Podcasts about Blue Zoo

Jay Leedy probably had a bunch of options open to him when he decided he'd done his job with Sony's pro display team, and it might have surprised some of his industry friends when he signed on with a much smaller company, New York-based Videri, as its Senior VP for Strategic Alliances. It didn't surprise me, because Videri has been on a bit of a tear in the last few months, hiring well-connected and respected senior people away from other companies active in digital signage. That came out of a $20 million fundraising round announced late last year. I did a podcast about a year ago with Videri CEO Wes Nicol, so I didn't want to spend too much time talking again about Videri's product and services. We get into that and what attracted Leedy, but what I was really interested in hearing about was his point of view on the CMS software market. His prior role with Sony was building up the digital signage software ecosystem, which involved talking to and looking at scores of different companies. He eventually onboarded some 90 in his three-plus years there, about 70 of them CMS software firms. So Leedy has a pretty unique perspective on what's out there, and how companies differentiate themselves in what remains a very crowded CMS software market. Subscribe from wherever you pick up new podcasts. TRANSCRIPT Jay Leedy, thank you for joining me. You've had some big changes in the last few weeks.  Jay Leedy: Thank you. I have. Thanks for having me, Dave. It's great to hear your voice.  Yeah, you don't want to see me.  Jay Leedy: It's been a couple of months since I saw you last at ISE, but yeah, some changes that were on the horizon at ISE kind of came to fruition over the last several months, and I'm happy to say I'm in my fourth week, almost complete with my fourth week here at Videri. Wow, you're almost past probation. Are you going to make it?  Jay Leedy: They haven't kicked me out yet. My wife told me that the paycheck showed up in our bank account yesterday. Yay!  Things are rocking. I knew you when you were with Convergent and Diversified then you went over to Sony. Am I missing anything there? Jay Leedy: I think that's the extent of my career in this space. I got introduced to integrations prior to moving to Convergent through a company that had point-of-purchase display manufacturing as their core and had a division that focused on, what we called Intelligent Loss Prevention. We were basically importing a lot of technology solutions to solve theft prevention in retail and that's how I got exposed to systems integration, and when I saw digital signage as a part of that, I naturally gravitated toward that. I saw there was going to be a big growth arc and fortunately, I've been right so far.  We can get into what you were doing with Sony because I'm intrigued by the role you had and the unique perspective that was offered, but I'm curious because when you started thinking, okay, I've done my job here with Sony and what's my next thing? What compelled you to go to Videri, I suspect you had a number of options.  Jay Leedy: Yeah, it's a good question. The little background that I just gave you is in part why Videri was really appealing to me. You're right. I had really broad exposure to the market across a number of technologies, not just digital signage, and was considering options outside of digital signage, to be perfectly honest, but the reason that Videri was compelling for me was a couple of reasons.  One is the, very strong push they were making into the market with some clear funding and a product offering that was differentiated in displays that were very thin and lightweight looking and appealed to the sensibilities of retailers and designers and the folks that I really like engaging with on the creative side of our business, combined with software that really makes it easy to make these things pop and, deliver what we call orchestration of content across multiple canvases of displays to unify those.  But there were some other things that went into that as well. I met Rob Avery, who had recently joined the company from Scala, at your event at ISE. I'd already met Wes Nicol, the CEO, about a year prior, and then Steven Jenkins, who I'd worked with at Diversified, had recently joined as the CRO along with Nathan Jones, who I'd also worked with as a Managing Director for North America. So there are already some pieces in place, and when I met Rob and we chatted briefly about his point of view on where we are versus where he wanted to take the software on the roadmap, that really clicked with me. Then we announced Jeff Griffin coming in as a retail technology guru and a guy who was at the genesis of what we called Walmart TV. So it wasn't even digital signage when he was involved with that deployment. So he's had a long history of selling into that market, and really the last piece to fall into place for me was, we secured, Tom Ross from NowSignage and I think he must eat energy bars constantly. He has the most energy and passion for the channel of any guy that I've met in this industry, and I've met a lot. All of those things coming together was really a big part of making that decision for me. Yeah, it's interesting. I've told the story a few times of couple of years ago at DSC in Vegas, some company called Videri had reached out to me and said, could you come to our suite at ARIA and have a look at our pots and pans? And I said, I'm super busy, and so on, and they bugged me and on the last day in the afternoon, I was dead tired, but I said, okay, fine, because I was staying next door and I didn't know a damn thing about them and met them, walked this endless hallway to get to their suite and they showed me these flat panel displays.  I thought, oh, dear God, I've walked all this way to see some skinny displays, but then they started to explain what they're up to, the business model and how they were working with a very large Austrian energy drink brand that they're not allowed to officially talk about, and I thought, now I get it, and over those, intervening two years, the company has really grown in terms of marketplace visibility and everything else and they have a somewhat unique, not entirely unique, but somewhat unique product.  Jay Leedy: Yeah, I agree. In fact, I was registered to go to that same event but couldn't get there because I was super busy that week. I also didn't have a relationship with them yet. So I didn't yet feel obligated, but I didn't see their product until Digital Signage Week, or maybe it was NRF, one of the two where they had a hospitality event at their offices in New York and I made my way there and I was as compelled as you were because of what they were doing but also where they were saying they were going. And you're right. The visibility for Videri has been exponential. I think as contemporaries in our sphere of the industry have gotten more visibility to their hardware and a better understanding of whether software can cause the entire industry to really lean in and that's been the case. I think when I announced that I was leaving Sony combined with two days later announcing that I was joining Videri, I never had as much web traffic on my LinkedIn as those two days. I think it was something on the order of 15,000 impressions between the two posts and that tells me that there's a lot of people who were really intrigued about what this new company is and as I've gotten deeper into the organization and started to really look around at the core architecture of our software, which is an Android-based SoC. So all of our displays run Android 12, which offers a lot of opportunity for third-party solutions to run alongside ours, or in some cases, in place of our software with our firmware being the glue that binds the delivery of that software, and I think there's a lot of opportunities in that regard as well, right?  My goal will really be to build out an ecosystem and a partner strategy very similar to what I was doing at Sony and fortunately, I have a lot of existing relationships that I was already working with that can parlay right into that, that are all dialed into that Android approach, but I think Android, in particular, was compelling for me because it has become a de facto standard in many respects and in a lot of cases with retailers, because of the security components to it, and our particular flavor of Android is locked down, which is really appealing. all the stars really aligned there.  It's interesting because Android, if you asked people out five years ago, they would probably say no, not going anywhere near that. Jay Leedy: I know when I was Diversified, it was an absolute non-starter, but the market's changed, and fortunately the strength of Android and the security protocols have changed, and I think it's you and I've talked about a little bit, right? The impression and kind of point of view on Android Deployed in enterprise environments has changed as well. I think largely because of the broad use of MDMs or device management solutions and familiarity with those tools, with IT admins having a level of comfort with those. At the end of the day, displays for digital signage are IOT devices that have to be managed and locked down in a similar fashion. So something that's familiar just resonates with those decision makers.  You mentioned a couple of minutes ago third party suppliers or providers.  Are you saying, and you can correct me if I'm getting this wrong, that if I'm another CMS software company, I could, in theory, drive Videri displays? Jay Leedy: Absolutely, and we've already tested a handful of them. I think we've got about five so far. We've also tested some lift-and-learn solutions that are quasi-CMS but would also be able to run in concert with our CMS.  That'd be like Glass Media stuff? Jay Leedy: It's more like Sign Metrics. We're on ARC over at Pick‘n'Watch. He's got a really interesting solution that's all Bluetooth and UDP-based. We're also looking at wireless solutions for audience measurement, the likes of Blue Zoo or Movia Media.  Some of the CMS platforms that we've tested, run the gamut of the kind of those that are known more heavily in the space, like Spp Space and Corbett, and then others that are maybe lesser known like Play Signage or one of the newer ones that, as you mentioned earlier, the idea of a hobby business that's not yet full bore or fully funded or has a sales and marketing team behind it, what have you… There's a company called AbleSign that's got some pretty capable products. Largely a lot of these are available as progressive web app options where the device management capabilities of their full-featured apps are stripped out and therefore don't present a conflict with some of the remote capabilities that are the device management capabilities that we bring to bear. But, in the longer term, we'll also test scenarios where maybe a full-featured solution could be used or what we see more as a trend; why I was looking maybe outside of digital signage, in other technology providers, is that, especially in North America, and I think that this will cascade to other markets is that enterprise clients, in particular, have a point of view on device management. So, it was really important when I was at Sony to be compatible with whatever infrastructure decisions had been made upstream so that we could just say yes to projects and be specified regardless of what the requirements were. To some extent, that's a consideration with Videri's approach as well. It's interesting, with this idea that you can work with other CMS software companies. I'm trying to envision that phone call or that meeting on their end, wouldn't they be saying that you have a software that competes with our software?  Jay Leedy: Yeah, but I think we also have a really attractive line of hardware, right? The kind of customer that will gravitate towards our hardware may, in some cases, already have an investment and an existing state of software that they don't want to deviate from. So it may make sense for us to offer our hardware with some recurring fees for the support and device management components while also being able to enable content management on a familiar platform that is more broadly used across their estate. Those are scenarios that we're gaming out.  What drew my attention in the tippet area is how the square displays in particular were something that could replace old beverage brands' neon or plastic backlit signs in bars and restaurants. It was something that was dynamic, the quick ROI that would come out of that, but I've seen Videri in particular marketing, multi-screen video cone matrix. I think there's another word you guys use.  