Podcasts about Orange County

It's great to be back in the oasis here in Santa Clarita to recap the end of a very odd season of Orange County. Before we talk about OC, I share about my trip to Michigan for my dad's memorable 85th birthday party at the beautiful Ford House. Plus, Halloween and my daughter's Princess Leia costume. Emily shares her own Halloween barricade woes in California. Then we talk Orange County recap, uncovering the social media scandal surrounding Gretchen and the big fallout with everyone in the cast. The highlight of the finale was Shannon's hilarious skirt mishap. I am very interested to see the reunion and how all of this will be discussed!TICKETS to CabarAMY @ The Hard Rock Vegas:https://www.ticketweb.com/search?q=%22CabarAmy%22+Live+Comedy+Show For more Drama, Darling, and exclusive content, subscribe to Patreon:http://Patreon.com/dramadarlingFollow Drama, Darling on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dramadarlingshow/  Email Drama, Darling with YOUR comments, questions and drama: DramaDarlingz@gmail.com Follow Amy Phillips on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dramadarlingshow/  Get 15% off OneSkin, go to: https://www.oneskin.co/ Code: DRAMA Get 20% OFF Honeylove by going to https://www.honeylove.com/DRAMA Promo Code: DRAMAJones Road Beauty, modern Day clean makeup. JoneRoadBeauty.com Code: DRAMA

The 6pm hour opened with outrage over $60 burgers on the Las Vegas Strip, leading to a discussion about rising beef prices nationwide. Comedian Chris Turner shared stories from the NY subway, while Conway riffed on confusing Orange County freeways and a water main break in Canoga Park. Later, news broke that Denny's is being sold in a deal valued at $620 million, sparking talk about food insecurity and growing demand at food banks. The hour closed with a segment on “Dumb Houses” — a trend of people ditching smart home tech for simpler, old-school living. 

(November 06, 2025) Host of ‘How to Money’ Joel Larsgaard joins the show to discuss workers planning ahead for a potential layoff, people refinancing into 84-month car loans, and ads infiltrating your fridge and car. Bed shortage could lead to release of mentally ill inmates; Orange County DA Todd Spitzer joins the show. A boy and his thousands of bees took on this California city… and won. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Californian Republicans are pushing back against Prop 50. Daycare providers are still struggling to reopen after the Eaton fire. Mountain lion spotting in Orange County. Plus more, from Evening Edition. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support the show: https://laist.com

California's political landscape is being redrawn — literally. Newly approved Prop 50 maps shift congressional and legislative boundaries to reflect population growth and boost Latino representation, but Republicans are firing back with a lawsuit claiming the changes dilute conservative votes. Governor Gavin Newsom is using the moment to rally Democrats nationwide, calling for blue states to fight GOP gerrymanders with equal force. Plus, in Southern California headlines: a Los Angeles woman receives 15 years to life for second-degree murder, a mountain lion encounter forces the closure of an Orange County park, and LA County reports a troubling spike in rabid batsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Missin Curfew Episode 429 Dodgers Win Back to Back World Series as the Blue Jays Fall Short in Game 7 Matthew Schaefer is proving to be the real deal at just 18 years old Should Calgary Consider Trading Their Star Players This Season? Things Feel Different in Orange County for the Ducks After Their 7-3-1 Start How should Nashville proceed after a poor start from Steven Stamkos? SAUCE HOCKEY MERCH | https://saucehockey.com/collections/missin-curfew YOUTUBE | www.youtube.com/@MissinCurfew SPOTIFY | https://open.spotify.com/show/4uNgHhgCtt97nMbbHm2Ken APPLE | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/missin-curfew INSTAGRAM | www.instagram.com/missincurfew TWITTER | www.twitter.com/MissinCurfew TIKTOK | www.tiktok.com/@missincurfewpod NHL Players Getting Away With Offsides - 2:00 Aspen Alumni Game Trash Talk - 6:51 Dodgers Win Back To Back World Series - 13:28 DraftKings Pick6 Segment - 22:32 Labatt Get This Guy A Beer - 28:04 Matthew Schaefer Is the Real Deal - 35:42 Luxury Auto Collection Dog of the Week - 39:37 Anaheim Ducks Hot Start - 46:06 Lightning On A Winning Streak After a Rocky Start - 52:05 Should Calgary Blow it Up? - 56:05 Back Up The Brinks Truck Jacob Markstrom - 1:05:43 Milk Carton - 1:08:20 Steven Stamkos's Future in Nashville - 1:12:26 KITS Dish of the Week Jonathan Toews - 1:24:32 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The November 5 edition of the AgNet News Hour struck a chord with California farmers and voters alike as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Don Wagner, candidate for Secretary of State of California, to discuss the state's leadership crisis, water mismanagement, and the fight to restore common sense to Sacramento. Wagner, currently serving in Orange County and endorsed by former Secretary of State Bill Jones and former Governor Pete Wilson, said the same thing many Californians are feeling: “The problems in this state are entirely man-made.” He pointed to decades of political gridlock and poor decision-making that have crippled business, agriculture, and infrastructure. “We don't have a resource problem,” Wagner said. “We have a government problem. It's bad policy, not bad luck, that's hurting California.” He emphasized that water is at the center of nearly every issue facing the state. “We have simply failed to manage our water supply,” Wagner said. “The Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions on earth, is being shortchanged by people who don't understand farming.” He called out unbuilt water storage projects, overregulation, and a lack of urgency. “Fifteen years after passing bonds, the projects still aren't built. That's government failure, plain and simple.” Wagner also stressed the importance of electing leaders who understand agriculture. “Farming is California's backbone, and it's been ignored by politicians who've never set foot on a farm,” he said. “If you don't understand how food is grown, you can't govern a state that feeds the world.” Beyond agriculture, Wagner called for restoring election integrity and rebuilding trust in California's business environment. “We're the last state to report results every election cycle,” he said. “That's unacceptable. We need free, fair, and transparent elections — and we need to make it easier to do business here, not harder.” The conversation also touched on the recent Palisade fires and failures in urban emergency planning. Wagner said his experience on the Orange County Fire Authority Board taught him the importance of local preparation. “We used that tragedy as a learning opportunity,” he explained. “We created what we call the heli-hydrant — a water source for helicopters to dip and dump faster during wildfires. That's the kind of practical, local innovation California needs more of.” When asked about the upcoming Proposition 50, Wagner warned that the measure could silence rural California. “If it passes, it could cut rural and conservative representation in Congress by more than half,” he said. “That's not reform — that's erasure. Central Valley farmers deserve a voice, not a footnote.” Wagner closed with optimism, saying he believes California can return to greatness. “This is a fixable state,” he said. “We just need leaders with courage, honesty, and common sense. California can be golden again.” Papagni and McGill agreed, calling Wagner “a steady, thoughtful voice in a noisy political climate.” Papagni added, “We need calm leaders who actually understand how to fix things, not just talk about them.”

227 - Rome Ramirez (Sublime with Rome, Solo) In episode 227 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host James Patrick Regan speaks with singer/songwriter Rome Ramirez from Sublime as well as his solo work. In their conversation Rome talks about growing up in Fremont, California and living now in Nashville and he walks us through his early musical journey. Rome discusses enrolling in Musicians Institute only to leave after a short while to do studio work in Orange County. Rome talks about a song he wrote for the Dirty Heads “Lay Me Down” and how that song changed his trajectory and eventually had him playing guitar and singing with the band Sublime. Rome discusses how he moved on from Sublime and decided to go solo and he talks about writing songs for Enrique Iglesias and Selena Gomez. Rome tells us about his band and his solo album that is being produced by Dan Huff and will be out in early 2026. Rome talks gear his guitars now and with Sublime and his home studio outside of Nashville. To find out more about Rome you can go to his website: romeramirez.com Please subscribe, like, comment, share and review this podcast! #VintageGuitarMagazine #RomeRamirez #SublimewithRome #Sublime #Nashville #DirtyHeads #JamesPatrickRegan #LayMeDown #theDeadlies #DanHuff #haveguitarwilltravelpodcast #HGWT #tourlife Please like, comment, and share this podcast! Download Link

We're in the middle of a windstorm across parts of the Hudson Valley. A fire in Monticello has caused injuries to humans and animals.  Two people from Kerhonkson have been arrested on burglary and drug charges after a residential break in.A Sheriff's Deputy in Orange County has received a lifesaving award. A new business is opening in Wurtsboro  

Gibson Johns shares his thoughts on the first look at the upcoming "Vanderpump Rules" reboot and the latest episodes of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and "The Real Housewives of Potomac." Shop the “Gabbing with Gib” Merch Store: https://shop.hurrdatmedia.com/collections/gabbing-with-gib Subscribe to "Gabbing with Gib" on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/471D8Gb Follow "Gabbing with Gib" on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3StiCtY  Follow "Gabbing with Gib" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gabbingwithgib Follow "Gabbing with Gib" on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabbingwithgib  Follow Gibson Johns on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gibsonoma Follow Gibson Johns on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gibsonoma Follow Gibson Johns on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gibsonoma Subscribe to Gibson Johns' Newsletter: https://gibsonoma.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Shortt, a familiar face from Selling the OC, has spent nearly a decade building a standout career in Orange County's competitive luxury real estate market. Known for her sharp business skills and unwavering authenticity, Netflix viewers dubbed her the "unbothered queen" for her poised, grounded presence. Behind the scenes, Lauren is a proud recovery advocate with over 13 years of sobriety. Her journey is one of resilience and reinvention; proof that success built on purpose has real staying power. https://www.instagram.com/thelaurenshortt/ https://linktr.ee/laurenshortt?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacntkGtGzVXsnSB34crkxQGWV18o3Bo5BBMpnBIhT5nDgr5LICnvyA4ZUYHpA_aem_bgekSFsMwohuVv3slNkFMw

This week marks the finale of RHOC in which the ladies trip to Amsterdam winds down with allegations of Gretchen's homophobia, Gina starts wondering if she got played, and unknown caller exposes Tamra for feeding people storylines!Follow me on social media, find links to merch, Patreon and more here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As some doctors voice concern over Florida's controversial plans to eliminate vaccine mandates, a look at the forthcoming debate in the legislature over how to move forward. Plus, Orange County commissioners approve two additional districts.

SNAP Benefits Crisis: Alex Stone reports that food banks nationwide are bracing for a massive surge in demand as the government shutdown drags on. Federal SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits — serving 42 million Americans monthly — could end November 1 if no deal is reached. In Barstow, CA, the police chief warns shoplifting may spike as families struggle to afford groceries, planning to post more officers at stores. In Huntsville, AL, officials are preparing as if for a natural disaster. Meanwhile, the California National Guard is helping stock food pantries. For every 1 meal food banks currently provide, SNAP provides 9, highlighting how dire the loss would be. Day 30 of Government Shutdown: With no resolution in sight, SNAP benefits could run out by November 1, leaving millions without food assistance. Layoffs Hit L.A.: Paramount announces 1,000 job cuts, with Los Angeles among the hardest hit. Restaurants and local businesses are already seeing the ripple effects of layoffs across the entertainment and media sectors. Dodgers & Unclaimed Money: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays, Game #6 tonight. Plus, Orange County launches a new website where residents can search to see if they're owed unclaimed money or property, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. 

