design?,

22. Re: sales of art supplies, is Sonoma a ‘very’ artsy region?,

23. What is the future of downtown Santa Rosa?

24. Advice you give, would give, to family members taking over family businesses?

rosacorricks.com

What We’ll talk about:

1) Why write the book now?

2) What have been, or should have been, the obvious economic lessons from inflationary periods post WW I, post WW II and OPEC oil crisis in the 1970s?,

3) Why 40 years of ‘manageable’ inflation?,

4) 2008 - deflation - aggregate demand shock, liquidity trap, interest rates lowered to 0 - still trouble reviving demand = colossal economic aberration brought on by loosening of credit requirements and reckless use of leverage?,

5) Current structure of U.S. economy = more services than goods, oil = less consequential component in inflation measurement - was COVID an inflationary aberration?,

6) CPI or PCE - vague concept to or real ‘feeling’ for consumers?

7) Role of scarcity in supply induced inflation?,

8) Role of credit in demand-induced inflation? (Total household debt = $18.8 trillion at the end of 2025 per FRB),

9) Is debt burden pricing out the next generation from asset ownership/investment - price of credit vs. wage gains?, alternatives?,

10) Can/should shifts in debt-financed consumer demand be better anticipated?,

11) Should changes in pricing be resisted (eggs, coffee, gas, copper)?, how?,

12) Is inflation an event-driven phenomenon (wars, oil, virus - supply shock or demand shock)?,

13) Consumer response to inflation - rational expectations in line with behavioral economics?,

14) How interest rate adjustments affect demand?,

15) Most competent/effective Federal Reserve chairmen/chairwomen?, why?,

16) What are the first signs of oncoming inflation?,

17) Shrinkflation - reflection of cost pressures on producers or profit maximization strategy?,

18) Effect of protectionism on prices and demand?,

19) Political influence on the central bank - risks?,

20) Effects of technological advancement or disruption on inflation - impact of AI on unemployment and inflation prospects?,

21) Effects of competition on inflation?,

22) Can citizens, consumers insulate themselves from inflation and its consequences?,

23) other issues you might wish to discuss

Guest URL: http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/~olney

We will talk about:

1) Why the move into wealth management in 2003 after 18 years as a tax accountant?,

2) What constitutes ’high net worth’?,

3) How liquid are the assets of high net worth individuals?,

4) Do you find that clients have historically overpaid their taxes?,

5) How well do clients understand the ‘structure’ of their finances when they come to you?,

6) What kind of restructuring of finances may be required?,

7) How do investing objectives differ with age, gender, income?,

8) Primary ‘life changing’ circumstance - death of spouse (vs. divorce, retirement, inheritance, career change)?,

9) True that clients’ most valuable asset is their home?,

10) How well do surviving widows know about their family’s finances?, What should they do to be better prepared?,

11) What financial management advice is hardest to give, hardest to follow?,

12) Do men have different wealth management objectives from women?,

13) Do market conditions affect the advice you give?,

14) What constitutes a ‘secure financial future’?,

15) Is cash king?,

16) What tends to be the most reliable incoming producing moves clients can make?,

17) What do you advise for most effectively ‘passing on wealth’ to the next generation?,

18) Should clients resist calls from children for receiving their inheritance now vs. waiting for a ‘natural’ transfer of assets?,

19) What are the most important financial priorities for most clients: retirement, education, advancing inheritance for future wealth building?,

20) Common mistakes clients have made in their efforts to build wealth?,

21) How the advice you give has changed over the years?,

22) How risk averse should clients be?,

23) How scam susceptible do you find clients to be?,

24) At what age should investing objectives shift from growth to preservation of capital?,

25) Other issues you might want to discuss

Guest URL: http://www.meyersfinancial.com/

1) Many ‘job changes’ - which taught you the most about organizational leadership and performance?,

2) You’ve said your career path was ‘serendipitous’ - what do you mean?,

3) How do you recommend that a person become more risk-oriented in his career?,

4) You’ve written humorous books on corporate ‘wisdom’ - why humorous?,

5) Why ‘bullet books’ on business vs. ‘treatises’ on management and workplace issues?,

6) How does organizational behavior differ from corporate culture?, how has the discipline changed over the years?,

7) You mention ‘organizational constants’ in the title of one of your books – what does that mean? what are they? what can employees do to be aware of them, surmount them?,

8) What do you want readers and listeners to learn from your books and radio broadcasts?