Jay Leedy: We call it an orchestration, but yeah, it'd be a mosaic or a configuration of multi-canvas screens that, in some cases, we're seeing incorporated with other visual merchandising elements or other artwork elements in hospitality applications, for example. You might like static, traditional artwork and imagery interspersed with dynamic elements that are part of Videri. The entire wall can very easily be mapped, and content pushed and split across the displays so that it makes sense visually without a lot of hardware to deliver that, and I think that's really a unique element of our software.  Yeah, and I like the ability to mix and match squares and rectangles display canvases and I know Samsung had a square product years ago, and it came and went because they like to sell hundreds of thousands, not thousands of units, but it came back with this and because manufacturers in Asia are now able to natively manufacture square things instead of cutting a rectangle and turning it into a square, redoing the electronics and costing a lot of money.  Jay Leedy: Yeah, the run rate on our square product versus the other ones is probably not as high, to be fair, but those unique shapes and, I think, more specifically, smaller form factors, the lighter weight, the bezels are only probably about three quarters of an inch thick. The fact that they're low-voltage offers a lot of flexibility. We've got a shop fitter or a point-of-purchase display manufacturer in Germany that's developed a unique bracket that allows these displays to be moved around in their modular system. The entire system is powered with low voltage.  It's a company called Visplay, and they've done some really interesting stuff. These powered, essentially track systems or grids have ports, and the brackets are designed to automatically pick up power as soon as they do. Once they hit the Wi-Fi, they just start playing content again. So it gives the retailer or the shop fitter a lot of modularity, and they don't have to get a technician on-site to make these changes. It's something that they can do with store staff and that's really appealing as well.  That's interesting. I've been doing a lot of reading and paying a lot of attention to the whole retail media networks landscape of late because it's obviously got a lot of traction, even though much of the spending now is not in the store but billboards and online, but it's going that way and I've said and heard from people that it's not going to be a second wave of stores, putting big ass LCD displays on every available surface like it maybe was in the 2010s when athletic wear retailers, in particular, were doing that.  It's going to have to be smaller displays and interesting displays that fit into the design and are designed from the start or ones that don't get in the way of merchandising. Jay Leedy: Yeah, exactly. I think we've seen that in various gestations over the last several years, especially in consumer packaged goods, brands will incorporate digital elements as part of a turnkey fixture package. It's one of the things I was working on with Diversified prior to the pandemic, and unfortunately, the pandemic killed the momentum on a project that was really promising for us. But it was in partnership with Westrock, and the idea was that, as Diversified, we would be the integrator and managed service provider to support design, build, and ultimately manage and service these things once deployed. Westrock designed the fixture and also what they called kit packing. So they brought in inventory from their partner at the time, GlaxoSmithKline. They fully merchandised a display fitted with graphics and then added our digital elements with an LTE modem cradle point. As soon as the store personnel received it, which they wielded into place, they didn't have to have a technician. Essentially, they had a turnkey solution that, as soon as it was plugged in, called home and had a range of content that would be played based on a number of parameters. There was an integrated camera.  So, I think there's a really appealing turnkey solution that doesn't have to rely on the retailer's data infrastructure, which is usually fairly constrained. This gives the brands a lot more freedom for placement but a lot more control over execution as well as the ability to, as you rightly said, put digital in places where you wouldn't expect it, and that's a hallmark of our approach, right? These smaller screens are unique form factors that are less obtrusive and don't detract from the merchandising but actually can complement it, and you're right, I think retail media networks will manifest in that way so that it's not an afterthought. It's not a screen that's hanging from the ceilings left in front of the end cap, but it's actually integrated into the end cap or into the merchandising fixture or what have you. So it really does the job of carrying the brand message, and I think there's a lot of appeal there, especially in lifestyle brands. Especially for a product where, through our orchestration, we could draw attention to an entire category or shop within a store rather than just having individual merchandising fixtures, each with its own message. The adoption barrier that I've encountered when I've talked to brands about this, what you were just describing is they like it, but they only need it for six weeks or four weeks or some defined campaign term, and even though they may be a big CPG brand with all kinds of products they're so siloed that you couldn't just say, “This shampoo digital fixture could be a body lotion fixture for round two, and you could share it across different ones.” They'd say, “Yeah, but that would never happen.”  Jay Leedy: Yeah, that was actually the concept of the one that we were working on with Westrock and GlaxoSmithKline. So the idea was that it'd be a seasonal product that was focused on at the time, Flonase and Claritin, and then once the season for allergies was over, they would pivot to another product that was better suited to the next season. That was exactly the concept. I think you're right. There is a seasonality to these activities, but the beauty of digital is that you can effectively reskin these things and repurpose them. So long as you have an intelligent design and the rest of the fixture to accommodate a range of products, and basically send in another kit of graphics and merchandise to correspond with that in partnership with a kit packer like Westrock. You can clarify your role with Sony, which you were there for two or three years, I think. But what I found intriguing now that you're not there is that your gig was basically developing partnerships for Sony to use its smart displays. When you started, there were, I think, one or two, maybe, and by the time you left, I think you were past 80 different partners.  So you had this unique perspective of talking to a whole bunch of CMS software companies about what they had and analyzing whether there was a fit, and I'm just curious, having seen all these different ones and now somewhat detached from them, what your impression? Are they all the same, which is, I think what most people would think?  Jay Leedy: Yeah, I was there for three and a half years, and you're right. When I came on, there was exactly one product that had gone through any kind of formal due diligence or QA, and so my program was really about building out that ecosystem with some formalities and processes, and I was fortunate enough to talk to and onboard roughly 90 different technologies that were, I'd say maybe 70% of those were digital signage and the rest were spread between unified communications or AV over IP as a software-defined solution. We also had a range of telemetry and UCC solutions as well. I think I had exposure to roughly 140 companies or so. On the CMS front, I know Invidus recently did a report that you commented on in your blog as well, and you're not wrong, for the most part, a lot of CMS platforms, at their core, do the same thing. The difference is how they do it. For me, the flexibility in their architecture, as I mentioned earlier, the idea of progressive web apps that decouple some of the real differentiation early in the market, that was an all-in-one solution with device management, has kind of evolved to the point where customers want flexibility and deciding and decoupling that device management from CMS but there's also, I think, the extent to which these companies have invested in APIs and manage those APIs and other data connectors and understand interoperability sets them apart.  I think for me, with Videri and our clear focus on retail and creative agencies and optimizing and enabling workflows that would be API dependent, as well as a cloud-based SaaS that has the flexibility to be able to grow and evolve, in that direction, that was what was appealing for me. It's not to say that Videri was the only one with all those marks ticked in their offering, but as we talked about earlier, had some other organizational considerations that really were the determining factor for me coming over here. Without naming names or anything, did you see companies that were clearly more advanced versus ones that were maybe building on something that they've had for many years, and they're just incrementally bolting new capability onto an existing software stack?  Jay Leedy: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's true for any company in the tech space that, at some point, you have to acknowledge that your technical debt load is too much and completely re-architect the solution. We've seen that happen with a number of companies in our space. There are a number of others that continue to struggle with that technical debt and architecture that just doesn't lend itself to meeting the expectations of the market.  Were you recommending the key things that, whether you're a solutions partner or an end user, they should look for if they want to be future-proofed and really modern?  Jay Leedy: First and foremost, these days, it's an API-first strategy. We need to ensure that There's a robust enough set of APIs to enable baseline telemetry and interoperability with a number of other API-first solutions. I think about, in particular, what's happening with digital transformation in large consultancies like Accenture, EY, and Deloitte. A lot of those hinge on moving from on-premise to cloud-based solutions for a range of business applications.  If anybody listening to this podcast is using Office 365, for example, there are a number of third-party solutions that plug into those, obviously with a fee involved. However, to enable that, you have to have the right architecture, and digital signage isn't that different.  We talk a little bit in this industry about headless and the idea of headless means, I think, escapes some people. I think the idea of no or low code development also, I think, escapes some people, but both of those are similar in that they enable. A much lower cost of entry to get a lot more functionality because the architecture is built in such a way that it can just essentially plug in like a Lego, and you can create building blocks that are predefined, versus having to have a linear development approach that can be really cost intensive. Yeah, I was on a call yesterday, and it was interesting. They were talking very much about that. From my perspective, if you have a solution that has a distinct login and you have to do everything digital signage through that login, with no real hooks into anything else, that's a big challenge, particularly for larger organizations that want to use one tool set.  It's going to push out to whatever the endpoint is and whatever that endpoint is communicating. Jay Leedy: Yeah, and also just thinking about all the different ways content can be generated now. There's been a lot of buzz around generative AI, but the rules for content and distribution largely have been in most of these CMS platforms for a long time. But a means of automating those rules and creating if this, then that scenario or ingesting data that can then drive outcomes and content. that's not necessarily core to a lot of those platforms, or leveraging API calls directly from digital asset management tools and leveraging all of the metadata tagging logic that is built into those, and pulling those directly into the content strategy also necessarily isn't native to a lot of CMS platforms. So I think those are all kinds of key things to consider when making a selection or at least knowing, if it's possible downstream, should your company mature to the point where they want to leverage those types of tools.  If people want to catch up with you and talk about what you're doing with Videri, I know they can find you online, obviously, but you'll be at Infocomm?  Jay Leedy: I will be at Infocomm and the Digital Signage Federation mixer in Tampa in about two weeks. Either way, I'd love to see you and continue the conversation.  All right, Jay. It's great to catch up.  Jay Leedy: Great to see you as well, Dave.