Ashwin (“Ash”) Rangan currently serves as CEO with DoubleCheck Solutions Inc., an award-winning Fintech. He is a nationally-recognized and -decorated business and technology leader, and an experienced independent director. Ash chooses to lead and serve on boards in Mission-driven organizations, which broadly and demonstrably deliver safety, affordability and access. Ash “gets technology”. He skillfully guides group and boardroom discussions at the intersection of business strategies, applied information technologies, geopolitics and cybersecurity in simple language, accessible to his audience. Ash is an author, and a sought-after keynote speaker, especially in Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum computing, and Generative AI. Ash brings two decades of experience from technology-led global Brands. Prior to DoubleCheck, he served as Chief Innovation & Information Officer with ICANN – the organization accountable for the security, stability, and resiliency of the global Internet. Before that, Ash served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) with Edwards Lifesciences, Bank of America online, Walmart.com, Conexant Systems, and Rockwell International. He served as Chief Product Officer with Marketshare (acquired by Neustar).  Currently, Ash serves on the boards of DoubleCheck, GrandPad, and the NACD Pacific Southwest. His prior board experience includes publicly-traded PiVX, an early leader in Cybersecurity (acquired by The Lotus Fund in 2005); Integrien (acquired by VMWare in 2010); and Marketshare (acquired by Neustar in 2015). In 2023, following roughly 10 years of service, Ash termed out as the Non-Executive Chair from the board of the American Red Cross; and stepped down as an independent director from Smart Energy Water, both based in Orange County, CA. -- Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at REF Orange County.

In this episode of The Rodriguez Show, hosts Cesar Rodriguez and Mandoh sit down with Westport, an indie alternative collective from Anaheim, California, known for their genre-blending sound they call "Cholo Jazz." Westport shares how they came together as a garage band and evolved into one of the most exciting acts in the Orange County scene. With influences from funk, jazz, and alternative rock, they've built a sound that's soulful, experimental, and true to their roots.

GET IN TOUCH: bravobreakingnews@gmail.com SHOP BRAVOCON 2025 MERCH: bravobreakingnews.etsy.com Kim (@bravobreakingnews) and Lisa (@lisanotrinna) are back to recap the finale episode of Real Housewives of Orange County. We discuss why we'll never hate Shannon Beador and share why Heather Dubrow is the MVP of the season before we dive into the Tamra Judge and Gretchen Rossi drama. We break down the shocking social media posts Gretchen liked, and whether we think Tamra's really behind them, and then talk Tamra's alleged blogger leaks. Is it really the smoking gun they made it out to be? Is Gretchen as innocent as she claims? Watch to find out and hit that subscribe button so you don't miss any Bravo Breaking News! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week we are on our final two days of the Amsterdam trip. Things start off on a good path, but when Gina decides to bring up Gretchen's homophobic likes at dinner, all hell breaks loose... as it should!If you enjoyed this episode please share it with your Real Housewives of Orange County and Bravo friends and follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@taglinetwinks⁠⁠

Today, Loretta welcomes back Ellie Pechet who is a renowned metaphysician, shaman, medium, and author with more than 33 years of experience in intuitive counseling and energy healing. Based in Orange County, California, she works with clients worldwide through remote sessions, helping them release emotional and physical issues — often in just one or two sessions — using her groundbreaking Pechet Healing Technique.Her healing approach has an extraordinary 93% success rate and is known for clearing grief, trauma, depression, and even physical pain at their energetic root. Ellie's intuitive process allows her to “literally pull pain out” — whether it's a headache, a lifetime of grief, or obsessive-compulsive behaviors — transforming clients' lives quickly and permanently.A Reiki Master and certified practitioner of E.M.F. Balancing and the Yuen Method, Ellie is also the author of Hitching a Ride: A Guide to Earthbound Spirits and How They Affect You. Her book explores the unseen world of spirit attachments and how freeing them can restore harmony, vitality, and purpose.She has appeared on The Organic Thinking Show, The Connect Show, and the Afterlife Conference, and her mission is to help humanity heal emotionally, physically, and spiritually — one soul at a time.Website: www.PhoenixRisingHealing.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Amy King hosts your Wednesday Wake Up Call. ABC News correspondent Clara McMichael opens the show talking about the ATC Union Head saying ‘layers of safety are being stripped away,' in regard to the government shutdown. KFI Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro joins Wake Up Call for ‘Wired Wednesday'! Rich talks about GM's eyes off driving, Open Tables new reward program, and ChatGPT Atlas. On this week's edition of ‘Amy's on It' she reviews 'A House of Dynamite' now streaming on Netflix. Denise Pellegrini from Bloomberg Media joins the show to give a business and stock market update. The show closes with Amy taking us ‘Out and About' to The 17th Door, Orange County's most intense, most terrifying and most fun haunted attraction in Buena Park California!

Send us a textRHOC-Tulips, Truffles & TensionPodcast Summary: RHOC S19 E16 – “Tulip Service”It's Day 2 in Amsterdam, and the ladies are feeling all kinds of high—emotionally and otherwise. Shannon is still dealing with the aftermath of her “space cake” adventure, showing up to breakfast with one boot on and one off. Heather has planned a picturesque day trip to a tulip farm, but it quickly turns into chaos—complete with edibles, confessions, and confrontation.Heather and Gina get a little too “elevated” on mushroom truffles, while Shannon provides comic relief by flashing her Spanx and sitting on her blush. Jenn, Gretchen, and Shannon get caught in a spiral over Alexis's wedding, with Jenn torn between loyalty and self-preservation. Shannon insists she never forbade Jenn from attending, yet it's clear she's hurt—and a bit of a “friend dictator,” as Gina points out.The tulip field lunch devolves into an emotional mess. Gina accuses Jenn of “fostering a fake friendship,” sparking a shouting match that ends with Emily yelling at Gina to “shut the F up.” Emily later tries to play peacemaker by putting Tamra and Gretchen in the same hot-tub boat to reconcile. Surprisingly, they almost do—sharing apologies and a rare calm moment—until the truce unravels later over dinner.Jenn and Gretchen skip dinner at first, with Gretchen breaking down emotionally. When she finally arrives, she admits she's exhausted by the years of conflict. Tamra isn't buying it, and even Heather's attempts at reason fall flat. Shannon, however, relates—she knows what it's like to crave an authentic apology you'll never get.By Day 3, Gina and Emily discover disturbing social media posts allegedly liked by Gretchen, hinting that more drama is brewing for the finale.On WWHL, Shannon joins Garcelle Beauvais, reflecting on Amsterdam, her trust issues with Tamra, and whether she's “closing the door” on everyone from Alexis to the Tres Amigas. Spoiler: most doors are shut tight—except maybe the one for edibles.Support the showhttps://www.wewinewhenever.com/

Amy takes us ‘Out and About' to The 17th Door, Orange County's most intense, most terrifying and most fun haunted attraction in Buena Park California!

Hey Ya'll! Toni, John and Michael travel with the ladies to Amsterdam to break down episode 15 of RHOC. Did Shannon have too much space cake? Will Tamra and Gretchen ever make peace? Is Shannon bringing back old school Orange County?

Hey Ya'll! Toni, John and Michael travel with the ladies to Amsterdam to break down episode 15 of RHOC. Did Shannon have too much space cake? Will Tamra and Gretchen ever make peace? Is Shannon bringing back old school Orange County?

DJ Eternity, after a three-month break, makes a triumphant return with Episode 297 of Elite Muzik Radio. This episode features a mix of music from Orange County producer LOS.WAV, expertly curated by DJ Eternity.

