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A Fundraiser for the Danville Science Center
January 7, 2022 6:30 P.M. - 9:30 P.M.
Tickets $50 Each | Cocktail Attire Featuring 16 wines from around the world. Must Be 21+ Tickets Can Be Purchased: At the Danville Science Center Online through this QR Code or via Phone - 434-791-5160 x 204
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CONTENTS
Showcase Magazine
JANUARY 2022 @showcaseDVA
Showcase Magazine
showcasemagazineva @ info@showcasemagazine.com
FEATURES A Life So Interesting 8
Confessions of a 30 Something How Do You Measure A Year 13
From the Kitchen of
Big Bear’s Wife Instant Pot Short Ribs 14
PG.
PG.
14
8
A Life So Interesting ALSO INSIDE Editor’s Letter
Finding Your Way 6 4 SHOWCASE Magazine |
Paws for a Cause
Games
Meet Val
Crossword & Wordsearch
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PG.
13
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Finding Your Way A new year provides the opportunity to travel a fresh path. Maybe one that differs greatly from the one you spent the last year following. Maybe a direction that leads to dreams you’ve been afraid to turn into reality. One detour that may have kept you from traveling this road in the past is the fear of failure. Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius wrote, “The Impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” This idea is taken deeper in Ryan Holiday’s book “The Obstacle is the Way.” The fear of failure holds us back from being the person we are meant to be. The truth is… everyone fails. Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team. Imagine if Jordan had let that failure stop him. Instead, it framed his future, as he would become one of the greatest basketball players to step foot on the court. There may be many failures before you taste success. But don’t give up. Holiday said, “If you want momentum, you’ll have to create it yourself, right now, by getting up and getting started.” Accept your obstacle and make it your way. This month, we catch up with Danville native, Jerry Meadors. He definitely creates his own momentum and isn’t afraid of failure. That lack of fear has led to an interesting life full of success. Meadors isn’t finished. He plans to find more success in the future and have more compelling stories to tell. Failure is a hiccup we must hold our breath to get over. Once we reflect, just as in Meadors’s case, it becomes a building block towards success. Another stoic, Seneca, said, “We suffer more in our imagination that in reality.” Failure stings… but just for a bit. One quote I ponder often relates to finding your way. It’s by Epictetus. He said, “First say to yourself what would you be; and then do what you have to do.” In 2022, let nothing hold you back. Make it the way. Enjoy the issue. .
showcase JANUARY 2022
CEO Andrew Scott Brooks scott@showcasemagazine.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Paul Seiple | paul@showcasemagazine.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kim Demont | demontdesign@verizon.net FINANCE MANAGER Cindy Astin | cindy@showcasemagazine.com ADVERTISING Lee Vogler | Director of Sales and Marketing lee@showcasemagazine.com | 434.548.5335 Kenny Thornton Jr | Account Executive kenny@showcasemagazine.com CUSTOMER SERVICE Subscribe to Home Delivery for $24 per year 753 Main Street #3, Danville, VA 24541 Phone 434.709.7349 info@showcasemagazine.com www.showcasemagazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Angie Barrett | Paulette Dean Sam Jackson | Lee Vogler CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Angie Barrett | Lee Vogler COVER Jerry Meadors standing by the “new” gates at Paramount Pictures where he spent 10 years as vice president of marketing and worked on a run of hits from the early 1980s until 1997 from “Top Gun” to “Titanic.” Scan with your smart phone for
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FEATURE A LIFE SO INTERESTING
A Life So Interesting BY SAM JACKSON
T
he life and career of Hollywood veteran and Danville native Jerry Meadors could be a dramatic production in its own right. And if he chose to, Meadors could write, produce, act in it, and promote it to boot. There is little that Meadors hasn’t done over the course of his career, which has taken him from GW High School to the Hollywood back lot and back again. There have been many stops and starts, but Meadors believes such things haven’t happened by accident. “Every turn led to the next,” he said. “It was destiny.” Meadors is a successful marketing executive, producer, and manager who is based in Los Angeles. His first love, however, is theater, one that began during childhood thanks to his mother, Marguerite—better known as Tannie, who Meadors said was “always entertaining.” Tannie was a manicurist who worked at the Virginia Inn and Theatre on Main Street in Danville. So charismatic was Tannie that she once earned a screen test from Hollywood legend Gene Autry. “I think she always dreamed of being in entertainment,” Meadors said. Tannie could sing, dance, and play piano, Meadors said, and her talent and passion was passed down to him. Meadors virtually grew up in front of audiences, first as a boy in church, and later in high school and college at Averett and Virginia Commonwealth Universities. Before he moved into the entertainment world professionally, though, he began one of his other equally successful pursuits—business marketing. Meadors was the business manager at the Hatcher Center workshop in Danville, now part of the Arc of Southside. Meadors