Ever wondered if the magic of Disney extends to its nearby high-end hotels? Brittany and I spill the beans on our recent escapade at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, a place that marries the enchantment of Disney with the sophistication of the Marriott brand. We're peeling back the curtain on this strategically placed resort, diving into its history and how it's carved out a niche in the competitive landscape of accommodations around the happiest place on earth. And because no review is complete without the nitty-gritty, we're getting real about what the Dolphin does well and where it left us wanting more.Buckle up for a jaunt through Disney's transportation intricacies and the dining scene that could rival any foodie's dream, as we shine a light on gems like Todd English's Blue Zoo and Shula's Steakhouse. But it's not all about the glitz of high-end eateries; we're also tackling the subtler aspects of the Disney experience that were notably absent from our stay. From the symphony of Disney tunes that usually scores your vacation to the theming that sweeps you off your feet, we reflect on what it means to be just outside the Disney bubble. Join us for an episode that's part storytelling, part critique, and all about giving you the insider's edge for your next Disney adventure.Please check out our links below:Our Sponsor:www.mainstreettravelco.comEmail Us:circleofparks@gmail.comOur Website:www.circleofparks.comFacebook:www.facebook.com/circleofparksInstagram:www.instagram.com/circleofparksX:www.x.com/circleofparksSupport the show