What does it take to keep your voice—and your purpose—strong through every season of life? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I sit down with my friend Bill Ratner, one of Hollywood's most recognized voice actors, best known as Flint from GI Joe. Bill's voice has carried him through radio, animation, and narration, but what stands out most is how he's used that same voice to serve others through storytelling, teaching, and grief counseling. Together, we explore the heart behind his work—from bringing animated heroes to life to standing on The Moth stage and helping people find healing through poetry. Bill shares lessons from his own journey, including losing both parents early, finding family in unexpected places, and discovering how creative expression can rebuild what life breaks down. We also reflect on 9/11, preparedness, and the quiet confidence that comes from trusting your training—whether you're a first responder, a performer, or just navigating the unknown. This conversation isn't just about performance; it's about presence. It's about using your story, your craft, and your compassion to keep moving forward—unstoppable, one voice at a time. Highlights: 00:31 – Hear the Flint voice and what it takes to bring animated characters to life. 06:57 – Learn why an uneven college path still led to a lifelong acting career. 11:50 – Understand how GI Joe became a team and a toy phenomenon that shaped culture. 15:58 – See how comics and cartoons boosted classroom literacy when used well. 17:06 – Pick up simple ways parents can spark reading through shared stories. 19:29 – Discover how early, honest conversations about death can model resilience. 24:09 – Learn to critique ads and media like a pro to sharpen your own performance. 36:19 – Follow the pivot from radio to voiceover and why specialization pays. 47:48 – Hear practical editing approaches and accessible tools that keep shows tight. 49:38 – Learn how The Moth builds storytelling chops through timed, judged practice. 55:21 – See how poetry—and poetry therapy—support grief work with students. 59:39 – Take notes on memoir writing, emotional management, and one-person shows. About the Guest: Bill Ratner is one of America's best known voice actors and author of poetry collections Lamenting While Doing Laps in the Lake (Slow Lightning Lit 2024,) Fear of Fish (Alien Buddha Press 2021,) To Decorate a Casket (Finishing Line Press 2021,) and the non-fiction book Parenting For The Digital Age: The Truth Behind Media's Effect On Children and What To Do About It (Familius Books 2014.) He is a 9-time winner of the Moth StorySLAM, 2-time winner of Best of The Hollywood Fringe Extension Award for Solo Performance, Best of the Net Poetry Nominee 2023 (Lascaux Review,) and New Millennium "America One Year From Now" Writing Award Finalist. His writing appears in Best Small Fictions 2021 (Sonder Press,) Missouri Review (audio,) Baltimore Review, Chiron Review, Feminine Collective, and other journals. He is the voice of "Flint" in the TV cartoon G.I. Joe, "Donnell Udina" in the computer game Mass Effect, the voice of Air Disasters on Smithsonian Channel, NewsNation, and network TV affiliates across the country. He is a committee chair for his union, SAG-AFTRA, teaches Voiceovers for SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Media Awareness for Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a trained grief counsellor. Member: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA, National Storytelling Network • https://billratner.com • @billratner Ways to connect with Bill: https://soundcloud.com/bill-ratner https://www.instagram.com/billratner/ https://twitter.com/billratner https://www.threads.net/@billratner https://billratner.tumblr.com https://www.youtube.com/@billratner/videos https://www.facebook.com/billratner.voiceover.author https://bsky.app/profile/bilorat.bsky.social About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well on a gracious hello to you, wherever you may be, I am your host. Mike hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a voice actor, person, Bill Ratner, who you want to know who Bill Radnor is, go back and watch the old GI Joe cartoons and listen to the voice of Flint.   Bill Ratner ** 01:42 All right. Lady Jay, you better get your battle gear on, because Cobra is on their way. And I can't bring up the Lacher threat weapon system. We got to get out of here. Yo, Joe,   Michael Hingson ** 01:52 there you go. I rest my case Well, Bill, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Bill Ratner ** 02:00 We can't rest now. Michael, we've just begun. No, we've just begun.   Michael Hingson ** 02:04 We got to keep going here. Well, I'm really glad that you're here. Bill is another person who we inveigled to get on unstoppable mindset with the help of Walden Hughes. And so that means we can talk about Walden all we want today. Bill just saying, oh goodness. And I got a lot to say. Let me tell you perfect, perfect. Bring it on. So we are really grateful to Walden, although I hope he's not listening. We don't want to give him a big head. But no, seriously, we're really grateful. Ah, good point.   Bill Ratner ** 02:38 But his posture, oddly enough, is perfect.   Michael Hingson ** 02:40 Well, there you go. What do you do? He practiced. Well, anyway, we're glad you're here. Tell us about the early bill, growing up and all that stuff. It's always fun to start a good beginning.   Bill Ratner ** 02:54 Well, I was a very lucky little boy. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1947 to two lovely people, professionals, both with master's degree out at University of Chicago. My mother was a social worker. My father had an MBA in business. He was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So I had the joy of living in a better home and living in a garden.   Michael Hingson ** 03:21 My mother. How long were you in Des Moines?   Bill Ratner ** 03:24 Five and a half years left before my sixth birthday. My dad got a fancy job at an ad agency in Minneapolis, and had a big brother named Pete and big handsome, curly haired boy with green eyes. And moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was was brought up there.   Michael Hingson ** 03:45 Wow. So you went to school there and and chased the girls and all that stuff.   Bill Ratner ** 03:54 I went to school there at Blake School for Boys in Hopkins, Minnesota. Couldn't chase the girls day school, but the girls we are allowed to dance with certainly not chase. Michael was at woodhue dancing school, the Northrop girls from Northrop girls school and the Blake boys were put together in eighth grade and taught the Cha Cha Cha, the waltz, the Charleston, and we danced together, and the girls wore white gloves, and we sniffed their perfume, and we all learned how to be lovers when we were 45   Michael Hingson ** 04:37 There you are. Well, as long as you learned at some point, that's a good start.   Bill Ratner ** 04:44 It's a weird generation. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 04:46 I've been to Des Moines before. I was born in Chicago, but moved out to California when I was five, but I did some work with the National Federation of the Blind in the mid 19. 1970s 1976 into 1978 so spent time at the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines, which became a top agency for the Blind in well, the late 50s into the to the 60s and so on. So   Bill Ratner ** 05:15 both my parents are from Chicago. My father from the south side of Chicago, 44th and Kenzie, which was a Irish, Polish, Italian, Jewish, Ukrainian neighborhood. And my mother from Glencoe, which was a middle class suburb above Northwestern University in Evanston.   Michael Hingson ** 05:34 I Where were you born? 57th and union, north, south side, no, South   Bill Ratner ** 05:42 57th union is that? Is that west of Kenzie?   Michael Hingson ** 05:46 You know, I don't remember the geography well enough to know, but I know that it was, I think, Mount Sinai Hospital where I was born. But it was, it's, it's, it's a pretty tough neighborhood today. So I understand,   Bill Ratner ** 06:00 yeah, yeah, my it was tough, then it's tough now,   Michael Hingson ** 06:03 yeah, I think it's tougher, supposedly, than it was. But we lived there for five years, and then we we moved to California, and I remember some things about Chicago. I remember walking down to the local candy store most days, and had no problem doing that. My parents were told they should shut me away at a home somewhere, because no blind child could ever grow up to amount to anything. And my parents said, You guys are you're totally wrong. And they brought me up with that attitude. So, you   Bill Ratner ** 06:32 know who said that the school says school so that   Michael Hingson ** 06:35 doctors doctors when they discovered I was blind with the   Bill Ratner ** 06:38 kid, goodness gracious, horrified.   Michael Hingson ** 06:44 Well, my parents said absolutely not, and they brought me up, and they actually worked with other parents of premature kids who became blind, and when kindergarten started in for us in in the age of four, they actually had a special kindergarten class for blind kids at the Perry School, which is where I went. And so I did that for a year, learn braille and some other things. Then we moved to California, but yeah, and I go back to Chicago every so often. And when I do nowadays, they I one of my favorite places to migrate in Chicago is Garrett Popcorn.   Bill Ratner ** 07:21 Ah, yes, with caramel corn, regular corn, the   Michael Hingson ** 07:25 Chicago blend, which is a mixture, yeah, the Chicago blend is cheese corn, well, as it is with caramel corn, and they put much other mozzarella on it as well. It's really good.   Bill Ratner ** 07:39 Yeah, so we're on the air. Michael, what do you call your what do you call your program? Here I am your new friend, and I can't even announce your program because I don't know   Michael Hingson ** 07:48 the name, unstoppable mindset. This   Bill Ratner ** 07:51 is unstoppable mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 07:56 We're back. Well, we're back already. We're fast. So you, you, you moved off elsewhere, out of Des Moines and all that. And where did you go to college?   Bill Ratner ** 08:09 Well, this is like, why did you this is, this is a bit like talking about the Vietnam War. Looking back on my college career is like looking back on the Vietnam War series, a series of delusions and defeats. By the time I the time i for college, by the time I was applying for college, I was an orphan, orphan, having been born to fabulous parents who died too young of natural causes. So my grades in high school were my mediocre. I couldn't get into the Ivy Leagues. I got into the big 10 schools. My stepmother said, you're going to Michigan State in East Lansing because your cousin Eddie became a successful realtor. And Michigan State was known as mu u it was the most successful, largest agriculture college and university in the country. Kids from South Asia, China, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South America all over the world came to Michigan State to study agricultural sciences, children of rich farmers all over the world and middle class farmers all over the world, and a huge police science department. Part of the campus was fenced off, and the young cadets, 1819, 20 years old, would practice on the rest of the student body, uniformed with hats and all right, excuse me, young man, we're just going to get some pizza at eight o'clock on Friday night. Stand against your car. Hands in your car. I said, Are you guys practicing again? Shut up and spread your legs. So that was that was Michigan State, and even though both my parents had master's degrees, I just found all the diversions available in the 1960s to be too interesting, and was not invited. Return after my sophomore year, and in order to flunk out of a big 10 University, and they're fine universities, all of them, you have to be either really determined or not so smart, not really capable of doing that level of study in undergraduate school. And I'd like to think that I was determined. I used to show up for my exams with a little blue book, and the only thing I would write is due to lack of knowledge, I am unable to complete this exam, sign Bill ranter and get up early and hand it in and go off. And so what was, what was left for a young man like that was the theater I'd seen the great Zero Mostel when I was 14 years old and on stage live, he looked just like my father, and he was funny, and if I Were a rich man, and that's the grade zero must tell. Yeah, and it took about five, no, it took about six, seven years to percolate inside my bread and my brain. In high school, I didn't want to do theater. The cheerleaders and guys who I had didn't happen to be friends with or doing theater. I took my girlfriends to see plays, but when I was 21 I started acting, and I've been an actor ever since. I'm a committee chair on the screen actors guild in Hollywood and Screen Actors Guild AFTRA, and work as a voice actor and collect my pensions and God bless the union.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 Well, hey, as long as it works and you're making progress, you know you're still with it, right?   Bill Ratner ** 11:53 That's the that's the point. There's no accounting for taste in my business. Michael, you work for a few different broadcast entities at my age. And it's, you know, it's younger people. It's 18 to 3418 years to 34 years old is the ideal demographic for advertisers, Ford, Motor Company, Dove soap, Betty, Crocker, cake mixes and cereals, every conceivable product that sold online or sold on television and radio. This is my this is my meat, and I don't work for religion. However, if a religious organization calls, I call and say, I I'm not, not qualified or not have my divinity degree in order to sell your church to the public?   Michael Hingson ** 12:46 Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I can understand that. But you, you obviously do a lot, and as we talked about, you were Flint and GI Joe, which is kind of cool.   Bill Ratner ** 13:01 Flynn GI Joe was very cool. Hasbro Corporation, which was based in Providence, Rhode Island, had a huge success with GI Joe, the figure. The figure was about 11 and a half inches tall, like a Barbie, and was at first, was introduced to the public after the Korean War. There is a comic book that was that was also published about GI Joe. He was an individual figure. He was a figure, a sort of mythic cartoon figure during World War Two, GI Joe, generic American soldier, fighting man and but the Vietnam war dragged on for a long time, and the American buying public or buying kids toys got tired of GI Joe, got tired of a military figure in their household and stopped buying. And when Nixon ended the Vietnam War, or allotted to finish in 1974 Hasbro was in the tank. It's got its stock was cheap, and executives are getting nervous. And then came the Great George Lucas in Star Wars, who shrank all these action figures down from 11 and a half inches to three and a half inches, and went to China and had Chinese game and toy makers make Star Wars toys, and began to earn billions and billions dollars. And so Hasbro said, let's turn GI Joe into into a team. And the team began with flint and Lady J and Scarlett and Duke and Destro and cover commander, and grew to 85 different characters, because Hasbro and the toy maker partners could create 85 different sets of toys and action figures. So I was actor in this show and had a good time, and also a purveyor of a billion dollar industry of American toys. And the good news about these toys is I was at a conference where we signed autographs the voice actors, and we have supper with fans and so on. And I was sitting next to a 30 year old kid and his parents. And this kid was so knowledgeable about pop culture and every conceivable children's show and animated show that had ever been on the screen or on television. I turned to his mother and sort of being a wise acre, said, So ma'am, how do you feel about your 30 year old still playing with GI Joe action figures? And she said, Well, he and I both teach English in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania school system, and last year, the literacy level of my ninth graders was 50% 50% of those kids could not read in ninth grade. So I asked the principal if I could borrow my son's GI Joe, action figures, comic books and VHS tapes, recordings of the shows from TV. And he said, Sure, whatever you want to try. And so she did, and she played the video tapes, and these kids were thrilled. They'd never seen a GI Joe cartoon in class before. Passed out the comic books, let him read comics. And then she said, Okay, you guys. And passed out notebooks and pens and pencils, and said, I want you guys to make up some some shows, some GI Joe shows. And so they said, Yeah, we're ready. All right, Cobra, you better get into the barber shop, because the barber bill is no longer there and the fire engines are in the way. And wait a minute, there's a dog in the street. And so they're making this up, using their imagination, doing their schoolwork, by coming up with scenarios, imaginary fam fan fiction for GI Joe and she raised the literacy level in her classroom by 50% that year, by the end of that year, so, so that was the only story that I've ever heard about the sort of the efficacy of GI Joe, other than, you know, kids play with them. Do they? Are they shooting each other all the time? I certainly hope not. I hope not. Are they using the action figures? Do they strip their guns off and put them in a little, you know, stub over by the side and and have them do physical battle with each other, or have them hump the woods, or have them climb the stairs, or have them search the trees. Who knows what kids do? Same with same with girls and and Barbies. Barbie has been a source of fun and creativity for lots of girls, and the source of of worry and bother to a lot of parents as   Michael Hingson ** 17:54 well. Well, at the same time, though, when kids start to react and relate to some of these things. It's, it's pretty cool. I mean, look what's happened with the whole Harry Potter movement and craze. Harry Potter has probably done more in the last 20 or 25 years to promote reading for kids than most anything else, and   Bill Ratner ** 18:17 that's because it's such a good series of books. I read them to my daughters, yeah. And the quality of writing. She was a brilliant writer, not only just the stories and the storytelling, which is fun to watch in the movies, and you know, it's great for a parent to read. If there are any parents listening, I don't care how old your kids are. I don't care if they're 15. Offer to read to them. The 15 year old might, of course, say mom, but anybody younger than that might say either, all right, fine, which is, which means you better do it or read, read a book. To me, sure, it's fun for the parent, fun for the kid, and it makes the child a completely different kind of thinker and worker and earner.   Michael Hingson ** 19:05 Well, also the people who they got to read the books for the recordings Stephen Fry and in the US here, Jim Dale did such an incredible job as well. I've, I've read the whole Harry Potter series more than once, because I just enjoy them, and I enjoy listening to the the voices. They do such a good job. Yeah. And of course, for me, one of the interesting stories that I know about Jim Dale reading Harry Potter was since it was published by Scholastic he was actually scheduled to do a reading from one of the Harry from the new Harry Potter book that was coming out in 2001 on September 11, he was going to be at Scholastic reading. And of course, that didn't happen because of of everything that did occur. So I don't know whether I'm. I'm assuming at some point a little bit later, he did, but still he was scheduled to be there and read. But it they are there. They've done so much to help promote reading, and a lot of those kinds of cartoons and so on. Have done some of that, which is, which is pretty good. So it's good to, you know, to see that continue to happen. Well, so you've written several books on poetry and so on, and I know that you you've mentioned more than once grief and loss. How come those words keep coming up?   