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developed a nationwide market for various crafts made by adults with developmental disabilities at the Hatcher Center, including some made especially for President Jimmy Carter. As proud as Meadors was of helping a local nonprofit grow, California still called. He moved to Los Angeles, where his career took off almost immediately. He took the position of assistant film programmer at the Los Angeles International Film Exposition, now known as the American Film Institute’s Los Angeles International Film Festival. At the end of his first two-week festival, Meadors was promoted to festivals director by the programming director of the festival. Meadors later worked in marketing and advertising, first at PolyGram Pictures, and then at Seiniger Advertising. What could be considered his “big break,” however, came when he joined Paramount Pictures. At Paramount, Meadors first served as manager of marketing, where he helped rebuild Paramount’s marketing department on the West Coast. A year later, he was promoted to director of marketing, and in 1988, he became Paramount’s vice president of marketing for the Motion Picture Division, where he served until 1996. But after his meteoric rise at Paramount, Meadors turned down a three-year contract (“I left a lot of money on the table,” he said) to become senior creative account supervisor at BLT Associates/Hollywood, where he continued in film promotion for Paramount and other studios such as Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, New Line Cinema, Gramercy Pictures and others. “It was a difficult decision to leave Paramount,” he said. But Meadors doesn’t regret it. “I was following my heart,” he added. That’s also what Meadors did when he took on the role of
executive producer of “Don’s Plum,” the now-infamous independent film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. The low-budget, black-and-white movie was largely improvised, and filmed before the actors, who would later become Hollywood leading men, had gained nationwide fame. Meadors was brought in as an executive producer after principal photography was completed, but nothing had been edited. “There was more than 60 hours of footage,” he explained. Still, Meadors had to see what was there before agreeing to sign on. “I never commit to anything until I’ve seen it,” he said. He agreed to take part in the project, and the film was completed. Meadors recalls the screening, in which DiCaprio “jumped out of his chair in excitement three times and shouted at the screen,” he remembered. Meadors hoped he had helped create a breakout hit. However, “Don’s Plum” stalled before it saw the light of day. The film’s producers battled over control, and
DiCaprio and Maguire allegedly dragged their feet over its release, citing concerns that their performances were “too revealing of personal experiences.” This led to a lawsuit between the actors and producer David Stutman, where negotiations over the release of the film slowed to a crawl. Meadors remembers one meeting at a hotel where, “We were in there from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.” Eventually a settlement was reached, but Stutman could only secure a release of the film outside the U.S. and Canada, effectively killing its box-office potential. Despite the disappointment, Meadors said he doesn’t regret the experience. “I’m an entrepreneur, and the definition of that is when you fall on your face, you stand up,” he said. In 2003, Meadors returned home to Danville. With a long career of marketing success in Hollywood behind him, it was now time to return to his roots in theater. He Continued to Page 10
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FEATURE A LIFE SO INTERESTING
Continued from Page 9
became president of the North Theatre Group, where he supervised the renovation of the historic theater on North Main Street, turning the facility into a fully functional arts complex when it was restored in 2005. Meadors also directed several shows such as “True West,” and Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” He also wrote and directed “As Time Goes By.” The experience with the North Theatre Group was among his favorite in show business.
“It was a remarkable experience,” he said. “I loved doing that.” He also was involved in creating the 616 Restaurant in Danville and continued to work in marketing and consulting. However, when the recession hit in 2008, it hurt the fortunes of the theater. Meadors said the group tried to return control of the facility of the city, but it never worked out. “I suppose (it was) because of what happened with the economy,” he said. “The whole point of doing it was giving the community a theater.” The theater reopened in 2010 and continues going strong, partly due to Meadors’ theater group and its restoration efforts. Again, it was another experience he’ll never regret. “I know what it is to fail, and I know what it is to succeed,” he said. Since then, Meadors has come and gone between Danville and Hollywood. “Picking up your life in Danville and re-rooting yourself in Los Angeles is a bit of a feat,” he noted. “It feels like this Karmic return in a way.” He continues to work in marketing and consulting, and has worked on many other film projects. Among them are the film adaptation of Robert Gandt’s acclaimed “Angels in the Sky,” the story of a band of volunteer airmen from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, and South Africa that aided the newly formed nation of Israel from attacks by neighboring states in the Middle East. The project was gaining momentum, Meadors said, but stalled because of the pandemic. He hopes there is still life in the project. Other projects on the horizon include a production of the life of Hollywood icon Roy Rogers, as well as a film called “Damson Honey,” which is set in Danville. No matter if Jerry Meadors is on location in Tinsel Town or the River City, he has adapted, succeeded and thrived in his various endeavors over the years. With such a rich set of experiences, he said, he spends each day with a grateful heart. “I wake up every day and I’m thankful for my life, because it’s so interesting,” he said.