The ACCESS: VFX Podcast is back with this special episode discussing all things artificial intelligence and machine learning! Joining Nene Parsotam for this conversion are Caroline Sheila Rouge, a Junior Compositor at Vine FX, Kalle Everland, freelance creative director in the advertising industry and Malachi James, Blue Zoo storyboard artist.

We are excited to head to Baltimore, Maryland today to speak with Listener Michelle about her experience from last month at the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend! She traveled down with her husband and met some friends and stayed at the Walt Disney World Dolphin. We hear about her two days just "vacationing" before the race weekend events started, including great meals at Topolino's Terrace, Ale & Compass, Woody's Backyard BBQ, and more! We also talk about why the Skyliner isn't for everyone and Minnie Vans are a great options for folks on ECVs! Lots of fun times all over Walt Disney World on today's show! We hope you enjoy today's podcast!  Please visit our website at www.beourguestpodcast.com.  Thank you so much for your support of our podcast! Become a Patron of the show at www.Patreon.com/BeOurGuestPodcast.  Also, please follow the show on Twitter @BeOurGuestMike and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beourguestpodcast.   Thanks to our friends at The Magic For Less Travel for sponsoring today's podcast!

Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Penny Whitehouse in conversation with Alex Davy, storyboard artist and director at Blue Zoo. Born in London and based in Newcastle, Alex's work includes storyboarding for BBC Bitesize (Arcus Studios), 'Incredible Ant' (Wildseed Studios), 'Norman Picklestripes' (Factory-Create) and a range of shows at Blue Zoo including 'Millie & Lou' and the second season of 'Pip & Posy'. In 2022 Alex's role with the studio expanded to shorts directing with her successful pitch on a short film for the charity Beyond Equality, who wanted to explore the concept of the ‘Armour of Masculinity' or ‘Man Box' that young men find themselves socially pressured to stay within. The resulting film, ‘Armour', tells the story of James, a young man who feels obliged to speak and act a certain way to impress his male friends, only serving to alienate a female classmate he has a crush on. Released towards the end of last year, 'Armour' is the latest short film from Blue Zoo following such celebrated offerings as 'Daddy Christmas', 'Lynx and Birds', 'Mamoon', 'Sinking Feeling', 'Ada' and 'In Shape'. Interview conducted by Penny Whitehouse Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of mycologist and musician Andy Overall. Andy has had a fascinating journey from the Blue Zoo and pop stardom back through the hedges and woodlands when he became interested in mushrooms back in the early 1990's. He realized he needed something else, another interest other than his involvement with music. Growing up as a boy during the 60's in the English, market town countryside, of Braintree, Essex he nurtured an interest in nature…And then along came David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and everything changed course for a while! Later in life his rekindled interest in fungi evolved into obsession as he began to see an infinite variety of fungal species appearing before him and he wanted to get to know them all. Since his obsession began, Andy has published magazines, countless articles and in 2017 his first book all about fungi -  “FUNGI-Mushrooms & Toadstools of Parks, Gardens, Heaths and Woodlands”. He is the fungi recorder for the London Natural History Society and a Group Leader in the London Fungus Group. I'm excited to learn about the mycological journey of a culture creator, artist and naturalist and his explorations into what he so poetically dubs, “the jewels in nature's crown”   TOPICS COVERED:   From Wilderness to Ziggy Stardust   Birth of Blue Zoo   Shifting from Pop Stardom to Mycology   Evolution of the Amateur Mycology Community   Professional Surveying for Fungi    Insights from Biodiversity Databases   Making Better Decisions About Forest Management   Role of DNA in Fungal Surveys   Heathrow Airport Cortinarius    Contributions of Amateur Naturalists   Tips to Making Better Observations   Process of Mushroom Spotting & Identification    Ethnomycology Travels in Oaxaca, Czech Republic, Australia   Published and Unpublished Works of Gaston Guzman   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Andy Overall Website: http://www.fungitobewith.org/   London Fungi Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/LondonFungusNetwork/   British Mycological Society: https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/   Blue Zoo Website: http://www.bluezoo.org.uk/   Roger Phillips (Legend): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Phillips_(photographer)   Marcel Bon (Mycologist): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Bon   Mark Spencer (Botanist): https://markspencerbotanist.com/   GIGL: https://www.gigl.org.uk/londons-open-spaces/   Cortinarius heatherae (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortinarius_heatherae   Laetiporus sulphureus (AKA Chicken of the Woods): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laetiporus_sulphureus

This week's episode is a quick chat with the Blue Zoo Leaders!