Bill Ratner ** 20:40 Well, I had an unusual childhood. Again. I mentioned earlier how, what a lucky kid I was. My parents were happy, educated, good people, not abusers. You know, I don't have a I don't have horror stories to tell about my mother or my father, until my mother grew sick with breast cancer and and it took about a year and a half or two years to die when I was seven years old. The good news is, because she was a sensitive, educated social worker, as she was actually dying, she arranged a death counseling session with me and my older brother and the Unitarian minister who was also a death counselor, and whom she was seeing to talk about, you know, what it was like to be dying of breast cancer with two young kids. And at this session, which was sort of surprised me, I was second grade, came home from school. In the living room was my mother and my brother looking a little nervous, and Dr Carl storm from the Unitarian Church, and she said, you know, Dr storm from church, but he's also my therapist. And we talk about my illness and how I feel, and we talk about how much I love you boys, and talk about how I worry about Daddy. And this is what one does when one is in crisis. That was a moment that was not traumatic for me. It's a moment I recalled hundreds of times, and one that has been a guiding light through my life. My mother's death was very difficult for my older brother, who was 13 who grew up in World War Two without without my father, it was just him and my mother when he was off in the Pacific fighting in World War Two. And then I was born after the war. And the loss of a mother in a family is like the bottom dropping out of a family. But luckily, my dad met a woman he worked with a highly placed advertising executive, which was unusual for a female in the 1950s and she became our stepmother a year later, and we had some very lovely, warm family years with her extended family and our extended family and all of us together until my brother got sick, came down with kidney disease a couple of years before kidney dialysis was invented, and a couple of years before kidney transplants were done, died at 19. Had been the captain of the swimming team at our high school, but did a year in college out in California and died on Halloween of 1960 my father was 51 years old. His eldest son had died. He had lost his wife six years earlier. He was working too hard in the advertising industry, successful man and dropped out of a heart attack 14th birthday. Gosh, I found him unconscious on the floor of our master bathroom in our house. So my life changed. I My life has taught me many, many things. It's taught me how the defense system works in trauma. It's taught me the resilience of a child. It's taught me the kindness of strangers. It's taught me the sadness of loss.   Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Well, you, you seem to come through all of it pretty well. Well, thank you. A question behind that, just an observation, but, but you do seem to, you know, obviously, cope with all of it and do pretty well. So you, you've always liked to be involved in acting and so on. How did you actually end up deciding to be a voice actor?   Bill Ratner ** 24:39 Well, my dad, after he was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in Des Moines for Meredith publishing, got offered a fancy job as executive vice president of the flower and mix division for Campbell within advertising and later at General Mills Corporation. From Betty Crocker brand, and would bring me to work all the time, and would sit with me, and we'd watch the wonderful old westerns that were on prime time television, rawhide and Gunsmoke and the Virginian and sure   Michael Hingson ** 25:15 and all those. Yeah, during   Bill Ratner ** 25:17 the commercials, my father would make fun of the commercials. Oh, look at that guy. And number one, son, that's lousy acting. Number two, listen to that copy. It's the dumbest ad copy I've ever seen. The jingles and and then he would say, No, that's a good commercial, right there. And he wasn't always negative. He would he was just a good critic of advertising. So at a very young age, starting, you know, when we watch television, I think the first television ever, he bought us when I was five years old, I was around one of the most educated, active, funny, animated television critics I could hope to have in my life as a 56789, 1011, 12 year old. And so when I was 12, I became one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of radio stations with my friends John Waterhouse and John Barstow and Steve gray and Bill Connors in South Minneapolis. I named my five watt night kit am transmitter after my sixth grade teacher, Bob close this is wclo stereo radio. And when I was in sixth grade, I built myself a switch box, and I had a turntable and I had an intercom, and I wired my house for sound, as did all the other boys in the in the B, O, R, S, and that's brotherhood of radio stations. And we were guests on each other's shows, and we were obsessed, and we would go to the shopping malls whenever a local DJ was making an appearance and torture him and ask him dumb questions and listen obsessively to American am radio. And at the time for am radio, not FM like today, or internet on your little radio tuner, all the big old grandma and grandpa radios, the wooden ones, were AM, for amplitude modulated. You could get stations at night, once the sun went down and the later it got, the ionosphere would lift and the am radio signals would bounce higher and farther. And in Minneapolis, at age six and seven, I was able to to listen to stations out of Mexico and Texas and Chicago, and was absolutely fascinated with with what was being put out. And I would, I would switch my brother when I was about eight years old, gave me a transistor radio, which I hid under my bed covers. And at night, would turn on and listen for, who knows, hours at a time, and just tuning the dial and tuning the dial from country to rock and roll to hit parade to news to commercials to to agric agriculture reports to cow crossings in Kansas and grain harvesting and cheese making in Wisconsin, and on and on and on that made up the great medium of radio that was handing its power and its business over to television, just as I was growing As a child. Fast, fascinating transition   Michael Hingson ** 28:18 and well, but as it was transitioning, how did that affect you?   Bill Ratner ** 28:26 It made television the romantic, exciting, dynamic medium. It made radio seem a little limited and antiquated, and although I listened for environment and wasn't able to drag a television set under my covers. Yeah, and television became memorable with with everything from actual world war two battle footage being shown because there wasn't enough programming to 1930s Warner Brothers gangster movies with James Cagney, Edward G   Michael Hingson ** 29:01 Robinson and yeah   Bill Ratner ** 29:02 to all the sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver and television cartoons and on and on and on. And the most memorable elements to me were the personalities, and some of whom were invisible. Five years old, I was watching a Kids program after school, after kindergarten. We'll be back with more funny puppets, marionettes after this message and the first words that came on from an invisible voice of this D baritone voice, this commercial message will be 60 seconds long, Chrysler Dodge for 1954 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I watched hypnotized, hypnotized as a 1953 dodge drove across the screen with a happy family of four waving out the window. And at the end of the commercial, I ran into the kitchen said, Mom, mom, I know what a minute. Is, and it was said, it had suddenly come into my brain in one of those very rare and memorable moments in a person's life where your brain actually speaks to you in its own private language and says, Here is something very new and very true, that 60 seconds is in fact a minute. When someone says, See you in five minutes, they mean five times that, five times as long as that. Chrysler commercial, five times 60. That's 300 seconds. And she said, Did you learn it that that on T in kindergarten? And I said, No, I learned it from kangaroo Bob on TV, his announcer, oh, kangaroo Bob, no, but this guy was invisible. And so at five years of age, I was aware of the existence of the practice of the sound, of the magic of the seemingly unlimited access to facts, figures, products, brand names that these voices had and would say on the air in This sort of majestic, patriarchal way,   Michael Hingson ** 31:21 and just think 20 years later, then you had James Earl Jones,   Bill Ratner ** 31:26 the great dame. James Earl Jones, father was a star on stage at that time the 1950s James Earl Jones came of age in the 60s and became Broadway and off Broadway star.   Michael Hingson ** 31:38 I got to see him in Othello. He was playing Othello. What a powerful performance. It was   Bill Ratner ** 31:43 wonderful performer. Yeah, yeah. I got to see him as Big Daddy in Canada, Hot Tin Roof, ah, live and in person, he got front row seats for me and my family.   Michael Hingson ** 31:53 Yeah, we weren't in the front row, but we saw it. We saw it on on Broadway,   Bill Ratner ** 31:58 the closest I ever got to James Earl Jones. He and I had the same voice over agent, woman named Rita vinari of southern Barth and benare company. And I came into the agency to audition for Doritos, and I hear this magnificent voice coming from behind a closed voiceover booth, saying, with a with a Spanish accent, Doritos. I thought that's James Earl Jones. Why is he saying burritos? And he came out, and he bowed to me, nodded and smiled, and I said, hello and and the agent probably in the booth and shut the door. And she said, I said, that was James Earl Jones. What a voice. What she said, Oh, he's such a nice man. And she said, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed. I was too afraid to stop him from saying, Doritos. And it turns out he didn't get the gig. So it is some other voice actor got it because he didn't say, had he said Doritos with the agent froze it froze up. That was as close as I ever got to did you get the gig? Oh goodness no,   Michael Hingson ** 33:01 no, you didn't, huh? Oh, well, well, yeah. I mean, it was a very, it was, it was wonderful. It was James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer played Iago. Oh, goodness, oh, I know. What a what a combination. Well, so you, you did a lot of voiceover stuff. What did you do regarding radio moving forward? Or did you just go completely out of that and you were in TV? Or did you have any opportunity   Bill Ratner ** 33:33 for me to go back at age 15, my brother and father, who were big supporters of my radio. My dad would read my W, C, l, o, newsletter and need an initial, an excellent journalism son and my brother would bring his teenage friends up. He'd play the elderly brothers, man, you got an Elvis record, and I did. And you know, they were, they were big supporters for me as a 13 year old, but when I turned 14, and had lost my brother and my father, I lost my enthusiasm and put all of my radio equipment in a box intended to play with it later. Never, ever, ever did again. And when I was about 30 years old and I'd done years of acting in the theater, having a great time doing fun plays and small theaters in Minneapolis and South Dakota and and Oakland, California and San Francisco. I needed money, so I looked in the want ads and saw a job for telephone sales, and I thought, Well, I used to love the telephone. I used to make phony phone calls to people all the time. Used to call funeral homes. Hi Carson, funeral I help you. Yes, I'm calling to tell you that you have a you have a dark green slate tile. Roof, isn't that correct? Yes. Well, there's, there's a corpse on your roof. Lady for goodness sake, bring it down and we laugh and we record it and and so I thought, Well, gee, I used to have a lot of fun with the phone. And so I called the number of telephone sales and got hired to sell magazine subscriptions and dinner tickets to Union dinners and all kinds of things. And then I saw a new job at a radio station, suburban radio station out in Walnut Creek, California, a lovely Metro BART train ride. And so I got on the BART train, rode out there and walked in for the interview, and was told I was going to be selling small advertising packages on radio for the station on the phone. And so I called barber shops and beauty shops and gas stations in the area, and one guy picked up the phone and said, Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Are you on the radio right now? And I said, No, I'm just I'm in the sales room. Well, maybe you should be. And he slams the phone on me. He didn't want to talk to me anymore. It wasn't interested in buying advertising. I thought, gee. And I told somebody at the station, and they said, Well, you want to be in the radio? And he went, Yeah, I was on the radio when I was 13. And it just so happened that an older fellow was retiring from the 10am to 2pm slot. K I S King, kiss 99 and KD FM, Pittsburgh, California. And it was a beautiful music station. It was a music station. Remember, old enough will remember music that used to play in elevators that was like violin music, the Percy faith orchestra playing a Rolling Stone song here in the elevator. Yes, well, that's exactly what we played. And it would have been harder to get a job at the local rock stations because, you know, they were popular places. And so I applied for the job, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:06 could have lost your voice a lot sooner, and it would have been a lot harder if you had had to do Wolfman Jack. But that's another story.   Bill Ratner ** 37:13 Yeah, I used to listen to Wolf Man Jack. I worked in a studio in Hollywood. He became a studio. Yeah, big time.   Michael Hingson ** 37:22 Anyway, so you you got to work at the muzack station, got   Bill Ratner ** 37:27 to work at the muzack station, and I was moving to Los Angeles to go to a bigger market, to attempt to penetrate a bigger broadcast market. And one of the sales guys, a very nice guy named Ralph pizzella said, Well, when you get to La you should study with a friend of mine down to pie Troy, he teaches voiceovers. I said, What are voice overs? He said, You know that CVS Pharmacy commercial just carted up and did 75 tags, available in San Fernando, available in San Clemente, available in Los Angeles, available in Pasadena. And I said, Yeah. He said, Well, you didn't get paid any extra. You got paid your $165 a week. The guy who did that commercial for the ad agency got paid probably 300 bucks, plus extra for the tags, that's voiceovers. And I thought, why? There's an idea, what a concept. So he gave me the name and number of old friend acquaintance of his who he'd known in radio, named Don DiPietro, alias Johnny rabbit, who worked for the Dick Clark organization, had a big rock and roll station there. He'd come to LA was doing voiceovers and teaching voiceover classes in a little second story storefront out of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. So I signed up for his class, and he was an experienced guy, and he liked me, and we all had fun, and I realized I was beginning to study like an actor at 1818, who goes to New York or goes to Los Angeles or Chicago or Atlanta or St Louis to act in the big theaters, and starts acting classes and realizes, oh my goodness, these people are truly professionals. I don't know how to do what they do. And so for six years, I took voice over classes, probably 4050, nights a year, and from disc jockeys, from ex show hosts, from actors, from animated cartoon voices, and put enough time in to get a degree in neurology in medical school. And worked my way up in radio in Los Angeles and had a morning show, a lovely show with a wonderful news man named Phil Reed, and we talked about things and reviewed movies and and played a lot of music. And then I realized, wait a minute, I'm earning three times the money in voiceovers as I am on the radio, and I have to get up at 430 in the morning to be on the radio. Uh, and a wonderful guy who was Johnny Carson's staff announcer named Jack angel said, You're not still on radio, are you? And I said, Well, yeah, I'm working in the morning. And Ka big, get out of there. Man, quit. Quit. And I thought, well, how can I quit? I've always wanted to be a radio announcer. And then there was another wonderful guy on the old am station, kmpc, sweet Dick Whittington. Whittington, right? And he said at a seminar that I went to at a union voice over training class, when you wake up at four in the morning and you swing your legs over the bed and your shoes hit the floor, and you put your head in your hands, and you say to yourself, I don't want to do this anymore. That's when you quit radio. Well, that hadn't happened to me. I was just getting up early to write some comedy segments and on and on and on, and then I was driving around town all day doing auditions and rented an ex girlfriend's second bedroom so that I could nap by myself during the day, when I had an hour in and I would as I would fall asleep, I'd picture myself every single day I'm in a dark voiceover studio, a microphone Is before me, a music stand is before the microphone, and on it is a piece of paper with advertising copy on it. On the other side of the large piece of glass of the recording booth are three individuals, my employers, I begin to read, and somehow the text leaps off the page, streams into my eyes, letter for letter, word for word, into a part of my back brain that I don't understand and can't describe. It is processed in my semi conscious mind with the help of voice over training and hope and faith, and comes out my mouth, goes into the microphone, is recorded in the digital recorder, and those three men, like little monkeys, lean forward and say, Wow, how do you do that? That was my daily creative visualization. Michael, that was my daily fantasy. And I had learned that from from Dale Carnegie, and I had learned that from Olympic athletes on NBC TV in the 60s and 70s, when the announcer would say, this young man you're seeing practicing his high jump is actually standing there. He's standing stationary, and the bouncing of the head is he's actually rehearsing in his mind running and running and leaping over the seven feet two inch bar and falling into the sawdust. And now he's doing it again, and you could just barely see the man nodding his head on camera at the exact rhythm that he would be running the 25 yards toward the high bar and leaping, and he raised his head up during the imaginary lead that he was visualizing, and then he actually jumped the seven foot two inches. That's how I learned about creative visualization from NBC sports on TV.   Michael Hingson ** 43:23 Channel Four in Los Angeles. There you go. Well, so you you broke into voice over, and that's what you did.   Bill Ratner ** 43:38 That's what I did, darn it, I ain't stopping now, there's a wonderful old actor named Bill Irwin. There two Bill Irwin's one is a younger actor in his 50s or 60s, a brilliant actor from Broadway to film and TV. There's an older William Irwin. They also named Bill Irwin, who's probably in his 90s now. And I went to a premiere of a film, and he was always showing up in these films as The senile stock broker who answers the phone upside down, or the senile board member who always asks inappropriate questions. And I went up to him and I said, you know, I see you in everything, man. I'm 85 years old. Some friends and associates of mine tell me I should slow down. I only got cast in movies and TV when I was 65 I ain't slowing down. If I tried to slow down at 85 I'd have to stop That's my philosophy. My hero is the great Don Pardo, the late great   Michael Hingson ** 44:42 for Saturday Night Live and Jeopardy   Bill Ratner ** 44:45 lives starring Bill Murray, Gilder Radner, and   Michael Hingson ** 44:49 he died for Jeopardy before that,   Bill Ratner ** 44:52 yeah, died at 92 with I picture him, whether it probably not, with a microphone and. His hand in his in his soundproof booth, in his in his garage, and I believe he lived in Arizona, although the show was aired and taped in New York, New York, right where he worked for for decades as a successful announcer. So that's the story.   Michael Hingson ** 45:16 Michael. Well, you know, I miss, very frankly, some of the the the days of radio back in the 60s and 70s and so on. We had, in LA what you mentioned, Dick Whittington, Dick whittinghill on kmpc, Gary Owens, you know, so many people who were such wonderful announcers and doing some wonderful things, and radio just isn't the same anymore. It's gone. It's   Bill Ratner ** 45:47 gone to Tiktok and YouTube. And the truth is, I'm not gonna whine about Tiktok or YouTube, because some of the most creative moments on camera are being done on Tiktok and YouTube by young quote influencers who hire themselves out to advertisers, everything from lipstick. You know,   Speaker 1 ** 46:09 when I went to a party last night was just wild and but this makeup look, watch me apply this lip remover and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, no, I have no lip.   