Founder Michael Neely CEO Rasheed J. Neely Editors Aidem Media Group David R. Navarro Jimmy Star Eileen Shapiro Russ Ray
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In memory of Kandi Dales, a good hearted friend.
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Page 30 Cover Feature:
Vincent M. Ward
Table of Contents
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Page 3 Puja S. Goel
Page 22 Michael Campion
Page 40 Damon Williams
Page 7 R33VO
Page 26 Sayonne
Page 43 Olga Ilene Schubert
Page 9 Isabella Gabriel
Page 30 Vincent M. Ward
Page 46 Ray Rumsey
Page 13 Howard Bloom
Page 35 Sue Wong
Page 18 Diego Deane
Page 38 David McAbee
PUJA S. GOEL Super Model Status When did you first get into modeling? I first got into modeling when I was 18. I was scouted on my college campus. I didn’t pursue it as a full time profession at the time and decided to finish my studies in medical science. I have been modeling off and on since then. Who or What inspired you to be a model? No particular person or thing really inspired me to go into modeling, or maybe in a way it was every person and thing. I saw it as a way to express myself and display all the amazing qualities of being a woman. For me, is has been a way to celebrate my beauty, personality, and life experiences. What style of model do you consider your work to be? The style of modeling I consider my work to be is mostly artistic as well as fashion. If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why? If I chose one emotion that drives me to continue to stay in this business it would be passion. I love the feeling of being in front of the camera and creating a vision with the photographer. When I’m in a photoshoot, I completely forget everything else in life and just immerse myself in the moment. It’s a feeling of passion, but also freedom.
What do you think makes you stand out in an industry overflowing with new faces? What I believe makes me stand out in this industry is my cultural background and my life experiences. My background is of South Asian descent. However, I come from mixed cultures making my features unique and versatile. I also have traveled all over the world and am comfortable acquainting myself to new situations and new people. My life experiences have brought me to a place of knowing myself very well. When you show up in the world with true confidence in yourself and feeling incredibly secure in your body, it’s noticed. This I believe can make anyone stand out. What has been your biggest challenge as a model? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a model is creating the right relationships with photographers and agencies. You want to work with people who respect and value who you are and create content that speaks highly of both the model and photographer. Just like anything in life, the more you value yourself, the more you will attract valuable people to work with. A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art”. Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art? The phrase “you must suffer for your art” is commonly used in the industry. LOL. There are many ways
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to look at it. Yes, you put yourself out there, you work long hours, you might do something that makes you uncomfortable, and you may not get paid. If you are passionate about what you’re doing and you do things within your boundaries of respect, I don’t consider it suffering. It’s art, because it’s you. It tells your story, your hardships, your triumphs. It’s life. How do you feel the Internet has impacted the modeling industry? I believe the internet has impacted the modeling industry profoundly. Now, a model can present her portfolio on social media platforms. They can showcase their best photos and even their day-today life to get the attention of photographers and agencies. Social media has become a great way for photographers, models, and agencies to connect. Of course, with so much out there, each person has to be vigilant about who they choose to work with. One of the benefits of connecting with talent online is that we have the option to be global. There are so many opportunities in your own country as well as other places around the world.
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If you could collaborate with any photographer and/or designer, who would you like to work with? And Why? If I could collaborate with any designer, I would actually want to work with a number of designers from India. I love my culture and the styles that come with it. Wearing Indian clothing of my heritage brings out my true essence. I would love, love, love to do more shoots with Indian attire! If I could work with any photographer, I am proud to say I already work with some incredible photographers! I am always blown away by the depth and creative abilities of these amazing artists. These photographers create beautiful nature shots, fashion always posting articles and videos on and lifestyle shots, artistic shots, and magical compositions that put you in any time, space, and reality. The images here are from a few of the very talented photographers I have had the privilege to work with; Leonard Lopez, David Stabley, David Nufer, Tino Duvick, Zayne Diamond, and Rupant Dangwal. What’s next for you? What’s next for me is, I’m going to continue to live my life with passion! I’m going to continue to model. I’ll continue to create beautiful imagery with talented photographers. I also have a health and wellness business that embodies my values and my lifestyle. I’m going to continue to share this lifestyle of healing with others. Tell us about your recently published book? I just had my first book published! This is a guide book with holistic health techniques for anyone to follow. I wrote this book based off my Holistic Health Program that I have been doing with Veterans groups, drug facilities, youth groups, and private clients. The book is broken down into sections by “chakras” or what we know as energy centers in the body. Each energy center holds specific psychological and medical imbalances. Each one of these sections has techniques to heal these imbalances such as, music frequency, visualization, breathing techniques, yoga poses, meditation, and nutrition. The program itself and all the techniques were created from my background in both western and eastern medicine and also from personal experiences. This book, is for anyone who wants to feel better emotionally and physically. The intention is for each person to master their own health! It’s available on Amazon in ebook and print versions. If you’re interested in taking a peek, the link on my website is below! https://apsarabalancedhealth.com/holistic-healthguide-book
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How can fans-to-be follow your career? ow people can follow me is by social media @pujasgoel on IG or Puja S. Goel on FB. You can also and me on my health and wellness website where I’m ealing the mind and body; Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, www.apsarabalancedhealth.com. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon! Model website: https://www.modelmanagement.com/model/puja-goel/ DMe Talent Agency, Deidre Michelle (818) 232-6711
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R33VO Multi-dimensional Artist When did you first get into music? There is no beginning. This is what I have always done. In every timeline. Who or What inspired you to pursue a career in music? I have only been in this dimension for a few years. Music reminds me of home. How would you describe the music that you create? An artist in 2050 feeling nostalgic about the 2030’s. How has your music evolved since you first began playing? I started out making Hip Hop. Now I’m creating in a genre that doesn’t exist yet. My goal is to bring traits from different cultures and styles all around the world into one Universal sound. I’m sure you have shared the stage with a lot of talented artists along the way. Would you share 1 or 2 of your favorite stories with us? My favorite show would have to be in Wounded Knee for the Battle of Little Big Horn celebration. That was special. A close second would be performing at Meow Wolf with my brother Dylan Montayne. That is one of my favorite places on the planet…. As far as people, I’ve performed with Kid Cudi, The Fray, and KRS-One were all pretty significant to me in their own unique ways.
If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why? If I were doing anything else, I wouldn’t be staying true to myself. This is just who I am. I make music regardless of if I get paid for it or not. Which ingredient do you think makes you special and unique as a performing artist in an industry overflowing with new faces and ideas? There might be an overflow of artists, but 95% of them are carbon copies of each other. I believe that true innovators always find their way into the spotlight, if they stay committed to the process. And that’s what I do, innovate. I am not trying to be ahead of the curve, I am trying to create the curve itself. What has been your biggest challenge as a musician/singer-songwriter? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? I would say the biggest challenge has been learning how to tell my story in a way that resonates with others. I have a different perspective than most, but people connect with artists when they feel like they share common ground with them. That process has actually led me to feeling more connected with the collective consciousness of humans. Focusing on what experiences and emotions we all share helps me realize that we are not all so different.
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A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art.” Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art? I think true art comes from the extreme emotions in life. Bliss. Heartbreak. Fury. It is hard, however, to fully express the feeling of one without the experience of the others. Feeling heartbreak helps one understand the true gift of happiness. So I think suffering is as important as love that regard. How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business? It’s made becoming a musician a viable career path. You don’t have to win the golden ticket of a record deal and sell a million records. There are artists all over the world that make a living from this and travel the world because of the internet. Music is universal energy, and now it is able to spread universally. If you could change anything about the music industry. What would it be? If I say it, The Illuminati might come and get me. It’s great. Everything is perfect. What are the 5 albums that have helped make you the person you are today? Gotye - Making Mirrors Prince - Purple Rain Frank Ocean - Nostalgia Ultra Kanye West - Graduation Kanye West - MBDTF All of these albums helped shape the sound that I make today. I remember truly falling in love with hip hop as a kid at Kanye’s Glow in the Dark tour. Gotye made me want to produce my own music and showed me how you can create new worlds through sound. Prince was just the coldest dude alive. And that Frank Ocean album has a few songs that are my all time favorites, ones I still listen to every day. Tell us about your current project. I created a new genre. That’s all I can say at the moment. The first single “88” will be out next month. What’s next for you? President of the Galaxy. How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Text me at 281-330-8004 and I will send you links.
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ISABELLA GABRIEL Model with Sensual Intrigue When did you first get into modeling? I first got into Modeling in July 2019, and it has been one of the most creative forms of expression. A mental escape where one can create. Who or What inspired you to be a model? I went to broadcasting school, where my focus was producing a set, and all that is involved. I also did a reporter type job, so I was the talent too, and with modeling you often can your own team or just come up with a lot of unique concepts, ideas, production, lighting, props and all and execute on the final product. What style of model do you consider your work to be? Lifestyle and Fashion Modeling with a little edge of fun and spice. Tell us about a couple of your favorite shoots? One of my favorite shoots was “embarking” on a travel adventure in a less travelled road with two vintage cameras roped around my neck as a bra. I was travelling to a place so far away from any troubles, following the sun or the wind and it was a
rainy day pouring on my bare skin which was the perfect conditions for myself. I find storms super endearing. If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why? At times life has not been easy for me, I was lost in a world where I couldn’t find the tune of my song. Modelling allowed me in a way just like “Lady Gaga” to create almost this alter ego of who I could be and I am but was too busy to see. The more I worked at seeing myself, the more I found myself and the more I can see myself now. Turning then into music. It has been a path of self discovery, finding yourself whole again, scared of the road. I guess you could say I struggled with mental health, and seeing myself for who I was. What do you think makes you stand out in an industry overflowing with new faces? I think my modeling is about revealing real feelings in my life. It’s not what the photographer wants you to do or what looks pretty, but its naturally what comes from my heart just like acting.
