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Submitted by Douglas Newsom on 19 April 2021

Headlined Guests

Guest Occupation: Host of the Super Power KidsTM podcast
Guest Biography:

Neva Lee Recla

Founder: Super Power KidsTM
Unique Super Power:
True-Self Identity

Neva Lee Recla is on a mission to inspire 1 million kids to start businesses. In February 2012, Neva Lee Recla got her first business cards…at age 2. She attended CEO Space International Business Conference 312 and never looked back. Through many different business ventures, she’s well-versed in entrepreneurship.  One of her career highlights was meeting Bob Proctor and doing a video about his Stick Person Theory.

As the host of the Super Power KidsTM podcast, Neva shares her techniques of hugging her gremlins, moving energy, healing with sound through mermaid singing, crystal reiki  and embracing the power to be who you are. Her goal is to inspire all kids and adults to be themselves. She believes all kids have super powers and they can change the world. 

Guest Category: Arts, Business, Games & Hobbies, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Physics & Metaphysics, Psychology, Self Help, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Musician
Guest Biography:

JARANEH NOVA

The drum beat steadily builds as the native flute rises to the heavens.  Then the voice, ancient and warm begins to weave sound and story and song.  The audience enters the trance and begins to connect to their deepest transcendant knowingness.  The ceremony has begun as the ship lifts up taking us home to our place in the stars.

Jaraneh Nova is a pioneer of song and sound.  Effortless weaving her original music and native heritage into medicine stories that heal and transform.  Her lyrics are powerfully born from prayerful states and channeled from her ancestral helpers.  

Her live show is a beautiful tapestry woven with live loops of ambient sounds, native flutes, guitars and vocals.

This is transcendence.  This is a musical spiritual quest and homecoming for us all.

Festival audiences at Lucidity, Coachella, Cosmic Carnival, Love Fest, Inlakesh and more, lovingly join in the trance and native ambient folk-tronic experience.

Small venues fill up with beautiful vibes and ancestral energies when she brings her musical offerings.

Jaraneh Nova is a life long musician with her roots in Opera and Jazz.  Her first band, Blues Crusher was a successful experiment in psychelic blues that culminated in opening festivals for Run-DMC.  Her next project, Big Bone Lick (named after the famous Mammoth burial site in Kentucky) created a fresh Tribal-tronic sound and resulted in the cult classic “Out of Extinction”.  After a foray into writing devotional music for the spiritual teacher, Mother Rytasha and the Religion of love, she began her solo project: Red Road Medicine Show, an evening of live-looping and indigenous wisdom teachings.  She is currently working on her most amazing release to date: Emergence. Please visit her Patreon page to join her growing tribe and to support her in raising funds to record this seminal release in 2020.

Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, Music
Guest Occupation: licensed medical provider, best-selling author, thought leader, visionary, voice of love, humanitarian, and transformation facilitator
Guest Biography:

JELENA PETKOVIC

Meet Jelena Petkovic PAC MMS, a modern day medicine woman and your go-to expert on healing that is rooted from the heart, that honors the soul, and that expands into all life.

Jelena is a 14 year- licensed medical provider, best-selling author, thought leader, visionary, voice of love, humanitarian, and transformation facilitator. Jelena’s gifts to the world include integrating the best techniques from the east and west to provide you with the most loving, nourishing, and rejuvenating practices to restore your vibrancy and help you move towards a life of more ease and bliss. She supports you by helping you connect with your true nature, the pure love that you are.

Jelena is not just a medical professional but a devoted spiritual teacher and practitioner of the shamanic arts.  If you have been searching for someone to guide you, your families, and your communities to the medicines that heal from the heart and soul, you have found her.

How to work with Jelena?

  • Join her at her Heart and Soul medicine events.
  • Invite her to speak or facilitate a workshop at your next event
  • Request to join The Women For Peace global assemblies an attendee, speaker or benefactor. 
  • Empower yourself with the practice of meditation at her Elevate to Meditate workshops at Modern Om
  • Medical Providers can attend her life changing Mindful Medicine Experience.
  • Sign up to work with her as a private medical/wellness client.

Anyone who wants to achieve inner peace, flourish in there lives and be the source of change for all they love can! Jelena Petkovic PAC MMS will support and guide you to rediscover you own healing and inspirational power.

Jelena’s life mission is to live in a world that does not need protecting; to inspire and masses with healing tools and spiritual guidelines.

