When, Not If #contentwarning

 Joan Baez - Blowin' In The Wind (Lyrics)

Thus far, there have been over 400, nearing 500, mass shootings in 2023.  Many of which happen less than a mile from a person's own home.  (https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/24/politics/us-400-mass-shootings/index.html & https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/08/us/americans-living-near-mass-shootings-statistics-dg/). 

A look at any world or country map for current fires will reveal a sea of red, and that not reflecting political affiliation.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfires_in_2023)

With these two disturbing facts, as well as other troubling current events, like the continuation of Covid19 now regularizing itself as a competitor of the flu, one finds themselves not pondering if, as in in preparation, but rather when, actually taking steps both mentally and physically for such occurrences.  Consume regular news content, whether a TV program, a commentary video, an article, or podcast, and find the detailed accounts of the aftermath of such horrific events.  Although having been warned about the effects of climate change, none truly were or could prepare.  The reality of a mass shooting occurring is more than plausible for any, with the after effects long reaching and unlimited. 

With this, we come back to the great "WHEN".  With no IF, no UNCERTAINTY of something like this occurring, then how and why do we continue thus?  What is the purpose of life if this suffering exists nor is there a means to stop?  

In upcoming film production for Cafe-Girl Thriving Artists, LLC, "One Day", one character asks another, "What is community?"  The other character, pausing to reflect, responds with "Common Unity."

The answer lies within each of us to find and solidify that meaning, to find our thrive amidst the struggles and pain of the darkest facets of our humanity and the effects upon our planet therein.  Once healed within, fully able to love, then outwardly the bond of common unity can commence.  The joy of community, of working together for a greater good with altruism in place, is that which will empower the human race and mother earth to persevere and prevail.  

A New Day Dawns: "Can't Catch A Break!" The Trailer #spinoff

A New Day Dawns: "Can't Catch A Break!" The Trailer #spinoff #cookingshow

Starring

Broc Wallis as Barista Nate

Noah Fitterer as Nate Fisher

West Christy as Bodhi Bliss

Sarah Perle as Natasha

&

A Surprise Return

West Christy Recommends Podcasts!

While we are working hard on the next episode, I'd like to share with you a playlist of radio shows recommended by Witney Seibold of 13th Floor (The article is 5 years old, I'll put the link at the bottom).

There are two I could not find on Spotify that he recommends, Stephen King's "The Mist". This radio drama was produced in the 80s and was recorded using a special set up to create a binaural experience. Due to the popularity of Mr. King's work, and probably the time and effort put into the drama, it's not available for free. And The Tell Tale Heart read by Iggy Pop. To be honest I probably wouldn't have listened to that one anyway, because it's not a radio drama, it's Iggy Pop reading the story. There's a place for that but this is about radio plays.
1. Suspense presents "Ghost Hunt": This is my favorite one on this list. I'm a fan of found footage and epistolary stories so this was right up my alley. A disc jockey known for his Friday night 'stunts' decides to spend the night in a haunted house with a grisly reputation. The sound engineering isn't superb but the acting is pretty good and putting yourself into any one of the character's shoes will at the very least make your hair stand on end.
2. Mercury Theater presents Dracula: Very paraphrased version of Dracula that Orson Welles produced and stars in. This really only remains on the list because it was on Witney's. However it is the best production of Dracula I've heard and closer to the book than others. I've just never been a fan of vampires. The sound engineering is excellent and runs for almost an hour. If you happen to be a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula, then this is the one to listen to.
3. Suspense presents Donovan's Brain(1948): This was originally performed by Orson Welles but the version this list is the later recording with John McIntyre. I haven't heard the original but this one was fairly well done. A science fiction story somewhat in the vein of Frankenstein, a scientist doing experiments on keeping brain tissue alive after the rest of the body has died is awoken one night by his colleague. A financial genius from Hungary has been found in a plane wreck not far from the scientist's lab. Instead of trying to save the man, he saves the brain and slowly Donovan starts to take over the scientists body. I found this particular production amazing because McIntyre switches accents between Donovan and the scientist in mid sentence and only some words. If it was done in post then the sound mixing was excellent.
4. Tales From The Crypt presents "Tight Grip": Fans of the television show or the comic of the same name will also dig the grave puns dug up by the Cryptkeeper. And the theme song has lyrics in this version. The story itself is told from the point of view of a magician's trunk. Goofy I know, but that's Tales from the Crypt for you. All in all it's an interesting story, a complete roller coaster of a tale. This is a modern broadcast so it should be noted that they don't pull punches or censor themselves. There are some parts in it that could be distressing to listeners.
5. Escape presents Three Skeleton Key: Escape was a radio show with an interesting but rather weak premise. Basically the main character would find themselves in a situation they would have to escape each week. I haven't heard very many of them, and from what I recall they weren't very horror-like so I was surprised to see this one on the list. In the vein of Lovecraft's "Rats in the Walls" or Stephen King's "1922" (although much more literal) a lighthouse keeper and his two colleagues watch in horror as a derelict ship runs aground on their coastline and thousands of rats pour out. It's told in an odd manner, sort of like an audio book with each character having a different actor. Just the premise alone is what made this one worth listening to. Nothing particularly stands out otherwise but sometimes that alone is enough.
6. Tales from Beyond The Pale presents "The Conformation": I learned about Beyond the Pale after completing the horror game "Until Dawn". I looked up the writers and discovered they created this podcast that was bringing back original horror stories to the air waves (I have found a ton more since). This wasn't a free podcast at the time, with only two episodes available for free. But I bought the vinyl recording of two other episodes of theirs and loved them. This was two years ago and now they have some available on Spotify. Conformation promises to be 100% medically accurate, and is about a plastic surgeon who is considered the very best. But he finds humans disgustingly ugly on the outside and is becoming quite discouraged. Then he meets Michelle, who's been disfigured in an accident. She asks to not be put completely under while he reconstructs her nose. What follows is a somewhat gruesome tale of a man and woman seeking perfection in their self image. The story actually had me swearing out loud during a couple scenes. And the sound engineers of Glass Eye Pix are very very good at what they do. This one is also a modern production and is not censored in the least bit. So just be warned this one can be a bit distressing too.
7. Suspense presents "Sorry, Wrong Number": Considered one of the very best and iconic radio dramas second to War of the Worlds. Where as War of the Worlds is infamous for the public's reported reactions (these claims were not true, not on the scale reported by Mercury Theater and the producers. It was used to sell Orson Welles to the public, as if they needed to) Sorry, Wrong Number is known for it being a one person 'tour de force'. Agnes Moorehead plays the main character who is an invalid. In an attempt to reach her husband she thinks she's been tapped into a wrong line (set during the time of switchboard operators)and over hears a murder plot. Her desperation to get help increases as time goes by and it becomes quite heart wrenching. The production on this list is a later one, in which all parts have a cast rather than just one woman on the phone, but that doesn't make the impact any less in my opinion. You can clearly tell that whether you hear the folks on the line, or just Agnes, the story would still have punch. This of course isn't a modern recording but it should be noted this one could be quite distressing as well.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! We are working hard here at OPC to bring you some more shows soon!
The Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6LKADPH5aBTj6dilWoqcLo…
The article:
http://www.the13thfloor.tv/…/the-best-horror-radio-dramas-…/