We celebrate our partnership with 3Dami, Screenskills and NextGen Skills Academy for this years Young Animator of the Year competition. Our guest is Josh Palfrey, 2020's best 3D Animation winner in the 15-18 age group, and now Blue Zoo Animation's youngest ever 3D Artist! A super inspiring conversation with a rising star in our industry!

Jamie Bell and the Future Blue Zoo... Taco stopped by too. We talked about this year, cheesecake, and the future of the Blue Zoo. This is our last episode of this year and the last for your host, Caleb.

This week, we once again sit down with the Blue Zoo to talk about everything from March Madness to video games to local foods.

Oli Hyatt, a former young businessman of the year, is co-founder of BAFTA award-winning animation studio Blue Zoo. He is also the Director of Alphablocks Limited, the company behind the popular CBeebies phonics shows, Alphablocks and Numberblocks. He is also the chair of Animation UK and was awarded an MBE for his services to the animation industry.He co-authored his debut children's book, Antigua de Fortune of the High Seas with Anna Rainbow. In this episode, Oli talks to Nikki Gamble about why this story is so important to him.About Antigua de Fortune of the High SeasA magical, thrilling pirate adventure: fun, fantastical and totally unputdownable! Tiggy has always had the ocean in her blood - and lately, she's been dreaming of mermaids - but she's a high-born girl on the Isle of Fortune, forced to wear dresses, attend balls and (worst of all) comb her wild curls. But then the Pirate King strikes, wielding deadly turquoise magic, and Tiggy's younger brother is stolen - along with every boy on the island. Tiggy knows it is time to claim her destiny, take to the high seas and rescue the boys of Fortune ...A spellbinding, hugely exciting pirate adventure: fun, feminist, classic in feel and totally unputdownable. 

This week, the Blue Zoo gets together yet again. Hilarity ensues.

We promised 'near-peer' guests on the podcast and we have delivered on episode 6 where we meet Steph Preston, Digital Marketing Apprentice at Blue Zoo Animation Studio. We hear about their application experience, their role at Blue Zoo and the importance of representation and role models. Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-preston/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trans-awareness-week-2021-steph-preston/ https://www.multiverse.io/en-GB/programmes/digital-marketing

We have another New Wave Dance Party this episode of Revenge of the 8s Radio. We play dance tracks, remixes and extended versions of cuts from ABC, Blancmange. A-ha, Blue Zoo, and more classic alternative artists

On this episode we talk with the Blue Zoo leaders Jackson Fielden, Raley Henson, and Jamie Bell about this past football season, Rhea County playoff game, the upcoming basketball season, and some of their favorite memories (and near brushes with the law). Make sure to stay tuned to the end of the episode for a surprise visit from next year's *possible* Blue Zoo leader Dylan Owens.

Bienvenidos a "El Podcast del 3D"

A clip from last week's Patreon Plaza episode "Python Cara and Fashionutsa Holly" in which we discuss Cara, the 12-foot python who recently got loose from her enclosure at Blue Zoo inside the Mall of Louisiana. Get the full episode and access to the whole back catalog at https://www.patreon.com/malltalkpod

It made a big splash in Baton Rouge! Just as everyone was emerging from a year-long pandemic, the Blue Zoo Aquarium opened in the Mall of Louisiana, of all places. This isn't just any aquarium - it's an attraction that has a fascinating back story. Nami Haws is the         of Blue Zoo Aquarium, a growing chain of aquariums around the country that opened its third location in March 2021, here in Baton Rouge. It's in a 16,000 square foot space in between the men's and women's Dillard's in the mall. The aquarium has an array of sea life with more than 30 unique attractions.  Blue Zoo was founded by Damitu's father, Wes Haws, who opened the first Blue Zoo in Washington in 2019, after a harrowing and inspiring experience. He suffered a traumatizing head injury while running a project to build homes in Ethiopia. After undergoing multiple brain surgeries and being left partially blind, he put a fish tank in his bedroom to help him through his recovery, and says learning about and interacting with the amazing creatures of the sea helped him get better and regain his strength and eyesight.  Since then, Blue Zoo has opened a second location in Oklahoma City and now, Baton Rouge.  While really unique and innovative national companies like Blue Zoo Aquarium have a marketing team to help them get their message out, a lot of small, specialty retailers have a harder time telling their story, whether because they lack the time, money or marketing expertise. That's where the Scout Guide comes in. The Scout Guide is a print publication and website that promotes the artists, artisans and small, unique businesses in each market using beautifully formatted images. The Scout Guide was founded 10 years ago as a website and city guide dedicated to Charlottesville, Virginia. Since then, it has expanded to 60 markets, each of which has its own editor/owner, who serves as a storyteller, curator and small business advocate. Kaleigh Porcelli is that person in Baton Rouge. A native of New Orleans, she has a background in marketing and experience in publishing.  This show was recorded over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can see photos from the show by Erik Otts at our website. And there's more lunchtime conversation about local family business here.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of What's What BR, we brought on Wes Haws from the Blue Zoo who opens up Baton Rouge, Louisiana's first Aquatic Zoo.   With Blue Zoo's grand opening, April 1, in the Louisiana Mall, Wes Haws shares all the fun things everyone can do! From families to aquatic enthusiasts; the Blue Zoo features a lot of different aquatic life but they also have birds and some reptiles to show.

Cadets Reese Wendfeldt and Ryne Rae discover the diversity of clubs offered at the Academy with guest DJ Miller.

With the current state of the world, young people face a bleaker outlook than ever, so in this podcast, we deep-dive into ways the industry is helping young people, what more can be done and how teachers and parents can nurture blossoming creative passion. We speak to Amy Smith from Framestore, Phil Attfield from NextGen Skills Academy, Peter Kemp from 3DAmi and Tom Box from Blue Zoo, as well as special guests who have been involved in the activities discussed. Hosted by Simon Devereux and produced by Tom Box.