Bill Ratner ** 46:20 You know, these are the people with the voices. These are the new voices. And then, of course, the faces. And so I would really advise before, before people who, in fact, use the internet. If you use the internet, you can't complain if you use the internet, if you go to Facebook or Instagram, or you get collect your email or Google, this or that, which most of us do, it's handy. You can't complain about tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. You can't complain about tick tock or YouTube, because it's what the younger generation is using, and it's what the younger generation advertisers and advertising executives and creators and musicians and actors are using to parade before us, as Gary Owens did, as Marlon Brando did, as Sarah Bernhardt did in the 19 so as all as you do, Michael, you're a parader. You're the head of the parade. You've been in on your own float for years. I read your your bio. I don't even know why you want to waste a minute talking to me for goodness sakes.   Michael Hingson ** 47:26 You know, the one thing about podcasts that I like over radio, and I did radio at kuci for seven years when I was in school, what I really like about podcasts is they're not and this is also would be true for Tiktok and YouTube. Primarily Tiktok, I would would say it isn't as structured. So if we don't finish in 60 minutes, and we finish in 61 minutes, no one's gonna shoot us.   Bill Ratner ** 47:53 Well, I beg to differ with you. Now. I'm gonna start a fight with you. Michael, yeah, we need conflict in this script. Is that it The Tick Tock is very structured. Six. No,   Michael Hingson ** 48:03 no, I understand that. I'm talking about podcasts,   Bill Ratner ** 48:07 though, but there's a problem. We gotta Tone It Up. We gotta pick it up. We gotta there's a lot of and I listen to what are otherwise really bright, wonderful personalities on screen, celebrities who have podcasts and the car sucks, and then I had meatballs for dinner, haha. And you know what my wife said? Why? You know? And there's just too much of that. And,   Michael Hingson ** 48:32 oh, I understand, yeah. I mean, it's like, like anything, but I'm just saying that's one of the reasons I love podcasting. So it's my way of continuing what I used to do in radio and having a lot of fun doing it   Bill Ratner ** 48:43 all right, let me ask you. Let me ask you a technical and editorial question. Let me ask you an artistic question. An artist, can you edit this podcast? Yeah. Are you? Do you plan to Nope.   Michael Hingson ** 48:56 I think conversations are conversations, but there is a but, I mean,   Bill Ratner ** 49:01 there have been starts and stops and I answer a question, and there's a long pause, and then, yeah, we can do you edit that stuff   Michael Hingson ** 49:08 out. We do, we do, edit some of that out. And I have somebody that that that does a lot of it, because I'm doing more podcasts, and also I travel and speak, but I can edit. There's a program called Reaper, which is really a very sophisticated   Bill Ratner ** 49:26 close up spaces. You   Michael Hingson ** 49:28 can close up spaces with it, yes, but the neat thing about Reaper is that somebody has written scripts to make it incredibly accessible for blind people using screen readers.   Bill Ratner ** 49:40 What does it do? What does it do? Give me the elevator pitch.   Michael Hingson ** 49:46 You've seen some of the the programs that people use, like computer vision and other things to do editing of videos and so on. Yeah.   Bill Ratner ** 49:55 Yeah. Even Apple. Apple edit. What is it called? Apple? Garage Band. No, that's audio. What's that   Michael Hingson ** 50:03 audio? Oh,   Bill Ratner ** 50:06 quick time is quick   Michael Hingson ** 50:07 time. But whether it's video or audio, the point is that Reaper allows me to do all of that. I can edit audio. I can insert, I can remove pauses. I can do anything with Reaper that anyone else can do editing audio, because it's been made completely accessible.   Bill Ratner ** 50:27 That's great. That's good. That's nice. Oh, it is. It's cool.   Michael Hingson ** 50:31 So so if I want, I can edit this and just have my questions and then silence when you're talking.   Bill Ratner ** 50:38 That might be best. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Bill Ratner,   Michael Hingson ** 50:46 yep, exactly, exactly. Now you have won the moth stories. Slam, what? Tell me about my story. Slam, you've won it nine times.   Bill Ratner ** 51:00 The Moth was started by a writer, a novelist who had lived in the South and moved to New York City, successful novelist named George Dawes green. And the inception of the moth, which many people listening are familiar with from the Moth Radio Hour. It was, I believe, either late 90s or early 2000s when he'd been in New York for a while and was was publishing as a fiction writer, and threw a party, and decided, instead of going to one of these dumb, boring parties or the same drinks being served and same cigarettes being smoked out in the veranda and the same orders. I'm going to ask people to bring a five minute story, a personal story, nature, a true story. You don't have to have one to get into the party, but I encourage you to. And so you know, the 3040, 50 people showed up, many of whom had stories, and they had a few drinks, and they had hors d'oeuvres. And then he said, Okay, ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. It's time for and then I picked names out of a hat, and person after person after person stood up in a very unusual setting, which was almost never done at parties. You How often do you see that happen? Suddenly, the room falls silent, and someone with permission being having been asked by the host to tell a personal story, some funny, some tragic, some complex, some embarrassing, some racy, some wild, some action filled. And afterward, the feedback he got from his friends was, this is the most amazing experience I've ever had in my life. And someone said, you need to do this. And he said, Well, you people left a lot of cigarette butts and beer cans around my apartment. And they said, well, let's do it at a coffee shop. Let's do it at a church basement. So slowly but surely, the moth storytelling, story slams, which were designed after the old poetry slams in the 50s and 60s, where they were judged contests like, like a dance contest. Everybody's familiar with dance contests? Well, there were, then came poetry contests with people singing and, you know, and singing and really energetically, really reading. There then came storytelling contests with people standing on a stage before a silent audience, telling a hopefully interesting, riveting story, beginning middle, end in five minutes. And so a coffee house was found. A monthly calendar was set up. Then came the internet. Then it was so popular standing room only that they had to open yet another and another, and today, some 20 years later, 20 some years later, from Austin, Texas to San Francisco, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota to New York City to Los Angeles. There are moth story slams available on online for you to schedule yourself to go live and in person at the moth.org as in the moth with wings. Friend of mine, I was in New York. He said, You can't believe it. This writer guy, a writer friend of mine who I had read, kind of an avant garde, strange, funny writer was was hosting something called the moth in New York, and we were texting each other. He said, Well, I want to go. The theme was show business. I was going to talk to my Uncle Bobby, who was the bell boy. And I Love Lucy. I'll tell a story. And I texted him that day. He said, Oh man, I'm so sorry. I had the day wrong. It's next week. Next week, I'm going to be back home. And so he said, Well, I think there's a moth in Los Angeles. So about 15 years ago, I searched it down and what? Went to a small Korean barbecue that had a tiny little stage that originally was for Korean musicians, and it was now being used for everything from stand up comedy to evenings of rock and roll to now moth storytelling once a month. And I think the theme was first time. And so I got up and told a silly story and didn't win first prize. They have judges that volunteer judges a table of three judges scoring, you like, at a swim meet or a track beat or, you know, and our gymnastics meet. So this is all sort of familiar territory for everybody, except it's storytelling and not high jumping or pull ups. And I kept going back. I was addicted to it. I would write a story and I'd memorize it, and I'd show up and try to make it four minutes and 50 seconds and try to make it sound like I was really telling a story and not reading from a script. And wish I wasn't, because I would throw the script away, and I knew the stories well enough. And then they created a radio show. And then I began to win slams and compete in the grand slams. And then I started submitting these 750 word, you know, two and a half page stories. Literary magazines got a few published and found a whole new way to spend my time and not make much   Michael Hingson ** 56:25 money. Then you went into poetry.   Bill Ratner ** 56:29 Then I got so bored with my prose writing that I took a poetry course from a wonderful guy in LA called Jack grapes, who had been an actor and a football player and come to Hollywood and did some TV, episodics and and some some episodic TV, and taught poetry. It was a poet in the schools, and I took his class of adults and got a poem published. And thought, wait a minute, these aren't even 750 words. They're like 75 words. I mean, you could write a 10,000 word poem if you want, but some people have, yeah, and it was complex, and there was so much to read and so much to learn and so much that was interesting and odd. And a daughter of a friend of mine is a poet, said, Mommy, are you going to read me one of those little word movies before I go to sleep?   Michael Hingson ** 57:23 A little word movie, word movie out of the   Bill Ratner ** 57:27 mouths of babes. Yeah, and so, so and I perform. You know, last night, I was in Orange County at a organization called ugly mug Cafe, and a bunch of us poets read from an anthology that was published, and we sold our books, and heard other young poets who were absolutely marvelous and and it's, you know, it's not for everybody, but it's one of the things I do.   Michael Hingson ** 57:54 Well, you sent me pictures of book covers, so they're going to be in the show notes. And I hope people will will go out and get them   Bill Ratner ** 58:01 cool. One of the one of the things that I did with poetry, in addition to wanting to get published and wanting to read before people, is wanting to see if there is a way. Because poetry was, was very satisfying, emotionally to me, intellectually very challenging and satisfying at times. And emotionally challenging and very satisfying at times, writing about things personal, writing about nature, writing about friends, writing about stories that I received some training from the National Association for poetry therapy. Poetry therapy is being used like art therapy, right? And have conducted some sessions and and participated in many and ended up working with eighth graders of kids who had lost someone to death in the past year of their lives. This is before covid in the public schools in Los Angeles. And so there's a lot of that kind of work that is being done by constable people, by writers, by poets, by playwrights,   Michael Hingson ** 59:09 and you became a grief counselor,   Bill Ratner ** 59:13 yes, and don't do that full time, because I do voiceovers full time, right? Write poetry and a grand. Am an active grandparent, but I do the occasional poetry session around around grief poetry.   Michael Hingson ** 59:31 So you're a grandparent, so you've had kids and all that. Yes, sir, well, that's is your wife still with us? Yes?   Bill Ratner ** 59:40 Oh, great, yeah, she's an artist and an art educator. Well, that   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 so the two of you can criticize each other's works, then, just   Bill Ratner ** 59:52 saying, we're actually pretty kind to each other. I Yeah, we have a lot of we have a lot of outside criticism. Them. So, yeah, you don't need to do it internally. We don't rely on it. What do you think of this although, although, more than occasionally, each of us will say, What do you think of this poem, honey? Or what do you think of this painting, honey? And my the favorite, favorite thing that my wife says that always thrills me and makes me very happy to be with her is, I'll come down and she's beginning a new work of a new piece of art for an exhibition somewhere. I'll say, what? Tell me about what's, what's going on with that, and she'll go, you know, I have no idea, but it'll tell me what to do.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:33 Yeah, it's, it's like a lot of authors talk about the fact that their characters write the stories right, which, which makes a lot of sense. So with all that you've done, are you writing a memoir? By any chance, I   Bill Ratner ** 1:00:46 am writing a memoir, and writing has been interesting. I've been doing it for many years. I got it was my graduate thesis from University of California Riverside Palm Desert.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:57 My wife was a UC Riverside graduate. Oh, hi. Well, they   Bill Ratner ** 1:01:01 have a low residency program where you go for 10 days in January, 10 days in June. The rest of it's online, which a lot of universities are doing, low residency programs for people who work and I got an MFA in creative writing nonfiction, had a book called parenting for the digital age, the truth about media's effect on children. And was halfway through it, the publisher liked it, but they said you got to double the length. So I went back to school to try to figure out how to double the length. And was was able to do it, and decided to move on to personal memoir and personal storytelling, such as goes on at the moth but a little more personal than that. Some of the material that I was reading in the memoir section of a bookstore was very, very personal and was very helpful to read about people who've gone through particular issues in their childhood. Mine not being physical abuse or sexual abuse, mine being death and loss, which is different. And so that became a focus of my graduate thesis, and many people were urging me to write a memoir. Someone said, you need to do a one man show. So I entered the Hollywood fringe and did a one man show and got good reviews and had a good time and did another one man show the next year and and so on. So But writing memoir as anybody knows, and they're probably listeners who are either taking memoir courses online or who may be actively writing memoirs or short memoir pieces, as everybody knows it, can put you through moods from absolutely ecstatic, oh my gosh, I got this done. I got this story told, and someone liked it, to oh my gosh, I'm so depressed I don't understand why. Oh, wait a minute, I was writing about such and such today. Yeah. So that's the challenge for the memoir is for the personal storyteller, it's also, you know, and it's more of a challenge than it is for the reader, unless it's bad writing and the reader can't stand that. For me as a reader, I'm fascinated by people's difficult stories, if they're well   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:24 told well, I know that when in 2002 I was advised to write a book about the World Trade Center experiences and all, and it took eight years to kind of pull it all together. And then I met a woman who actually I collaborated with, Susie Florey, and we wrote thunder dog. And her agent became my agent, who loved the proposal that we sent and actually got a contract within a week. So thunder dog came out in 2011 was a New York Times bestseller, and very blessed by that, and we're working toward the day that it will become a movie still, but it'll happen. And then I wrote a children's version of it, well, not a children's version of the book, but a children's book about me growing up in Roselle, growing up the guide dog who was with me in the World Trade Center, and that's been on Amazon. We self published it. Then last year, we published a new book called Live like a guide dog, which is all about controlling fear and teaching people lessons that I learned prior to September 11. That helped me focus and remain calm.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:23 What happened to you on September 11,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:27 I was in the World Trade Center. I worked on the 78th floor of Tower One.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:32 And what happened? I mean, what happened to you?   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:36 Um, nothing that day. I mean, well, I got out. How did you get out? Down the stairs? That was the only way to go. So, so the real story is not doing it, but why it worked. And the real issue is that I spent a lot of time when I first went into the World Trade Center, learning all I could about what to do in an emergency, talking to police, port authorities. Security people, emergency preparedness people, and also just walking around the world trade center and learning the whole place, because I ran an office for a company, and I wasn't going to rely on someone else to, like, lead me around if we're going to go to lunch somewhere and take people out before we negotiated contracts. So I needed to know all of that, and I learned all I could, also realizing that if there ever was an emergency, I might be the only one in the office, or we might be in an area where people couldn't read the signs to know what to do anyway. And so I had to take the responsibility of learning all that, which I did. And then when the planes hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building, we get we had some guests in the office. Got them out, and then another colleague, who was in from our corporate office, and I and my guide dog, Roselle, went to the stairs, and we started down. And   Bill Ratner ** 1:05:54 so, so what floor did the plane strike?   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:58 It struck and the NOR and the North Tower, between floors 93 and 99 so I just say 96 okay, and you were 20 floors down, 78 floors 78 so we were 18 floors below, and   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:09 at the moment of impact, what did you think?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:13 Had no idea we heard a muffled kind of explosion, because the plane hit on the other side of the building, 18 floors above us. There was no way to know what was going on. Did you feel? Did you feel? Oh, the building literally tipped, probably about 20 feet. It kept tipping. And then we actually said goodbye to each other, and then the building came back upright. And then we went,   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:34 really you so you thought you were going to die?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:38 David, my colleague who was with me, as I said, he was from our California office, and he was there to help with some seminars we were going to be doing. We actually were saying goodbye to each other because we thought we were about to take a 78 floor plunge to the street, when the building stopped tipping and it came back. Designed to do that by the architect. It was designed to do that, which is the point, the point.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:02 Goodness, gracious. And then did you know how to get to the stairway?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:04 Oh, absolutely. And did you do it with your friend? Yeah, the first thing we did, the first thing we did is I got him to get we had some guests, and I said, get him to the stairs. Don't let him take the elevators, because I knew he had seen fire above us, but that's all we knew. And but I said, don't take the elevators. Don't let them take elevators. Get them to the stairs and then come back and we'll leave. So he did all that, and then he came back, and we went to the stairs and started down.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:33 Wow. Could you smell anything?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:36 We smelled burning jet fuel fumes on the way down. And that's how we figured out an airplane must have hit the building, but we had no idea what happened. We didn't know what happened until the until both towers had collapsed, and I actually talked to my wife, and she's the one who told us how to aircraft have been crashed into the towers, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth, at that time, was still missing over Pennsylvania. Wow. So you'll have to go pick up a copy of thunder dog. Goodness. Good. Thunder dog. The name of the book is Thunder dog, and the book I wrote last year is called Live like a guide dog. It's le