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PAWS FOR A CAUSE
Paws for a Cause About 25 years ago, I stopped making formal New Year’s Resolutions and started choosing a theme for the coming year. Sometimes, it is a scripture that reminds me of something I need to work on (e.g. “In your patient possess ye your souls,” Luke 21:19) or sometimes the verse is a reminder of God’s blessings. In other years, I choose a thought from a talk or book. If I could choose a theme for the entire world, I would choose words from the last book Charles Dickens published: “Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” All other considerations aside, if everyone followed those sentiments, there would be little need for huge animal shelters and there would be no need for any training classes on how to recognize and prosecute animal cruelty. A few minutes before writing this column, animal control officers seized an emaciated dog
WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY
MEET VAL This beauty is about five months old and has been spayed. She is very sweet and gets along well with other cats.
that has very little chance of surviving, according to the veterinarian. There has also been a steady stream of animals of many species being released to us; most have come with a sad story. Because the entire world has not embraced a
humane way of living, the only thing we can control is what we can do to help animals. In 2022, we once again pledge to: 1. Offer spay/neuter assistance. We have assisted with over 36,000 surgeries and have prevented millions of unwanted puppies and kittens being born. 2. Continue to find loving, responsible homes in this area. 3. Expand our transfer programs to other trusted groups. 4. Teach respect and kind treatment for all animals. Sometimes our work easy and sometimes it is hard. It is always done with love for the animals with whom we share the earth. We will do everything in our power to help the animals who have been exposed to the hard hearts of some humans, the terrible tempers of others, and the touches that hurt. DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY
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EXTRA GAMES
Games
Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 1 Fluent 5 Halt 9 Effect 14 Costa __ 15 Head 16 Less cooked 17 Famous cookies 18 Margarine 19 Rage 20 Slopping roof type 22 Ponders 24 Frozen water 25 Gush out 26 Genetic makeup 28 That girl 29 Stray 32 Equipped 33 Lets borrow 35 Legume 36 Desert plants 37 Hearing part 38 Clever remarks 40 Street abbr. 41 Open 43 Take off the lid 44 Henna 45 __ league school 46 Untidy
47 Land unit 49 Sup 50 In the air (pl.) 53 Askant 57 Fairy Tale writing brothers 58 Not yours 60 Brash 61 Helper 62 Exploiter 63 Heavy metal 64 Full of swamp grass 65 What Celestial Seasonings makes 66 Spy DOWN 1 Metric weight unit 2 Capital of Peru 3 Computer picture button 4 Cradle 5 Fern seeds 6 Bidden 7 Bullfight cheer 8 Plough blade 9 Heavy machinery 10 Root beer brand (3 wds.)
11 Exhort 12 Prophet 13 Goofs 21 Spiritual boredom 23 Commence 26 Meat and potatoes covering 27 Master of ceremonies 28 Slippery 29 Sagas 30 Refund 31 File 32 Academy (abbr.) 33 Omits (2 wds.) 34 Creak 39 Shaky 42 Female 46 Mr.s 47 Pointed at 48 Toyota car 50 Seaweed substance 51 Canal 52 Travel by horse 53 Realm 54 Opp. of yeses 55 Applaud 56 Whirl 59 Manipulate
Word Search EXERCISE
LABEL
POUNDS
CALORIES
FIBER
MOTIVATE
TARGET
CARBOHYDRATE
HEALTHY
PORTION
TRACK
BINGE
CARDIO
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WEIGHT
Answers on Page 15
CONFESSIONS OF A 30 SOMETHING
Confessions of a 30 Something How Do You Measure A Year BY LEE VOGLER PHOTO BY LEE VOGLER
“Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments, so dear Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure? Measure a year?”
would have their patience tested by these 3- and 7-year-old kids, but I know there are times when it’s just my tiredness taking over and not giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’m going to work on that.
Those iconic lyrics from the song “Seasons of Love”, featured in the musical Rent, lay out in literal terms what a year is: 525,600 minutes. The heart of the song, however, talks about how it is what you do with those minutes that matter.
Be more present. As I mentioned before, I typically have a lot of things going on at one time. To deal with it, I often multitask several things. While this can be good, sometimes it leads to me not being present in the moment and missing out on what is right in front of me. So this year, I’m going to try to compartmentalize.
As we enter a new year, there will be millions of people making new year’s resolutions, which we know many won’t keep. Each year we try again, however, hoping to fulfill that promise. As they say: hope springs eternal. Like most people, I set out some goals at the start of a year. Some I get done. Some I don’t. This year, however, I want to strive to do some things that I think are certainly achievable. They are: Be more patient. I need to work on this one, but especially with my kids. Because I have so many irons in the fire, I’m going 100 miles per hour almost all day. And then I crash. Some days, that’s the time when my kids decide they want all of my attention, but my tank is running on empty. Believe me, sometimes even a well rested, mild-mannered soul
Be more relaxed. Notice a trend here? I need to make a better effort to “tune out” every once in a while and truly recharge my batteries. So here we are, guys. It’s 2022. Let’s make the most of the 525,600 minutes.