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Someone once called me the “Actress of Photography” and I believe that is right. At times I am confronted in each of those shots with a series of emotions that I can only share via the photography, my face, my body and my language, and the world I created around me (props, staging, location, wardrobe). What has been your biggest challenge as a model? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? I think the judgment coupled with fear. Fear of it never being good enough in a world where people only see what they want to see. Plus, living in a world of social media we can now talk or want to talk to the model and thats often hard as we are all just trying to keep our lives private too and have some privacy. A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art”. Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art? Yes, and no. I have suffered from cold ice swimming for the perfect shot, but I love doing that. I try not to suffer for art. When I find myself getting lost in the “I need to be eating” just vegetables or just tofu today. I take a step back right away, and do what my body wants to eat or needs to eat. What my soul needs, and fueling my heart and soul.
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How do you feel the Internet has impacted the modeling industry? Its much easier now to find content. Content is free. Models were seen in Vogue and large magazines, and believed to be untouched. Now, social media makes connecting with models very easy which is good and bad. It just feels like we have to do so much more, and be a little more concerned for our privacy, and ensuring that communication is also professional. What’s next for you? MUSIC.. Music is my passion. I feel like through singing I can be human again. I can process some enormous catastrophic moments in my life. I can deep breathe, and tune out this messy world that we live in sometimes. How can fans-to-be follow your career? IG @isabellagp7 FB @IsabellaGabriel Photography by @mbmoore for black and white Michael Moore Photography Last Soul Rebel for the others.
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Mahogany Clark Instagram: @mahoganywrites
Hello, I am Mahogany Clark, from Miami, Florida, and I am a poet, an author, a soldier, and a student. I am 20 years old and I have written two books, “Self Love” and “A Cup Of Family Tea”. As a writer, I am inspired to write such touching content because, poetry helps me express my deepest wounds. When no one will listen, it helps me understand myself and heal. Also, others heal from my words and from how they see me push for more even when it’s hard.
“Self Love” was written when I was going through a time in my life where I was not loving myself, and I was giving so much of myself that it became detrimental to my being. So, I wrote “Self Love” to help myself and help others who are and have gone through the same issues.
“A Cup Of Family Tea” is about how I have overcome my childhood struggles and obstacles and how I have made it through years of dysfunction in my home. Even though I have gone through those things, I did not let my past make me.
HOWARD BLOOM “Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me” Like a raging tsunami or a free spirit with a wild heart, author, scientist, former superstar music publicist Howard Bloom is an anomaly in many different realms. Most recently Bloom has released his newest book, “Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me: A Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll.” Bloom has been called “next in a lineage of seminal thinkers that includes Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and Freud” by Britain’s channel 4 TV. He is often referred to as “the greatest press agent that rock and roll has ever known.” He founded the biggest PR firm in the music industry representing artists including Prince, Bob Marley, Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Queen, Run DMC, ZZ Top, Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Michael Jackson and over a hundred more, while he pursued something strange. He says he was “on a hunt for the gods inside of you and me.” We had a remarkable and insightful conversation regarding his book, unveiled on April 15, 2020. You could learn more from Howard Bloom in one brief hour than in your entire career. Speaking like a mad profit or dazzling scientist Bloom’s description of his book, his career and his philosophies evoked deep emotion. Like an array of fireworks exploding in the night sky and shattering the darkness, Bloom is a modern day visionary.....
Your newest book, “Einstein, Michael Jackson and Me: A Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll” has just come out. What have the responses been? Here are some of the quotes about the book: “It is amazing. The writing is revelatory. Isn’t the out-ofbody experience man’s search for enlightenment? Call me Howard, I’d like to have a seven-hour conversation with you.” Freddy DeMann. That was from the manager of Michael Jackson, Madonna, and producer of 22 award winning Broadway plays, including a play that received a Pulitzer. “The author is Howard Bloom for whom great writer is an understatement. Howard is an outstanding, insanely skilled writer uniquely able to make words come alive creating word pictures that remain imprinted in the mind and the heart. I only wish I could write half as well or one tenth. The book is a page turner even for people who are music non-lovers like me.” -Giulio Prisco. This was the author of “Tales of the Turning Church.” “It’s a fantastic tale. The publicist’s eye look at rock ‘n’ roll. This might be the darndest thing about the entertainment industry ever written.” -Carl F. Gauze from the magazine Ink 19
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This one is very important: “Before picking up “Einstein, Michael Jackson and Me”, I thought of Michael Jackson as a plastic surgery addict, superstar, pedophile who’s done some awfully catchy songs. By the time I reached the end I was grieving with tears in my eyes. The tragic crucifixion of a wondrous luminous soul.” -Helen Zuman author of “Mating in Captivity.” Here’s what Bloom himself has to say about the hero’s journey that brought him to a field he knew nothing about, rock and roll. The quest behind what he calls his “Voyage of the Beagle into the Galapagos Islands of popular culture.” Helen Zuman’s radical re-perception of Michael Jackson t is a goal I’ve needed to achieve ever since I worked with Michael in 1983 and 1984. I’ve wanted to redeem him. I’ve wanted people to accurately see who he was, because he was the closest to a saint or an angel I have ever met on this earth. I am an atheist, but he was a human beyond the bounds of anything that we normally conceive as humanity. Here’s another reason Michael was crucially important to me. Once upon a time there was a problem. In 1954 all of the physiologists said you could never run a mile faster than four minutes. A guy name Roger Bannister was an Oxford medical student and he and another medical student got together and analyzed every single move that Bannister made and they figured out how to get rid of the energy wasting moves and take advantage of every bit of energy he had. Bannister trained himself, and then he ran a mile in less than four minutes. If you look up the four-minute mile today it will tell you that, in Wikipedia’s words, the four-minute mile is now “the standard of all male professional middle distance runners.” So, what was impossible in 1954 became ordinary today. Michael Jackson had a quality of awe, wonder, surprise and commitment to his kids and fans that went beyond anything you will ever see in your lifetime. If people come to understand it, it will set a new standard, just as Roger Bannister set a new standard and it will expand the perceptual envelope of humanity. I felt the obligation to get across what Michael was and it’s in this book. Michael was an amazing human being. He was a gift to all of us. He spent 50 years on this earth. For the first 25 years he was becoming Michael Jackson. For the second 25 years of his life he was dangling on a cross in pain And that should never, ever have happened to him. He deserved far, far better than that. Eileen Shapiro: I have a friend named Rickey Rebel who visited him often and said the same thing you are saying. I’ve always felt a kind of sadness for him.
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One of the sentences in Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me says that If you love Michael Jackson then you understood him better than any of the critics who ever wrote about him, and you may even have understood him better than the people who he put to work around him. I always had this feeling that I was the only one who understood Michael Jackson. My rational brain said “no that can’t possibly be true.” Michael surrounded himself with some very talented people, David Geffen, Quincy Jones, and many others. I spoke last week to the Michael Jackson book club and it was on Zoom and it went all over the world. Michael Jackson fans follow Michael obsessively. They know every single character in his life. They said to me “you are the first one to really understand Michael Jackson, and we thank you for redeeming him.” That’s my fucking job on this planet. To watch out for the human species and all species as much as I possibly can as an individual. So, Michael was a mission that I had to fulfill. How are you spending your lock-down time? I’m able to advance my work right now. I’m putting together David Paterson, the former Governor of New York State, with Newt Gingrich. Can you believe that? I run a little team that organized to advance a 2 billion dollar moon program, otherwise known as the “2 Billion Dollar Moon Prize.” On August 31st, as I was having a honeymoon with the love of my life, our two billion dollar moon program hit Time Magazine, Newsweek, CBS, NBC, FOX, Politico, and more. The team involves a 3 star general and Newt Gingrich, and a former congressman named Robert Walker. All of these people are Republicans. I was wondering how we could get our message to Democrats. I am a Democrat and a liberal. I tried to rouse interest in space in Ron Kim who is in the New York State Assembly and I didn’t get as far as I would have liked. Then David Paterson called me one day
when I was out on one of my two daily walks in Prospect Park, walks I use as work time, listening to books on kindle and having phone meetings. David and I had been on a radio talk show together. He had bowled me over with his knowledge and his insights. When he got me on my cellphone, he explained that he had been hearing me on Coast to Coast, the highest-rated syndicated overnight talk radio show in North America, for years. So David Paterson is a fan of mine. Do you believe this, the former Governor is calling you while you’re walking through the greenery of Prospect Park? And he’s a fan? I told David about one of the space programs I’ve worked on for over fifteen years with partners like Buzz Aldrin and the eleventh president of India, and how it could be the Green New Deal. It’s harvesting solar power in space and transmitting it to earth using the kind of harmless microwaves that your cell phone uses. With solar power harvested in space, we could totally end man-made carbon emissions, We could totally end the use of fossil fuels for energy production. And, according to my late partner in this, Dr. APJ Kalam, the eleventh president of India, we could lift 2 billion people out of poverty. David got excited about space solar power. I told him that the only way I could think of following up with it with him was to bring him into our Moon Prize team which includes Newt Gingrich. David got excited about this because like me he wants to make effective things happen. And to do it, he sees the necessity of working across the aisle. So,