9) What can one employee do to change his/her organization’s behavior?

10) simple and effective rules-of-thumb of the corporate environment - what are they?, vary per organization?, abide by them or break them?

11) What are commonplace ‘workplace ills’?, can they be cured - how?,

12) Mistakes managements make in leading organizations?,

13) Mistakes employees make in being led in organizations?,

14) How do you choose the weekly subject of your ‘In the Workplace’ show?

15) Work isn’t something to dread - do you think most employees dread their employ?

16) ‘Common sense to impress your boss’ can you give us some examples?

17) The ultimate employee objective is or should be what: money, position, skills, new job offers?

18) Effect of Covid on employee behavior? effect of artificial intelligence on organizational change - how it affects employees?

19) Your recommendations for new graduates what people starting new jobs? Has your advice changed over the years?

20) Accidental Vineyard - ‘ another kind of risk’, ‘a willingness to redefine success’, ‘ chase meaning as much as momentum’ - what kind of new risk?, how did it redefine success?, what meaning were you chasing? How different from other management experiences?

Guest URL: https://www.richardmoran.com/

We will talk about:

Your almost 30 years in information technology - amazing changes?,

Is AI in its infancy or is it maturing quickly?,

Is AI a productivity enhancer or cost reducer?

How well do you think the public understands the promises and the perils of AI?,

Is Sonoma County a model of AI governance?, why?,

What constitutes responsible AI use, data protection, and efficiency?,

What are the biggest risks to AI use?,

What guidelines or ethical boundaries affect AI adoption or application in the county?,

What policy was approved by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in 2024 for the use of artificial intelligence by County employees?,

What is the county's strategy to integrate emerging tech like AI into county programs?,

How paramount is the issue of data privacy?, how is it protected?,

How do you avoid sharing confidential data with AI when striving for efficiency and effectiveness in implementing public programs?,

The efficiency, privacy and bias challenges associated with use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Azure?,

What list of AI tools, requiring department head approval for use, has been approved?, out of how many considered for use?,

How do you verify AI outputs?,

In what policies or programs for public safety or support has AI adoption been most successful?, measured how?,

How is AI use assessed before implementation and reviewed for performance?,

What is the scope of services in which AI can be used and applied?,

What government tasks have benefited from AI use to improve service delivery to the public?, to what other services might AI be applied?,

Can citizens decipher when AI’s use affects their personal lives?,

Have any citizens complained about local government use of AI tools?,

How can citizens use AI for their interactions with government officials or offices?,

How you think AI use and effectiveness will broaden over time?,

Guest URL: https://sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/information-systems

We will talk about:

You opened a pottery school (1967) a year after taking your first pottery class - why?, what potential did you see or anticipate?, did you learn pottery on a kick wheel?,

You never claimed to be a fine ceramics artist - did you want to be?,

Lacking enough money to buy wheels, you made your own wheels (with help from an uncle who was an engineer) - what did you want from a wheel?,

Electronic variable speed control wheels - ‘world’s most operator-friendly electric potter’s wheel’ - what made it so ‘friendly’?,

Were you surprised it became so popular?, that the wheel has lasted 50+ years?,

How did users/customers become aware of it - how did you market it?, how did you price it?, how did you ramp up manufacturing of it?,

Who were your customers?,

Why you were attracted to Sonoma County?,

Why move to Santa Rosa first then move to Healdsburg?,

‘…seven years before anyone who competed with me bothered copying me, and by then I owned the market (turned out 10,000 wheels per year) - monopolistic market position defensible?,

You were in several ceramics-related businesses: the wheel, clay, industrial kilns (vertically integrated) - all growing businesses?,

You made a ‘complete line of stoneware clays’ - how did the clay business start (9 types)?, what was the source of the clay?, how important was clay to Healdsburg’s business community, esp. vs. wine industry?,

Why did you decide to sell the company?,

What did you want from the sale - what did you hope Amaco would do with the acquisition?, did it (controls 65% of the domestic pottery wheel market)?,

How did you explain the sale to the employees?,

Why go into the auto business? What happened - had 2 known brands to sell?, why did it not work?,

You had success and failure in sequential ventures - what did you learn from each experience?,

You co-founded a company making a time-release plant watering product - why?, what were your expectations for the company?,

You ran a custom calendar business - print, digital or both?, how did that go?,

Your advice for would be entrepreneurs,

16 years on the board of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts - its auditorium has your name on it - how did that come about?,

33 years on the board of Sonoma Land Trust - are Sonoma’s lands and waters well protected?, should/can more of each be secured?,

Advice for prospective board members of non-profit community organizations?

