It's wedding season, at least in my family where it seems I'm attending a wedding every other week! It's been wonderful catching up with friends and family and watching how happy couples handle their nuptials. Each has been beautiful and unique.

So please welcome to our show a true expert in the field of wedding photography, Gigi de Manio, who joins us to talk about her experience in putting out the event of your dreams and how to have that captured in photos.

Gigi has photographed many celeb clients as well, including Chelsea Clinton, and I asked her what it was like capturing the moment her dad, former President Bill Clinton, walked her down the aisle. How do you get the perfect shot that also looks natural and unrehearsed?

Gigi gives us some tips and tricks not only during our podcast, but she also talks about it in her beautiful book, SILVER Moments Into Memories, a stunning photo book from some of the weddings she's shot around the world. In fact, her work has been featured in People, Martha Stewart Weddings, Vera Wang on Weddings, Modern Bride and The NY Times, to name a few.

Gigi is THE go-to expert when it comes to photographing weddings, and her story on how she got into the business is an interesting one. Let's just say it wasn't planned and that she fell into it during her college days. We'll talk about that, in addition to her growing up in Sarasota, my home town. In fact, I met Gigi through her identical twin sister, Jackie, an accomplished woman in her own right. And of course, being of Italian descent, we'll discuss some Italian traditions and inspirations she can share with us, too.

Please join us on #DeborahKobyltLIVE on all video and audio podcast platforms. Our interview will also be simulcast on #TheSarasotaPodcast and #LittleItalyPodcast as well. I'm your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I'd like to thank you for joining us.

Hashtags / Mentions @gigidemanio #photographer #weddinphotographer #gigidemanio #luxuryweddingphotography #author

When disaster strikes, the chaos that follows can leave communities and individuals feeling overwhelmed and struggling to connect with vital resources. Please welcome Heather Hackett, founder of Local Relief, a nonprofit mobile app designed to connect communities with essential help, services, and information once disaster strikes, serving as a central hub for disaster preparedness, survival, and recovery. Heather is from my home in Sarasota, Florida, which is no stranger to floods and hurricanes, and 2024 proved to be one emergency followed by another, leaving communities and individuals looking for information on how to recover and where to find relief. The Local Relief app connects residents with local authorities and organizations to access life saving resources during crises such as hurricanes, wildfires, and floods. Residents can find food services, shelter locations, and recovery assistance, all while communicating directly with neighbors and professional services offering help. That's the heart of Local Relief-turning chaos into connection and resilience.

We will talk with Heather about her vision for Local Relief not just in Florida, but in other communities as well, including here in SoCal, clearly no stranger to natural disasters from fires to floods and earthquakes. Local Relief is a boots-on-the-ground nonprofit, and local volunteers are strongly encouraged to get involved, because who knows their community better than its residents?

Heather was named Humanitarian of the Year 2024 by the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. Let's just say this isn't her first rodeo in the space of giving back to her community, and we will discuss that as well. We're stronger when we work together, whether in Los Angeles, Sarasota, or anywhere else we call home. Please join me in welcoming Heather to #DeborahKobyltLIVE &

#TheSarasotaPodcast on all video and audio podcast platforms, and invite your friends, too. I'm your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it's my pleasure to welcome you here.

Also, if you have a story idea, particularly in #Sarasota where we're looking to grow our podcast, please let us know💚

Publisher and author Scott Ryan is like Google when it comes to TV and film. He knows the genres intimately, and has written niche books about everything from Letterman to Streisand. Today, he joins us to discuss his latest book, "The Last Days Of Cinema," which is a brilliant look at cinema in the 90's and the impact those films had on pop culture at the time and in retrospect, today.

Scott selected twenty-five films to for his book from thousands made in the 1990's, from Goodfellas to Magnolia and so many others classics, and he was very strategic in his selection. He's analyzed how films of the 90s shaped our culture, which was the last decade before social media took over and influenced millions. Having just returned from the #VeniceFilmFestival, I saw some magnificent films, but I'll admit there's a difference between films today and 30 years ago. I'll ask him about that, perhaps it's because of streaming, with less people collectively going to the movies?

Scott has written many books including "Last Days of Letterman," "Barbra Streisand The Music," "Moonlighting," and others that capture a moment in our culture that we all shared. Now, it's different, not better or worse, but just different. And it's not going back. Scott is also a publisher and founded Fayetteville Mafia Press, a boutique publishing company. He admits he's "living his dream" through his work, and where he lives in Sarasota, Florida, which I also call home (part time). There's a lot to talk about.

Please join me on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE and @TheSarasotaPodcast. I'm your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it's my pleasure to welcome you here. Have a question for Scott? DM me and I'll make sure to ask.

@blue_rose_magazine @Scottryan579 #ScottRyan #Author #Writer #director #actor #Popculture @ubngo

Love Streisand? Then you must turn in to our show today, featuring Scott Ryan, author, designer, and publisher who joins us to to talk about his latest publication, "Barbra Streisand, The Music." This is a stunning book, filled with gorgeous photos and stories about each Streisand song, collaboration, and film she's ever worked on. It's a comprehensive look at one of the biggest female recording stars of a generation, her life, and journey as a woman in charge of her own work and career.

Scott will also be talking about his upcoming festival he's producing in Beverly Hills about David Lynch, and discuss his two other books, "Lost Highway: The Fist Of Love," and "Firewalk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared," both based on the works of David Lynch.

Please join us at 10amPST on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE and #TheSarasotaPodcast. If you have any questions for Scott, DM us, and I'll try to work them in. I'm your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt. Thanks for tuning in.

There's a lot of buzz around film director K.T. Curran, whose latest film, Bridge To The Other Side, is getting high critical praise from Hollywood to Sarasota, where K.T. lives, which also happens to be my hometown. And today, we speak with K.T. on #DeborahKobyltLIVE & #TheSarasotaPodcast about her film and life. Bridge To The Other Side is an incredible journey into grief, drugs, mental health, and relationships, filmed in Sarasota. In fact, you may recognize many street scenes and local restaurants in #SRQ. The message is deep, and people are noticing. We'll be talking about the process of filming, in addition to K.T.'s prior work as an actor, screenwriter, and founder of Wingspan Productions, a nonprofit that creates films to inspire social change. And she's done just that. Bridge To The Other Side will be shown this month at The Sarasota Film Festival, which celebrates its 25th year! If you out her IMDB page, K.T. has a long list of films to her credit. Bridge To The Other Side won Best Feature Film at the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival in Los Angeles to Best Florida Feature at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. And we're watching. Thanks for joining us on @DeborahKobyltLIVE & @TheSarasotaPodcast, where you'll find our shows on ALL video and audio platforms, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have an idea for our show? Please DM us, we'd love