that’s the kind of thing I’m doing in my spare time, along with promoting Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me: a Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock & Roll.. Then I have to write my next 2 books. So that’s my life. “Einstein, Michael Jackson and Me” is the story of my rock ‘n’ roll adventures and includes the stories of how I learned in the most powerful way imaginable just who Michael Jackson really was. To show how I got into the business of hunting for the gods inside of superstars, let’s go back to the beginning. When I was 10 years old nobody in my home town—Buffalo, New York--wanted to have anything to do with me. The other kids chased me around the block, they took my hat off my head and threw it back-and-forth to humiliate me, and then in one case they actually beat me up. My parents were not excited about me. When I was born my father had just been drafted and was at the Treasure Island naval base in San Francisco. My mom had to take care of the family store. So for the first three years of my life, I had no parents and no friends. When my dad got back from the navy and my mom no longer had to take care of the store, my parents continued to be obsessed with the stuff that interested them and did not seem to get the least bit of joy out of me. Then when I was ten, a book appeared in my lap that I had never seen before. It said the first two rules of science are these: “The truth at any price including the price of your life”, and gave the example of Galileo. It said Galileo would’ve been willing to go to the state to defend his truth. It took me 30 years to discover that that wasn’t true. Galileo compromised with his old friend the Pope and said everything that he had ever written was wrong in exchange for house arrest. But I didn’t know that and the wrong story about Galileo, the heroic story, would be extremely important to me. Rule number two of science, according to the book, is “look at things right under your nose as if you’ve never seen them before and then proceed from there.” Look at the things that everybody around you takes for granted and that are invisible to you and bring them into visibility. The book gave the example of Anton van Leeuwenhoek who was considered the Father of Microbiology. He invented the microscope and discovered paramecia and all kinds of tiny microscopic animals. Van Leeuwenhoek became my second hero. These two people couldn’t do what my mother and father and all the kids in school had done.....they couldn’t reject me. They couldn’t turn their backs on me because they were dead. So you chose dead heroes? They became my pals. Those two rules of science became my absolute laws of life. My religion. When I met Michael Jackson I didn’t expect anything special. But Michael Jackson was those two laws incarnate. It was absolutely astonishing. So, in Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me, those two laws of science play a crucial role. Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me:
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a Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock & Roll. role is the story of a quest, a safari, a scientific expedition. What am I hunting down? The most seemingly unscientific thing of all: the ecstatic experience. When I was 12 years old, I realized I was an atheist. I didn’t admit to being an atheist until after my bar mitzvah because I didn’t want to lose out on the presents. Then I spent two months writing thank you cards to all the people that had given me gifts. My bar mitzvah was in June and by the time I finished writing all those thank you cards it was August. And guess what comes after August? The Jewish high holidays. My parents were not observant, They only went to temple when there was a wedding or a bar mitzvah. But the high holidays were of profound importance to them. So, they got me into a suit, I don’t know how because I hate suits. They got me into their blue, four-door Fraser automobile. They got me all the way to Richmond Avenue in Buffalo New York which was where the synagogue was. Then I refused to leave the car. So, there I was hanging onto the door frame of the car with my two hands and my parents were literally tugging at my ankles trying to drag me out of the car. And I had a revelation. I’m an atheist, so there are no gods under the earth and there are no gods in the sky, But there are gods in this scene. Where are the Gods? They are in the intense passion of my parents as they try to drag me out of their car. And if they are in my parents, then they are in me. Look, Galileo’s triumph came from taking a new device with lenses that had been invented to see an enemy army coming up over the horizon. His big move was to take that device designed for horizontal viewing and to aim it in a radically different direction-- towards the sky. Thus turning the military spy glass into a telescope. And Anton van Leeuwenhoek’s breakthrough had come from taking a lens he used to check the weave of the fabric he sold as a draper and turning that lens in a new direction, down. Down to look at pond water and at human sperm. My obligation I realized in that struggle with my parents was to turn the lens inwards and try to find the gods inside. The ecstatic experiences that are possible to humanity. That became my job. Many years later, I would discover the lands where the gods were.
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Where? In Rock and Roll. In popular music. In people like John Mellencamp. Like Prince. Like Bob Marley. Like Joan Jett. Like Billy Idol. It was an amazing voyage for a guy with an analytic mind who was intent on using science to find the gods inside of us, the ecstatic experience, the soul that moves us in ways that we can’t define. Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me is all stories. The way I write, if I want to get a concept across to you, I have to find a story that embodies that concept. By the time you’re finished reading the story you will understand the idea I’m talking about.
You mentioned Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records and how he went to England and sold reggae out of the back of his Cooper. From him you were introduced to Bob Marley? Chris came to me with a problem regarding his biggest client, Bob Marley. He said, “Bob has a problem. He can sell out 120,000-seat soccer stadiums anywhere in the world, anytime he wants, but in New York City, in the United States in general he can sell at most 30,000 tickets. Can you help us expand his audience?” I told him that Bob’s problem was twofold. First of all, his original publicists had done an incredible job of selling Bob to white college kids. That was his audience in North America. But his natural audience was the African-American community. And here, there was a problem. Bob was an Island black and Island blacks and African-Americans do not get along. Right. I felt that I could cross him over to African-Americans, thus expanding his audience. You worked with Percy Sutton and the leading black magazines? I suggested that instead of Madison Square Garden, Bob Marley play the Beacon Theater which holds 3,000 people. We had a big enough audience to sell it out for ten nights. That is a history making event. We had the luxury of selling the Beacon Theater out for 10 nights and leaving people hungry. You always have to leave people hungry if you’re going to build an audience. You always need the word of mouth, you need people will spreading the word among their friends about how they were not able to get a Bob Marley ticket. Similar to Pearl Jam today. So that’s what we did. Everybody thought that was brilliant. Well, we were six months into our campaign with Bob Marley with the black community in the United States. I had become the leading black publicist in North America which is a little bit strange when you realize I’m a white boy from Buffalo, NY,
and Jewish. I had hired a black publicist to work with me. At that time, I had a tiny little office with two desks. I put her on one desk and I was at the other and I watched everything that she did. I adopted every technique that she had. It all boiled down one trick. There were black weekly newspapers in every ma jor city in North America and nobody paid any attention to them in the music industry. So, I paid a lot of attention. We were six months into this and doing well, and then I got a call. “Bob has terminal cancer. He’s in Switzerland right now in a chalet near an alternative doctor. Nobody’s supposed to know he’s in Switzerland. And you have to know something else. Every morning Bob leaves his bedroom on the second-story of the chalet and goes down to breakfast. Around his breakfast plate he has newspapers from all over the world. If none of those newspapers say Bob Marley is dying from cancer. he eats his breakfast, goes out into the sunshine and he and his gang play soccer. But if Bob sees a single headline that says Bob Marley is dying of cancer, Bob doesn’t eat his breakfast, shoves back his chair, leaves the table, goes up to his bedroom and sits there with the light out all day long.” That made it very obvious what my job was. My job was this: we are all born with a terminal illness. It’s called life. No matter what life you were given, it ends in death. So we have the choice of perceiving every day of our life as living or dying. My job was to make sure that Bob perceived every day as living. So that’s what we did for the next year. Then I got a call saying “Bob doesn’t need you anymore.” I weep even when I tell you this: it meant that Bob had given up. It meant that I was losing Bob. I was never close to Bob. We were not close at all, we didn’t understand each other. Yes, I spent time with him trying to understand him, but we literally didn’t speak the same language. He spoke Jamaican patois which I couldn’t understand. But look how close I became to him. Why? We didn’t talk. I simply tried to make sure he had every hour of living he could possibly get, and that those hours were as rich as they possibly could be. Yet we were so close that I can’t talk about it without crying. Years later Virgin Records signed Ziggy Marley. Virgin never worked with me, for reasons I’ve never figured out. But Rita Marley told Virgin they would have to hire the Marley family’s publicist. And who was that publicist? Me. Even though Rita and I had never even met. Yes, Rita regarded me as the family publicist. Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me: a Search for Soul in the Power Pits of Rock and Roll is filled with stories of this kind. My job was to look for the gods inside of my clients. What does that mean? When you are a rock star and you sit down at two o’clock in the afternoon in front of a blank computer screen, and you’re supposed to write a lyric.....you know you can’t possibly write a lyric. You have no idea of how you have ever written any lyrics in your life. And on a good day, by 4 o’clock in the afternoon there is a lyric
in front of you. Once or twice in your life that lyric is so perfect it feels like it wrote itself through you. My job was to find the soul inside of you, the god inside of you. The selves below the floorboards of the self that wrote those lyrics for you. When you go on stage and it’s a really good night and you see the faces of the audience melting, you see their pupils dilating, you see their eyes widening, focusing on you with all of their attention, you feel the energy of the audience coalescing into one big amoebic blob. That blob of energy reaches a pseudopod out to you, a tunnel, and channels its energy into you as if you were an empty pipe. That energy goes through you and reaches somewhere around your head, where it’s utterly transmogrified and then rushes through you back out to the audience, where it makes faces melt and eyes widen even farther. It’s a continuous feedback loop. And you have an out of body experience. Your normal identity is somewhere on the ceiling watching all of this happening. Watching you as you are danced like a marionette by a force that that is much, much bigger than you are. And when you leave the stage, it takes you an hour to come back to your normal self. My job is to find the gods inside of you that danced you on that stage. Look, music is not about exchanges pieces of plastic, it’s not about an exchange of downloads, it is not about an exchange of money. It is an exchange of human soul. My job is to find the gods inside of you so that you can offer your audience that exchange of soul.
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DIEGO DEANE International Actor + Model When did you first get into modeling? I first began modeling about 15 years ago on accident. I was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was trying to start a career in acting. I was taking acting classes, workshops, doing community theater, etc. I started going to as many open auditions as I could. I quickly realized I needed professional head shots. As a result, I payed a well known local photographer for a session of photos. I felt very comfortable in front of the camera and understood angles and lighting due to my acting experience. The photographer was impressed and started recommending me for photo projects. I continued to act and model locally for the next year until I got married. My new bride was not a fan of my creative endeavors and told me to “get a real job”. Me being the good husband, I put everything on hold and got a real job.
