The Sunshine Skyway bridge spans the mouth of Tampa Bay on Florida's west coast. It carries thousands of cars daily. It's also one of the top ten places to end your life. Here's the story of the many who jumped, one lucky guy who survived, and how broken bones and a collapsed lung made him a new man. Winner 2012 Edward R. Murrow National Award for Audio News Documentary. Aired on KCRW's "Unfictional," NPR's "Here and Now," Radio National Australia, the CBC, PRX's Public Radio Remix, various public radio stations in the U.S. and featured on Transom.org.
Who's The "Rich" in SoundRich?
- From teenage DJ, to G.I. broadcaster, to Top 40 PD, to sports-talk, radio, to public TV, to advertising creative, to public radio indie producer, to podcaster. Still Rich in name only.
Pilot for a Podcast: Inside the Masterpiece
Inside The Masterpiece is an idea for a podcast [copyright Soundrich, 2014] that's part art history, part imagination. We take what we know about an artist and blend it what that artist might have been feeling and thinking when he or she created their iconic masterpiece. The narrative is written by a lifelong artist — another words, someone with a keen sense of paint and canvas. Someone with more ability than most to "channel" the famous artist's mindset. Episode number one is a visualization of Vincent Van Gogh as he captures the swirling starry night sky above that now famous asylum in Provence.
The Cuban Missile Crisis: South Florida in the crosshairs
The Cold War was about the last thing on the minds of Miami residents -- until the fall of 1962 when Russian missiles were discovered in Cuba. Suddenly America's carefree tropical paradise had a front row seat for a looming World War III. What was it like to live under the threat of extinction at any moment? South Floridians, current and former, recall their tense days and sleepless nights, while archival audio heightens this cliffhanger moment in history. Produced for WLRN Miami's Under The Sun. Winner 2013 Edward R. Murrow Awards /Southeast Region: Hard News Reporting.
Double Jeopardy
Two G.I.'s under siege in a house during the 1968 Tet offensive — the pivotal battle of the Vietnam War — escape and flee in different directions, choices that will impact the rest of their lives. Both have emotional as well as real scars, but they lived to tell about it. Most of their comrades weren't so lucky. (That's the house pictured on the right — what's left of it). Aired November 2011 on KCRW's "Unfictional" and on various stations and podcasts afterwards.
Viva España!
What does it sound like when an entire nation goes loco? We dove into the madness at Madrid's Plaza de España the night Spain beat Germany to advance to the World Cup Championship. Grab a vuvuzuela and join the celebration. (This is a sound intensive montage from a report I produced for Deutsche Welle during the 2010 World Club).
"Don't Stop Believ-in' ": A sound collage exploring the often painful depths of
fan loyalty
After a full century of futility since their last World Series (in 1908), Chicago Cub fans keep coming back for more. More disappointment and tears, that is. So here's a salute to Chicago's Lovable Losers: to the team that won't quit and the faithful who won't let them. Even after a loss — when these comments were recorded — the Cubbies are a study in diehard loyalty. Produced by invitation of the Third Coast Festival for a series on things that are unique to the Windy City.
A silver lining for 5.2 million Americans with Alzheimers
If you're a lost or abducted child, thankfully there's Amber Alert. But if you're one of 5.2 million American with Alzheimers, good luck getting home should you wander away. Until now, that is.
Many states are having success with a system similar to Amber Alerts. It's helping to locate missing Seniors -- and quickly, because survival rates decrease with each day they're gone. Here's the story of one gentleman who disappeared in the fog of dementia. It starts along Interstate 4 in Florida. Aired on AARP's "Prime Time Radio."
Bareknuckle strike violence meets the mystery of life in "Labor Pains"
A sonic fantasy mixed up for the 2008 Radio Ephemera competition at Third Coast Festival. The challenge: blend the themes of two books to tell a story. I chose the history of a violent 1930's San Francisco longshoremen strike juxtaposed with a prim 1950s sex education tome for teenagers.
But don't let that stop you from listening to this three-minute short doc that stands on its own. It played on Chicago Public Radio's "ReSound" show and podcast.
Back when the scariest movies were in Driver's Ed.,
not at the drive-in
Are you old enough to remember those gory, grainy movies in Driver's Ed? You know, the ones with real footage of crash victims? This episode from the Don't Act Your Age podcast takes you back to the 16mm terror that made us cringe in that dreaded high school class. It's narrated by Bret Wood, the Director of Hell's Highway, with creepy natural sound and scenes from his documentary on those infamous safety films your friends dared you to watch. Also aired on AARP's Prime Time Radio.
"The Agreement": How two-timing love
kept one GI out of Viet Nam
Back in the late 60s, some guys escaped the Viet Nam War by going to Canada. Some did it by swearing they were conscientious objectors. And one guy escaped by being very lucky. Fifty years later he recalls his good fortune in this piece that's part war story, part love story, and no doubt a story like you've never heard before. As heard on the Don't Act Your Age podcast.