Kristofer McNeeley – Executive producer and writer – “Great Plains”

Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, ,

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K McNeeley - squareEpisode 30

Bonus episode from the deadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City
In the film Great Plains, an abused mother and son go on the run to escape her current husband’s abuse. There is a particular power in this drama which also includes humor. It’s because the idea for the movie has its seeds in Kristofer’s own childhood. Recorded during deadCENTER, I visit with him about the dynamic of making an entertaining movie that was so close to his own experience.

Ben Hedin – writer, film producer – “Two Trains Runnin'”

Oklahoma City, ,

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Ben Hedin - 1 - squareEpisode 29

This episode is from the deadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City. 
The full-length documentary Two Trains Runnin’ is taken from over 125 hours of source film, audio, and animation. Ben wrote the script, and then was the producer on the film. It was shown on the first night of deadCENTER Film Festival.

Ornella Gashumba – Child of Rwanda, OKC entrepreneur

Oklahoma City,

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Ornella Gashumba - smilling - squareEpisode 28

When Ornella’s father was killed in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, her extended family took on the responsility of raising her. Now a new college graduate of Okla. Christian University, she is positive and ready to develop an import/export business.

Ed Shadid – OKC Council Member

Oklahoma City,

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Shadid - squareEpisode 27

First Elected to his Ward 2 Oklahoma City Council seat in 2011, Dr. Ed Shadid has been a proponent of open government and citizen engagement. Here he talks about the critical intersection that the people of Oklahoma City are in as we enter summer with a presidential election in November.

Courtney Martin – Community Catalyst

Oklahoma City, Uncategorized,

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Courtney Martin - sq - websiteEpisode 26

It was hardly a thought process for Courtney. She came home to help with the family business when one of her parents was ill. And now she has become a part of their business. She also is a catalyst for starting Debate Night OKC for black young adults in Oklahoma City.

Laura Massenat – Midtown Entrepreneur

Oklahoma City,

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Laura M - squareEpisode 25

For Laura Massenat, life is a flow of seeing opportunities and saying “yes.” She co-owns the ever-popular Elemental Coffee in Midtown. She just completed a four year term on the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board. She was one of the founders of the popular H&8th Monthly Food truck festival. Among her many decisions, she tells about one in particular, though, that set the course for the rest of her life.

Julia Kirt – Advocate for the Arts

Oklahoma,

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Julia Kirt - squareEpisode 24

Sometimes the decisions we make just don’t seem that important at the time, but then later we realize that they were. That was the case with Julia Kirt’s “temporary” stay in Oklahoma that placed her in a key position to develop support for the arts at a critical time of state budget failures.

Erin Cooper – Designer, Muralist

Oklahoma City,

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IMG_4475 - squareEpisode 23

The public knows Erin Cooper as one of the artists who produced a large mural on Western at NW 37th Street. But business owners also know her and her husband as Cooper House Creative, a web design company. Erin’s most important decision came in her teenage years.

Daniel Wade – Hope-filled engineer, inventor

Oklahoma City,

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Daniel Wade - squareEpisode 22

His journey as an engineer and bold inventor today began with Daniel’s basic decision of philosophy when he was much younger. It led him to a an unexpectedly fulfilling life today that could help save the environment and us.

Mickey Dollens – Teacher Turned Candidate

Oklahoma, Oklahoma City

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IMG_4454 - sqEpisode 21

Even before he found out that his job had been cut for next year, OkC Public Schools high school teacher Mickey Dollens had started knocking doors in House District 93 to run for that seat. Now, he is even more motivated to get into Oklahoma’s highly-dysfunctional legislature to make a difference.

Bob Blackburn – Oklahoma’s Historian

Oklahoma,

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Blackburn - IMG_4440 - sqEpisode 20

Who keeps track of Oklahoma’s history? It’s Dr. Bob Blackburn, Executive Director of one of the three oldest state agencies in Oklahoma government. The Oklahoma Historical Society presides over a full range of programs and runs the Oklahoma History Center, a hub of activity and one of the architectural jewels of the Capitol grounds.