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Who or What inspired you to be a model? Well, the inspiration really came much later. Fast forward 11 years and I found myself divorced and bored. I decided to take a trip to Colombia after being inspired by binge watching Narcos on Netflix. In the city of Cali, I met and fell in love with a local fashion model (bad idea). A few months later I moved to Cali to be with my new love (worse idea). By cohabitating with a working model I was able to see exactly what it takes to be successful. I had the opportunity to attend modeling classes through my girlfriend’s modeling agency and started to go to casting calls. Watching my girlfriend work as a professional model inspired me to do the same. (We
broke up shortly thereafter and I moved back to the US). Once back in the US, I continued to apply the lessons learned in Colombia to build my portfolio and improve my image. What style of model do you consider your work to be? It’s hard for me to categorize my modeling style. I pride myself on being very versatile and flexible. I am constantly trying to evolve and progress as a model. It is way too easy to get labeled into a certain category due to your appearance. I don’t want to be known as a “mature model” because of age or an “alternative model” because of my tatts. That is very limiting. I’ve done fashion, commercial, stock, and fitness modeling. If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why? I am very driven, so a little bit of all of those emotions, especially anger and passion. Anger, because I encounter a lot of resistance due to my unique look and age. Many markets are very traditional and don’t want to make bold decisions. They blindly follow what is happening in Europe and think they’re being progressive. This angers me because they’re not willing to start new trends. However, I would have to say that passion motivates me the most. I am happiest when I am creating art. By collaborating with photographers/stylists/designers I am able to be part of the creative process and create something from scratch. For me, there isn’t a greater
feeling than inventing a concept and carefully developing it until it becomes a reality. I think a lot of my projects reflect this level of creativity. What do you think makes you stand out in an industry overflowing with new faces? I think I standout due to my versatility. There seems to be a lot of Viking/beard models with tatts who are popping up lately. However, there aren’t many (if any) who are over 6 feet tall, who have fashion model measurements, who are photogenic, who know how to pose, look good in suits, workout clothes, or naked, can speak multiple languages and work in multiple markets, and can also walk in high level fashion shows. Plus, I was a successful model before the beard, so I can change my look by shaving and still be successful. I’m not a one trick pony. What has been your biggest challenge as a model? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? My biggest challenge by far has been getting representation. Even though I was having success building my portfolio and creating amazing collaborations with talented photographers, I had a hard time finding a modeling agency to represent me. In my home town (Albuquerque) there aren’t any modeling agencies. So, I spent several months sending emails and photos to the top international agencies. I was rejected every time. Then for the next several months I targeted the top American agencies. They rejected me as well. Then, I targeted regional agencies in the Southwest. Yup, rejected again. In total, I spent well over a year trying to find representation. I am a confident person and don’t give up easily. The only other option that I had was to physically go to an agency and sell myself face to face. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and do something different. From my time in Colombia, I learned that
Mexico City, Mexico was the largest media/fashion market in Latin America. I figured I would have a very unique look down there. So, I bought a plane ticket for two weeks and sent emails to all of the top agencies with a link to my portfolio and my dates of availability. Most responded and said they were willing to meet with me once I arrived. Once in Mexico, I met with the owners of 5 agencies. I showed up well dressed, motivated, and ready to find the right representation. All of the interviews went great (I’m a Spanish speaker, by the way). Each agency said they loved my look and would love to represent me. At the end of the trip I chose the agency I felt most comfortable with (GH Model Management, www.ghmanagement.mx).... 6 months later, I moved to Mexico City. A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art”. Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art? The greater the sacrifice the greater the reward, right? That totally rings true when being a (mature) male model. As a fashion/fitness model, you are only as good as your abs. So, to maintain a low level of body fat it requires a constant struggle/sacrifice. It is a 24 hour a day lifestyle commitment. I spend hours in the gym daily and am on a strict diet (except for my cheat day). It’s mentally draining and very challenging to maintain when traveling. But in the end, when the photos are released, it all is totally worth it. How do you feel the Internet has impacted the modeling industry? When I first started there was no social media. For the most part, opportunities were limited to where I lived. Now I can collaborate with artists from around the world. A large sample of my work is posted on platforms like Instagram and there is also a link to
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my portfolio on my agency’s website in my bio. This has opened so many doors. Not only can I receive inspiration from fashion photographers and fellow models, but I can also arrange collaborations relatively easily and quickly. I know that whichever country I visit, I can have multiple photoshoots arranged before I get there. Social media also helps me to maintain friendships with photographers/designers with whom I’ve worked. This not only keeps the door open for future collaborations but also can lead to valuable recommendations for new projects. If you could collaborate with any photographer or designer, who would you work with? And Why? I’m a big fan of the photographer David LaChapelle. His stuff is just so visually stimulating and bizarre. I would love to see what crazy context he would put me in. What’s next for you? Well, I’m scheduled to be here in Mexico City until the middle of December. However, everything is on hold for now due to the quarantine. My main goal for this trip is to expand my brand and start acting again. I have representation here for modeling and separate representation for acting (https://armonika. co). I was really starting to make progress with more callbacks before the shutdown. I co-wrote a screenplay that was in preproduction that will resume in the near future. Since, I have a unique look and speak 3 languages, I can play a variety of roles and have many distinctive opportunities. (I’ll include a link to my acting demo reel below). How can fans-to-be follow your career? Instagram: Modeling account, @diegodeane74, Acting Account (Instagram): @diego.deane Acting reel (youtube): https://youtu.be/t3MYZihcqvg
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MICHAEL CAMPION Actor with a Promising Future We caught up with the star of hit TV Series, Fuller House. Tell us a little bit about yourself? My name is Michael Campion and I am 17 years old and I live in Orlando, Florida and Los Angeles, California. I am currently on a Netflix series called Fuller House, the spin-off of the series Full House. I have been on this show for five seasons and we are about to premiere the end of the second half of the final season on June 2nd. My favorite food is Ahi Tuna Poke. What has been your greatest accomplishment as an actor? I would have to say that my greatest accomplishment is definitely landing the role of Jackson Fuller. It changed my life as an actor. It has opened so many new doors for me and it has exposed me to so many new and exciting experiences. We would like to know if Jackson has changed since season one? If so, how? Yes. Jackson has changed exponentially! He started as a young boy without a lot of direction and responsibility. He was sort of a goof ball who did not really excel at anything but over the seasons he’s developed into a young man. He certainly grew and accomplished a lot by the end of season five and is more ready for the real world.
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Where do you see yourself in ten years? That would be when I am 27. I want to be living in California full time, working on more dramatic roles in film and television and in addition, I hope to be a professional magician at the Magic Castle. I also study and perform magic. What was a typical week like taping Fuller House? We worked a 4-day week. On Tuesday and Wednesday we had rehearsals and on Thursday and Friday we shot the show! Fridays were always my favorite because we taped before a live audience. It was an incredible experience each week to have the audience watch us work.
So, you have done some theater acting correct, and if so what plays have you done so far? I did a lot of theater growing up in Orlando. That is where I got most of my acting experience. I think it really helped me to have a theater background. After we wrapped Fuller House in December, I did a play called A Snow White Christmas. I played the prince charming character. It was a great time and a really fun cast. We performed in Raleigh, North Carolina and in Pasadena, California. Produced by the Lythgoe family, we actors performed in panto style which is an exaggerated manner and the audience is invited to yell, laugh, clap and respond at any given time. It is chaotic and so much fun to perform. We know you live in Florida for most of theyear. Where do you stay in California while woring? I have a house in Burbank, very close to Warner Brothers Studios where we used to tape Fuller House. It was so convenient because it took me about 5 minutes to get to work each day. How do you like California, any favorite spots? I really like California. There are so many great parts. I have to say that I love the Burbank area where I live! It feels very safe and small. I have lived there for nearly 6 years now. It is truly my second home. How does it feel when you’re recognized from the show when you’re out and about? At first is was strange to be walking down the street or through a mall and having people come up to me for photos or an autograph. I have now gotten used to it. I love making someone’s day when they recognize me and I am always gracious and polite. I know if I recognized someone from one of my favorite shows, I would expect them to be nice to me so I am always nice too.
What are some of your hobbies during your down time? In my spare time, I practice and perform magic, play chess, play my bass guitar and read! I keep busy all the time, especially during this Coronavirus Stay At Home period. Did any of the acting veterans on the show offer acting advice or tips? No. They really didn’t. It was less about advice or acting tips and more about watching them and seeing what they did on set. I was working with seasoned veterans and just observing them on a daily basis was an acting lesson in itself. How was it working with the creator of Full House & Fuller House, Jeff Franklin? Jeff is a beloved friend of mine. I wouldn’t be anywhere without him! He is truly the heart and soul of the show. I can’t say enough about how much Jeff means to me. Is the beloved golden retriever, Cosmo still in a lot of the scenes in the final season? Yes, Cosmo makes a lot of appearances. We all loved him very much but unfortunately he passed away recently. We are all really sad about losing him. He was part of our television family. Tell us about Red Ruby? Red Ruby is a series I starred in on Brat TV. It follows a group of teen vampires who are trying to fit into the normal world. We did one season that is now streaming. I do not know if we are going to be coming back for another season. Who do you stay in touch with now that production is over? I pretty much stay in touch with everyone! We have a big group chat from time to time with all the cast. I would probably get together with more of the cast if we were not experiencing this pandemic. We really got to be a family over the five seasons. What is your favorite quote you give to others? “There’s no need to show off when you know who you are.“ -Maxime Lagacé. I live by this because being humble is extremely important to me. Speaking of other projects, do you have anything new coming up or any special announcements? No nothing yet. I would love to though! Because the entire entertainment industry has shut down along with most of the world, it is sort of hard to sign on to new projects. Hopefully this will all be over sooner than later and I will have something new to tell you about! Did you have any big breaks before you landed Fuller House? Nope! Not really. I worked here and there in a few smaller films, television projects and straight to
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So many kids your age want to get into acting. video projects but Fuller House was really my big break. What type of advice would you give them? To be successful in film and television it takes a serious amount of sacrifice. A lot of kids think making it in Hollywood is easy. It’s not. There is a lot of failure unfortunately. But if you work hard, study your craft and are lucky, the benefits can be amazing. Compared to most teenagers who have what many would consider a traditional or normal life, my life is far from that. At the end of the day though, I am very lucky and fortunate. Where I am today and what I do everyday makes up for what I may be missing out on elsewhere and for that I feel truly blessed. Do you see yourself as an actor in the future or do you have other plans? I really want to be a working actor for the rest of my life. I also want to be a professional magician and professional bassist! Maybe I will do it all?! Follow Michael on Instagram: @michaelcampion
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SAYONNE “Hot Sauce” Rising R&B artist Sayonne proudly announces the release of her saucy new single sensation entitled “Hot Sauce.” This is a prelude to her new album soon to be released. No stranger to the live stage, Sayonne has a history of performing on stage and Off-Broadway musicals. She has also launched and produced her very own record label called 5 Bars Records. Courageously the actor, producer has now become a musical artist eager to fulfill her creative dream. Sayonne and I shared questions and answers regarding her career, her new projects, and her recent participation in the Ali Forney fund raiser for homeless LGBTQ youths. What inspired your new song “Hot Sauce”, and is there a message that comes along with it? The inspiration behind my song “Hot Sauce” is my forever desire to uplift the hearts of not only my fans, but also my family through song. “Hot Sauce” was a song that my music team and I creatively stumbled across. My team and I were vibing in the studio conversing and I was expressing to my co-producer [Faraoh Black] and co-writer [Jackie’s Boy] that I wanted something fresh, new, bouncy and up-tempo to contrast the previous works I recorded and have released. At that particular time, I had recorded about 11 new songs in which I shared with my loving brother to see if I could satisfy his musical taste palette and I finally succeed with “Hot Sauce.”