Episode # 15 … Ira Childress, Athletics Director, Gulliver Prep School, Miami, FLToday’s guest is Ira Childress. Ira serves as the Athletic Director at Gulliver Prep High School just outside of Miami Florida. A true believer in the power of building positive relationships, Ira is a two-time nominee for national athletic director of the year as nominated by Varsity Brands, as well as a published author who has a passion for maximizing the student athlete experience. Ira also uses his experiences working for the NCAA to better serve his student-athletes each and every day. Let’s settle in and get to know… Mr. Ira Childress. 1:01 – Introduction 5:50- Relating back to the High School Athletics Leader 8:19- A Transformational, Outside-the-Box Leader 12:01- The National AD Collaboration with Amanda Waters 14:44- Lessons from Coach Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Head Football Coach 17:44- What Led to being nominated as Varsity Brands Athletic Director of the Year 22:44- Career in Sports Night & Student-Athlete College Recruiting Seminar 27:41- Increasing Fan Attendance for High School Athletics…’the Blue Zoo’ 31:20- Gulliver Prep Student-Athlete Advisory Council 35:30- Creating a Hall of Fame for a High School Athletic Dept. 39:05- Skills taken from working in Leadership Development at the NCAA HQ 41:00- “Run from being good. Chase being Great.” 44:25- Establishing Credibility with a New Staff of Coaches 46:32- A Head Coaches Retreat at the High School level 50:40- Ira ‘the Author’ 55:35- 2-Minute Drill Book Mentions: Beating the Odds (Ira Childress) You can follow Jayme Pendergast and Life University Athletics on social media Twitter: @GulliverAD Instagram: Gulliver Prep AthleticsFind out more about Mr. Ira Childress and Gulliver Prep Athletics at: Gulliver Prep AthleticsAbout Hangin With The AD Podcast….Hangin with the AD is an interview style podcast where Don Baker, Cobb County School District Director of Athletics, partners with Josh Mathews, Pope High School (GA) Athletic Director, to discuss hot topics and lessons learned with leaders in the world of athletics. These leaders include high school athletic directors at the district and local school levels; college athletic administrators; leaders in spaces that connect to athletics such as nutrition, wellness, recruiting, student-athlete recognition; current and former athletes; and others, who can help athletic administrators develop themselves and their programs for a better daily experience for their athletic communities. We hope you enjoy the time we spend with these special guests. Please leave us a review or rating to help us know how you were benefited from this podcast or how we can improve it. Thank you for listening. And until next time, thank you for spending your time, Hangin with the AD. Don Baker.... Director of Athletics for the Cobb County School District in Georgia. @CCSD_AD (twitter & instagram) Josh Mathews...Athletics Director at Pope High School in Marietta, GA (East Cobb). @jwmathews14 (twitter & instagram)

Tom Box is co-founder of the internationally-acclaimed BAFTA award-winning animation studio Blue Zoo. In this incredibly layered interview, Tom delves into the mindset and values of what built Blue Zoo into one of the most successful animation companies in the UK, how animation has changed over his career and what makes a successful business.You'll learn how Blue Zoo went from 3 uni-graduates to an internationally successful animation business with over 200 staff. He talks openly about challenges he’s faced and how the value he places on his team members ensures the best productivity and motivation. In 2018 Blue Zoo opened a brand new online democratic community course for animators to learn techniques of 3D animation, called Animdojo. They were still hiring staff during the Coronavirus pandemic!This was one of the first interviews recorded for Video Talks.I hope you enjoy this deep dive into Tom’s creative journey.

“Back home, we get a taxidermy man, he’s gonna have a heart attack when he sees what I brung him!” OKC is getting a new interactive aquarium, and it’s gonna have sharks! Listen to this episode to hear all about it. Blue Zoo OKC Quail Springs Mall George Washington Fish video Special thanks to our … Continue reading "Blue Zoo – OnlyinOKshow.com" The post Blue Zoo – OnlyinOKshow.com appeared first on Travel Oddities Podcast.

“Back home, we get a taxidermy man, he’s gonna have a heart attack when he sees what I brung him!”   OKC is getting a new interactive aquarium, and it's gonna have sharks!    Listen to this episode to hear all about it.   Blue Zoo OKC Quail Springs Mall George Washington Fish video   Special thanks to our advertiser: Master Threads

En el segundo episodio de esta temporada, repasaremos algunos de mis ONE HIT WONDER preferidos, esas pequeñas maravillas de la música Pop que han pasado a la historia como Patrick Hernández, Buckner & García, Landscape, The Maisonettes, Blue Zoo, Aneka, Johnny Warman, Men without Hats, Graduate, Re-Flex, Friends Again, Bandolero, Fiction Factory, Vídeo, Betty Troupe, Mc Randy & Dj Jonco, Rebeldes Sin Pausa, Wilfred y La Ganga, EMF, The Lotus Eaters, Electric Six, The House of Love, Peter Schilling, Candy Flip y Double.

Every summer studios across the world offer short work placements for budding VFX artists who aspire to work in the industry. They are an ideal stepping stone from education into industry, and we wanted to hear what it's actually like. So we chatted to 8 of the interns who spent 8 weeks of their summer at Framestore, to hear their experience of what goes on. If you're thinking of applying for an internship this podcast is essential listening! Find out how you can apply for internships on the ACCESS:VFX website: https://www.accessvfx.org/internships Hosted & recorded by Grace Hebditch, Marketing Coordinator at Blue-Zoo

Ahead of Brand Licensing Europe 2019 in London next week, Sean Clarke – the soon-to-be MD of Shaun the Sheep studio Aardman – plus execs from Magic Light Pictures, Blue Zoo, Acamar Films and Coolabi, talk to C21Kids editor Nico Franks about the impact of Brexit, SVoD and YouTube on the British animation industry.

With the recent revival of the MTSU student section, the Blue Zoo, the guys take a walk down memory lane.

On this episode of "Out of the Blue" we discuss the revival of the Blue Zoo, a student pep group, and their partnership with Blue Raider Athletics, who are introducing a number of enhancements to the football game day experience. We take a look at research being conducted through MTSU's Center for Popular Music. And we take a look some of the feature stories in the latest issue of MTSU Magazine. Watch “Out of the Blue,” with host Andrew Oppmann, on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 daily at 7 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and on NewsChannel5+ at 3:30 p.m. Sundays. “Out of the Blue” is also available on other cable outlets in Middle Tennessee, and as a WMOT radio broadcast and iTunes and Google Play podcast.

The visual effects industry is worth over £1 billion a year to the UK economy, with animation and visual effects graduates more in demand than ever. We visited Blue Zoo animation studio in London to speak to a panel of educators and industry leaders about the future of animation and visual effects and how institutions like Bournemouth University are preparing the next generation of talent. This podcast is part of Bournemouth University's #digitechfutures campaign. Visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/digitech-futures to find out more.