Guest Category: Earth & Space, Health & Lifestyle, Alternative Health, Kids & Family, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Society and Culture, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Author, Motivational speaker, TV and Film producer, director, and Life Mentor
Guest Biography:

JAMES SWEIGERT

James Sweigert is not only an author and motivational speaker, he’s a successful executive producer and director for film and television. Over the past 25 years he has built, run, and sold several multimillion-dollar, award-winning production companies. During the same time, he mentored and coached celebrities, rockstars, and movie executives. The successes in his life were hard-fought; nothing came easy until he changed his story. 

The youngest of seven, James struggled to be seen and stay safe. He began to be molested at the age of 7. To cope with the chaos and abuse he turned to drugs and alcohol, which led to severe depression and a suicide attempt at the age of 25. This self-destructive pattern continued until he changed his story – and his life. 

James has not only survived addiction, depression, homelessness, suicide, and molestation, he has triumphed. He is a storyteller who was able to understand that how he was telling his own story and the power behind his words could shape his life. He is teaching others the same through his work as a mentor, motivational speaker and “Life Cheerleader.” 

James currently lives in Beverly Hills, California with a loving partner, a close community, and an incredible dog, with the ultimate purpose to help others change their stories to transform their lives.

Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Inspirational, Motivational
Guest Occupation: Violinist
Guest Biography:

DAVE KIM

DAVE KIM is an international electric violinist and DJ. He started studying classical piano and violin at the age of four. He was the concert master of his high school orchestra and competed in state solo competitions in Nevada. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from Reno/Tahoe during the dot com boom and started collaborating with singer/song writer Chris Clouse at a sushi joint in the Marina District called MasSake. He joined Clouse’s band with Whitesnake bassist Uriah Duffy, drummer Brandon Davis and guitarist Jesse Brewster. They frequented local Bay Area bars such as the Red Devil Lounge, Slims, Bimbos, Tongue and Groove, Sweetwater, American Music Hall, The Viper Room in Los Angeles and the Bitter End in New York.

Their first big break was opening for Hootie and The Blowfish at the State Theater in Modesto where they released the album Trace Elements. They also shared the stage with Dishwalla, Marcy Playground, Everclear and Third Eye Blind. They began to collaborate with Bay Area legend DJ Solomon, Dave’s DJ mentor,and took their live act into all of the biggest dance clubs from San Francisco to Las Vegas which landed a them a gig with DJ AM & Travis Barker of Blink 182 at Mezzanine. Dave began his solo career collaborating with Bay Area DJ’s such as Donovan, Hector Garza, Ean Golden, David Carvalho, Zhaldee, E-Rock, Trevor Simpson, and Whitenoize. He has also shared the stage with international DJ’s such as Kaskade, Mark Farina, DJ Dan, Diplo, Double Touch (All Day I Dream), and Steve Aoki.

Dave’s expertise is performing in destination weddings and corporate events globally. He has been invited to perform on Necker Island three times for Sir Richard Branson with John Dill, Alex Cruz, and Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys. He has also performed on the Oprah Network, TEDxSF, Summit Series DC10 with Bill Clinton and John Legend, Hive Global Leaders Summit with Marianne Williamson and won an award with professional figure skater Ashley Clark at the US Open of Professional Figure Skating Championships. In 2019 Dave performed on the main stage at the BottleRock music festival with Michael Franti. Dave shares his time between San Francisco and Orange County raising his two sons Christian and Brandon.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Entertainment, Music
Guest Occupation: Multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter-author
Guest Biography:

D   A   V   E

P   E   G   G

LEGENDARY PROGRESSIVE ROCK BASSIST-SINGER-SONGWRITER

with J E T H R O   T U L L

and FAIRPORT CONVENTION

EXCLUSIVE ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS W/RAY SHASHO

 

Dave Pegg was born on 2 November 1947 and brought up in Acocks Green, Birmingham. He joined Fairport Convention in 1969.
As a teenager, Dave became involved in Birmingham's vibrant 60s rock scene. He soon found himself playing guitar most evenings with one or other of the city's young bands. Later, Dave auditioned as a lead guitarist with The Uglys but was persuaded to swap to bass guitar and has played the instrument ever since.
After a spell with The Uglys, Dave joined the Ian Campbell Folk Group on double bass and met fiddle maestro Dave Swarbrick by whom he was introduced to Fairport Convention. He joined them and has been in the band ever since.
In 1980, he joined Jethro Tull as bass player and spent 15 years with the band. As if playing in two bands was not enough, he set up Woodworm Records to produce and market Fairport's albums. He also recorded a solo album.
Dave has also co-organized Fairport's Cropredy festival since the early 1980s. From small beginnings, it has grown into a major event that attracts 20,000 fans each August.
As well as recording and touring with Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull, Dave is much in demand as a session player and has contributed bass to innumerable recordings. He is also an accomplished mandolin player.

