The Artist Matters

The month of Halloween continues. Today’s guest, Robert Ottone, I have known since he was little boy. Starting in my junior year, I was a disc jockey at my high school radio station, WXBA. His father, the late, great Bob Ottone was the station manager. Learned how to come out of my shell and actually have a radio personality thanks to Bob.
And the Ottones favorite holiday is Halloween. They would go all out and create elaborate and imaginative decorations, sets and costumes.
And what better time of year for Robert to release his first horror collection, People: A Horror Anthology about Love, Loss, Life & Things That Go Bump in the Night.
His love of writing goes back to his childhood when he wrote his own superhero comics. Robert goes into his writing process and how this anthology came about. Also, how he gets past writer’s block, how he got the book published and info on the second anthology due out next year.
In addition to this, I had him do some voice-over acting for me back in 1999 for my audio recording of the Marvel saga, Avengers : Under Siege. And if that isn’t enough, he is also an English Teacher.
So proud to see him make this step and become a published author. Very inspiring and an absolute thrill to have shared this time with him.
Enjoy my chat with Robert Ottone.

We are getting into the Halloween season and spotlighting artists this month who work in the Halloween/horror genre.
First up, we have another Alex. Hailing from Minnesota, now residing in Colorado, it’s special F/X make-up artist and Haunter, Alex Dunning.
He began as a volunteer actor aboard the haunted ship, the William A Irvin. He eventually moved up to scenic design and then, make-up.
In later years, he took over the haunted ship which enabled him to further explore his creativity. He even attended the Midwest Haunter’s Convention, where he was able to tour various haunted attractions and learn from industry pros.
Alex also did make-up for a local TV show, plus parties and pub crawls. And he made himself up as Pennywise from “IT“.
He goes into his make-up process and techniques. Plus, lots of behind-the-scenes info on running a haunted attraction, what makes for a good scare and so much more.
Enjoy my chat with Alex Dunning.

Okay, everybody. Brace yourselves. This episode is a big one.
Last year, when I was making my short film, THE PARK, I was looking for any info to help me with the process. Something made me look into podcasts and I found “Indie Film Hustle” with Alex Ferrari. He covered so many facets of the filmmaking process and business, I was hooked. It showed me that I could make this short film and that I could direct it.
And you know what, I just decided to reach out to Alex and see if he’d be interested in being a guest on my show. I knew it was a long shot, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. Much to my delight and surprise, he said yes. And today is the day that you will experience one of the most engaging and motivating conversations I’ve had yet.
Alex Ferrari is an author, blogger, speaker, consultant, the host of the #1 filmmaking podcast on iTunes Indie Film Hustle Podcast, and an award-winning writer/director with 25 years of experience in the film industry. As a director, his films have screened in over 500 international film festivals. 
Alex exploded onto the indie film scene with his award-winning short film BROKEN. To date, the film has screened at over 200 international festivals.
Through self-distribution, the BROKEN: Special Edition DVD has also sold over 5000 units worldwide. Produced on a budget of $8000 and boasting over 100 visual effects shots, BROKEN is one of the most celebrated shorts in recent years.
Frustrated that his fellow filmmakers were being "chewed up" by the film business, Alex decided to start Indie Film Hustle®, a website dedicated to educating filmmakers and artists on how to survive and thrive in the film business. He also launched a podcast focused on filmmaking called The Indie Film Hustle® Podcast. Within three months of its start date. the show became the #1 filmmaking podcast on Apple Podcasts. He's also the host of the popular screenwriting podcast Bulletproof Screenwriting®, and the filmmaking business podcast Filmtrepreneur®.
After launching Indie Film Hustle, Alex created the world's first streaming service dedicated to filmmakers, screenwriters, content creators and artists called Indie Film Hustle TV (IFHTV).
Alex's feature film debut was the award-winning This is Meg.  Alex wore many hats on this indie film including directing, producing, cinematographer, cameraman, editor, and colorist. The film was sold to Hulu and is available on IFHTV, Apple TV, and Amazon. 
His second feature film was On The Corner of Ego & Desire, which was filmed at the Sundance Film Festival.
And if that wasn’t enough, Alex also has another book coming out in October, called “Rise of the Filmtrepreneur”.
As you can see, he is a very busy man, so this interview was a total gift and I am forever grateful that a fellow Alex took the time to be on the show. And you are in for a real treat because you are about to get a master class.
Enjoy this epic conversation with Alex Ferrari.

Welcome to show #30. Today we have our youngest person who founded a theatre company. Hailing from Florida, my guest is Katie Welch. She has been in theatre since she was 9 years old. Some of her favorite shows she was in were "Beauty and the Beast"," Annie", "Secret Garden", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Through the Shop Window", "Wizard of OZ" and "Peter Pan", just to name a few. Katie also found she had a talent for writing and wrote her first play, "A Talent for Murder". Then, she decided she wanted to create her own theatre company and created Broadway Everyday Star Theater, last year. The upcoming show is Broadway Musical Review, which Katie is directing. She is also writing another play called "Blind Date Cafe", based on her parents.
And to top it all off, Katie has her BA in Theater and Masters in ESE Education. This led to her being an ESE, 2nd-3rd Grade and Drama Teacher at CuttingEdge Learning Academy.
This young woman has accomplished so much and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. I’m sure her persistence will pay off.
Enjoy my chat with Katie Welch.

