I first discovered the work of director Neill Blomkamp back in 2005 when his sci-fi short film Alive in Joburg took the internet by storm. This was pre-iPhone and just at the inception of YouTube. Even today, over 15 years later, I still remember being utterly captivated by that 6-minute short. The innovative CGI, the…
Category: Culture
A College Campus Finds New Life as a Distillery
Yesterday I attended a wedding at the historic former Green Mountain College campus in Poultney, Vermont. The reception was held in Withey Hall, one of the original buildings on campus. As a guest, I had the chance to explore this beautiful riverside campus along the Poultney River. Though I never attended Green Mountain College myself,…
The Best Mid-Century Design Documentaries to Stream Now
I have a wedding tomorrow and I’m tired so it’s a quick post, but contains several hours of enjoyment if you’re into it. I’m obsessed with midcentury Modern Design. The clean lines, vintage appeal, functionality, and flexibility of midcentury modern design feed my soul. The style offers sensory stimulation while still maintaining order. You can…
Remembering the Sand Casino: Uncovering Lost Frank Sinatra Footage
I worked as a marketing manager at the Sand Casino in Atlantic City back in the late 2000s, shortly before the iconic casino was demolished. The Sand was one of the early Atlantic City casinos, opened in 1980, and featured frequent performances and appearances by Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. Sinatra was extremely popular…
Damon Albarn: Decades of Hits Sometimes Under the Radar
Back in January 2022, Damon Albarn stirred up controversy when he claimed in an interview that Taylor Swift “doesn’t write her own songs.” Swift immediately clapped back on Twitter, saying she totally writes all her own music and calling Albarn’s comments “completely false and so damaging.” Albarn quickly realized he’d stepped in it and apologized,…
Finding My Filmmaking Roots in Vermont
It’s been a while since I moved to Vermont, I was excited to join the Vermont Production Collective, a community of creative professionals working together to produce films and other media projects in the state. As someone who has dabbled in filmmaking over the years, I’m looking forward to collaborating with other local artists and…
The Fog of War: McNamara, Oppenheimer, and the Perils of Power
Two of the most influential yet controversial defense intellectuals of the 20th century were Robert S. McNamara and J. Robert Oppenheimer. Though coming from very different backgrounds, both men rose to positions of enormous authority over the US military establishment, especially concerning nuclear weapons. And both left incredibly complex legacies that historians still debate today….
The Portrait Revolution: A Wedding Videographer’s Perspective on the Shift from Landscape to Vertical Video
As a wedding videographer with thousands of edited videos in landscape orientation, I’ve witnessed firsthand the monumental impact of social media’s shift to portrait-oriented video. Over the past few years, platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have catalyzed a significant change in how we create and consume video content. This portrait revolution has…
Dolly Parton’s Top 10 Most Charitable Contributions: From Imagination Library to Helping Dollywood’s Hometown
Dolly Parton is undoubtedly a music icon. But she is also one of the most philanthropic celebrities, contributing to various charities over decades. I’m often seeing facts about her life. Her passion for getting children into reading is without peer in the celebrity circut. While some of her donations garner headlines, many go unknown as…
Memories of the 1964 World’s Fair through My Father’s Lens
Hello all! Today we’re embarking on a trip back in time. Last week we went to 1961 Las Vegas. Today I’m excited to share with you a unique treasure trove, a collection of photographs taken by my father, John Rodgers, when he was just 20 years old. These images offer a vivid snapshot of the…