 

Purchase Off the Peg | bespoke memoirs of a bass player

The Autobiography by Dave Pegg & Nigel Schofield

at amazon

Dave Pegg (or Peggy as he is known to friends and fans worldwide) is almost as admired as a teller of tales as he is as a bass player: and as a bass player, he is held in awe by friends, fans and fellow musicians. For years people have been saying he should turn his tales into a permanent record. “Write a book, Peggy”, they yelled. Now (with a little help from his friend and Fairport biographer Nigel Schofield) he finally has. In his own words it’s all here: the thriving Brum music scene of the sixties; trad folk with The Campbells; Fairport, Tull, the Dylan Project; countless sessions; gigs from front rooms to the world’s most celebrated stages; running his own recording studio and record label; homes from Sutton to Little Hadham to rural Oxfordshire to even more rural Brittany; an annual gathering that began as a village fete, became a reunion and is now one of the world’s most respected festivals. There’s also friends and fellow musicians, including some of the biggest names in the music business (Off the Pegg features a detailed and complete index so you can find them easily!)​

 

For more information about Dave Pegg…

Fairport Convention … or Jethro Tull

visit …

https://www.fairportconvention.com/  Fairport Convention

http://jethrotull.com/  Jethro Tull

Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, History, Music, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Founder TeamSafe®Sports, 2-Time Tactical Strength Challenge Master's Champ, Texas Deadlift Master's M2 Record Holder
Guest Biography:

Dr. Steven Horwitz is a Chiropractic Physician & Founder of  Team Safe Sports, a Youth Sports Safety Platform. He is a graduate of both Cornell University and the National College of Chiropractic. He is certified as a Chiropractic Sports Physician and Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Dr. Horwitz was selected by the United States Olympic Committee as the sole chiropractor for the 1996 United States Olympic Team and has traveled internationally with U.S.A. Track and Field. He is the chairman of the USA Track and Field Potomac Valley Sports Medicine Committee and the Maryland Chiropractic Association Sports Council.

Guest Category: Games & Hobbies, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Self Help, Sports & Recreation, Variety
Guest Occupation: CEO & Founder UK Health Radio Network
Guest Biography:

Johann Ilgenfritz attained his Master in Photography in Germany, working successfully as a Fashion Photographer for almost 20 years in Hamburg and London. His life changed drastically in 2011 when he had a heart attack and six month later was diagnosed with cancer. After unsuccessful radioTherapy he was left to find other survival options which he did. During his search for a cure he turned to the internet, soon realizing that there was no one central point where you could turn or get heath information, regardless of what your health issue are. He decided on creating just such a platform and six weeks later, launched the beta version of UK Health Radio, still fighting cancer at the time. Through Nutritional and Lifestyle changes he finally beat cancer and since then has been named “The Curator of Health Expertise” by the press. His mantra is “Good health is a choice”! He went from believing that cancer was the cause of his illness to realising that cancer was only a symptom of an already sick body. He knew if he could change the cause he would change the effect. Through his vision, UK Health Radio (www.ukhealthradio.com) has attained a very clear purpose, this is to inform and animate people to take responsibility for their own health. This does not mean taking your health into your own hands, but to be part of the process of attaining and/or keeping your health freedom. It is all about being informed, being empowered and being healthy! UK Health Radio has the most in-depth information on the widest range of health and wellness topics - available anywhere today. All aspects of health and wellness, fitness, diet and nutrition, illness prevention and environment issues, but with the main focus on prevention rather than cure. UK Health Radio presents it's information through 28 presenters, doing 29 shows that air 24/7, with 350 000 and growing, very dedicated listeners. There is a Listen on Demand section, the enormously popular digital monthly health & wellness magazine called Health Triangle Magazine. The latest edition to the UK Health Radio website is called Wiki Health which is exactly what the name says it is, a wikipedia for health.

Johann won the 'Inspiration - Holistic Therapist Business Awards' 2017 and 2019 he won the 'The Best You Awards' - in the category Best Up-And-Coming Inspirational Influencer.

 

Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Self Help, Sports & Recreation, Variety
Guest Occupation: nurse practitioner
Guest Biography:

Kristi Cronin is a nurse practitioner experienced in primary care and cardiology. She has over eleven years of nursing experience, six have been as a nurse practitioner. She is the author of several publications in the Nurse Practitioner Journal. She is wife and mom to two children, currently living in Tampa, FL. Her first non fiction book Black Balloons is scheduled to release in January 2020. 

