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Speaking with Al Blackstone was a delight! Many of you know Al from So You Think You Can Dance, but his credits show that he has long been in the game. Thank you Al for sharing your time and knowledge with all of us!AL BLACKSTONE (short for Albert) is an Emmy-winning director, choreographer, and educator based in New York City. He loves to tell stories and believes deeply in the power of dance, community, and kindness. Born and raised in a dance studio, his passion for bringing people together to experience something meaningful has driven him to create work for concert, film, television, theater, ships, basements, parks, and many many stages. This includes original dance narratives such as Freddie Falls in Love (Joyce Theater), Happy We'll Be (Roseland Ballroom), Elephant in the Room (Arts on Site), NORMA (Steps on Broadway) and Brown Eyed Girl (2011 Capezio A.C.E. Award for Choreographic Excellence). Al has directed/choreographed reinventions of classic musicals such as An American in Paris (Cape Playhouse), Pippin (Music Theater Wichita) and Annie (Axelrod Performing Arts Center) and has choreographed dozens more around the coun- try and Off-Broadway. In 2020 Al won an Emmy for his work on the iconic television show So You Think You Can Dance where he has been making dances since 2016. Additional network television credits include Good Morning America and The Macy!s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He continues to create self-produced short films including La Vista, The Suburbs, and A Good Thought (up- coming with playwright Rachel Bonds). In 2019 he choreographed the film Double Exposure (On the Rocks Films) and the next year he was chosen by the Irving Berlin Estate to direct and choreograph Isn't It A Lovely Day to commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the classic musical Top Hat. Most recently, in 2023 he assisted choreographer Mandy Moore (La La Land) on the dance sequences for the upcoming film IF directed by John Krasinksi and starring Ryan Reynolds. He also danced in the film. As an educator Al is deeply indebted to the many brilliant teachers he has encountered throughout his life including his parents Richard and Denise Blackstone, Doug Caldwell, Frank Hatchett, Sheila Barker, and Andy Blankenbuehler. Their wisdom inform and inspire his own classes which have been shared with dancers all over the world for more than two decades. He has been on faculty at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and JUMP Dance Convention and in 2019 he was featured in the documentary film Uprooted which sheds light on the African roots of jazz dance in America. He has been a guest artist at many universities including The University of the Arts, Pace University, Point Park University., and Marymount Manhattan. Al is proud to be a part of the New York dance community including being a board member at Arts On Site a woman-owned arts organization dedicated to providing artists with opportunities to create and perform new work. In 2020 collaborated with his husband designer Abraham Lule on MOMEN NYC, a project that highlights and celebrates the power of dance through live events, workshops, and virtual offerings for adult dancers. Their weekend work- shop MOMEN&FRIENDS has brought hundreds of dancers together from around the world to form deep and lasting dance memories. He lives in Queens and has kept a journal since he was twelve. Thank you for listening Jam Fam! Make sure you follow us across social media and don't forget to like and subscribe anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts!Facebook: JAM Joe and Michelle's Dance PodcastInstagram: jam_dance_podcastTwitter: @jamdancepodcastEmail: jamdancepodcast@gmail.com
Show Notes: Why the pandemic is the biggest digital disruptor of the decade, and how the life sciences industry will be better for it (7:00)Doug predicts to what extent pharma’s commercial model will return to its pre-COVID ways (10:20) How emerging and mid-sized companies were able to pivot launch strategies more quickly during the pandemic (16:30) How AI is helping identify referral networks, which are key for identifying doctors caring for patients with rare diseases (21:00) Why medical science liaisons (MSLs) are a key linchpin for product launch—and why seamless coordination with brand teams has never been more critical. (24:45)What the first 6-8 months after launch mean for the success of a product (28:30)
Join me for today's show as I interview Mr. Doug Caldwell, Regional Director of National Accounts for Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. We discuss his unique transition into the hotel side of the Hospitality Industry as well as why Reno is sometimes a hard sell but has the best value for meetings.
A conversation with Doug Caldwell, instrument scientist for the Kepler Space Telescope, and who’s now working on NASA’s next planet-hunting mission— the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESS.
