Hobey Ford’s Golden Rod Puppets

Winner of puppetry's highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, and recipient of three Jim Henson Foundation grants, Hobey Ford is known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft. 

Hobey's intricate shadow puppetry work and creation of the original rod puppets, the "Foamies", have earned him a place on stages across the world. Hobey's performances incorporate a variety of puppetry styles including Bunraku, rod, marionettes, "Foamies", and shadow puppetry. Hobey adapts folk tales from various cultures for many of his performances, always adding a special "Golden Rod" twist. He uses his own voice to create characters and sound effects, tell stories, and sing. 

Hobey utilizes his artistic study at The State University of New York at Purchase and the University of North Carolina at Asheville to design and construct all of his Golden Rod Puppets and the beautiful sets that surround them. Hobey also draws on his early experiences growing up in coastal Connecticut or living in a Nevada Native American community in writing the scripts for some of his performances such as "Whale Walker" and "Turtle Island Tales".  

Hobey is considered both an innovator in puppetry craft and a master storyteller. He has created both the "Foamies" and the clever hand puppet known as "Peepers". The "Foamies" are large animal puppets carved from blocks of foam. After studying each animal's characteristic movements, Hobey designs various control mechanisms to make the puppets themselves move in a life-like manner. The "Foamies" are presented using both stage and house performance space.

Hobey tours a variety of shows for educational performances and family concerts including: World Tales – puppetry techniques and stories from around the world; Animalia – the beautiful story of the animal world, ecology, metamorphosis, and animals who are endangered; Turtle Island Tales – Native American stories with moving scenery and exquisite shadow puppetry.

Hobey’s production Migration is a sequel to the popular Animalia. Migration is the story of Beatriz, a young girl who travels with her family from their home in Mexico to work the harvest in Maine. The story of Beatriz’ journey is juxtaposed with the stories of other animals that migrate: Monarch Butterflies, polar bears, the Godwit bird and the Sperm Whale.   These extremely realistic puppets are performed behind a thin circular theatrical scrim onto which is projected Hobey’s original artwork.  The puppets appear to be performing within the video projections on a hypnotic dance between the puppeteer, puppets and original artistic scenery.

Hobey’s latest production, Sea Song,  is about a city boy, addicted to video games is sent to at a remote beach house with his grandmother far from any internet.  There the boy discovers the wonder of sea turtles and nature.

In conjunction with The Kennedy Center's Partnership In Education program, Hobey provides teacher workshops in puppetry across the country: "Telling Folktales With Shadow Puppetry", “The Magic of Peepers Puppets: Exploring Writing Through Puppetry” and "From Larvae to Butterfly: Metamorphosis Through Puppetry".

Sherry Wilde was born & raised in southwestern Wisconsin and continues to spend the majority of her time there. In 1987 her community experienced a UFO flap that was considered one of the most active in the world.  Over the next 18-24 months, Sherry was forced to accept her involvement in a phenomenon that was totally unknown to her.  

Sherry spent the next several years of her life trying to exonerate the experiences from her mind and did her best to return to a normal life, but when heavy contact started again in late 2009, after several years of relative peace, she could no longer ignore it.

Inexplicably, she found herself writing a book about the encounters as her memory opened up to the past events and the teachings these beings had imparted to her.  Overcoming her fear and learning the truth of her involvement with these ultra-dimensional beings became her life goal.

Following the publication of her book The Forgotten Promise in late 2012, Sherry was poisoned and fell seriously ill, forcing her to curtail all speaking engagements for several years. Recently a documentary was filmed about her life and a major film project is also in the works.  You can find out more, and access her blog posts on her website.

Jackson Tisdell (B. Pod, M. APodA, SMA, ASCA)

Jackson graduated with a Bachelor of Podiatry in 2017 and has been exclusively in the field of musculoskeletal and sports podiatry at Forster Tuncurry Sports Podiatry ever since. As a junior athlete he succumbed to numerous lower limb injuries, and uses his personal experiences to fuel his passion for injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Jackson has extensive experience working with junior and senior athletes at all stages of the injury process- from acute on field management, treatment in the clinic, and further into rehabilitation and improving sports performance.

Jackson is an advocate for a pro-active approach to injury, and aims to bridge the gap between the clinical setting and the return to sport/exercise. He believes that a thorough biomechanical assessment and individually tailored rehab program is the key to achieving the best results.

He is also passionate about raising awareness and the standard of podiatrists as the lower limb specialists, regularly taking on podiatry students and presenting at events/seminars, as well as being active on various social media platforms.