Brian Bergman – The H&8th Guy

Oklahoma City,

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Brian Bergman -21-sqEpisode 19

In an earlier interview Brian did such a good job of reflecting on H&8th Night Market’s successful run until it ended, we decided to cut those out and make a separate episode. These are especially poignant now that the H&8th idea is being blended into a new event: TenaCity.

Elizabeth Ramirez – Marketing Connection to Hispanic culture

Oklahoma City, , ,

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Liz RamirezEpisode 18

Maybe once upon a time in Oklahoma City advertisers could use poorly-translated commercials directed at Hispanics. But not any more.

Liz grew up in the big middle of the heavily Hispanic culture of the south side of the city. Now she helps market goods in an authentic, effective way to that population. How did she decide to take the risk of leaving a secure job to launch her own marketing enterprise?

Judith Huerta – Hispanic Community Advocate

Oklahoma City,

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Judith Huerta -3-sqEpisode 17

It takes unique people to connect two cultures with two languages. Judith Huerta is such a person.

She does that working for Oklahoma City Public Schools and volunteering for several advocacy organizations in OKC and nation-wide.

In this episode we hear about Judith’s most important decision that brought her to a life of advocacy and activism.

Andrew Gipson – Game Ringmaster

Oklahoma City, ,

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Andrew Gipson SquareEpisode 16

Live action gaming of the sort that involves groups working together to solve a puzzle has been gaining in popularity over the last several years. And Andrew Gipson’s own development of that type of game is based upon a group escaping from a locked room using props and a series of clues in a limited length of time.  It has become increasingly more popular in Oklahoma, so much so that now there are several locations throughout the state.

When I ask Andrew about the most important decision that he has made, the answer leads to an interesting set of revelations about how that decision has informed his success in this business so far.

Camal Pennington – Community Organizer – Candidate

Oklahoma City, ,

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Camal P - sq - 0302161146_HDREpisode 15

Camal Pennington is knocking a lot of doors lately. It’s because he is running in a primary race within the Democratic Party for the Oklahoma House District 97 seat on the east side of Oklahoma City. And he is running against another native of the east side who also has deep roots, and is well-known in the community.

In this episode, he closes out a long day of first working for the American Federation of Teachers as a field rep, and then knocking doors in the evening until it was dark. We talk about a key decision that could have thrown him into deep ruin, but instead became the foundation for most of his accomplishments today.

Sheri Guyse – Life Coach

Oklahoma City

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Sheri Guyse for Intersections - squareEpisode 14

After going through several crises, and now raising two children, Sheri has experience and wisdom that she wants to share with others. And so, she is a life coach.

In this episode we explore what she considers to be the most important decision she ever made. It seems to have led her through many turns to her career now as a multi-faceted life coach, helping people with a multitude of their own intersections.

Brian Bergman – Organizer, Thinker, Dad

Oklahoma City

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2016-02-18 11.50.35 (2)Episode 13

The first time I met Brian I had the impression that he could make just about anything happen. So it was no surprise when I later found out that he was the one heading up what seemed in my imagination to be one of the hardest organizing tasks around.

But in this episode we find that there is far more to Brian than someone who organizes festivals and events. We will hear a little about what his company does, and a lot more about his life as a fully engaged dad to two young boys.

We will also hear some of his philosophy of that drives the whys and hows of his life and work.

Jill Castilla – A Unique Journey to Bank CEO

Oklahoma City, ,

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Jill CastillaEpisode 12

Starting her banking career in 1998 is where Jill Castilla started on the intense journey to eventually becoming the CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond.

Engaging in a laborious turnaround process for Citizens Bank of Edmond a few years ago and succeeding involved a host of daily decisions. No doubt many were critical and had much to do with the eventual recovery of the bank. What could have been a bank failure, is a success today. Continue reading Jill Castilla – A Unique Journey to Bank CEO →

Richard McKown – Developer

Oklahoma City, ,

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the plowEpisode 11

In the last episode, part 1 of this interview, we explored the creative art of Richard McKown and what kinds of concepts and processes went into that.

This episode is the other part of that conversation where I asked Richard to talk about his concepts of using art as a part of the public designs of his housing projects. Continue reading Richard McKown – Developer →

Richard McKown – Artist

Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, ,

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Episode 10McKown, art

Richard McKown is known for his involvement in prominent housing, and now office development, projects around the Oklahoma City Metro area.

