Living the Dream with Curveball

A sports announcer gives the play by play of what's happening on the field. Like that announcer, blind and sighted audio description narrators give the play by play of the visuals of a movie or tv show. And with that, Blind and low vision audiences enjoy tv shows and movies can enjoy this experience in parity to sighted audiences.

Audio description can be in parity to sighted audiences. Instead of seeing this as "how cheap we can make it" - the culture is pivoting to how great we can make it, as the value of the many roles of audio description.

Roy Samuelson has voiced as an audio description narrator over 1000 titles, and each one has been influenced by blind advisors, directors, engineers, and many others. With a focus on collaboration and inclusion, Roy showcases his passion and drive for performing this work with respect for audiences, providers, and the other roles in the creation of this audio adaptation of the visuals.

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Lloyd Chapman is the President and founder of the American Small Business League (ASBL)

For over 30 years, Mr. Chapman has fought the rampant fraud and abuse in federal small business contracting programs. He is hailed as the nation's most vocal opponent of the federal governments policy, which involves fabricating compliance of the 23% small business contracting goal.

Mr. Chapman has won 110 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) legal battles, which is more than anyone in the history of the US with institutions like the Pentagon, Department of Justice (DOJ) and more. Mr. Chapman has been the recipient of the James Madison Freedom of Information Award. Mr. Chapman has been a guest of many major news programs to voice his educated opinion on the current president's work with supporting small businesses and his legal battles. Lloyd can be found on the web at www.lloydchapman.com

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Melissa Sercia is an award winning Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance author with a passion for philosophy, mythology, and all things supernatural.

She is the author of the Blood and Darkness and Beautiful Dark Beasts series'.

Melissa lives in California with her man and her cat. When she's not building dark fantasy worlds and slaying demons, you can find her in the kitchen cooking with a glass of wine in her hand. You can also find her on the web at www.melissasercia.com

On todays show I am joined by author and founder of phenomenally autistic Ayanna davis. Being autistic herself Ayanna discusses how she feels black women do not get the treatment she feels they deserve from the medical community. She also discusses diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. Ayanna also talks about being a former choreographer who has trained over 100 students and what it was like to have her work seen on platforms such as BET, ABC family, Maury Povich Show, and The Apollo Theater. Ayanna faces daily challenges with autism as well as several chronic illnesses, but she has not let that prevent her from living a phenomenal life by giving back to the world.

Sam Mitchell, a teenager living with autism, brings you Autism Rocks and Rolls. Although Sam has had obstacles in the past and still has daily struggles, he is using this platform to take away the stigma off of autism and other conditions that many think are disabilities. He often brings guests into the conversation, whether it be family members, friends, celebrities or others involved in the world of autism. He wants to prove that he is not broken and does not need to be fixed. Sam has a lot of fun along the way and really loves to entertain his audience. Listen to this podcast and go into the mind of Sam. Also visit Sam on the web at www.autismrocksandrolls.com

In this episode I am joined by Kye Harris. Kye is a Financial Adviser, Business Owner and Host of ‘It's More than Money' Podcast.

Kye is real, honest and passionate about helping to understand that a humans worth is not what they have in the bank or the possessions they own, but what is inside of them. When people know what they value most, Kye believes that creating a plan for financial success becomes a much simpler and more effective process.

With money having such an emotional charge around it, we've all obsessed over it, worried about it and consumed our lives with trying to earn or create more of it, Kye wants to show people what they are actually capable of, and how their money could work for them. He shows them there is no need to worry about their finances now or for the future they want to see for themselves.

A staunch advocate for defining and measuring success in our own terms, Kye speaks about the need to use our money in ways that are meaningful to each of us, rather than following outdated philosophies or opinions on what should be done with our money to live a successful life.