About Nicholas Despotidis, OD, FAAO, FCOVD

Dr. Despotidis and his wife Teresa have two sons, Nicholas and Gregory. It was his children’s need for eyeglasses at very young ages that sparked his passion to investigate and address the growing number of children requiring eyeglasses. He is a pioneer in the use of corneal reshaping contact lenses, which are used to slow down or prevent deterioration in the eyesight of children and young adults. He’s the lead author of the book, “My Children Are Nearsighted Too.” (www.MyChildrenAreNearsightedToo.com) Dr. Despotidis graduated with honors from The State College of Optometry in New York and later completed a residency in Vision Therapy/Pediatric Vision. He has published papers in optometric journals and is a frequent lecturer. Among his many honors is the distinguished Barnes-Hind Award for Excellence in Contact Lens Fitting. Dr. Despotidis is a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO), Orthokeratology Academy of America (FOAA) and is a Board Certified Fellow in Vision Therapy (FCOVD) with the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

T  O  N  Y

B  R  O  C  K

DRUMMER AND FOUNDING MEMBER 

of

T   H   E   

B   A   B   Y   S

LEGENDARY BRITISH ROCK BAND

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Tony Brock is one of the world’s most explosive and technically brilliant drummers. As a pro drummer since the age of 15, Tony’s playing credits feature a who’s who of world-class musicians. 

In addition to being a founding member of THE BABYS, Tony has toured and/or recorded with Rod Stewart during Rod’s heyday, Elton John, Jimmy Barnes, Jeff Beck, Bernie Taupin’s Farm Dogs and Roy Orbison to name but a few.

He has worked with such luminary producers such as Don Gehman, Ron Nevison, Keith Olson, Greg Lake and Jimmy Iovine. Tony’s production credits include Jimmy Barnes, Keith Urban and soundtracks from TV shows (Baywatch/Flipper) to movies (Just One of the Guys.) Remixing credits include 311, Korn and Ryan Down in partnership with Paula Jones.

Tony produced the latest BABYS album I’ll Have Some of That in his studio- Silver Dreams Studios, which is also where the band's first video was shot. 

He also makes a killer cup of tea! 

On August 29, 2016, Tony (along with Wally, John and Joey) were interviewed by Paul Nicholls on Platinum Rock Radio. Tony discussed reforming THE BABYS after a 3-decade hiatus. He said: 

“Both of us (Wally & I) wanted another shot at it. So, I said to Wally, 'I'm not gonna do it without ya', cause a lot of people alluded to the fact that Wally and myself were the sound of THE BABYS."

Purchase ‘The Babys Anthology’ album at amazon.com

For more information about Tony Brock and The Babys

 visit

https://www.thebabysofficial.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheBabysOfficial

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, The Relationship Help Doctor, offers urgent and ongoing care for relationships in crisis through consulting, speaking, video, and writing.  She particularly focuses her expertise on the partners, ex’s, adult children, and co-workers of relentlessly difficult, disturbing people.  She calls them Hijackals™.

Working with people struggling with life, death, and relationship for over thirty years in Canada and the United States, Dr. Shaler has brought hope, comfort, strength, and success to countless people who honestly believed it was impossible. Even the United States Marines have used her services!

Relationships in conflict foster fear, frenzy and friction. Dr. Shaler calms the turbulence of troubled relationships, offering the insights, strategies, and pattern-breaking skills that lead to blame-free, game-free, non-manipulative relationships. She consults with people worldwide through Skype and Zoom, helping to restore their connection, improve their communication, and deepen their emotional intimacy. She creates the insights, skills and space for new beginnings and positive re-connections.

Dr. Shaler is the author of sixteen personal growth and relationship books. Her most recent ones are to help those struggling with relationships with chronically difficult people:

• Her Hijackal series of ebooks: Escaping the Hijackal Trap: The Truth About Hijackals & Why They're Crazy-Making,  April, 2016.
• The Hijackal Trap: The Hidden Anger of Passive-Aggression , October 2015.
• Stop! That's Crazy-Making! How to Quit Playing the Passive-Aggressive Game
• Kaizen For Couples: Smart Steps to Save, Sustain & Strengthen Your Relationship is the summary of a lifetime of insights she developed from working with real people confronting the real life challenges of living and loving together. It offers workable solutions to twenty-first century relationship issues and a new proven model for living the loving relationship you most want.
• And many others available through Amazon.com 

Dr. Shaler’s work has been featured on FoxNews, PsychCentral, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, The Good Men Project, eHarmony, Care2, Greatist, Pulse, and The Needs, among many others. Her YouTube channel, ForRelationshipHelp.com, is an evergreen source of practical insights and tips for relationships. Her newsletter and podcast, Vital Tips for Relationships, provides frequent valuable strategies.

INDY RISHI SINGH

Indy Rishi Singh is a neuroplastician and a social innovator. He was recently honored as an Emerging Leader by the City of Los Angeles. Indy is currently developing a wellbeing artificial intelligence.

He enjoys bringing mindfulness and meditation practices to local institutions, nurses, underserved youth in schools and marginalized communities, and Fortune 500 companies seeking to shift their culture to one prioritizing mental health, joyfulness and wellness. Indy has traveled the world studying integrative modalities and philosophies with some of the greatest teachers and facilitators. 

Indy was recently recognized by ABC7 local news after launching a Wellness Series for the San Francisco Police Department! Check out the video clips and links below to learn more about Indy’s work in the Bay Area and around the world.

I am Kinney L.A based light-worker human on a mission to use creative expression to inspire an experience of self-healing, self-love, and playful authentic awakening. I make music I make movement  I am a physical home for all the feels to come through The more we step up one by one and share our own gifts the faster we can all step forward into love love love love love.