We will talk about:

1) your role as President and CEO of the NBBCC,

2) the efforts of the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow Foundation,

3) how and why you got started in the NBBCC,

4) competitive factors which have affected black entrepreneurship in Sonoma County,

5) the services and support offered by the NBBCC,

6) industries in which most black-owned businesses in Sonoma County compete,

7) how black entrepreneurship has changed/grown over the years,

8) the important contribution NBBCC has made to the community,

9) the role of local educational resources in supporting business development,

10) your experience as a business owner,

11) other topics

https://www.nbbcc.org/

Scot Hunter

415-990-9911

We will talk about:

How did you learn to restore furniture?

How has technology changed furniture restoration?

What is the difference between restoration and refinishing?

Does refinishing or repair harm my antique’s value?

How do you determine what to charge for furniture restoration: size of the piece, age/fragility of the piece, time required to restore?,

Did Antiques Roadshow, first on PBS in 1997 in an American version (BBC version debuted in February 1979) have any impact on your business?,

How aware are homeowners of the value of their household possessions?,

Ever surprised by a ‘furniture treasure’ which the owners aren’t aware of (for example: 2024 - Virginia woman who went viralafter cheap Goodwill vase bought for $3.99 sold for $100K,was made by Venetian architect Carlos Scarpa for his'Pennellate' collection),

Ever come across something that was collectible, passed on by heirs, which was rare and very valuable?,

How much do heirs care about their ancestors’ furniture?,

Do you see more mid-century modern pieces now?,

Young people don’t want ‘brown furniture’ (burl, dining room sets, bed frames) – is that true? Is that a trend?,

What style trends do you see in furniture collection or rejection?, What trends among age groups

Where in the world you have done business are antiques most appreciated?,

What was your project in Greece?,

Do you work on more than just pieces of furniture? What form(s) do your projects take?,

How do you increase awareness of your work?,

Any types of furniture you won’t restore?,

Any projects you refuse to repair – age, condition, damage?,

Biggest project you’ve ever had? Most complex project you’ve ever worked on?,

How old are the pieces you have worked on? The oldest?,

How well or poorly do people take care of their furniture?,

How much business comes from home sales?

Guest URL: http://www.pinocchiofurniture.com/

We will talk about:

What the advertising industry was like when you started?,

Why you started your own agencies,

What constitutes an effective ad?,

How advertising has changed over the years,

The mechanics of creating an advertisement for a client,

How much time it takes to create an advertisement, from commission to completion,

What is the ‘shelf life’ of an advertisement (how long will a client use it)?,

Your perspective on the use of ‘personalities’ in advertisements today (Allstate, Geico, Progressive),

How daunting is the challenge of creating a memorable advertisement for the Super Bowl?,

How much/little time do you usually have to prepare an ad for the Super Bowl,

How ‘competent’ are clients to judge the creative effort required to represent them?,

What do clients realistically expect from a multi-second ad before such a huge audience?,

Is Apple’s 1984 SB ad still the benchmark against which ada are judged?,

Who (what panel) judges SB ads (usually announced before the event)?,

How prejudicial is that pre-game assessment of most creative/effective ads?

Do advertised products usually experience a sales spike after SB exposure?,

Was it hard for you to leave such a competitive arena after 36 years?,

Are your current artistic efforts a reflection of your years in advertising,

What is it about tennis which inspires your creativity?,

Would you advise young art school graduates to enter the advertising industry?,

You lent your creative voice to others for 37 years, is your current work much more satisfying or just a different form of satisfaction?,

How appreciative of your creative efforts were ‘the others’ (clients)?,

What do you want viewers of your art to understand?,

Other issues which you might want to discuss

Guest URL: @STEVESTONESTUDIO