David-Matthew Barnes is the bestselling author of fifteen novels, three collections of poetry, seven short stories, and more than sixty stage plays that have been performed in three languages in twelve countries. He writes in multiple genres, primarily young adult, romance, thriller, and horror. His literary work has appeared in over one hundred publications including The Best Stage Scenes, The Best Women's Stage Monologues, The Best Men's Stage Monologues, The Best 10-Minute Plays, 105 Five-Minute Plays for Study and Performance, and several collections in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. He graduated with honors from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. He is a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA. To date, he has written five produced screenplays, including the award-winning Dutch film Wagon. In addition to his career as a writer, David-Matthew has earned more than two decades of professional experience in marketing and communications, primarily as a director and as a senior-level copywriter. He has created original and impactful marketing materials for many high-profile clients including Jaguar, Land Rover, Motorola, and Porsche. Currently, he is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado, where he was honored with a Diversity and Inclusion Service Award.

Born in Torrance, California, David-Matthew is the eldest son of Sam Barnes, Jr., a former police officer originally from Jonesboro, Louisiana, and Nancy Nickle, the former owner of a hip-hop record label originally from Los Angeles. He has four younger brothers. He is the eldest grandson of the late Clifford Nickle, who was a prominent business owner in the Redondo Beach area of California.

David-Matthew has considerable family history in Canada, as his relatives are the founders of the Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary. Entertainers have been prominent in David-Matthew's family for many generations. His great-aunt was actress Ann Paige, who appeared in the films China Doll and The Young Lions with co-stars Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and Hope Lange. You can check out David Matthew Barnes work at www.dmatthewb.com

Shane Salk is an Owner/Partner in Shane Salk Productions and is an Award-winning Audio Drama Creator Producer and Sound Designer. Shane's projects now have over 200 Million impressions spanning more than 150 countries around the world.

Having graduated from Chapman University with a BFA, acting has always been Shane's first love, something he was able to incorporate into his productions. Having grown up listening to old-time audio, Shane has a unique perspective on updating the medium and learning from the past. As his inaugural production, he is a creator of the show "We're Alive - A Zombie Story of Survival," which was launched in 2009.

Shane moved from New York to Los Angeles to open a recording studio, for the initial purpose of being able to sustain a living as he produced his new project, "Carcerem." "Carcerem" is a female-led series starring Dana Powers, produced and created by Shane Salk and William Holmes. This production took over 3 years to develop and to complete the first season. With a style between Lord of the Rings and Princess Bride, this action-packed show features Sword fighting, epic battles, monsters magic, and much more. Containing over 120 Characters along with a completely original score, this project was not for the faint of heart. In March of 2020, while still in the middle of production, the pandemic hit so Shane and the team had to navigate through the world of safety protocols to ensure the health of his team and talent all while staying on schedule during production and keeping the studio doors open for business.

The entertainment industry is always changing so being able to pivot his passion into a successful business while developing a new project in the middle of a global pandemic, was a feat in itself.

Some of the actors that Shane has worked with are:

Jane Lynch Emmy winner

Cameron Crowe Oscar winner

Piper Laurie Three-time Oscar nominee

Michael Emerson Two-time Emmy winner

Neil Flynn

Maurice LaMarche Two-time Emmy winner

Rob Paulson Emmy winner

Bob Bergen Two-time Emmy nominee

Grey DeLisle-Griffin

Richard Horvitz. You can check out all that Shane is doing on the web at www.carceremtheseries.com at www.shanesalk.com

From her start as a Playboy Centerfold and Covergirl to her life as a Screen Actors' Guild member and then Top Rated Insurance professional, Deborah Driggs has had to clear many hurdles in life to make these things happen. And while it may seem like Deborah's success came easy to her, nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, she has overcome a number of challenges in her life to get where she is today but what IS true and part of her character, is her willingness to take risks, maintain a positive attitude, and never take "No" for an answer. Check out her website at www.deborahdriggs.com

Today I am joined by professional runner and coach Colin Turner. Collin opens up about how he had to reinvent himself as a runner due to injuries, pain, and not being able to run more than five miles in his 30's. Colin talks about how he reinvented him self as a top runner and how he will run in the Boston marathon this October. If you want to take Colins running course so you can learn how to get stronger, faster, and more durable for life you can sign up at www.turnerfitnesscoaching.com