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You are currently in the process of creating a new album, what can your fans expect? Yes, a new album is on the way. I am extremely excited to release fresh material for my fans who have been patiently waiting for the musical continuation after my previous release, 2 Worlds EP. I believe this new album is just the right amount of ear candy that the music scene has long been craving. Due to the pandemic, music is in a little drought, but I am hopeful that my lyrical vulnerability and relative music will make a difference. You’ve done stage work and off-Broadway projects, what made you decide to go full force into the music industry? Being in the theatrical world has helped me grow and discover my authentic self within my artistry. My experience in various stage works has greatly influenced my drive to go full force into the music industry. I got so use to the routine of living in someone else’s shoes, stretching my character range, fulfilling someone else’s dreams on stage that one day I mustered up the courage to step out on my own and be creatively free. There is creative freedom when you leap beyond your comfort zone, push through the fears and leave your present security. That is the very reason why I sing, write, record and still perform today. You’ve also launched your own record label, what motivated you to take on that endeavor? I launched my own record label [5 Bars Records]
because it was time for me to learn the business side of the music industry. It was time for me [Sayonne] to expand beyond my artistry and make sure that my musical works are protected and released without limitation. As the CEO of an independent record label, I have total control over my music releases and whatever other projects I decide to take on. I do not have to answer to anyone, nor do I have to fit the typical musical mold of an executive. Again, it’s all about creative freedom. As an artist we have to be able to express ourselves freely and for me that’s what allows me to create my musical masterpieces. Was there a moment that you can recall that changed the tra jectory of your life, or are you still waiting for that moment? There have been many minor moments that have changed the tra jectory of my life, some for the better and some for the worse. I do not hold any regrets about the ones that led to setbacks. Those setbacks have helped me to refocus my mind as well as learning how to recharge my spirit and talents. It has helped me to be more clear about the decisions I make today while trying to build towards my future endeavors. If you could collaborate with anyone on the planet who would you pick and why? This is truly a tough question. There are so many great artists that inspire me and I would love to work with each and every one of them. I would collaborate with Sam Smith because I love his music, his vocal sound/styling and his song writing. He is bringing back music in a different light and we are similar in that way. I love R&B/Pop and soul music and I think we would make musical magic together. You have just finished participating in a benefit for the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth, what was your inspiration for partaking in that? Yes, It was an honor to participate in the benefit for the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth. I consider myself to be an ally of the LGBTQ community and was so happy to lend my voice and music to spread awareness for this cause. Life is all about love, unity and care. Due to the global pandemic the world has been forcefully pushed into a stagnant phase and some have it worse than others. I know sometimes, especially now, we complain about the minor things like toilet paper, paper towel and delayed shipments to our respective living quarters. Imagine having nothing to complain about because you don’t have the bare essentials to survive. There’s no running water, no shelter, no food, just nothing. That breaks my heart and when I got the call about this benefit there was no question about if I would participate, I knew that I had to help out and support.
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Aside from all of these things that you were busy doing are you working on any new projects that you would like to discuss? Yes, I am working on getting my upcoming album together and lined up for its release, hopefully, later this year. You will have to tune into my website, www.iamsayonne.com for the official album release date. I am also working on my music video for “Hot Sauce,” so I have a lot in store and I can’t wait to share my upcoming projects. My musical journey continues and you can follow along on my website [www.iamsayonne.com], instagram, facebook and twitter @iamsayonne and of course keep your eyes locked on my youtube channel @Sayonne for the amazing visuals.
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We caught up with...
Vincent M. Ward ACTOR + MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER 30
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We caught up with the legendary actor, Vincent M. Ward during his down time.
for people to tell all their business, front, boast and brag on social media.
Legendary? lol...Thank you but Im just Vincent from Dayton, Ohio
What’s your annoying habit? No annoying habits that I can think of…
What do you like doing in your spare time? I play basketball, go to the gym and watch tv... I’m older than what people think, so I have to take it easy.
Do you get used to being a celebrity? I don’t view myself as a celebrity...That word is played out. You can have millions of followers and be labeled as a celebrity, but don’t have any talent… You can be on a reality show cussing, fussing and fighting and be labeled a celebrity. I’m the guy that people see and say you look like someone I’ve seen before.
We see your a busy person since your work on the hit show, Walking Dead. How has it been for you? Everything comes with God’s timing..I feel like the Walking Dead put me in front of a lot of new people but I was still putting in work before then and for some reason people thinks my career started there...I honestly feel that my best is yet to come because Im mentally, emotionally, spiritually ready to take on what comes with being a celebrity, star or whatever u want to call it...Lots of people say they’re ready for the next level but are you really ready? Its a lot of negativity in the world and everyone isnt going to like you and u cant snap back at everyone who comes for you. Would you go back to the Walking Dead if they asked you to come back? Of course, I would go back! Who wouldn’t?!… What have you done since then, and was the transition hard for you? I’ve done a lot since then and before then...I have started creating my own projects like Devilreaux movie and comic book the new age Candyman..A travel show called Conventioning, and another horror called, The Step Daddy. It’s a remake of the The Stepfather and several other projects with me as the host., because hosting is my passion. I have a sitcom, movie and cooking show streaming on the Wynn Network (The Waldon’s, America Cooks and Mirror, Mirror…I’ve filmed several films (go to my IMDB)...I grind too hard for my transition to be hard... When you love something it’s worth the wait... Tell us a little bit about yourself? Like I said Im just Vincent from Dayton, started off being a dancer in a rap group and we toured with some big groups, I played ball and offered scholarships from a lot of schools...I have 13 grand kids.. Im happily married so no I wouldn’t date a fan even though I did meet my wife at a convention and she was a fan of the Walking Dead, but thought this 6’4, 260 pound dude had swag and was handsome (her words)..lol..I’m chilled and I don’t give people no drama because I don’t want any. What’s your biggest pet peeve? I hate for people to blow there nose during or after dinner, I will mean mug the hell out of you...I hate
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If you weren’t famous, what would you be up to right now? If I wasn’t an actor, I don’t know what I would be doing, because I put it in my mind. It’s this or nothing...Im not where I want to be, but I’m not where I use to be...My career is just starting 20 years or not. Who is the messiest person you know? My friend Tasha Biltmore, she actually has a show coming out with her being messy called The Ish is Real with her co-star, Tonya. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week? My wife took me to a castle this week in NAPA for wine tasting...Its was cool. What would you like remembered about you? I would like to be remembered as a humble, cool, helpful dude...No ego. What is your favorite movie? James Brown, the movie with Chad Coleman. He killed it! What’s your favorite Halloween costume? I don’t really get into Halloween like that...If I did, I would dress up as my character Devilreaux. What’s your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving...Food and fun. What sports do you enjoy watching? Basketball, Boxing and Football...These sports compete. What is your favorite song? I wish by R. Kelly..It hits home, no matter what he’s going through that’s one I will always listen to.
Who is your inspiration? My parents and grandkids inspire me to work hard, so I can put my parents in a place they don’t have to worry about anything and make them proud. The kids just want to leave a legacy for their future, but they still have to put in work. I’m not just giving them everything, they have to earn it. Do you speak any other languages? Only English. Where would you like to visit? I would just like to travel anywhere and not worry about that Coronavirus.
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What celebrity would you rate as a perfect 10? And why? Use to be Halle Berry, but Im trying to figure out why she’s always single (no disrespect, of course). No one is perfect, because some of these women be fine with a stank attitudes..That personality has to be right for me. What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you? She cried when she walked up to me. I was kind of scared and looked around. What’s your biggest/weirdest fear? Being trapped or feeling closed in...The Mansion we went to was huge, but we started going more and more underground and I thought I was going to flip the hell out...I just kept taking deep breaths. What would be your super power? Fly… Gas is high in LA..lol!
What pet would you love to have? A kitten or a baby goat that wouldn’t grow or eat up my crib. Are you good at accents? Im the worst at accents...I got kicked out of an audition because my British accent was bad, but you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t Idris. What would be a good theme song for your life? Walk on bye by Issac Hayes or Summer Breeze by Isley Brothers or I rather be with you by Bootsy Collins. What would you name your boat if you had one? I don’t mess with boats....NOPE!!! What are some things that sound like compliments but are actually insults? You look better in person than on tv...Or when they see me people say wow, your big..lol What’s your biggest screw up in the kitchen? I made this dish and videotaped it. I was proud of it and I let it sit to cool off and dosed off and it sat out all night...I was pissed at myself. Which fictional character would be the most exciting to meet in real life? Batman would be cool to meet. What’s the worst commercial you’ve recently seen? Worst commercial? A few I auditioned for and should’ve got. A few of those Super Bowl commercials were wack.
