Tricks of the Trade

Quiet on the set! Fresh off the premier of his zombie apocalypse film Decade of the Dead at the Hawaii International Film Festival, Fairai hopped over from Oahu to talk story about his life as a filmmaker. We touch on DotD being a Hawaii-based production with a predominately local cast and crew, he really emphasizes the need to uplift local filmmakers and film economy in Hawaii. He also indulges me with his Mount Rushmore of favorite movies which was a lot of fun because you can always ...

Art. Healing. Psychedelics. Not much else to disclose. I always have a great time talking shop with Daniel as he's one of the most genuine and artistic humans I've encountered. We talk shop on everything surrounding the "art world" and how some trauma in his life has shaped his artistic expression in a positive and holistic way. Let's go.

Originally starting out in the culinary arts, Kelii tells how working in restaurants gave him his first taste of the warzone that is the kitchen and how that shaped his interests and ventures going forward. That background helped immensely as he was able to help organize, prepare, and distribute tens of thousands of meals in the aftermath of the Lahaina wildfires. We also literally and figuratively dove in to a bottle of 3tres Tequila as he broke down the finer details of the fas...

Hey, neighbor! Christina is the woman behind Cookie's Clothing Company. The fun, flirty and affordable woman's boutique has been a staple in Hawaii for the last 15 years. We dive in to the relentless and merciless world of retail and how shes had to constantly pivot, evolve, and straight up GRIND. We both really let our hair down for this one and had a blast. Let's go.

Check one two. Evan is the front man of the unofficial official band of the podcast, Through the Roots. Fresh off their 3-show Hawaii tour I got a chance to get him in the hot seat to tell his story. He dives in to his musical inception, growing as a musician and band, and finding an excuse to sit back and smell the roses. This was a lot of fun with an absolute legend. Let's go.

WILD. Ikaika is a Veteran, husband, father of 4, but most importantly, he's a god damn TRUCK DRIVER. We go off the deep end on a plethora of topics ranging from military service, the toll it takes on you once you're out, the Hawaii food table and native gathering rights, among other issues surrounding Hawaii. At times, this was a very impassioned and emotional episode, but the rest of the time it was an absolute riot. Buckle up, QRF enroute.

HE'S BACK. The hiatus is over and what better person to christen our ears for this next iteration of the pod than Brandon. We dive off the deep end on a handful of topics all the while exchanging our hot takes and bright ideas to solve all of Hawaii's issues. Sarcasm aside its just so great be back. Let's go.

Bio-scape Hawaii is a landscape design/build company that emphasizes using native Hawaiian plants as well as implementing elements that are chemical-free, and require significantly less water usage and maintenance. Operating mostly on the Big Island's arid and hot western coast, Micah has found a way to work in lockstep WITH the land and surrounding areas to create beautiful, unique, and environmentally conscious landscape design. I learned A LOT in this one. Let's go....

Aren't you that guy from that thing? Dave is an actor. He's made appearances on Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum P.I. and was one of the two faces of Kona Brewing Company's marketing campaign for the better part of a decade. We dive in to getting his first paid acting gig, where its taken him, and the doors that's opened in other areas of the industry. Lights camera ACTION.

THAT'S art. Mark moonlights as an artist specializing in gyotaku-style canvas prints using scavenged, recycled, or repurposed beach gear. A life time surfer and ocean enthusiast, Mark dives in to the inspiration behind his beautiful art pieces and the tangible process behind creating each one-of-a-kind print. He carved out two of his 48 hour trip back home to get in the hot seat and talk story with me, this was a blast. Let'a go.