My Word with Douglas E. Welch

In the US, mascots are used to pump up crowds at sporting events, or for traumatizing generations of children at Chuck E. Cheese, but in Japan it’s different. There are mascots for towns, aquariums, dentists’ offices, even prisons. There are mascots in cities that tell people not to litter, or remind them to be quiet on the train. Everything has a mascot and anything can be a mascot. The reason why mascots and character culture flourish in Japan is connected with the nation’s fascinating history with mythical monsters known as Yokai.

Singing with others is a powerful form of expression. That’s why the composer Eric Whitacre started the Virtual Choir; an experiment that connects singers from every corner of the globe. In this episode, we hear how a choir can unite people from different backgrounds to achieve a common goal – creating beautiful music.

I am the technical producer on this podcast which is hosted by my wife, Dr. Rosanne Welch! A true family project! — Douglas

The Mentoris Project Podcast: Fermi’s Gifts with Author, Kate Fuglei

Hosted by Dr. Rosanne Welch

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Today’s guest is Kate Fuglei, author of Fermi’s Gifts: A Novel Based on the life of Enrico Fermi. Fermi is known as the “architect of the nuclear age” and for his work on the Manhattan Project during World War II. 

About the Author

An actress, singer, and writer, Fuglei created a one-woman show, Rachel Calof,  based on the memoir of a Jewish homesteader, and has performed it around America. It won Best Musical at the 2015 United Solo Festival in New York City. Fuglei has appeared in more than forty roles in episodic television and film, and she was in the First National Broadway tour of Spring Awakening

Based in Los Angeles, she has played leading roles in regional theaters across the country, among them Arena Stage, the Public Theater in NYC, and the La Jolla Playhouse. Two of her short stories appear as part of Sister Writereaters, a book of essays about motherhood and food. katefuglei.com

Fuglei is the author of two Mentoris Project books: Fermi’s Gifts: A Novel Based on the Life of Enrico Fermi and The Soul of a Child: A Novel Based on the Life of Maria Montessori.

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Visit the Mentoris Project for more!

Also from the Mentoris Project

Want to use these books in your classroom? Contact the Mentoris Project!`

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A short timelapse in the Getty Center Garden while visiting with our family from Sicily.

Part of the “A Minute in Los Angeles” Series

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Learn more about Los Angeles with these books

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* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
† Books available at the LA Public Library

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A penguin encounter with Cito, a Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) at the Santa Barbara Zoo. I was attending the Island Fox Conservation Working Group Conference at the zoo and these keepers gave us a special treat by bringing Cito out for some interaction and an informative talk. It was great to be so “up-close and personal” with such an amazing animal.

Learn more about penguins with these books

††

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
† Available from the LA Public Library

Our friends, Keri Dearborn and Michael Lawshe just released their annual Halloween show, Ghosts of the Internet.

This year it is a live recording of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, adapted by Keri Dearborn.

If you listen, you might hear 2 familiar voices among the cast (wink, wink)

Listen to Ghosts of the Internet 11: Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

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Read the original story

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!

Also available in many versions from the LA Public LIbrary 

How you move your camera colors and changes the meaning and emotion of the scene. Are you doing it on purpose or giving your audience accidental misdirection to how they should feel. — Douglas

Watch YouTube: Meaning Behind Camera Movement

I liked this video and think you might find it interesting, too!

An interesting bit of software for those of us who produce our own videos without the benefits of a a large crew and a lot of money. Adding the voice recognition piece to the standard teleprompter could be a winning combination for this software. — Douglas

Watch YouTube: PromptSmart – Intelligent Teleprompter for your iPhone and iPad

Teleprompters help you stay on script and produce great, value-packed content. Try PrompSmart, the smart prompt app you can use from your phone or tablet. It works on any mobile device and integrates with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box. Make better, value-packed video with a little help from PromptSmart.

I liked this video and think you might find it interesting, too!

Watch YouTube: Portable Audio Recorders for Filmmakers

I liked this video and think you might find it interesting, too!