Guest Category: Health & Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology, Self Help
Guest Occupation: Corin Grillo is a licensed psychotherapist, author, speaker, healer, teacher, and founder of the Angel Alchemy Academy.
Guest Biography:
Do you know what the connection is between nature and the angels?  Do you know how to invoke the help of an angel and specifically which angel to ask for your need? My guest is Corin Grillo who is the author of The Angel Experiment and founder of the Angel Alchemy Academy. A trained psychotherapist, angel channel, healer, and teacher, Corin has helped thousands of people all over the world go from angel-curious to angel-powered. She lives in Northern California and has dedicated her life to sharing the transformational gifts she received while learning to work with the angels.
Guest Category: Arts, Entertainment, Health & Lifestyle, Paranormal, Physics & Metaphysics, Psychology, Religion, Self Help, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Joseph R. Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC Joe Sanok is a private practice business consultant and counselor that helps small businesses and counselors in private practice that are starting a private practice. He helps owners with website design, vision & growth.
Guest Biography:

Ever wonder how to slow down so you can spark innovation?  Do you know how to build your consulting business solely from speaking gigs? My guest is JOE SANOK who is a speaker, mental health counselor, business consultant, and podcaster. Joe has the #1 podcast for counselors, The Practice of the Practice Podcast and is a rising star in the speaking world!  Joe is a writer for PsychCentral, has been featured on the Huffington Post, Forbes, GOOD Magazine, Reader's Digest, Bustle, and Yahoo News. He is a keynote speaker, author of five books, and is a top-consultant.

Guest Category: Business, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Medicine, News, Psychology, Self Help, Society and Culture, Technology
Guest Occupation: Consultant, educator, entrepreneur, and strategic adviser
Guest Biography:

TOM EDDINGTON

Tom Eddington has worked three decades in business as a consultant, educator, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor. He is a student and teacher of board, leadership, and organization effectiveness – focusing on how they grow, achieve, and sustain effectiveness while remaining stewards for their stakeholders.

Tom has lived, worked, and studied on six continents, working with leaders across all industry sectors and organization stages of development. As a student, mentor, coach, and advisor, he has focused on the area of consciousness and conscious leadership over the past two decades.

A pragmatic optimist who’s driven by intellectual curiosity, Tom has sought out opportunities to teach and work in the private, public, academic, and non-profit sectors. He has worked with industry leaders and most-admired organizations including HP, W.L. Gore, MBNA Corporation, Royal Dutch/Shell and Taproot Foundation.

He holds B.A. degrees in Business and Psychology and an M.S. degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.

He has worked with board members and senior executives at hundreds of organizations. In addition, he has been an adjunct professor in the City University (London) M.B.A. program.

Tom has founded and co-founded four organizations including FutureShapers, My Broker Donates, and Eddington Advisory Services.

Guest Category: Business, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Philosophy, Psychology, Personal Development, Self Help, Inspirational, Motivational
Guest Occupation: Musicians
Guest Biography:

PAUL MCCARTY and MARINA GUTMAN as NON DUO

Paul McCarty + Marina Gutman = Non Duo

Non Duo = Not Two… We are one.

Paul is from New Orleans (the swamp of the south) and Marina is from Moldova (the swamp of Europe). Their musical influences — gypsy/russian and cajun/rock — mix into an eclectic stew of styles. Their life stories and world views mix into a wild, poetic, non-dualistic brew of lyrics. Genres vary from bluegrass to ballads to folk to rock to who-knows-what-that-is. But always a different and memorable melody with haunting vocal harmonies. Cliches are shunned. Each song allowed to explore its own world.

Paul McCarty sings and plays guitar and harmonica. He was raised in a musical family in New Orleans. Son of a composer/music professor and a singer/voice teacher, he became a music composition major at Loyola University of New Orleans and has written some scores for independent films and other productions.More recently, Paul was frontman and the main songwriter for Wicked Saints, which recorded two albums, played around Los Angeles and toured some up the West Coast.

Marina Gutman is a singer and novelist, who writes her own songs.  Her musical education and aspirations came from her grandmother. She was born and raised in Moldova, a small eastern European country, and came to America at the age of eleven.Though her creative endeavors are influenced by her eastern European roots and American upbringing, she attributes her creativity to the Source of all creativity, and lives the philosophy of the beloved teacher Eckhart Tolle: “I am awareness, disguised as a person.” 