It's playoff time!

Editor - Nathan Schauf KPop Demon Hunters editor Nathan Schauf was already a trusted teammember at Sony Pictures Animation (SPA) when has was asked to "lend a hand for a bit" on this new action-comedy musical. Not long after, lending a hand turned into leading the way, with Nathan leaning on his years of experience cutting animation to help craft the film into a worldwide hit that would become Netflix's most streamed content of all time. KPop Demon Hunters follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, a world-famous K-pop girl group known as Huntrix.  Unbeknownst to their fans, Huntrix secretly uses their music and performance abilities to fight and protect the world from demons. While balancing their lives as global pop stars with their mission to keep demons sealed away, the group faces their biggest challenge when a rival, all-demon boy band called the Saja Boys emerges to steal their fans and threaten the world.   Nathan Schauf Since joining SPA in 2020, Nathan has contributed to an array of animated projects, including Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the latest entry in the beloved monster franchise, and Genndy Tartakovsky's R-rated comedy Fixed. He has also played a key role in several other projects in development.  With over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Schauf's career spans animation, gaming, virtual reality, commercials, sports, and independent films.  Schauf earned a degree in Electronic Media and Communication with a minor in English from Texas Tech University. He currently resides in Orange County, California, with his wife, daughter, son, and their cat, Todd. The Credits Get the new Extreme Music Panel for Avid Media Composer See which model of Avid Media Composer is right for you Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