The 2016 World Choreography Awards were held in Hollywood last night and MIH was on the red carpet! The event honors the best in media choreography. When I was in high school, I used to choreograph cheerleading routines and it was the best thing happening in my life. And that was on such a small scale, I can't imagine choreographing huge routines for commercials, films and televisions. But that's what these dancers were being honored for last night at The Montalban Theater in Hollywood. Choreographers were nominated for Motion Picture Television Episodic, Commercials, Television Reality Show/Competition, Music Videos, Television Award Show/Special, Digital Content, Digital Content Independent, Live Stage Performance. Allison Holker and Stephen Boss at the 2016 World Choreography Awards in Hollywood I interviewed nominee Allison Holker and her husband Stephen "Twitch" Boss about the digital commercial she choreographed and starred in for HP. She tells me she worked hard to translate their idea into a dance on camera. Christina Applegate at the 2016 World Choreography Awards in Hollywood I also spoke to Christina Applegate about her love of dance and why she was at the awards last night. She was presenting the In Memoriam for choreography legend Doug Caldwell who passed away in August. Christina told me about the powerful effect he had on her life as a choreographer, and friend. In fact, dance has been such a huge part of her life since she was a young girl and she was very emotional when telling me about Doug's role in her journey. One of my favorite moments of the night was interviewing world-renowned choreographer Anita Mann. She's an Emmy-award winning choreographer, as well as a dancer and actress. Her choreography credits include 5 seasons on the 1980s pop dance television show, Solid Gold, for which she was nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography, "The Muppets Go Hollywood" for which she was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. She shared a story with me about getting her start in the industry working as a background dancer with Elvis Presley. yes, THAT Elvis! It's such a delight to hear her talk about her work with Elvis! Choreographer Anita Mann at the 2016 World Choreography Awards The show featured live performances by choreographers Liz Imperio, “Kida”, Paul Becker, The Joe Tremanie Faculty and Dancers, Anthony W. Johnson, Amari Marshall, Johanna Sapakiie, Daniel Ezralow and Riker Lynch, who also hosted the show. Here's a list of the winners! Congrats to everyone involved! 2016 World Choreography Award Winners DIGITAL CONTENT DESI JEVON & Associate Choreographer ZUZANA LOVA — Date Night JASON CELAYA — High School Dance Battle ALLISON HOLKER — HP Envy DESI JEVON & Associate Choreographer ZUZANA LOVA — Dancing King *WINNER - JASON CELAYA — Old West Dance Battle DIGITAL CONTENT INDEPENDENT *WINNER - RENEE KESTER & PHILLIP CHBEEB — SLIP KEONE & MARI MADRID — Time For Love CHLOE ARNOLD & SHERYL MURAKAMI — My Love JILLIAN MEYERS, MEGAN LAWSON & DANA WILSON — Seaweed Sisters JANELLE GINESTRA — IDFWU COMMERCIALS LISA EATON — MoneySuperMarket Builder MICHAEL ROONEY — LG *WINNER - DANIEL “CLOUD” CAMPOS — McDonald’s MANDY MOORE — Amazon LINDSEY & CRAIG — Move Your Lee Men TELEVISION REALITY SHOW/COMPETITION QUEST CREW — America’s Best Dance Crew, Bang! Bang! TRAVIS WALL — So You Think You Can Dance, Beautiful Friends QUEST CREW — America’s Best Dance Crew, Take U There *WINNER - KRNFX x KINJAZ — America’s Best Dance Crew, The Dancebox TESSANDRA CHAVEZ, DEREK HOUGH & JULIANNE HOUGH — Dancing With The Stars, Sia MUSIC VIDEO HI-HAT — Missy Elliot, “WTF” RYAN HEFFINGTON — Will Butler, “Anna” TONY TESTA — SHINee, “Married To The Music” BEAU SMART & KEVIN MAHER — Natalie La Rose, “Around The World” *WINNER - BOBBY NEWBERRY & YANIS MARSHALL — Bobby Newberry, “Flight To Paris”
Our host Jody Shilan debates Brad Groff, the co-founder of River Valley Landscape and Pools in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, on opposing design/build philosophies. The question is: How little or how much information should be included in your landscape plans and proposals? Brad and Jody have debated this topic, along with other members of the LinkedIn Landscape Design/Build Group, but this will be the first time they take it "on-air." Groff is the co-owner of River Valley Landscapes and Pools, which he started with Doug Caldwell during the spring break of their senior year at Delaware Valley College in 1991. River Valley has award-winning projects published nationally, regionally, and locally. Although Groff is proud of all these accomplishments, he is most proud of developing a team and processes that allows him to help oversee a $4 million business and still be home by 5:00 p.m. Most recently Groff decided to share his most valuable management tool, co-founding CAPAX which produces “Schedule 2 Win” software.
Our host Jody Shilan debates Brad Groff, the co-founder of River Valley Landscape and Pools in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, on opposing design/build philosophies. The question is: How little or how much information should be included in your landscape plans and proposals?Brad and Jody have debated this topic, along with other members of the LinkedIn Landscape Design/Build Group, but this will be the first time they take it "on-air."Groff is the co-owner of River Valley Landscapes and Pools, which he started with Doug Caldwell during the spring break of their senior year at Delaware Valley College in 1991. River Valley has award-winning projects published nationally, regionally, and locally. Although Groff is proud of all these accomplishments, he is most proud of developing a team and processes that allows him to help oversee a $4 million business and still be home by 5:00 p.m. Most recently Groff decided to share his most valuable management tool, co-founding CAPAX which produces “Schedule 2 Win” software.
Our host Jody Shilan debates Brad Groff, the co-founder of River Valley Landscape and Pools in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, on opposing design/build philosophies. The question is: How little or how much information should be included in your landscape plans and proposals?Brad and Jody have debated this topic, along with other members of the LinkedIn Landscape Design/Build Group, but this will be the first time they take it "on-air."Groff is the co-owner of River Valley Landscapes and Pools, which he started with Doug Caldwell during the spring break of their senior year at Delaware Valley College in 1991. River Valley has award-winning projects published nationally, regionally, and locally. Although Groff is proud of all these accomplishments, he is most proud of developing a team and processes that allows him to help oversee a $4 million business and still be home by 5:00 p.m. Most recently Groff decided to share his most valuable management tool, co-founding CAPAX which produces “Schedule 2 Win” software.
Our host Jody Shilan debates Brad Groff, the co-founder of River Valley Landscape and Pools in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, on opposing design/build philosophies. The question is: How little or how much information should be included in your landscape plans and proposals? Brad and Jody have debated this topic, along with other members of the LinkedIn Landscape Design/Build Group, but this will be the first time they take it "on-air." Groff is the co-owner of River Valley Landscapes and Pools, which he started with Doug Caldwell during the spring break of their senior year at Delaware Valley College in 1991. River Valley has award-winning projects published nationally, regionally, and locally. Although Groff is proud of all these accomplishments, he is most proud of developing a team and processes that allows him to help oversee a $4 million business and still be home by 5:00 p.m. Most recently Groff decided to share his most valuable management tool, co-founding CAPAX which produces “Schedule 2 Win” software.