Written by West Christy

Thoughts on what you just read? Feel free to comment below and we'll respond!

The Thriving Artist is a subset of Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc.   Cafe-Girl is committed to bringing quality content in the form of film, webseries, podcasts, and more that raise awareness on social issues and help to benefit society.  Help support Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc at: www.patreon.com/cafegirlproductions

West Christy: Finding His Way Home

Westly "West" Christy is a man of many talents.  Most notably, he has worked as a highly skilled and creative photographer for 8 years, but he also has talent as an actor, writer, director, and cinematographer.  He lends a hand with what is needed because he loves the art of story-telling in whatever means.  "I just want to be useful and interesting," he explains and fears, above all, being boring.  He is anything but that.

He was pursuing his dreams of film-making when as he puts it, he got roped into a wedding photography gig, even though he didn't own a camera at the time.  During his experience with the camera he used for the wedding, it led him to purchase his first DSLR to use as both photographer and film-maker.  He began using his natural talent as photographer to help fund his films.  However, many discouragements within the film-making endeavors, led him to step back from that and focus primarily on the "survival job" and poured himself into his photography.  But, choosing that path led him to Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc first as a set photographer for "Nate & Laura & How They Met" season one, then continuing forth with more and more opportunities to lend a hand, such as being co-director for "TimeKeys" and as director of photographer/co-director for season two of "Nate & Laura & How They Met".  He is now thrilled to be working as a film-maker again and looks forward to so much of the upcoming projects, including "Guilt", the feature length film he wrote, to be filmed in 2020.

West says two opportunities stand out as being those that he is most grateful for, being asked to initially be set photographer for Cafe-Girl which led to re-joining the film world and being able to display his photography at a local community theatre.  But, most notably, he recalls the time he was asked to photograph by a man to photograph his family, which included his wife and daughters.  West recalls that the oldest daughter was uncomfortable having her photo taken and didn't want it done.  However, once she saw the finished product, she ended up asking him to take her senior photos.   Seeing someone light up after seeing their photo is his favorite part of being a photographer.

The most challenging aspect of his career is, to quote him, "EVERY.WEDDING.EVER".  He says that every wedding brings its own challenges, whether it be too many mirrors, smoke, way too much sunlight, or a dark interior, each experience increases his anxiety yet he perseveres and his confidence grows as clients keep requesting him.

He feels he brings his knowledge of how to make quality films on a budget to Cafe-Girl as well as his technological skills as a photographer with his understanding of lighting and framing, which better enhances the logistics and procedural part of film-making.  He also believes that his supervisory skill enhances his directing.  Taking some time for himself to reflect on his past film-making experiences, he believes has made him a better person and he feels that this can help Cafe-Girl be the best that it can be in bringing quality productions and services.  He is truly thankful for the amazing people is working with in Cafe-Girl and has no idea where he would be without them in his life.

Within Cafe-Girl, he feels for the first time that he is truly being heard and his input is being valued.  He also sees that he is not alone in this feeling and believes that everyone who has worked in whatever fashion for Cafe-Girl is equally heard.  Now that he is moving forward in a larger way as producer, he wants to continue that culture of listening and valuing, ensuring that no one feels left behind.

One aspect of Cafe-Girl that he is excited about is finally being able to see his screenplay, "Guilt" brought to life.  This feature length film is something he has been working for ten years, in many different ways, with much difficulty.  He is happy to know that it will finally see fruition and thrilled with the opportunity to share this story.

In addition, West is honored to be a part of Cafe-Girl, to see stories come to  life, and to help others bring their stories to life.  He is also elated to help birth the other products and services of Cafe-Girl and to help build the relationships required for all to be successful.

For more information on Cafe-Girl's newest feature, 

watch Video Audition Commercial

For more on West Christy, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/westCphoto

For information on the feature film, Guilt, go to:

Guilt

For more information on Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc, go to:

www.cafegirlproductions.com

www.patreon.com/cafegirlproductions