This week on Camp Chaos, Kyndra and Taylor sit down with Lyndi Kennedy — a mother, widow, and domestic violence survivor who has lived through the unthinkable. From years of abuse, blackmail, and death threats to facing the release of her abuser due to an overcrowded jail, Lyndi's story exposes the harsh reality of a system that too often fails women and children. In this raw and emotional conversation, she shares what it took to survive, heal, and rebuild — not just for herself, but for her children. Lyndi opens up about the red flags she missed, the moment she decided to fight back, and how she turned her pain into purpose by becoming an advocate for domestic violence survivors everywhere. This episode is not just about trauma — it's about truth, strength, and the power of speaking out. (Trigger warning: This episode discusses domestic violence, suicide, and trauma. Please listen at your own pace.)

In this heartwarming and insightful episode of Rethink Real Estate, host Ben Brady, CEO of Harcourts Auctions, sits down with Kara Welliver, Realtor at Harcourts Prime Properties and one of the company's original standouts. With over 23 years in the business, Kara has built a career that proves relationships—not transactions—create lasting success.From her early days climbing the corporate ladder at Nordstrom to becoming one of the most connected agents in Orange County, Kara's story is a masterclass in authenticity, consistency, and the power of showing up. She opens up about her journey from retail to real estate, how she built an enduring client base through genuine relationships, and why her most successful marketing efforts are the ones infused with personal touch—homemade baked goods included.Ben and Kara dive deep into how to cultivate a business that feels like you, from personalized newsletters and client events to crafting experiences that create loyalty for life. Kara shares her approach to client retention through “pop-bys,” wine tastings, and ice cream socials—plus how she turns these thoughtful gestures into repeat business and referrals.Whether you're a seasoned agent looking to reconnect with your “why” or a new Realtor searching for your voice in the market, this episode is a reminder that the best brand you can build is one rooted in who you truly are.Timestamps & Key Topics[00:00:00] – Introducing Kara Welliver: A Harcourts Original[00:02:12] – From Nordstrom to Real Estate: Lessons in Service & Style[00:06:00] – Building Connection Over Transaction[00:11:00] – How to Stay Top-of-Mind Without Being Salesy[00:14:00] – Pop-Bys, Baked Goods & Personal Branding[00:18:00] – Creating Client Events That Actually Work[00:26:00] – The Value of Authentic Marketing & Consistency

In Episode 503, Patrick, Jeffrey, and Craig chat about Sheffield Wednesday and pumpkin-carving parties and then discuss five mostly baseball topics.  1. For the Birds: The Jays struck first in game one of the Fall Classic2. Yama Mia!: But the Dodgers got another gem from their ace.3. Der Himmel über Anaheim News from Orange County is bleak and not scored by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds4. Around the Horn: Some new managers, some Pacific Rim Playoffs5. Let's all remember Rick Porcello and basically no one else. Five and Dive is listener-supported, you can join our Patreon at patreon.com/fiveanddive. If you want to get in contact with the show, the e-mail address is fiveanddive@baseballprospectus.com.                                           Our theme tune is by Andy Matthews, who you can follow on Bluesky @andymatthewsmusic. You can listen to him on Spotify and Apple Music. It was produced by Barrie Maguire and Tim Ferguson.

Every Killer Leaves A Trace: The Fatal Mistakes That Finally Exposed America's Most Elusive KillersMistakes Murderers Can't Erase. Cold Cases Cracked Wide Open.They blended in. They raised families, held steady jobs, and hid in plain sight. But behind the mask of normalcy, they were monsters—responsible for decades of terror, pain, and death.Every Killer Leaves A Trace is a chilling narrative nonfiction thriller that exposes moments that led to the shocking unmasking and ultimate capture of twenty-six of America's most elusive killers. From accidental slips to cutting-edge forensic breakthroughs, each chapter reveals how justice caught up with murderers who thought they'd never be found.Meticulously researched and drawn from court records, autopsy reports, FBI case files, and firsthand interviews with investigators and victims' families, this book is a haunting journey through deception, violence, and the relentless pursuit of truth.These are not just stories of murder. They are blueprints of how justice, though often delayed, is never truly denied.They got away with murder—until they didn't.Dennis Carson is the author of the critically acclaimed Bonded Thru Injustice, a groundbreaking true crime account rooted in the first federal death penalty case ever tried in Orange County, California. With over four decades of experience collaborating with forensic specialists, law enforcement officials, and investigative journalists, Carson's work is characterized by its meticulous research and unwavering commitment to the truth. His latest book, Every Killer Leaves A Trace, furthers his mission to expose not only the killers who evade justice but also the systemic failures that enable them to do About Author Dennis CarsonThankfully, writing this book was like in Billiards when the eight ball isn't looming in front of me, blocking every shot. Instead, the table feels wide open, and the game—for once—tilts in my favor.

Aliza Rosen, CEO and Founder of AYR Media and “Is This Real Life?” Fan favorite is back on the podcast to chat all things Housewives. Mandy and Aliza jump right into RHOSLC, arguably the best show on television. They discuss why Todd is diabolical, Lisa's marriage troubles, and whether there's more to Britain's story than she's sharing. Mandy and Aliza also discuss this week's Potomac and Orange County - and agree this is Heather Dubrow's best season.Follow Aliza on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayr_media/Follow Mandy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandyslutsker/

This episode, Eamon & Merlin talk Real Housewives of Potomac, where the pre game for Preakness be the sight of Angel's first big test as a new housewife. Then, the newest episode of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, that sees feelings hurt over farts and headlines about Bronwyn hurt… Todd. And finally, a new episode of Real Housewives of Orange County, where Tamra doesn't give an Amsterdam about Gretchen's apologies, as there is a dark secret she is ready to bring to light. 6:39 - Real Housewives of Potomac: Season 10: Episode 03 56:20 - Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: Season 06: Episode 06 2:00:48 - Real Housewives of Orange County: Season 19: Episode 16 We are Eamon and Merlin, a queer married couple from Texas living in Pittsburgh, PA. We love reality television, wrestling, drag queens, and pretty much anything that can be called even kinda gay. A Gay & His Enby is a podcast where we talk about everything we love in terms of media and pop culture; everything thats gay and gay adjacent; basically all the conversations we have in our living room we are now putting in front of a microphone and on the internet for you. We have launched our MERCH STORE! We are so excited to bring you these designs, all made by Merlin, commemorating some of our favorite iconic moments! Shop now at https://AGayAndHisEnby.Threadless.com Every week, we have the pleasure and privilege of recording from Sorgatron Media Studios in Pittsburgh. The theme song for our main show is Pulsar by Shane Ivers, and the theme song for Binge Watch is Higher Up by Shane Ivers, both of which you can find at https://www.silvermansound.com All of our social media can be found at our linktree: https://linktr.ee/agayandhisenby We want to take a moment to uplift a powerful resource:

We recap this week's explosive Real Housewives of Orange County and catch up on the latest updates in the Valley and Vanderpump World!Come hangout on Patreon next week for a live Hangout where we'll discuss the latest tea, play some games, some trivia and more! Also, a new juicy Patreon podcast dropped you won't want to miss! Signup in time for BravoCon too for exclusive access to fresh content as it unfolds!www.patreon.com/vanderpumprulespartyThis season, don't just moisturize, support your skin at the cellular level with OneSkin. For a limited time, you can try OneSkin with 15% off OneSkin with the code PUMPERS at https://www.oneskin.co/Find your scent soulmate today and get up to 60% off at www.MicroPerfumes.com/VPRThat's MicroPerfumes.com/VPR for up to 60% off. MicroPerfumes. Real scents. No regrets.For safer, real dating, download Hily on the App Store or Google Play, or check out www.hily.com Date as you are, safely — with Hily This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Magellan AI - https://docsend.com/view/5vdvbdx7cr4tikmyClaritas - https://claritas.com/privacy-legalPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

Send us a textAloha everybody, we're finally back! We have a fun show. We're joined by Josh of Drunken Gentleman, a great brand based out of the Orange County area. We have a great conversation about his company, tiki life, and a new project coming out soon called Last Call Society. So grab yourself a drink, relax, and enjoy the show!Follow us on Instagram at @thetikicastFollow Josh on Instagram at @beadrunkengent & @lastcallsoc

We're dealing with New Apostolic Reformation, and my guest has been Chris Quintana, and Chris is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Cypress, which is located in Orange County, as I mentioned, and Chris has been featured in the video series Wide Is the Gate, which is an apologetic documentary that deals with trends in the church that have undermined the biblical faith and have drawn many Christians away from the Word of God. So, Chris, welcome back to Search the Scriptures 24/7.Chris: Well, thank you, Tom. It's great to be back!