Today we have, haling from California, comedian, Joe Dungan. He first attempted stand-up comedy at 18, but he bombed and didn’t think he had it in him to keep going.
He got into an improv group in college and even dabbled in acting.
Joe also wrote a book called, “L.A. Nuts”, which won first place in the Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards.
But the stand-up stage was calling him once again, so he answered the call. Joe wanted to be better prepared this time around, so he decided to comedy classes at the Stand-Up Comedy Clinic. And for the last 7-plus years, Joe has appeared at various venues, festivals, and corporate events all over the country, such as: The Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory and the Ice House.
In 2017, he won first place in the Clean Comedy Challenge. He has since gone on to be the host and head writer of the You Tube talk show, Late Night Cup of Joe.
Joe also goes into his writing process and what makes for a good joke and good comedy, for that matter.
Joe was such a generous, enjoyable and funny guest. I know you will get so much out of this conversation and may decide to go to an open mic night. Enjoy my chat with Joe Dungan.

Today we have Rebekah McGill, our first woodworking artist.
She came about woodworking in the typical way that many in the trades do, her father was a woodworker and he would let her watch and help, as she got older.
But Rebekah abandoned the craft in her teen years, probably feeling she needed to be more feminine and started liking boys. She tried painting and drawing, but was lost without an outlet.
It was through Cathy Heller’s Dreamtopia event last year, that something inside her cracked open and she knew she had to pursue woodworking. Even if it was to fail quickly and put it to rest.
Thankfully, that was not the case. With the help of her father, Rebekah created her first board. She explains her process, raising twins and so much more. Rebekah sees herself getting more into furniture and custom built ins or feature walls. To her, It would be so inspiring to trim a whole house with pink baseboards or crown molding. She loves that idea of whimsy and personalization entering the home decor market.
With that, enjoy my chat with Rebekah McGill.

On today’s show, we have 2 firsts. Our guest is our first fiber artist and also our first art therapist. That’s right. You get two for the price of one. And her name is Kelly Darke.
As a kid, growing up in Michigan, Kelly always collected fabric, yarn, string, all kinds of fiber materials before she even knew what to do with any of them. She learned some techniques on her own including embroidery, which is her current focus.
Kelly received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1996, from Wayne State University in Michigan. There, she spent most of her time oil painting and making jewelry, crocheting with sterling silver wire and weaving in metals class.
After a few years, Kelly got her Masters in Education for art therapy in 2009. It was during this program that she began to shift towards fiber art. She eventually opened the Mindful Art Center helping people heal through several art forms, including: painting, writing, drawing, fiber, etc.
She offers so much insight into her creative world and the healing power of the arts. I know you will enjoy my conversation with Kelly Darke.

Once again, I am featuring an artist just at the beginning of their career. Today we have actress, Mackenzie Lee Hart.
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, she seemed destined to be a creative. Her mother is a painter. Plus, one of her siblings is a well-known actress. Just wait...
When I lived in NY, I got to see Mackenzie in a talent show at a church singing “Landslide”. It was so cute and I knew this girl had talent. Flash forward to this year. Her mom posted on Facebook, a video of Mackenzie singing “Over The Rainbow” in various keys. Mind-blowing.
In her younger years, she did get to play Dorothy in a stage version of “The Wizard Of Oz” and continued doing shows throughout high school.
Mackenzie’s first official paid project was when she was 17 as background in “The SantaCon”, a Lifetime Christmas movie.
She furthered her education in Theatre at Wagner College for a year and a half and then at Hunter College. But moved out to LA to pursue acting more seriously, instead of finishing her degree straight through in New York. Within the first four months of living in LA, Mackenzie booked her first film credit in the Pure Flix series, “The Encounter”. 
This is quite the memorable conversation and I can’t wait for you to listen. So, check out my chat with Mackenzie Lee Hart!

Today we have Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey. An artist with multiple skills and interests.
Her journey has taken her from Michigan to Texas to Massachusetts to California. Along the way she has played piano and guitar. Attended the Arts Center College of Design and Platt College. She has also studied under artists such as Rassouli, Jospeh Stoddard and Tom Fong.
Clarissa has also gotten into running vision board workshops. She is even writing a book which is a collection of inspirational stories of women over the age of 40 making a pivot in their lives.
She has even managed to become a Doctor of Psychology in Organizational Development.
Quite the journey. As I’m sure you will see. Enjoy my chat with Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey.

Welcome to the 2nd part of my incredible chat with Singer/Songwriter, Marci Geller.
We talk about her performing with Blackmore’s Night and what is was like performing in another country. Marci explains how her album, “Bare” came about. She goes into how she found help from someone she was kind to in the past when her studio and equipment were ruined in a flood.
She also describes her style of music and of how her songwriting has evolved as she’s gotten older.
Marci gets deeper about dealing with depression and denying the dark side of the soul “air time”.
This final part of our conversation has so much to offer. You are going to get some gems of advice and a lot more.
Enjoy!