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Entertainment, Music
Guest Occupation: Happy Science Head Minister, Producer and Vice President of HS Productions
Guest Biography:

YOICHI UTEBI

Yoichi Utebi, Happy Science Head Minister, Producer and Vice President of HS Productions

Born in Japan in 1968, Yoichi Utebi grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and New York City. Raised in a rare Japanese Christian family, he was deeply touched by Muslim culture and the beauty of Lebanon during his formative years in Beirut. However, the Middle East also exposed Utebi to the horrors of war, as he and his family dodged bullets and bombings before fleeing to New York, leaving everything behind in a sudden evacuation.  The next 10 years in New York exposed Utebi to friends from multiple cultures and ethnicities. His rock band produced a popular album and gained quite a following in the city before Utebi decided to forego his musical pursuits and return to Japan.

After 12 years of experience in marketing and senior management at various American IT companies in Japan, Utebi joined Happy Science in 2010, where he quickly rose to Director of International Communications. In 2015, he was appointed Head Minister of Hawaii, and in 2018 he led the temples in Okinawa. Utebi is currently leading Happy Science’s International Media Division and is the Vice President of HS Productions and producer of “Immortal Hero.”

ABOUT IMMORTAL HERO

Makoto Mioya, a highly successful Japanese author and publisher, has a life-threatening, near-death experience. Powerful spiritual beings with whom he has communicated most of his adult life visit Makoto to remind him he has the power within to heal himself. Reborn, Makoto commits his life to sharing the almighty wisdom he receives from the spiritual realm. As doubters, including some of his own family, challenge and question his new-found ardor, Makoto must find a way to connect with his family and the ‘family of man’ to inspire a better world.

Guest Category: Literature, Business, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Society and Culture, Spiritual
Guest Occupation: Singer and Songwriter
Guest Biography:

RASPIN STUWART

Singer/songwriter/song stylist Raspin Stuwart’s life and career can best be described as a Tale of Two Cities – Chicago and Los Angeles, that is! However, these two cities are just starting points for a performer with truly universal appeal..

A singer who sings to your soul…

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Raspin was surrounded by the influences of the blues and jazz music greats of the era, as well as the popularity of the singer-songwriter music genre of the 1970s that begat one-of-a-kind talents such as Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen and Cat Stevens. His music is equally informed by the entirety of his adult life in Los Angeles, measured by his professional successes over the decades since arriving in the City of Angels to seek his fame and fortune at the tender age of 17. Like the music heroes who today remain relevant, serious music lovers of all ages relate to Raspin’s performances, his complex and intriguing lyrics, and inspired covers of classics.

Raspin’s emotional vocals, striking lyrics impact brightly on the listener, a stark contrast to his hypnotic melodic background. As evidenced on his new CD, NY2LA , his eclectic mix of theatrical, captivating and soulful music provides the perfect follow-up to his critically acclaimed, Starbucks-endorsed CD, We Do What We Do. Tracks on his NY2LA include a reggae version of “Smoke the Hookah,” the jazzish “New York 2 L.A.,” “Love Along the Way” (a unique pop hybrid rooted in the 1960s), the soulful, down-home warmth blues of “Mama’s Got the Blues,”.

Keeping Raspin in demand after long ago establishing himself in the music world is the fact that he remains the newest and freshest “veteran” musician, singer, songwriter and song stylist working today. His appearances at NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) in recent years, as well as his inclusion in the stellar lineup for Southern California’s Make Music Pasadena concert at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena, underscore his continued relevance in these unpredictable times, are the latest high points

Raspin’s unique style allows him to be right at home anywhere, from the smallest, intimate theater to an energetic blues club. Raspin was the opening musical performance for author Marianne Williamson, and has been described as “a music guru… who makes us think,” by the Life Changes Network BBS. His fans are mesmerized when they attend his live shows and absorb his soulful music into their hearts and minds.

“A tremendously soulful singer and songwriter” who has been described in recent reviews as a force ‘of nature’ who is ‘in the business of show stopping,”-Paul Zollo songtalk/blueline

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Entertainment, Music
Guest Occupation: Founder of Experience 360°, Immersive Content, Film production
Guest Biography:

RYAN MOORE

Producer Ryan Moore is the founder of Experience 360°, a Burbank-based Virtual Experience Design Studio that has been creating branded and narrative immersive content since 2015.

In the spring of 2017, the company produced its first feature Speed Kills VR with John Travolta and TopDog VR.