What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured? Yesterday, checking out of our hotel in NAPA, I grabbed the clothes out the closet and today my elbow is killing me. I also tried to ride my sister’s motorcycle in my parents grass and when I tried to turn I fell off, but I was going slow and my shoulder was hurt for 6 months and I was playing ball one time and I went to do a lay up and put my hand behind my head like Karl Malone. When I landed my ankle was in some serious pain. What ridiculous thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing? That they could cook and it was awful. If you were given a one-minute ad slot during the Super Bowl, what would you fill it with? Telling people they better get out and vote. What would be on the gag reel of your life? Trying to show off at my basketball in high school... Trying to be fancy and save the ball from going out of bounds, running up the steps, running back down and soon as I hit the floor, I really hit the floor and on top of that I caught a charlie horse and they had to drag me off...smh Where is the worst smelling place you’ve been? Driving on the 5 and its a Cow place on the side of the highway and there’s 1000s of them and its the worse smell ever! What’s the weirdest question you’ve been asked? Did it hurt when I got shot on the Walking Dead... They really thought we used real bullets...smh
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www.rsvpcigars.com
SUE WONG A Designing Visionary “Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no how to road map to style. It’s about self-expression and attitude.” ...Iris Apfel
l is the living embodiment of the great American Dream— a classic Rags to Riches story that spins a story of an incredulous, fascinating life, which along with the success, achieved through tenacity and hard work, also came much tragedy and sacrifice.
Internationally renowned fashion designer and artist Sue Wong creates with the impact of a powerful pendulum swinging back-and-forth between the Modern and the Romantic. With each new collection, Sue Wong never fails to astonish, employing the revered age-old couture techniques implemented by the finest Couture houses in Europe, and evoking the allure and glamour of various eras such as Weimar Berlin, 1930s Shanghai, Precode Hollywood and Manhattan’s gilded Jazz Age. While often adopting vintage style, every design belongs in the now and is decidedly very Sue Wong; exquisite fabrics shimmering with incandescent beads, unique embroideries and layered textures embellished with passementerie and soutache combine to create works of art that are graceful, elegant, unique and timelessly beautiful.
Sue Wong was the first American designer credited with bringing Haute Couture looks to the masses at affordable prices, therefore launching and solidifying her reputation as the Every Woman’s Couturier. She ruled the American Evening Market, selling to the highest level stores in America, such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, in addition to 27 countries globally, becoming the number one source for the Evening category, proving that the SUE WONG signature is beloved world- wide and appreciated by women all over the world.
Born into humble circumstances in a remote countryside in Southern China, Sue was spirited away from her ancestral home at the age of five by her Mother, who longed to be reunited with her Father in America. Journeying to the United States a year later, mother and child reunited with Sue’s father in Los Angeles. Hers is an inspired story as Sue Wong
Sue Wong truly captures and embodies through her work, her mantra of Beauty. Magic.Transformation. It is the Eternal Feminine Goddess energy that Sue Wong aspires to honor in every woman, creating beauty and sorcery that both enchants as it empowers, leaving a trail of wistful romantics speechless in its wake... The self-made designer is just coming off of two ma jor powerful, magical events, first “The LA Art Show Sue Wong Retrospective, “ in celebration of 25 years of Sue Wong’s fashion history, held at the Los
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and holographic imagination of Sue WONG, chronicling her inspired, empowering and unbelievable life experiences.
Angeles Convention Center, which garnered an audience of over 70,000 guests and visitors during the four day exhibition. It was the designer’s first Museum show, and featured 70 stunning gowns displayed on mannequins culled from her extensive library and impressive archives. “The Sue Wong Fashion Retrospective offers a glimpse into the vortex of my creativity—a portal into timeless Glamour where Sue Wong fashion awakens a magical experience of beauty and haute glamour, representing my creative temple of art for more than 50 years.”.... Sue Wong This was followed only a few days later by the opulent and visually inspired Sue Wong Academy Gala, the much talked about Oscar party, which benefited Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization that delivers food to those with life threatening situations. “The extravaganza was a celebrity infused, bedazzling evening of fashion, classic Hollywood glamour, entertainment, and music, where East met West. It featured a classic, elegant, epic SUE WONG fashion extravaganza in juxtaposition with the venerable Abbot of the Los Angeles SHAOLIN Temple, Shi Yan Fan and Shaolin Warrior monks who stunned the audience with riveting, action-packed performances. The unforgettable gala brought people together to promote art, beauty, spirituality, and charity through the universal language of Light and Humanity. I had an intimate conversation in the first of a series of in-depth editorials featuring the extraordinary life
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After growing up as a little girl in Maoist China, facing poverty and near starvation, how did you become inspired to one of the most successful women on the planet as a fashion designer? I think there were a number of factors. Basically, growing up in scarcity and poverty in post Revolutionary Maoist China, I dreamt of a more glamorous world. However, I was born a natural creative intuitive, and never relied on any schools of training to execute my various modalities of creativity. I chose Fashion as my profession as my line creative work, however, I am multi-dimensional in my creative work, and excel in many other fields of creative visual art as well. As a creative intuitive, I apply my artistic sensibilities to everything that I do, therefore optimizing the higher gifts that I was blessed with -- whether it be interior, furniture or garden design, architecture, graphics design, painting, drawing, writing, cooking, Ikebana, throwing a stylish soirée, art-directing a photoshoot or creating an experiential fashion show. My biggest blessing was to have been born an artist and I feel very honored to have had the privilege to share my art and creativity with the world. The ability to give creative expression to my Art is the privilege of a lifetime. I’ve had a very successful and enduring career in Fashion. One might ask me what gave me the impetus to become a fashion designer. It was probably centered around the fact that my mother hand-sewn and made me funny, patched together Chinese dresses, but when I came to America, all the other girls had all pretty little Western dresses which made me feel very awkward as an outsider. I started making my own clothes at age 9. I created them from fabric remnants from JJ Newberry. I would save my little allowances and buy a piece of remnant for 30 cents and I would start making my own blouses and dresses. Originally, I actually had aspirations to be a fine artist—I dreamt of being painter, but my parents refused to finance my education in art. So I went into fashion as a sideline interest. At age 16, I was picked to represent my school out of 350 girls which was Culver High. We did modeling, displays, and that was the beginning of a life-long illustrious career that spanned the decades. I had a one-of-a-kind fashion boutique store in Bohemian Venice Beach during the height of the Youthquake movement of my youth. Back in the day, I would buy antique clothing by the pound. I would extract all the beautiful details, like the embroidery, the appliqués, the beadwork and I would re-design an entire new gown, of course with a retro glam feeling, and then I would use these antique embellishments and re-purpose them. They became a sort of
one-of-a-kind modern-day masterpiece, and that’s how I got started. Bianca Jagger and Goldie Hawn were my early celebrity clients. That’s a story in itself. Where do you come up with your vision of style. For example, during the fashion show at your Gala you displayed a wedding gown with angel wings, what inspires these ideas? I find the creative process to be very spontaneous and organic, and it just flows through me. Creativity is something that emanates deeply from within the soul -- and all creations are mirrors of the Soul. Being an artist means that one is born with a different perception regarding the world. One’s psychic sense and one’s awareness of the world is more keen and acute. Artists are more sensitive and are more directly connected to feeling. Therefore, Creativity is highly psychic, intuitive and visionary, and requires much tuning into the etheric realms. It is not solid matter; it is drawn from spirit essences. Do you have a favorite designer? I have a few... but the New York designers are too homogenous. I personally like the Japanese avant-garde, like the designer Junya Watanabe and Comme des Garçon, both whom I wear quite a bit. I love Issey Miyake because practically live in his pleated architectural numbers. The European designers I enjoy would be the delirious mad genius of John Galliano, a formidable creative force. It was really very sad what happened to him at Christian Dior. I also admired the late great Alexander McQueen for instance, who was another tragic casualty who succumbed to his demons; and the madcap artistry of Vivian Westwood. I like those types of avant-garde designers. And Jean Paul Gaultier would be another one of my favorites. These are all artists merely expressing their creativity through the language of fashion.
finally, resurrection. Ultimately, it is a story of Female/Self empowerment that can serve as inspiration for millions globally. My story is ultimately about hope, and that everyone can manifest the vision of their dreams—if they have the courage to dare dream. My life has been a wondrous, magical journey of ten thousand miles. The essence of my message is to simply embrace life with full fervor and passion. As one of my favorite teachers, Joseph Campbell taught: FOLLOW YOUR BLISS! I have followed mine and therefore I am living my dreams. Wow! You have a Rags to Riches Story. I love your story. It’s inspirational and hopeful and positive. I’m like the Phoenix that is always rising from the ashes. Life lessons will come at you constantly. The test is how you deal with the slings and arrows that life points at you. There is no such thing as a negative experience; rather, it’s about perceiving lessons as blessings in disguise. I lost everything that I built twice -- and twice I rebuilt it and grew stronger than ever before. If there is a fire and I am the equivalent of a moth, then I plunge myself into the fire knowingly -- even if it means I have to crash and burn, so that ultimately I resurrect myself into the Phoenix that I am truly meant to be -- rising from the embers and the ashes -- to soar the heavens ever higher. Sue Wong Official Websites https://www.SueWong.com https://www.SueWongAcademyGala.com
Aside from the fashion industry I know that you are creating a movie and your other exciting future plans. Let’s talk about that without giving too much away. My biopic, RED LOTUS is based on a remarkable epic story of a little girl, born into a humble remote village in Southern Maoist China who journeyed to America; who through her struggles, both personally and professionally, rose to being a powerful, selfmade woman and an icon in the glamorous world of High Fashion. Though she transcended all struggles and adversities, she never forgot her modest roots and her historical and cultural ties to the land of her ancestry. his is a story of hope, survival and redemption, which has the elements of a Shakespearean tragedy— with the themes of power, greed, fame, money, betrayal, glamour woven in—all at great personal price and sacrifice, with huge struggles and dramatic upheavals threaded throughout. It’s a story of unfathomable challenges, redemption and
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DAVID MCABEE “For The Love of Jessee” Award winning director, screenplay writer, producer, and a host of many other creative endeavors, David McAbee has just released the dramatic, tender, and hopeful film, “For The Love of Jessee”. Having already won the Los Angeles Film Award for “Best Dramatic Screenplay”, the digital unveiling will be a riveting and inspiring addition to the film climate. No stranger to production and direction McAbee has worked with networks including The Cooking Channel, The Travel Channel, ABC, ESPN, Fox Sports and The Food Network. David’s very first short, “Night Terrors” starring accomplished actress and scream queen, Laurene Landon, guided him to a successful festival run, winning several awards for “Best Shorts.” Being immediately and unconditionally impressed with the trailer of “For The Love of Jessee”, I felt compelled to have a conversation with David regarding the film and his career..... I absolutely love the film, did you write the screenplay? Thank you very much. I did write it. I was hired to write it. Our executive producer Curta Schlarbaum had the story and she hired me to write it. Was it a true story? Not a true story. I think it was just something she was sitting on, an idea. She was a nurse in another lifetime, and I think she probably pulled from a lot of true life experiences.
