Welcome

Part one, of a three part story about The University of Kansas Wind Ensemble carrying an original musical score from sheet music to a premiere in Carnegie Hall. And, by the way, it’s built around the most monumental event in 21st Century America. 

Thanks to maestro Paul Popiel and the members of the 2012/2013 KU Wind Ensemble for their cooperation, allowing our crew access to their rehearsals and speaking openly about their hopes (and anxieties) about bring such a groundbreaking work to Carnegie Hall. 

What a thrill to be in New York City, with the opportunity to speak with Dr. Popiel, his dedicated students, James Zakoura who commissioned the work, even the mother of one of the band members who lived near NYC when the planes struck. These memories will last a lifetimes.

December of 2016, I was out of work, having been gently nudged from my video producer position at KU. I was watching way too much MSNBC and getting more and more depressed with each word coming out of the President-elect’s mouth. This video, “Why I”m a Democrat” was the result of this depression and a fantastic collaboration with one of the volunteers with the Douglas County Democrats. 

We invited the original Baby Jay to campus to appear in an anniversary video. Amy Hurst was truly surprised when current Baby Jay walked in on our interview. One of the most playful videos from my collection. 

This video documentary about the life of a small town in Kansas was produced and directed by my friend Stephen Lerner. As I was an associate producer from concept to completion the production highlights some of my own interest in telling individual stories as part of a longer narrative.