With credits for directing such films as MYSTERY SPOT, WITCHCRAFT 13, and most recently, INBETWEENING, Mel House is a director who makes things he wants to make when he wants to make them. Here he discusses his next project, what it's like be real working filmmaker, and how sometimes the best thing to do is nothing as you wait for the next idea.These videos are part of an ongoing video series chronicling the hardcore punk music scene. They are an addendum to the film Orange County Hardcore Scenester. This is a documentary I made that chronicles the 1990s hardcore punk scene. You can watch ORANGE COUNTY HARDCORE SCENESTER here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ochs Or, pick up the Orange County Hardcore Scenester DVD here: https://revhq.com/products/evanjacobs-orangecountyhardcorescenester-dvd?_pos=2&_sid=683ac2ce9&_ss=rSubscribe to ANHEDENIA FILMS UNLIMITED and watch every Anhedenia Film as many times as you like for $2 a month: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/afunlimitedWatch MYSTERY SPOT here:https://tubitv.com/movies/694406/mystery-spot#melhouse #witchcraft #mysteryspot #inbetweening#texas#anhedeniafilmsondemand #anhedeniafilmsunlimited#anhedeniafilmstv

This week on RHOC, Gina and Emily go out of their way to make Shannon feel bad, Tamra and Gretchen are forced to interact in a floating hot tub, Gina and Heather take mushrooms and more!Follow me on social media, find links to merch, Patreon and more here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the ladies have some lovely times in the tulip fields and on some hot tub boats. Sure there is a little beef when gina calls out Jenn on Shannon's behalf and when Gretchen and Tamra get into it and then make up. But all this is nothing compared to the leaks of Gretchen's homophobic likes...If you enjoyed this episode please share it with your Real Housewives of Orange County and Bravo friends and follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@taglinetwinks⁠⁠

In this insightful episode of Talking Book Publishing, hosts Kathleen and Adanna welcome Mary Vensel White, author, editor, publisher, and Orange County president of the California Writers Club. Mary shares her multidimensional expertise in publishing and digs into one of the most elusive topics for authors: book marketing. She brings a refreshingly honest and practical perspective on the importance of market research, knowing your genre, identifying comparable titles, and how all of that plays into placing your book in the right hands.Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of how cover design influences buying decisions, the power of ebook promotions (even free ones!), and why setting a budget and timeline early in the writing process is crucial. Mary and the hosts also explore effective low-budget marketing, the evolving role of social media, and how to reach readers in both digital and physical spaces. Whether you're a debut indie author or a seasoned writer looking to update your strategies, this episode is packed with actionable advice that cuts through the noise.We'd like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you'd like us to interview, please email us at podcast@talkingbookpublishing.today and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Saleel Awsare joined Lantronix in November of 2023 as President and CEO of the company. Mr. Awsare came to Lantronix from Synaptics Inc., a leading provider of semiconductor products worldwide, where he served as senior vice president and general manager of its Enterprise and Mobile Division, its largest division. After joining Synaptics in 2017, Mr. Awsare was an integral part of Synaptics's pivot from Mobile to the IoT and enterprise markets, a move that proved instrumental in driving its multi-fold increase in market valuation. Previously, he served in several senior roles including president of Conexant Systems, LLC, and president of Nuvoton Technology Corporation America. Saleel holds a B.S. from Stevens Institute of Technology and an M.S. from Santa Clara University. He has five patents and has written for multiple publications. Mr. Awsare is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Stevens Institute of Technology since September 2017. -- Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at REF Orange County.

I've known 24 year old (counting from birth, not conception) Micah Kunkle from Holy Smokes in Orange County for several years. He's married, works full-time, and serves as a high school debate coach in California. He's also participated in over a half a dozen or so very well publicized Jubilee (YouTube) debates with millions of views. You can follow Micah Kunkle on the following : YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQuAqSZcXY0QpcmRmzXYg3Q Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micahkunkle TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@micahkunkle X: https://x.com/realMicahKunkle Micah went to the Charlie Kirk memorial and shares his experience there. He is a wonderful example of what quality home-schooling can produce in a United States citizen. The Republican Professor is a pro-debating-done-right, pro-mentoring-the-young, pro-homeschooling-done-right podcast. Therefore, welcome Micah Kunkle ! The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Meagan Little from the Blues stopped by to show off the new Rizz Show Night at the Blues giveway plus we caught up with our dear sweet homie Chris Kerber.Doctor is arrested while performing illegal penis enlargement procedures in the back of his Toyota Corolla - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15211671/Doctor-arrested-performing-illegal-penis-enlargement-procedures-Toyota-Corolla.htmlHorrified families find NEEDLES in candy handed out in Southern town as police issue warning ahead of Halloween - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15203187/Horrified-families-NEEDLES-candy-handed-Southern-town-police-issue-warning-ahead-Halloween.html36 Best Regional Sandwiches You Have to Try Across America - https://www.cheapism.com/regional-sandwiches-across-america/Charmin introduces 'Forever Roll' toilet paper product - https://local12.com/news/offbeat/charmin-introduces-forever-roll-toilet-paper-product-1700-sheets-last-one-month-standard-sale-soft-quality-money-back-guarantee-wipe-restroomSmart bed owners experience AWS nightmare as outage leaves them sweating and stuck in upright position - https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-home/smart-bed-owners-experience-aws-nightmare-as-outage-leaves-them-sweating-and-stuck-in-upright-positionToo burned out to travel? This new app fakes your summer vacation photos for you - https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/18/too-burned-out-to-travel-this-new-app-fakes-your-summer-vacation-photos-for-you/Orange County woman wins $11.3M in lawsuit against Target - https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-woman-wins-113m-lawsuit-against-target/FWGSJTVQG5C4LBLWFHDJG6SPUU/Follow The Rizzuto Show @rizzshow on all your favorite social media, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Connect with The Rizzuto Show online at 1057thepoint.com/RizzShowSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you feeling stuck and craving real change?In this episode, Eric Bigger shares why moving changed his life—and how shifting your environment can spark personal growth, peace, and clarity. From Los Angeles to Orange County, Eric opens up about how your surroundings shape your mindset, belief systems, and overall well-being.Discover the power of intentional living and how designing your space can help you align with the life you truly want.Episode Highlights: How your environment directly affects your mindset, energy, and success Why changing your surroundings can transform your emotional and spiritual health The link between belief systems and personal fulfillment How to design a peaceful space that supports growth and clarity Practical ways to manifest your next living space intentionallyShop IYLA: https://iylia.com/Use promo code EB20 for IYLIA champagne, offering 20% off on orders up to $200Check out Miracle Season's collection: https://itsmiracleseason.co/collections/frontpageWork with me: https://www.ericbigger.com/workwithme?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=work_with_m...Connect with Simplified Impact: https://hubs.ly/Q02vvMJ90

On this podcast I seek to redefine beauty as “the life of God at work in us and all around us.” In today's episode, Courtney Ellis helps us experience the life of God at work in nature, specifically among birds. Courtney Ellis is an author, speaker, pastor, and host of The Thing with Feathers Podcast. She holds a master's degree in English literature from Loyola University, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and alongside her husband, she pastors Presbyterian Church of the Master in Orange County, California.In my time with Courtney, we discuss her latest book, Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope Through Grief. Courtney shares how birding can be a gateway to a deepening awareness of beauty in the world, how it can lead us to hope, and why she sees birding as a spiritual practice. In short, Courtney helps us see that birds remind us that God is at work all around us and that He is with us; all we have to do is look up.Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

How some Orange County residents are tracking ICE agents in their neighborhoods. A new state law is clarifying who is responsible for cleaning up rental units after a major disaster. The Lakers face the Golden State Warriors on NBA opening night. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support the show: https://laist.com

In this episode, Jesse Ewell interviews Rob Weiss, a top realtor in Orange County, about his journey through a high-performance health program designed for entrepreneurs. Rob shares his initial struggles with energy management, nutrition, and exercise, and how these factors impacted both his personal and professional life. Through lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, Rob experienced significant improvements in his health, energy levels, and overall well-being, which in turn enhanced his performance in real estate and family life. The conversation emphasizes the importance of investing in health and the transformative effects it can have on various aspects of life.   Takeaways Rob Weiss shares his journey in real estate and health. He struggled with energy management and nutrition before the program. Rob noticed significant improvements in energy and mental clarity. Diet changes led to a dramatic reduction in inflammation. He lost about 18 pounds, primarily fat, while maintaining muscle. Morning workouts have been crucial for his productivity. Rob emphasizes the importance of being a better dad through increased energy. Unexpected physical changes have boosted his confidence. The support from Jesse's program was instrumental in his success. Investing in health is essential for long-term success.   Sound bites "It's never too late to start." "You won't regret it." "The health is the foundation." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Rob Weiss and His Journey 00:56 Goals and Challenges in Health and Business 02:48 Overcoming Struggles with Nutrition and Exercise 04:43 Transformative Results from Dietary Changes 06:25 Weight Loss and Its Impact on Confidence 08:10 Business Impact and Daily Energy Levels 10:05 Unexpected Changes and Personal Growth 12:07 Setting Future Goals and Maintaining Consistency 14:10 Encouragement for Others to Invest in Health 15:44 Conclusion and Final Thoughts   Perfect for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and anyone looking to scale their business through social media. Click the link below and learn how Jesse and his team can help you achieve similar transformative results. To find out more about the VIP weight loss system email me directly or reach out on socila media. Learn more about Jesse though the following links:   VIP WEIGHT LOSS SYSTEM HBL Lifestyle Secrets Group on Facebook Personal Website HBL Website Instagram Email  

On this episode of RHOC, the ladies head to Amsterdam, Heather reminisces about her father, Emily keeps trolling Shannon and more!Follow me on social media, find links to merch, Patreon and more here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Moylan, author of The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives, joins Kate for the latest on Real Housewives on Bravo including the Osefo arrests in Potomac, Julia and Adriana's affair in Miami, and the great friendship divide in Orange County. Reality Life with Kate Casey What to Watch List: https://katecasey.substack.com Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/katecasey Twitter: https://twitter.com/katecasey Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katecaseyca Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itskatecasey?lang=en Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113157919338245 Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/shop/katecasey Like it to Know It: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/katecaseySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.