But less known are his talents as an artist. Continue reading Richard McKown – Artist →

Tierney Tinnin – Advocate for Oklahoma City Public Schools

Oklahoma City, ,

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Tierney Tinnin photo providedEpisode 9

I first met Tierney Tinnin when I started covering the OKCPS Board of Education beat for Red Dirt Report.

Even though I knew her TV news work from living in the OKC market most of my life, I had never actually met her in person or had an opportunity to watch her work as a public relations professional in the role of Director of Media Relations for the district. Continue reading Tierney Tinnin – Advocate for Oklahoma City Public Schools →

Paula Sophia – Identity and Community Policing

Oklahoma City, ,

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Paula Sophia Photo by Brett DickersonEpisode 8

I first met Paula Sophia when she was a police officer riding a bike patrol in the Bricktown entertainment district in downtown Oklahoma City.

She and her partner frequented the same coffee shop that I did where she was engaging and friendly to anyone she met. The close contact of a bike patrol suited her style of policing very well. Continue reading Paula Sophia – Identity and Community Policing →

Veronica Laizure – Civil Rights Attorney

Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, ,

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Veronica Laizure Photo by Sarah Hussain, courtesy of Red Dirt ReportEpisode 7

Veronica Laizure is a busy person these days.

With the recent inflammatory Republican presidential candidate remarks flying, Veronica finds herself battling Islamophobia and hate speech on a daily basis.

She is an attorney, and the Civil Rights Director for CAIR-OK, or, the Council on American Islamic Relations, Oklahoma Chapter. Continue reading Veronica Laizure – Civil Rights Attorney →

Ryan Kiesel – Champion of Liberty, Lightning Rod

Oklahoma, , ,

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Ryan KieselEpisode 6

Ryan Kiesel ran for, and won a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2004 while he was still in law school. His life hasn’t slowed down since.

He completed law school, and went on to serve three terms in the Oklahoma Legislature.

He is now the Director of the American Civil Liberties Union – Oklahoma, an organization that is well-known in Oklahoma for championing causes that put the organization and Ryan, its public face, at odds with the prevailing conservative culture of Oklahoma. Continue reading Ryan Kiesel – Champion of Liberty, Lightning Rod →

Joe Dorman – Public Servant to Oklahoma

Oklahoma, , , ,

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Joe DormanEpisode 5

Joe Dorman is best known as the candidate for governor in 2014 challenging the incumbent, Governor Mary Fallin.

Although many counted out his run as foolhardy against a Republican sitting governor in the reddest of states, he ran neck and neck in polling in the summer leading up to the election and made a strong showing in the election results. Continue reading Joe Dorman – Public Servant to Oklahoma →

Angela Clark Little – Education Activist

Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, , ,

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Angela Clark LittleEpisode 4

Angela Clark Little is an unlikely, but high-profile education activist in Oklahoma.

She has started numerous Facebook groups for that cause. One of them, Oklahoma Parents and Educators for Public Education, has over 5,100 members now and is growing daily. Continue reading Angela Clark Little – Education Activist →

Jonathan Dodson – Community Developer

Oklahoma City, , ,

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Jonathan DodsonEpisode 3

Jonathan Dodson’s comments in this interview cover the many intersections that he has encountered in his adult life, many of them as he engaged in community development in Oklahoma City where he and his wife are raising a family.

Continue reading Jonathan Dodson – Community Developer →

Cyndi Munson – New Oklahoma Representative

Oklahoma City, , ,

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Episode 2Cyndi Munson

This interview reveals some of the deeper personal aspects of Cyndi Munson and her life that will help you understand how it came about that she won the recent special election for Oklahoma House District 85.

Continue reading Cyndi Munson – New Oklahoma Representative →

Sandino Thompson – Son of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, , ,

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Sandino ThompsonEpisode 1

Sandino Thompson has become better known to a wider public in Oklahoma City recently as one of the voices for a new concept for redevelopment with a “MAPS 4”. His passion for this new intersection in the life of OKC comes from the many important intersections in his own life, many of which happened right in this city.

Continue reading Sandino Thompson – Son of Oklahoma City →