***PLEASE NOTE THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED IN LATE 2016. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR OUR RIDICULOUS LATENESS IN RELEASING IT.*** Oli Hyatt and Tom Box are 2 of the co-founders of Blue Zoo, an animation production company based in London. They spoke to us about their studio, as well as Animation UK, an advocacy organisation for the animation industry, which successfully lobbied the UK government in 2012, leading to the introduction of the Animation Tax Relief. Oli and Tom provide fascinating insights into running a studio with more than 120 employees. They discuss the challenges of growing the company since its founding in 2000, and how they've struck a balance between profitability and creative fulfilment. Blue Zoo produce ads, idents, apps and VR, but they are best known for their children's TV series, which include Alphablocks, Digby Dragon, Numberblocks, Q Pootle 5 and Tree Fu Tom. In 2014 Oli was awarded an MBE for services to Children’s TV and Animation and in 2017 Blue Zoo was awarded the Children's BAFTA for Independent Production Company of the year. Tom Box’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrtombox Oli Hyatt’s profile on Screen Alliance http://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/profile/Oli-Hyatt Blue Zoo website: https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/ Digby Dragon https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/animation/digby-dragon/ Olive The Ostrich https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/animation/olive-the-ostrich/ Animation UK: website http://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/about/animation-uk Note: In November 2016, UK Screen Association announced that it was joining forces with Animation UK to create the Screen Alliance UK http://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/index.php?/news/article/5064

The latest episode of the podcast which asks: why didn't Top Of The Pops do a Bonfire Night special instead, the traitorous, British-way-of-life-hating bastards? Yeah yeah, we know: another early Eighties one. But if you thought we were going to wait another year before we got stuck into this particular episode, you don't know Chart Music. The Pops is entombed in its rah-rah-rah flags-and-balloons Zoo-wanker phase and has pulled out all the stops (i.e., gone through the BBC props cupboard) decided to do a Halloween special, even though Halloween means next to arse all in the UK in pre-ET 1982. And who else to guide us through this realm of piss-poor joke-shop terror than the Dark Lord Simon Bates? Musicwise, it's a pic n' mix of razor blade-tainted apples and cat shit in shiny wrappers, with a diamond or two lurking at the bottom. The tang of Pebble Mill is strong in this one: Dionne Warwick glares at us in a Margo Leadbetter rig-out. Barry Manilow is DTF. The Beatles arise from the grave. Blue Zoo demonstrate why they're not going to be the next Duran Duran. Raw Silk pointedly ignore that they're performing to a room full of simpletons with net curtains over their heads and waving a cat on a stick. Eddy Grant gets round his horrible missus. Boy George has balloons thrown at him in an aggressive manner. Simon Bates rides a broomstick dressed as Ali Bongo. The Zoo Wankerage is jacked up to the absolute maximum. Meanwhile, in Newcastle, the crew of The Tube are rubbing their hands together with glee. Taylor Parkes and Neil Kulkarni join Al Needham to suckle upon the throat early-Eighties Pop Mankiness, veering off on such tangents as the rubbishness of a British Halloween, being barred out of pubs in Nottingham for looking like Jimmy Savile, the truth about George Martin and the Mopfabs, Rambo Pumpkins, Cilla Back ramming chocolate into people's gobs, BBC4 butchering the only programme they run that anyone's interested in, having 40 Romantic Moments in one week, why we people never talk about Post-Disco, and an astonishing appearance on 3-2-1 by two Chart Music favourites. Penny for the Guy! Video Playlist |  Subscribe  |  Facebook  |  Twitter Subscribe to us on iTunes here. Support us on Patreon here.     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Presenting the 85th episode of the Skwigly podcast! In this episode we meet Ben Steer, director of the multi-award-winning Blue Zoo short 'Mamoon'. Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson Interview conducted by Steve Henderson Produced by Ben Mitchell Music by Ben Mitchell

The AnimDojo podcasts seek to help people with their career by focusing on the craft and career tips, in a no-nonsense practical approach. In this podcast we focus on best practises when applying for jobs, speaking to Jill Wallace, Head of HR at Axis, and Sarah Tanner, HR Director at Jellyfish. Also joining the podcast conversation is Negar Bagheri, Head of LookDev at Blue Zoo, discussing her experience with both applying for jobs and processing job applicants within her role. We hope you enjoy it! :)

We talk with Leanne Loughran CG recruiter at Aardman Animations, Jorge Montiel Creative Director at The Mill, and Matt Tea Series Director at Blue-Zoo on how to put together a solid animation showreel. Joining us for the podcast is Chloe Deneuve a CG animator at Blue-Zoo and she discusses with us our thoughts on the interviews we had regarding the do's and don'ts of everything relating to showreels.

In this week's summary Keith Walker from Time Inc. UK talks about the boom of video today, Tom Box from Blue Zoo shares his secrets on staying on top of the game in an extremely competitive industry, and Michael Olaye, CTO of Dare reveals his insights about how we consume digital content today and the rise of 'snippets of content'.

In this week's summary Keith Walker from Time Inc. UK talks about the boom of video today, Tom Box from Blue Zoo shares his secrets on staying on top of the game in an extremely competitive industry, and Michael Olaye, CTO of Dare reveals his insights about how we consume digital content today and the rise of 'snippets of content'.

Tom Box, Co-Founder of Blue Zoo, a London-based animation studio, gives us tips on how to survive in an extremely competitive industry for over 17 years, touches upon their process of refining and evolving workflow within the team and he questions the demand for the use of AR and VR today.

Tom Box, Co-Founder of Blue Zoo, a London-based animation studio, gives us tips on how to survive in an extremely competitive industry for over 17 years, touches upon their process of refining and evolving workflow within the team and he questions the demand for the use of AR and VR today.