Mr. Moore’s career within film production experience includes experimental branded content (Disney, Toyota, GoPro), TV commercials (Pepsi, Jack In The Box), music festival coverage (Fuse Media), and Reality TV (Bachelor/Bachelorette).

DTLA FILM FESTIVAL DOME SERIES – OCT 23-27, 2019

“Someday, in the not too distant future you’ll be able to go to a movie and the movie will be all around you. The movie will be over your head, it will be 360 degrees around you.”

– Steven Spielberg, TIME Magazine in 2006

Predicted 13 years ago by Steven Spielberg, we know what the next ‘Big Thing’ in film presentation is: Dome Films. Using 360-degree camera popularized by VR and AR productions, dome filmmakers create a unique, immersive experience by screening the films in specially built dome theaters (not unlike planetarium theaters that can be found in observatories around the world).

In the DTLA Film Festival’s Dome Film Series — the first-ever in Los Angeles — we’ve selected the best films across the globe with a focus on narrative storytelling. Co-Presented by Vortex Immersion Media, the series includes several Dome Film World Premieres of narrative features from internationally known filmmakers including Randal Kleiser, Lena Herzog, Robot Koch, Darcelle XV, James Hood, Grammy-winner Jacob Collier, as well the first feature-length dome-film documentary to be released in the U.S

All screenings will take place October 23-27th at the Vortex Dome Theater at L.A. Center Studios in DTLA and the Wisdome Immersive Art Park in DTLA’s Arts District.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Entertainment, News, Society and Culture, Technology, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Educator, Motivator, Producer of film, TV and live events, actor, and Co-Founder and Festival Director of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Film Festival.
Guest Biography:

HENRY PRIEST

Henry Priest is a Educator, Motivator, Producer of film, TV and live events, actor, and Co-Founder and Festival Director of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Film Festival.

Known for Veritas (2007) and Beyond the Mat (2013).

Having produced many film, TV and live events, Mr. Priests work has been showcased all over the world including some of the most prestigious film festivals as Festival De Cannes in France, Tribeca Film Festval in New York and AFI Fest in Los Angeles. Henry began his career in the film industry in 1989 when he was featured as an actor in Walt Disneys feature wrestling film titled Spooner, starring Robert Urich and Jane Kazmarik. The film called upon Henry’s knowledge of collegiate wrestling as he choreographed wrestling scenes for the production team.

Since then he has established himself as the go-to person to produce scenes that require Collegiate, Greco-Roman, or Freestyle wrestling. He has written, directed, choreographed, and cast wrestling scenes in international and national commercials for companies like Nike, Adidas, SBC Global and others. Henry recently served as a wrestling consultant to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). His film “Legendary,” stars WWE superstar John Cena, Oscar nominated actors Danny Glover and Particia Clarkson; Devon Gray and Tylor Posey. Early in his career Henry produced the awrd winning film titled UnderDog. The comedic wrestling film has been featured in the prestigious AFI Fest and in many festivals across the country including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

With the success of UnderDog, Henry received an award as an Outstanding Producer during the 2004 National Association of Latino Independent Producers Conference (NALIP) in February 2004. Recently, Henry Produced the wrestling Documentary titled Veritas. The story of NCAA All American wrestler John Trenge. His latest film titled American Identity received a standing ovation on closing night at Festval De Cannes in France, considered to be the most pretigious film festival in the world.

In November 2010 Mr. Priest served as executive Producer of the 44th Annual NWCA All-Star Wrestling Match. The event was broadcast in 40 million homes on the Big Ten Network in an effort to raise funds to save the Cal State Fullerton Wrestling team. Thanks to many supporters that participated in the event such as actor Billy Baldwin, UFC superstars Randy Couture, Uriah Faber, Hector Ramirez, Mark Munoz and the cast of the new wrestling movie Beyond the Mat, the event raised over $200,000 for the struggling program.

Henry also serves the industry as a film festival director of the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles. With his knowledge of film in front and behind the camera Henry serves on the Screen Actors Guild Diversity Committees, nationally and locally. He serves on the advisory board of the Silverlake Film Festival, American Latino Film Festival and Skid Row Films. He is also the executive producer of National High School Coaches Associations Productions. Mr. Priest is an advocate for the arts. He is has been a guest speaker and panelist at events hosted by the Screen Actors Guild, Showbiz Expo Los Angeles, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and many other industry organizations.

He has appeared on radio shows on ESPN Radio, Radio Disney, KPFK Radio, 92.3fm and many more promoting his various films and events. He has also been featured on LATV, The Disney Channel, SiTV, TV Guide and many other TV spots. As an advocate for education Mr. Priest created and produced the Future Estrellas Young Latino Performers Conference, an event presented by The Walt Disney Company, Latin Heat Entertainment, Nostros and the Ricardo Montalban Foundation.