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FEATURE BIG BEAR’S WIFE
From the Kitchen of
Big Bear’s Wife Instant Pot Short Ribs WRITTEN BY ANGIE BARRETT OF BIGBEARSWIFE.COM PHOTO BY ANGIE BARRETT
What you’ll need to make Instant Pot Short Ribs: • beef short ribs • beef broth • salt • tomato paste • pepper • Worcestershire sauce • coconut oil (or regular oil) • honey • garlic, minced • fresh thyme • onion powder You’ll also need these tools for making Instant Pot Short Ribs: INSTRUCTIONS 1. Select the Sauté Button on the Instant Pot and set it to normal. 2. Sprinkle the short ribs with salt, pepper and onion powder. 3. In a medium-large bowl mix together the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and honey. Whisk to combine. Set aside. How do you brown short ribs? • In the Instant Pot, melt the coconut oil. Once the coconut oil is melted, add the short ribs. (About 3-4 ribs at a time. Don’t crowd them) • Cook for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Flip and cook
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the other side for 3-4 minutes or brown. Remove from pan Instant Pot and set aside. Finish all ribs. Do you have to brown short ribs? While browning the ribs is not 100% necessary it does improve the presentation and flavor of the short ribs. I personally feel like it is an important step to add in flavor and make them extra wonderful. How many ribs can you put in an instant pot? When I’m searing the ribs before cooking them under pressure, I tend to keep it to about 3-4 ribs at a time in the Instant Pot so that I don’t over crowd them. At this point in the recipe, I want them to sear and not steam. When I am cooking them in the final stage under the pressure of the Instant Pot, I fit between 8 and 10 short ribs into the Instant Pot. Let’s keep cooking… 1. Hit the Cancel Button. 2. Pour a little of the the broth mixture into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get all of those browned bits into the broth. 3. Add in the ribs. 4. Pour on the rest of the broth mixture. 5. Add thyme sprigs. 6. Put the lid onto the Instant Pot and seal it, making sure the vent on top is in the correct position. 7. Cook on high pressure or the stew option for 45 minutes. 8. When it’s done cooking, let it release naturally for 20 minutes and then use the quick release on top to depressurize the Instant Pot. 9. DO NOT use the quick release without letting it release naturally. The meat could seize up and be tough, tough, tough! 10. Remove lid and serve. 11. If you want a sauce for the ribs, remove the ribs from the pot. 12. In a small bowl mix together 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch together. Pour into broth, hit the sauté button, cook, and stir until thickened.
INTRODUCING THE BEE HOTEL With its buzzworthy backstory and unique urban style, The Bee made a headline-making hotel debut in Danville’s bustling River District.
420 Patton Street Danville, Virginia 24541
T: 434-234-9440 Email: gm@danvillebeehotel.com
www.danvillebeehotel.com
The 47-room newcomer is located in what was once home to the city’s iconic broadsheet, The Danville Register & Bee, now freshly reimagined as a warm and welcoming home base for business travelers and Virginia vacationers offering the largest rooms for the value in addition to apartment suites ideal for extended stay. Located in the heart of Southern Virginia on the banks of the Dan River, Danville blends small-town charm with rich history and outdoor activities for the adventure-seekers. A one-time textile and tobacco epicenter, it offers easy access to the Virginia International Raceway and the future Caesars Virginia casino.
Where Contemporary and Historic Meet in The River District
SUITES One and Two Bedroom Suites Ideal for extended stays, nearly half of the hotel’s guest rooms are light filled loft-style retreats featuring full kitchens, lightening fast wi-fi and smart TVs.
FEATURES & AMENITIES:
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS • Danville’s River Walk Trail
• Free high-speed WiFi
• Averett University
• 43 or 55-inch HDTV with cable
• Danville Museum of Fine Arts
streaming services
& History
• Work desk with ergonomic chair
• Virginia International Raceway
• Mini-fridge and Microwave
• Angeler’s Ridge Mountain Bike Trail
• Keurig coffee maker
• Danville Braves
• Premium bath amenities
• Danville Science Center
• Hair dryer
• Dan Daniel Memorial Park
• Iron and ironing board
• Tank Museum
• Pet-friendly
• Wreck of the Old 97
• Smoke-free
• Local Craft Brewing Companies
• Fitness Center • Rooftop Veranda (seasonal) • Free Parking
Crossword Puzzle Word Search
Continued from Page 12
Games Solutions
Staycation With Us!
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