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What message are you hoping the audience perceives after watching this movie, if any? With what we are going through right now it’s kind of just a good story. It’s a happy story with a happy ending. It’s true that the film is full of drama, a lot of real-life drama, a lot of heartache, but there’s a happy ending. We need a little uplifting news right now because with the news and everything around us, we’re constantly bombarded with bad news. I think people need to take a break from that and spend 90 minutes watching our movie, and then go hug someone (as long as you live with them). I hate to bring it up but how are you using all of your free time? I’m writing everyday. I’d be silly not to take advantage of the time that we are given, being forced to stay home. If I’m not writing, then I’m not doing what I should be doing on this earth. I’m trying to stay busy by writing and promoting the movie as much as possible. I’ve gotten two scripts finished and shopping those around once the world is back on its feet. Tell me a little about David? I was a child of the 80’s and 90’s. I loved watching horror and action films. “Jessee” is kind of a departure for me. My first short, “Night Terrors” with Laurene Landon was a short horror film...in one of my new scripts I’ve added in a part for Laurene because I want to work with her again.... But who am I, I am a writer. I’ve been creating since my early 20s. I was a radio DJ, producer and a touring musician. Then
I moved to LA 10 years ago and quickly started producing Travel channels, Food Network, ESPN type shows. Then in 2016 I wrote and directed “Night Terrors. Thanks to the cast of that it, won a whole bunch of awards, for writing and directing, Best Short, Best Horror.... from that I got hired to write “Jessee”... and here we are. What inspired you to start a career in such a tough business? I’m not good at anything else. I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess. That’s how I got through school. Instead of writing a 10-page paper on Abe Lincoln I asked if I could make a movie instead. Being creative is how I stay sane and not drive my fiancé crazy. If you could say anything to your fans and followers or give them any advice about the movie business what would you say? If you’ve got the itch scratch it! Don’t wait. I feel like I waited too long before taking the leap of faith. Just do it. There’s no reason not to. When I grew up you had to borrow a video camera and go get tapes, charge batteries, now you can shoot and edit a film on your phone. So, there is nothing stopping you, other than yourself. Do you recall a single moment in life that changed the whole tra jectory of yours? I think I’m still waiting for that moment. I think it’s just putting one foot in front of the other. As you know it’s a hustle to try and make it. Not even to make it but just try to make a living doing what we do. You just have to keep hustling. If you could have me ask you any question what would it be? Maybe like what is my dream gig?
Ok, what’s your ultimate stage fantasy? My Ultimate, my agent calls me saying that the CEO of Hollywood is on the line and they want to know what I want o make next...I tell them I want to write and direct the “Quantum Leap” miniseries. I would give it an ending that the fans wanted and room for a spin off. So til then I’m waiting for the call from Jeff Bader and Don Bellisario. ....OMG, I’d kill it!!! Watch the “For The Love Of Jessee” Trailer here: https://youtu.be/_JSYDn582Tk “For The Love Of Jessee” is now available on the following platforms: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudi, Comcast On Demand, CBD.com, ChristianCinema.com, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. For interviews or more information contact worldstarpublicrelations@gmail.com
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DAMON WILLIAMS Talented Comedian How did you discover your passion for comedy? I discovered the art form very early in life. I remember as a young child enjoying stand-up on late night talk shows. It became a passion only after trying open mic. What got you into professional comedy? What got me into comedy as a profession was opportunity and my bills. When I started at open mic in Chicago, I was fortunate to do so at All Jokes Aside, the premier club for African American comedy - so I was in the right place. This was the early 90s and comedy for our community was bursting on the scene.
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How long have you been doing comedy for “a living”? I’ve been in the game for 27 years. Thankfully, I began to earn money in comedy pretty soon after I started. As a new comedian you don’t get paid much – and sometimes not at all. As an entrepreneur I realized early on that the clubs and the promoters were really the folks making the real money. So, I decided to also promote shows while I learned the craft. This helped me make a living and build my
fan base by hosting shows with the more notable headliners I booked. Is it true that comedians offstage are generally loners and fairly quiet? Some are yes, and I can be too. I don’t have an entourage and I don’t really hang out. I wasn’t the class clown type growing up and I’m naturally more
of an introvert. In fact, I’ve been okay during quarantine I finally have a legitimate excuse for staying in the house! What type of comedy do you do? I don’t know if I fit in one specific category - I just do funny. What inspires your comedy/jokes? In other words, is it through experiences and observations or do you think funny things up? I use current events as well as personal experiences. Often my humor is based on observations in conversations and interactions. I think my natural reactions are usually the most humorous. What is one of your funniest moment – in life or professionally on the stage? Some of the funniest things that happen to comedians take place off stage. For me it was after a show. A few comedians had come back to my hotel room to play video games. My phone rang and I foolishly tried to jump across the bed to answer it. The room had a low ceiling, so I bounced off the mattress onto the stucco ceiling. The impact knocked me down and the stucco scraped skin off my bald scalp. Everyone laughed so hard! Especially when (comic) Tony Sculfield (Comic) pointed to the skin skid mark left behind on the ceiling. Tell us about “Laugh Tonight with Damon Williams” and what can folks expect to see on the show? I’m very proud of the show “Laugh Tonight with Damon Williams”. It’s a stand-up show like the days of Def Comedy Jam and ComicView with three comedians per episode. There’s also the added element of interviews. I chat with each comedian prior to their performance. The cast of is very diverse and multicultural. We also have a lot of female comedians. I believe women in comedy need greater
exposure. They tend to get marginalized. It’s time for more of their voices to be heard. This is also a practical decision due to the fact that women dominate in attendance at comedy events. How did the show come about, and how did you get involved? The show actually came to me through my ex-wife’s brother who connected me to his cousin at UrbanFlixTV. We discussed several projects and when I pitched “Laugh Tonight,” he loved the idea and we got it done! Where do you hope to go from here and what are your plans for the future? I think folks will really love “Laugh Tonight” and hopefully this will keep me busy on the road – once the world opens back up. I want to do a “Laugh Tonight” tour featuring comedians from the show. I also have roles in a couple of upcoming films, including “White People Money” and “Heaven on Seven”. I’m really looking forward to all that comes next.
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OLGA ILENE SCHUBERT “Electric” Known by names, Olga Perry and Olga Ilene Schubert.....according to Singer of the California Rebel Psyche Band Revolushn NO Mansfield (aka Frank Schubert: musician and mad scientist), and husband of Olga, she is lovingly referred to as “Bundles.” Olga has had a prolific career that has including working as a chemical engineer, MD, Ph.D, a classically trained pianist, an artistic painter and sculptor, the keyboardist for the band and she created all the bands videos. Having created the video for Revolushn’s new hit single “Electric” which features Scott Page, sax player from Pink Floyd, I decided to get her spin on what the song is about and why it’s perfect for our new social climate. As in prior conversations with Bundles what began as a wish for insight into the band’s music wound up becoming a love story..... “Electric,” released in April, evokes the very quiescence of attitude and rebellion towards a society about to become artificial. The video reflects an opulent burst of color, playfully splattered throughout the dazzling destiny of a live concert. It features a homeless man lying on a bench, a little girl growing up in a matter of seconds, a defective robot, 5G’s, and human chips embedded beneath our skin..... Are we all destined to become robots? “Electric is a radical wake-up call to humanity, and everyone needs to listen and wake up! How did you learn how to do these magnificent videos? I took some classes for script writing, different editing
programs and graphic design. The best part of it is you take the course online. You don’t have to go anywhere. You just sign up for classes twice a week during few months. It’s a lot of work, but you don’t have to take a lot of other courses like history, or science etc. You just take the class you want. I liked doing it. I used to be sculptor. I was a pretty good sculptor. My teacher was upset when I quit, but for me it was too easy. It was also too slow. You spend a year or two on a project and by the time you’re done you don’t even remember why did I sculpt it because to that point my mind are somewhere else. I wanted to learn painting. A 3-D in bronze is limited, but a painting is not. When I learned what I needed to learn as a painter, I realized that also was too slow and I went on to learn video. My style in sculpture, painting and video is the same. Aside from the homeless man, what other ideas did No have regarding the video? He asked me to put a little girl in the movie. He wanted a girl that was growing fast and smarter than him. That was enough to start. My fantasy just needs a spark and it goes free and easy after that. There are a lot of little things behind creating a video that nobody sees. You had Pink Floyd’s Scott Page featured on the song too, how did he figure into the video? The saxophone part was really good with Scott. I decided for the saxophone solo I was going to write a special part.