“Beyond the Mat,” releases early 2011 as part of Tribeca Film festivals All Access program. The film is edited by Academy Award winner Scott Conrad (Rocky, 1976) with the former Paramount Pictures senior marketing executive Susan Wrenn spearheading our marketing team. In her 20-year tenure at Paramount she constructed the campaigns for 300+ feature films, including for Titanic, Forrest Gump, Braveheart and Mission Impossible. Beyond the Mat stars Sara Fletcher, who is currently hosting her own TV show on Comedy Central titled Secret Girlfriend. You may have seen her in Maxim Magazine too! Also, Mark Hapka who plays one of the male leads, and is a regular on TV shows such as the Ghost Whisperers and Days of Our Lives. The lead actor John Wynn, was host of the hit TV show CD USA. Beyond the Mat also features UFC Hall of Fame member and World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Ken Shamrock and US Olympic Wrestling Champion and TNA Superstar Kurt Angle!

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Entertainment, Society and Culture, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Songwriter
Guest Biography:

GIADA VALENTI

Singer and songwriter Giada Valenti is born and raised in Venice, Italy. Her career started in Europe where she was signed as a young singer with record label Sony BMG and had hits climb directly to the top of the charts. She has received critically acclaimed awards such as the prestigious San Remo Giovanni Talenti Nel Mondo and Festival di Castrocaro. 

In the United States she is most known for her stunning music special aired by PBS, entitled “From Venice With Love”. Because of the success of this television special, she has performed at theaters and performing arts centers all over the country. 

In November 2017 she made her debut as a headliner in Las Vegas with a concert at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. In October 2018 she made her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

One of her recent career highlights is being asked to perform with Andrea Bocelli. She sang several duets with him at a concert benefitting the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. 

For the past eleven years Giada, currently a resident of Las Vegas, has released her CDs “And I Love You So, “Italian Signorina” and “My Lullaby”, “From Venice With Love”, garnering rave reviews. She is currently working on new recordings with multi Grammy-winning producer Cheche Alara and Jorge Calandrelli.

Giada is also a Tiramisu expert. She has been featured on morning shows of ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC television doing cooking demos on how to make this famous Italian dessert. Giada is very passionate about food. She is a longtime member of the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina, a by the Italian government recognized cultural organization that checks out Italian restaurants around the world. Giada loves to go out for dinner with friends but can also be found in her kitchen experimenting with recipes.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Entertainment, Music
Guest Occupation: Photographer, Human Rights Activist, Musician, Writer, Performance Coach
Guest Biography:

KENNETH “KAYO” ANDERSON

Kenneth Anderson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After studying Music Education at Jackson State University with a concentration in Voice, Kenneth founded the Mosaic Singers of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.  Ken grew his group from 8 voices to an astounding 100 voices, and they transformed into one of the most acclaimed and sought after youth choirs in the world, and took to world stages to prove it. Under his direction, the student choir performed in 30 states, seven countries, and at such prestigious venues as the White House, The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, La Salle Sia in Singapore, Le Maison De Sclaves in Senegal and the Millennium Dome in England, among others.  They were invited to give command performances for US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and for acclaimed author Maya Angelou, who remarked that the Mosaic Singers were “the most amazing youth troupe I’ve ever seen.”

Kenneth’s work has been featured in “The Wall Street Journal”, “The New York Times”, on Public Radio’s and PBS “All Things Considered” and on NBC ‘s “The Today Show”, and he was also one of the featured subjects of “And They Flew,” an Emmy award winning documentary. 

In 2009, Kenneth left Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, after serving his final five years as their Artistic Director and Vice President. During his tenure, he and co-founder Rick Sperling nurtured Mosaic into an Internationally acclaimed arts organization. As he moved forward to pursue new passions, he proudly turned the group over to one of his former students, who has since taken the Mosaic Singers to higher heights. His philosophy of legacy is rooted in his belief in sowing seeds and allowing them the sunshine to blossom. Since moving to Los Angeles to work in the Television/Film and music industry, Kenneth has continued his legacy of ushering deep community involvement. He formed the Leimert Park Choir under the umbrella of the Harmony Project, anarts organization that provides free arts training to over 2000 at risk youth in Los Angeles. Since Ken’s founding it, the Leimert Park Choir has grown from 2 members to over 50 young voices from across South L.A., most of whom are African American. Recent performances include The Grammy Museum, the Vision Theatre, and a star studded concert celebrating Jazz Legend Barbara Morrison. The group was featured as the Opening Act for Tavis Smiley at Temple Israel’s King Day Celebration, all developed and organized by Michael Skloff, television composer most noted for composing the theme song to the show “Friends.” Kenneth’s impressive a capella youth choir was featured in “Exagogue”, produced by Jewish Theatre Dybbuk at Temple Israel of  Hollywood, UCLA and as part of Grand Performances in downtown LA.