Presenting the 75th episode of the Skwigly podcast! Special guests: •Tom Box (producer), Simone Giampaolo and Francesco Mazza (directors) of Blue Zoo discussing their latest seasonal short film 'Lynx & Birds'. •Jeroen Jaspaert, director of this year's Magic Light holiday special 'The Highway Rat', adapted from the popular children's book by Julia Donaldson. Presented by Ben Mitchell, Steve Henderson & Laura-Beth Cowley Edited by Ben Mitchell & Steve Henderson Produced by Ben Mitchell Music by Ben Mitchell & Wez Allard

Hópur fólks var fengin til að velja tónlist frá níunda áratug síðustu aldar. Lögin þurftu að hafa ná einhverjum vinsældum en náðu kannski aldrei til Íslands og/eða eru að mestu gleymd í dag. Þórður Helgi Þórðarson og Sigurður Helgi Hlöðversson, betur þekktur sem Siggi Hlö, rifja upp nokkra gleymda smelli. Cry boy cry - Blue Zoo ´82 Never again - Classix Nouveaux ´81 Heya Heya - Blaze ´83 What are you doing tonight - Tomas Ledin ´83 Free Nelson Mandela - The Specials ´84 Runaway - Bon Jovi ´82 Where is my man - Eartha Kitt ´83

Hópur fólks var fengin til að velja tónlist frá níunda áratug síðustu aldar. Lögin þurftu að hafa ná einhverjum vinsældum en náðu kannski aldrei til Íslands og/eða eru að mestu gleymd í dag. Þórður Helgi Þórðarson og Sigurður Helgi Hlöðversson, betur þekktur sem Siggi Hlö, rifja upp nokkra gleymda smelli. Cry boy cry - Blue Zoo ´82 Never again - Classix Nouveaux ´81 Heya Heya - Blaze ´83 What are you doing tonight - Tomas Ledin ´83 Free Nelson Mandela - The Specials ´84 Runaway - Bon Jovi ´82 Where is my man - Eartha Kitt ´83

BREAKING NEWS: Thank you Saltwater fish keepers in America who took advantage of our promotion and got some awesome fish at a good price! Due to our success with our last promotion, Blue Zoo Aquatics and American Variety Network have decided to give you Saltwater fish heads another big break! If you are looking for a saltwater fish such as Yellow Belly Hippo tangs, dogfaced puffers, foxfaces, clownfish or saltwater inverts such as starfish, shrimps, crabs, and corals then this is the time to purchase! Starting today April 21, 2016 all the way through Tuesday May 31, 2016 customers who use the Coupon Code AVNAPRILDEAL will save 15 percent off their order. Orders over $150 that can vary from $20-$30 off! So thank American Variety Network and Blue Zoo Aquatics! Now go get some fish! COUPON CODE: AVNAPRILDEAL https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/index.asp PLANNED FOR THE SHOW: ~ Fish in the Collector's Corner at Blue Zoo Aquatics ~ Aqua Alex discusses some of the species in Collector's Corner and how to keep them AND MORE!  

BREAKING NEWS:Thank you Saltwater fish keepers in America who took advantage of our promotion and got some awesome fish at a good price!Due to our success with our last promotion, Blue Zoo Aquatics and American Variety Network have decided to give you Saltwater fish heads another big break! If you are looking for a saltwater fish such as Yellow Belly Hippo tangs, dogfaced puffers, foxfaces, clownfish or saltwater inverts such as starfish, shrimps, crabs, and corals then this is the time to purchase! Starting today April 21, 2016 all the way through Tuesday May 31, 2016 customers who use the Coupon Code AVNAPRILDEAL will save 15 percent off their order. Orders over $150 that can vary from $20-$30 off! So thank American Variety Network and Blue Zoo Aquatics! Now go get some fish!COUPON CODE: AVNAPRILDEALhttps://www.bluezooaquatics.com/index.aspPLANNED FOR THE SHOW:~ Fish in the Collector's Corner at Blue Zoo Aquatics~ Aqua Alex discusses some of the species in Collector's Corner and how to keep themAND MORE! 

Welcome to the 2nd episode of Alex's reviews here on American Variety Network. Last time I reviewed Live Aquaria and School of Fish INC. Today I have a very good review coming your way! I am going to be reviewing a popular online saltwater tropical fish store! I am going to be reviewing Blue Zoo Aquatics! What are my thoughts on Blue Zoo Aquatics? How was my order received? How are my fish doing? Would I reccomend Blue Zoo Aquatics for other Saltwater aquarists? Find out on this episode of Alex's Reviews. My order from Blue Zoo Aquatics: ~ Foxface Lo (first one arrived DOA due to Fedex) ~ Pinkspot watchman goby (first one arrived DOA due to fedex) ~ Niger Trigger ~ Manila Puffer ~ Gold Stripe Maroon clownfish REPLACEMENTS SENT BY BZA: ~ One spot foxface ~ Pinkspot goby AWESOME BUSINESS!!!!!! GET 15 PERCENT OFF YOUR ORDER USE THE COUPON CODE: AVNCOUPON!

Welcome to the 2nd episode of Alex's reviews here on American Variety Network. Last time I reviewed Live Aquaria and School of Fish INC. Today I have a very good review coming your way! I am going to be reviewing a popular online saltwater tropical fish store! I am going to be reviewing Blue Zoo Aquatics! What are my thoughts on Blue Zoo Aquatics? How was my order received? How are my fish doing? Would I reccomend Blue Zoo Aquatics for other Saltwater aquarists? Find out on this episode of Alex's Reviews.My order from Blue Zoo Aquatics:~ Foxface Lo (first one arrived DOA due to Fedex)~ Pinkspot watchman goby (first one arrived DOA due to fedex)~ Niger Trigger~ Manila Puffer~ Gold Stripe Maroon clownfishREPLACEMENTS SENT BY BZA:~ One spot foxface~ Pinkspot gobyAWESOME BUSINESS!!!!!!GET 15 PERCENT OFF YOUR ORDER USE THE COUPON CODE: AVNCOUPON!

AndyO was the lead singer of the 80s British band Blue Zoo whose biggest hit was "Cry Boy Cry", reaching #13 in the UK charts in 1983. In our conversation, Andy discusses his conflicted feelings about his musical legacy, how he tried to continue in music when Blue Zoo ended, and what he does now, which is about as far away from rock and roll as you can get.

AndyO was the lead singer of the 80s British band Blue Zoo whose biggest hit was "Cry Boy Cry", reaching #13 in the UK charts in 1983. In our conversation, Andy discusses his conflicted feelings about his musical legacy, how he tried to continue in music when Blue Zoo ended, and what he does now, which is about as far away from rock and roll as you can get.