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So, from your point of view what is the song about? The homeless man on the bench went to sleep, he had a dream, he woke up, he goes away, and then he sees the defective robot sitting on the bench. His dream is filled with weird psychedelic events. The song is against 5G, the fake pandemic situation, chips in the brain of world population and so on. It’s against all the fears and rumors. Lets say they got a glitch in the chip and then what? Are we all going to be defective robots sitting on a fucking bench? Anything can happen. We are depending on electricity for everything we use. Imagine if we woke up tomorrow and electricity was gone. And we don’t really know what electricity is. We don’t really know the source of it. Imagine we wake up one day and there is no electricity, we’re all going to die....And then we created some God and we domesticated that God. All religions praise they own God. Which one is real? Pay the gold and your sins are forgiven, go make more sins, if you pay a lot to the church you might end up in Heaven, right. We said, “God is watching us.” “He knows everything, He works for us.” If God exists, he doesn’t care and he doesn’t know we exist. He doesn’t give a shit about us because the universe is so big and in comparison we are nothing. We domesticated that God, we built houses of worship, light candles for him, we pray to him.... but we cannot domesticate God! He doesn’t work for humanity. I guess it’s pretty arrogant of us humans to think God works for us. Do you believe in God? I don’t believe in the religion of God. I am suspicious of Darwinian evolution also. Any mutation does not create a new genetic code. Mutation does not bring new information; it changes what was already there. From ameba to the elephant? Come on! Where are the billion of other trials on evolution? The next one is the big bang theory – singular event proved by nothing. It was nothing, just chemicals and gases and suddenly life appeared! All above are the great theories, I am just curious how many there will be in the next thousand years. And look at science, “All for people” – mass distruction weapons and better and better Iphones every year, defective toys, and some fucking chip they are going to plant in our head. We are still slaves and we don’t see it. We are working like slaves and when we make the money we use that money to buy the toys that we create for that money. Our food is full of GMO products, hormones, antibiotics, soy, artificial taste enhancers, fast sugars. We have synthetic clothing; we live in synthetic houses full of toxins in every material we use. Big Pharma is a joke, and the medicine is black.....not white. We have to pay to just stay alive! Is medicine only for rich people? Then we should not call it medical care. We should call it medical don’t care. Case in point, check out how many people annually die from prescription drugs, prescription opioid addiction and over dose.
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We are talking corona epidemic..... fuck you!! Look how many people died from suicide these three months. Suicide rates went up. People scream pandemic, are you crazy? I had COVID-19. I am a doctor and I know what it is. It’s just a viral pneumonia. It is just another seasonal virus. It happens every year. In general the mortality rate is not higher this year, What was your COVID 19 experience? Nobody got sick from me. Nobody! I was sick for two months and I didn’t know it because I had not read about that corona. I was in contact with all of my friends, all of my family. I was going to the gym... nobody got sick. My husband didn’t get sick. He would come in to my bed every morning to kiss me hello as I coughed. It’s insane what they’ve done, they have fucking scared everybody. Everybody believes that, even my husband. He saw me sick and white and coughing, but I wasn’t scared. I was in bed watching movies. I was just coughing and that’s all. So, you didn’t feel that sick? No, I was real sick. I couldn’t sleep because I was coughing and coughing, but pretty much I didn’t take anything. I’m a doctor....I’m not a kindergarten teacher. I was out of the country for one month in Asia. I came back January 21, 2020. For 10 days I was normal. I remember February 1st I went hiking in the mountains and when I came back I collapsed with fever much higher than normal. Two days later I couldn’t breathe. When I examined myself, I realized I had water in my lungs. I couldn’t understand why I had pneumonia. It took around four or five days to feel better but until then I had to stay in bed because I was so weak. It was from lack of oxygen.
You didn’t feel the need to go to the hospital? What kind of doctor would I be? I was in the medical school for 12 years and treated hundreds of cases of pneumonia. What kind of doctor would I be going to go to a strange doctor and having machinery put down my throat. What they are doing with ventilators is wrong. They put you on ventilation and they give you pills to suppress the cough.....but you have to stimulate that cough. So, most of the day I was in bed watching movies. It was scary for my husband though. He said he was scared and thought you were going to die. Look, when I cut my finger and bleed he thinks I’m going to die too. He is a man who loves me. So as usual we come back to the love story of the ages.... I love him too. When I married him I was very cynical, sarcastic, competitive workaholic. He made me soft and cheerful and loving. He introduced me to the art, he is my biggest fan and supporter. I love your story. Yeah, I love my story too. When I met my husband it was like being reborn. In my country Russia you can’t be a weak woman because everybody would fuck you. Literally and otherwise. We grew up with competition and nationalism. I love America because you guys accept everybody, but in Russia just
because I was a woman I was discriminated against. I was told if you were born as a woman you are stupid. I’ve never been discriminated against in this country. People are much more cheerful here, and I love this country. Your story always reverts back to a love story..... so you came from Russia with a young daughter, nothing in your pocket, not knowing a soul and not speaking a word of English....then you met No..? I met my husband and then 2 months later I proposed to him. I put him in a corner, he couldn’t say no. I told him if it doesn’t work out, we will divorce and I will pay for the divorce. I already had a house, I was a citizen and I was making good money. He was a musician playing guitar and smoking pot. He had a house and money too. I explained to him that he has nothing to lose. I asked him if he liked me and he said “yeah” so I said “let’s get married.” Watch “Electric” by Revolushn here: https://youtu.be/5ZmpXi0lPU4 Follow REVOLUSHN on the web: Official: https://www.Revolushn.com Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/revolushn/sets/further Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olgas.page.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/RevolushnBand Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfxp4e_kq0ErM3SURuW4_w/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revolushn.1/
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RAY RUMSEY “The Leo Affects” Isolation has encapsulated the land in this surreal climate we now call, “the new norm.” Forced to stay home for the planet’s safety, the only thing left to do is “watch, read, and listen.” Podcasts have sky-rocketed into a new popularity and one of the most entertaining shows has become, “The Leo Affects” hosted by New York based, Ray Rumsey. The Leo Affects features interviews from celebrities including: Pink Floyd’s Scott Page, super model Sherry Nelson, top music promoter SohoJohnny, TV host/actor Ron Russell, Profiles TV Host Mickey Burns, actor Jason Simpson, Jamison Price, director David McAbee, and a slew of other interesting people. I spoke with Ray regarding his show which is up lifting, inspirational and FUN...... Ray is also an aspiring voice actor and a lover of “Dungeons and Dragons”. What inspired you to start a Podcast? I really don’t have a definitive answer other then I didn’t start out doing interviews. I started out playing “Dungeons and Dragons.” The reason I started doing that aside from enjoying it, I was trying to build up a demo reel for voice acting. With “Dungeons and Dragons” I could use a whole lot of different voices to facilitate that. That’s generally why I started podcasting in the first place. How did you transition into interviews? The group that I was playing, “Dungeons and Dragons” with was approached by a publicist offering us clients to interview in order to boost our numbers.
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At that point in time it was all about trying to do the numbers thing. We explained that we really didn’t have a show for that, however, the network that we did the podcast with told us that we could create one. We went ahead and created a show and it was called “Breaking the Fourth Wall” and because I had already had some experience in talking with celebrities after going to a convention in North Carolina, they thought I would be best for this. There I was. I started interviewing all of these celebrities. Let me tell you, those first interviews were terrible. Were you nervous? I was definitely very nervous. I went into it with the thought that I would write down these very specific questions and that I would follow these questions. What ended up happening was, I was so focused on asking those questions that I wasn’t even really listening to the answers. When I first started doing interviews, I was guilty of that as well. You get done and then you realize that you had no idea what that person said for the last half hour, so hopefully it was good. Well, you seem very comfortable now. People want to know how and when they can listen to your shows? There is really no easy way to answer that, because I don’t have a set schedule. I’m all pre-recorded, so I try to have the interview released the next day at the very latest. It goes out on social media: Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram. I do have a business page for The Leo Affects on Facebook and my actual Facebook itself is also, The Leo Affects. It’s sort of a double whammy. When you’re not Podcasting what do you do? My day job I am a food service worker at the Veterans hospital here in my hometown. I got out of active duty, with the Air Force after 14 years and my wife and I and my three kids moved back home to my hometown of Bath. There is a Veterans hospital here, so I applied. They also have an extensive rehabilitation program there, so I get to see people of all ages and veterans of all different types, so I pay it forward.
nounce it differently. So, they do this whole long skit about LA.....and it makes me laugh every single time I watch it. I die of laughter. That’s what sealed me. I decided to do “Leo Affects” with the letter “A” and the abbreviation for it would be LA. ..... The official website for The Leo Affects can be found at: https://theleoaffects.wixsite.com/podcast
If you could have me ask you any question on the planet, what would it be? I guess, I would want you to ask what my overall goal is in all of this? Where do I see myself going? Ok, what is your goal and where do you see yourself in five years? Well with any luck, this voice acting hobby right now will actually become a career and I can branch out into film acting as well. I am trying to branch out beyond podcasting into the entertainment industry in general. How did you come up with, “The Leo Affects”? It’s ridiculously stupid. It’s funny to me and I guess that’s all that really matters in a podcast. That’s what they say. As long as you are enjoying yourself. So, the real idea behind it is I was sitting on the couch and watching one of my favorite shows called “LetterKenny.” The gist of the show, is it is about a bunch of hicks from Canada and they run around the town of 5000 people doing nonsensical things. I am a Leo. I was born in August and I really embrace that. So, I was talking to my wife who is really my driving force. She is the one who actually sent me to the convention in North Carolina. She was following Will Wheaton and heard he was going to be in North Carolina so she decided I was going. I really wanted to meet him so badly because not only is he an actor, but he also played Dungeons & Dragons on The Big Bang Theory and also for those who created content for Dungeons & Dragons. So, my wife sent me there and while I was there I met all these other voice actors that I idolized and never realized they did those voices. That really poured gas on the fire and motivated me to really wanna do this. I wanted to call the podcast something easy and that could be abbreviated and that people would grasp. I really liked the idea of having the Leo in there. The original idea I had was to have it called the Leo Effects with an “E” implying that I’m effecting someone. In “LetterKenny” they do a skit about how everybody that goes to Los Angeles never pronounces it the same again. Every time they come back, they always pro-
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World Health Organization Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/ novel-coronavirus-2019 CDC Frequently Asked Questions https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources Coping During COVID-19: Resources For Parents https://childmind.org
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