Kenneth is known also for his voice and performance coaching with adults; having worked with many artists at various levels, including artists for Universal Recording Group and LIVE the Music Group, and an elite Hollywood clientele that include stars from “Glee” and “Grey’s Anatomy”, just to name a few. Kenneth has directed and produced shows in Los Angeles,  as well as in Detroit, Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, London, UK, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Dakar, Senegal, and has collaborated with some of the greatest artists in the world on a variety of projects, including Aretha Franklin, John Legend, Amber Riley, B Slade, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Al Green, just to name a few.

 A multi-talented artist of many mediums, Kenneth’s award-winning photographic work has appeared in several fashion/contemporary magazines, newspapers and global publications, CD/album and LP covers. His striking photography was recently featured in an article in Time magazine. His unique artistic eye and his keen belief in social justice give his images an international appeal. In his occasional spare time, he enjoys singing and performing gospel and Opera. He has appeared in Opera favorites including Verdi’s “Nabucco” and Gazzaniga’s “Don Giovanni” at the Detroit Opera House and also appeared alongside living opera legend Denyce Graves in librettist Toni Morrison’s  “Margaret Garner” at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

 His current photo exhibit “blaque boi bleu”, which features his coveted images of diverse African American men in America, is actively touring to galleries across the nation. He plans to publish his first book of photography, humor and poetry in 2021.

Kenneth “Kayo” Anderson is currently embarking on his MOST exciting endeavor as the “Minister of Culture” at Los Angeles Community Action Network. This is a dream job! He has already formed the “Freedom Singers”, a multi-dsciplinary performance troupe, based out of LA CAN in downtown’s Skid Row neighborhood. After a personal bout with homelessness, Kayo realizied the immense need for targeted supportive services for the MANY artists who reside in Skid Row. The LA CAN arts and cultured initiative takes a holistic approach to the redevelopment and reintroduction of artists into viability.  

 Ken has received numerous honors, awards and recognition, including Crains Business Top Twenty in Their Twenties in 2007, the Spirit of Detroit, Alpha Kappa Alpha Distinguished Community Leader Award, and he was named as one of the 100 Distinguished Gentlemen of Detroit, by the Detroit Conversation. Most recently Ken was given an award from the National Arts Education Forum for his Creativity and Innovation in arts education.

 Ken has been a continuous advocate for human rights, with a particularly spirited focus on young people, LGBT and women’s rights. He’s written several scholarly articles, including a feature in “Swerv Magazine”, garnering crucial national attention to the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit, which provides much needed support for homeless and exploited LGBT youth.

Guest Category: Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Entertainment, Health & Lifestyle, Music, Society and Culture, TV & Film
Guest Occupation: Recovery Group facilitator, Psychology, Special Education and Literary agent
Guest Biography:

WANDA WEBSTER and CHRISTOPHER MACK

Christopher Mack has been facilitating recovery groups in Los Angeles for the past 16 years. He has been interviewed many times (NPR, LA Times, USA Today, LA Weekly, and Nightline) because he has a unique perspective about the condition of homelessness and our human nature. He is a beloved fixture on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, having worked for JWCH as an outreach worker for many years. He is known to many as The Urban Sage. Because Christopher used music and singing to uplift himself from the daily tribulations, he co-founded The Urban Voices Project five years ago, a choir for the urban community and underserved population. 

Wanda Webster graduated from Drake University with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Psychology. When she moved to Los Angeles, she accepted opportunities in the entertainment industry working as a development executive and a literary agent. She discovered she had a natural gift at helping writers develop and fine-tune their scripts. Many of her writers won awards in their field. More recently, Wanda obtained a master’s degree in Education and Psychology from Pepperdine University. She created curricula for large non-profits in the areas of spirituality, social-emotional development, and addiction/recovery. Wanda has always been fascinated by human behavior and believes that supporting people to become the best versions of themselves to be her ultimate joy and purpose.

Guest Category: Education, Health & Lifestyle, Kids & Family, Psychology, Mental Health, Personal Development, Self Help, Society and Culture, TV & Film