Creatives

Professor Thelma Vickroy is Chair of the Department of Cinema and Television Arts at California State University Northridge. She attended New York University's famed film school at a time when female students in the department were rare—in fact, she was only one of three at the time. She went on to work with the legendary documentary filmmaker Robert Drew at Drew Associates. Thelma's vérité and portrait documentary films in...

Author and urban archaeologist Chris Nichols has dedicated a large part of his life to preserving and recording LA's colorful post-war architecture. He's known for his special knowledge of all things Googie, the 1950's roadside architecture inspired by the wild optimism of the atomic and space age, and driven by a new car-centered culture. He's the author of several books, including “The Leisure Architecture of Wayn...

We bring on Sven's daughter Ariana Berkemeier, a grad student in Kinesiology (the scientific study of body movement), for a revealing look at how creatives can be found in unexpected places. Ariana's first passion was photography—sports and action photography to be precise. While pursuing her art, she learned to observe the movement of the human body, developing her interest in Kinesiology. For Ariana, the scientific and th...

James Goldin has worked on historical and science-based non-fiction and documentary TV productions since the late 1990's, often exploring the big bang (in programs like History’s “The Universe”) and science (CuriosityStream's “Deep Time History”), which looked at how the sciences shaped human history. James is also the author of several middle grade and young adult novels, including "The Aesir Kids," a book series c...

When Wade Snook left Florida for Los Angeles, it was with the dream of making it as a musician, but it was the 1990's, and a new dream took hold: the emerging art of digital design. His work has ranged from corporate brochures, catalogs and package design, to Photoshop mash-ups for comedian Gilbert Gottfried (merging the comedian with Dracula or the Wolfman, for example). Recently, Wade started screen printing his own clothing ...

When young Jim Eckels' pre-med plans didn't pan out, he trekked across the country to Hollywood and set out to climb the ladder from production assistant to script coordinator to production office manager, before finally having the chance to write and produce documentary "clip" shows. When the reality craze hit, Jim jumped on board to produce programs like “Tory & Dean: Inn Love,” and “Tattoo Highway” (his perso...

Fix it in Post is the deceptively simple cry after a production goof-up. Post-production supervisor Emily Campbell is the person you want to have on your side to make it all come together. Emily has worked exclusively on documentaries, including computer graphics-intensive programs like History’s “The Universe” and “Life After People.” Emily's job is to bring each production to the finish line, managing both behind the scenes c...

Iris April dabbled in fine arts and fashion design before discovering her calling as a makeup and special effects artist. Straight out of makeup school, one of her first gigs was on “Spider-Man 3.” Her career has alternated between major motion pictures, indie projects and documentaries. On CuriosityStream’s “Deep Time History” she created makeup stretching from early civilization all the way up to World War II and offered her tale...

While Dion Labriola has had a successful career as an editor of such acclaimed documentary series as History's "Life After People" and "The Universe," his childhood dream was to be a great animator. Fate, though, had something else in store. His life took wild detours, however, and he even spent thirteen years as a VJ at a Chicago nightclub before finding his way to Hollywood. He didn't quite leave young Dio...

Harry Manfredi is best known as the composer behind Friday the 13th, House and many other horror films, but his long career isn't limited to just one genre: he's scored family films, adventures and comedy, too. He's even ventured into video games, creating the score for Friday the 13th: The Game. Harry shares with Sven and Rich the secret of his "overnight success" (which actually stretched over thirty years). H...

Not only is Rhys Thomas the author who uncovered the fate of Judy Garland's iconic Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz (there were several), but he's also a producer & writer of television documentaries - spanning from historic to wartime to present day (receiving an Emmy nomination for “Dwight D. Eisenhower: Supreme Commander-in-Chief”). Rhys also shares with Sven and Rich a more personal story that he's told in bo...

Alexis Skarda is a Professional Mountain Bike Racer...AND a Musician...and now she's delving into the world of social media. Alexis represented the US at the 2017 Mountain Bike World Championships in Australia, and races today thanks to a team of sponsors. In 2019, though, being a pro cyclist doesn't mean just showing results on the bike. It means creating content on social media and connecting with fans. Alexis has to be a...

One day, Rasha Goel’s on the red carpet with A-list celebrities, the next she’s on a panel discussing diversity issues with Hollywood’s movers and shakers. On yet another day, she’s inspiring the next generation to stay true to who they are. Sven and Rich chat with this dynamic Emmy-nominated producer, entertainment host and correspondent.

Rasha's Website www.rashagoel.com

Rasha's Twitter @RashaGoel

Rasha's Instagram &...

Russ Campbell, through his company Old Focals, has carved out a niche in Hollywood: he's the go-to guy for vintage eyewear that adds that extra bit of authenticity to Hollywood blockbusters ("JFK;" "Tucker, The Man and His Dream," and TV's "Mad Men," to name a few). As his latest cinematic achievement, Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" premieres at the Cannes Film Festi...

From a simple loin cloth on a primitive human to ornate Renaissance finery, costumer Kathryn Shemanek brings the past to life in feature films and documentaries (and also did a stint in Prince's costume shop). How does she do it? Sven and Rich find out.

Kathryn's Website www.realcostumedesign.com

Kathryn's Instagram http://instagram.com/repli_maniac

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Ken Stipe is a cinematographer whose credits range from motion pictures to documentaries. When he's not shooting movies, he's a still photographer. His passion for "painting with light," he says, was inspired by his Virgin Islands childhood love for martial arts.

Ken's Website www.kennethstipe.com

Ken's Instagram www.instagram.com/dpken

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For ten years, Bret Iwan has been the official voice of Disney's Mickey Mouse. Sven and Rich talk to Bret about how that coveted job came to be, a specific hobby he has in common with Walt Disney and his interest in restoring "Craftsman" homes. We found that Bret truly personifies the spirit of Mickey Mouse!

Bret's Website www.bungalowmodern.com

Bret's Instagram @bungalowmodern & @bretiwanvo

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