Cy Dodson is an award-winning filmmaker and the owner of production company Triumph Pictures, LCC where he specializes in documentary style marketing.

Cy’s most recent documentary Beneath the Ink was a hit on the film festival circuit winning dozens of awards. The Emmy Nominated and Academy Qualified film profiles Billy Joe White and his tattoo shop that covers up racist imagery. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hate and racism in the western foothills of this Appalachian region that reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.

His past two films with My Last Breath and The Ragman - A Hobo's Story Untold garnered a total of 7 Film Festival Awards and a Midwest Regional Emmy for Best Documentary.

Rubén Rosario is an award-winning columnist for the Pioneer Press.

He came to the Twin Cities in 1991 after spending 11 years at the New York Daily News. Rubén talks about his early days as a young reporter in New York covering crime and going undercover for a story about the 1980’s crack epidemic.

This was a wide-ranging conversation that covered 9/11, the proposed End-of-Life Option Act in Minnesota, his cancer diagnosis, advice to young journalists, and his Puerto Rican roots.

Mary Mack and Tim Harmston are comedians that happen to be married.

Mary is a self-described folk humorist who is a favorite on radio shows and podcasts, including Marc Maron's WTF Podcast and New York's 2 Dope Queens. Her voice has also been heard in the cult favorite Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. She had her national TV debut on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared on TBS' Conan and NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly.

In 2003, Tim won Acme Comedy Company’s Funniest Person in the Twin Cities competition and has worked in some of the best clubs and theaters from Los Angeles to New York City. He has made TV appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central, and NBC’s Last Comic Standing.

Brandon Schuh is an entrepreneur and the host of Risk Radio.

Risk Radio is an interview style podcast examining what is new in the insurance and risk management world along with changes & disruption.

Brandon is a commercial insurance producer and risk management advisor for Christensen Group. Prior to working for CG - Brandon spent six years working for Hays Group Inc - which was one of the nation's largest insurance brokerages - now a division of Brown & Brown.

Enjoy!

Nathan Barclay is a pianist with intellectual disabilities.

He began playing the piano when he was five years old and without ever reading sheet music he learned to memorize and play songs by ear.

Master of Keys is Nathan’s piano playing name and fans of his can find him at the St. Paul Menards on Saturday afternoons performing for customers. He also entertains at a local senior center and is available for hired gigs.

Nathan is a shining example about the potential that people with disabilities have in our society.

Enjoy!

John Long is on a mission to lessen the political divide in the United States with his mobile news app Gnomi.

Gnomi offers transparent, simple and clear slant grading of top news articles. John employs a proprietary grading system that combines human graders, algorithms and machine learning to produce an objective and true slant on news articles.

He hopes this new found transparency in news media will provide citizens with a better understanding of current issues, lessen the political divide amongst those with different views and produce a feeling of safety for all to voice their opinions.

Enjoy!

Thirty three percent of older US adults describe themselves as chronically lonely. James Falvey is helping to change that in the Twin Cities.

James is the executive director of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) Minneapolis, a non-profit that is part of a national network of volunteer-based organizations committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly.

The organization was founded by a French nobleman Armand Marquiset in 1946 after World War II. He was dedicated to serve isolated and lonely older adults who had lost their families in the war.

Today, LBFE has a chapter in nine countries throughout the world and seven in the United States.

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Andrew Yang is running for president of the United States in 2020 as a democrat. His core message centers around the idea of universal basic income (UBI) which would provide every U.S. adult citizen with $1,000 per month.

Andrew has served as the CEO, cofounder, or executive for several technology and education companies and was one of the first candidates to announce his bid for the White House.

In the interview, Andrew details the urgent need for UBI and promotes his plan, which he calls the Freedom Dividend, as a way to help offset the forthcoming negative effects caused by automation and artificial intelligence. His recent book, The War on Normal People, acts as a wake up call to radically rewrite our social contract and reimagine our economic future.

He is a fascinating person with bold ideas. This episode is worth a listen.

Enjoy!

Fred Melo is a reporter for the Pioneer Press. He covers St. Paul including the mayor’s office, city council, and anything else Fred finds newsworthy. The Boston native began working for the paper in 2005 by covering crime in Dakota county.

In the episode, Fred talks about the hidden gems of St. Paul, big stories over the years, and his role of being a citizen and a reporter living in St. Paul.

We also talk about the state of the Pioneer Press. During his tenure at the paper, Fred has witnessed a sharp decline of staff members due to cuts by ownership, a common theme for many publications across the nation.

Enjoy!

Erin Rufledt is the founder of Luminary Lab, a brand strategy company that helps businesses of all sizes craft compelling stories. She has worked with all types of clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies, global humanitarian organizations and leading nonprofits.

In 2015, Erin traveled the world living in 12 different cities over the course of 12 months and aptly dubbed her adventure the 12 Places Project.

In the interview, we talk about the thrilling and unsettling feeling of life on the road. We also discuss how to navigate life’s big questions.

And she’s from the jump rope capital of the world!

Enjoy!