Sherri Shepherd

<a class="spreaker-player" href="https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18806039" data-resource="episode_id=18806039" data-width="100%" data-height="350px" data-theme="dark" data-playlist="show" data-playlist-continuous="true" data-autoplay="false" data-live-autoplay="false" data-chapters-image="true" data-episode-image-position="right" data-hide-logo="true" data-hide-likes="false" data-hide-comments="false" data-hide-sharing="false" data-hide-download="false">Listen to "Sherri Shepherd From Brian Banks" on Spreaker.</a><script async src="https://widget.spreaker.com/widgets.js"></script>



After spending five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, 25-year-old Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) is elated to be back on the football field as a linebacker at Long Beach City College playing the game he loves. But that feeling is shattered when he learns from his probation officer that he must wear an electronic ankle monitor and is prohibited from setting foot on the college campus. Falsely accused of rape as a 16-year old, Brian lost out on a USC scholarship and the possibility of pursuing an NFL career. Now he's fighting to regain the life he dreamed of despite his age and his criminal record. While his mother Leomia (Sherri Shepherd) does her best to lift his spirits, the inability to play the game he truly loves, coupled with the constant rejection he receives when applying for jobs, takes an emotional toll on him.
After seeing a TV news story about lawyer Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear), co-founder of the California Innocence Project (CIP), Brian writes to him with a passionate plea for help. Brooks knows the chances of exoneration are virtually non-existent, but after meeting with Brian and hearing his story, he eventually agrees to take a closer look at the case. During an interview with the CIP lawyers, Brian describes the transformative experience he had while locked in solitary confinement. What saved him from that nightmare was a class he took in juvenile hall with Jerome Johnson (Morgan Freeman), whose wise words helped Brian focus his mental and spiritual energies in a positive way during the worst time of his life. Later, while applying for a job at a local gym, Brian meets Karina (Melanie Liburd), a personal trainer. On a date, he tells her about his wrongful conviction. Her initial discomfort is exacerbated by her own experience as a victim of sexual assault, but as she learns to trust Brian she becomes a source of support and comfort in his struggle to set the record straight. When, out of the blue, Brian's accuser Kennisha (Xosha Roquemore) reaches out to him on social media, he's justifiably afraid. After all, any contact with her is enough to send him straight back to prison. But Brian also sees an opportunity to clear his name if he can get her to recant her accusation on camera, which he miraculously manages to do. Unfortunately, a legal technicality renders the video inadmissible.
Brian is not the kind of person who gives up easily, however. With time running out, he and Brooks make one last attempt to convince the District Attorney to reopen the case and vacate the wrongful conviction before it's too late. An unforgettable true story about the resilience of the human spirit, and a powerful call to reform our broken justice system, Brian Banks is an extraordinary film that will move and inspire audiences with its message of hope and perseverance.
Brian Banks is directed byTom Shadyac Bruce Almighty, The Nutty Professor)from a screenplay by Doug Atchison (Akeelah and the Bee). The film stars Aldis Hodge ("Underground,"HiddenFigures), Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine, As Good as It Gets), Sherri Shepherd (Precious, "30Rock"), Melanie Liburd (This is Us," "Gypsy") and Xosha Roquemore ("The Mindy Project," "I'm Dying Up Here").

Philip Mudd

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The former director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center and the FBI’s National Security Branch, Philip Mudd is no stranger to covert ops, enhanced interrogation techniques, and extraordinary renditions.  Yet in his honesty and forthrightness about our intelligence shortcomings in the War on Terror, he has sometimes invited the criticism of some high ranking figures.  That candor comes to the fore in BLACK SITE: The CIA in the Post 9/11 World (Liveright: July 30, 2019), Mudd’s sober, balanced assessment of “The Program,” the post-9/11 strategy developed by the CIA to hold captured prisoners, extract information and prevent another catastrophic attack.
After framing what the CIA was like before Al-Qaida, Mudd delves into the planning, operating, and disassembling of the notorious “black sites”—which were the secret CIA-run prisons used to interrogate captives from battlefields around the world. Questions about these “black sites,” which were based in foreign countries for legal reasons, have been circulating for years: how were prisoners transported there?  What did these secret prisons look like? How were the detainees “broken”—and what happened after?
While providing us with answers, Mudd shows how deeply thought out every single step of the process was.
What happened internally in the decade after the attacks has so rarely been discussed or written about publicly. So Mudd laces this history with interviews with former colleagues, allowing them to voice how they felt in those exact moments. Surprisingly, the 2014 Senate report didn’t even include interviews of CIA officers, many of whom have not spoken in public and would have never spoken without this book. Nearly two decades later, most tend to look back on those critical days with their hands up, a mixture of guilt and we had to.

Lisa Ingber

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She shows up for every conversation with a heart blessed with endless laughter.  This particular time we conducted our talk at a school of broadcasting because I wanted the students to experience the mind blowing fun that Lisa always provides.  I literally told the students "Do not prepare for this conversation.  Lisa has a way of invisibly taking whatever you write and tossing it into the trash.  You can't go into a conversation with her thinking you're going to control the outcome of every question.  That's why it's always so much fun to sit back and let Lisa be herself.

London Brown

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Born and raised in South Central, Los Angeles, London is a trained comedian, actor and dancer. He stars on the HBO series "Ballers" opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Previously he was the lead in "The Hustle" for The Fuse Network which was created and produced by Prentice Penny. He just won Best Actor for his role in Asia A at the Overcome Festival and won Best International Comedian at the 2013 Black Comedy Awards in the UK. Also opened for Chris Tucker and many other headliners, currently headlining his own comedy tour.

Pod-Crashing Episode 21

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Episode 21: The Bridge

I was reminded a few weeks back that podcasting has always been the underground of broadcasting.  Meaning those doing it in the early days and somewhat today were and are anti-radio.  They wanted no part in the big corporate decision making because most of them were ousted from the center of their dream career.

I don’t know about others but from day one of my terrestrial radio decades I was always told that hard work dedication and loyalty don’t guarantee the gold watch at 50 years.  In fact those three ingredients can lead to the infamous pink slip.  A program director once told me how he wasn’t comfortable with hiring people that came with such morals.  It got in the way of everyday radio changes.

I understand the underground aspect of podcasting versus radio.  I also understand why iHeart Radio announced this week that some of their 850 terrestrial radio stations will serve as a platform for some of iHearts 250,000 podcasts. 

It’s a brilliant marriage.  For the first time it actually feels like podcasters are being treated like Broadcasters.  But what podcast episodes get the nod?  What were the qualifications?  For those in the podcast underground this is exactly why there’s been a solid line between the two shapes of communication.  The decisions are being made by the very people that ripped 6,000 plus brilliant radio people away from their on air jobs and replaced them with Ryan Seacrest and Bobby Bones.

Wow!  That sounded pretty mean didn’t it?  Especially since I’m a huge fan of Bobby’s podcast.  The point is… Here is this lovely little piece of broadcast soil that’s been surviving on its own for two decades and someone’s knocking on the door with a brilliant opportunity to reach out to newer listeners by way of terrestrial radio’s enormous impact.  I get it.  But let’s do it without the voices already heard on that stage.

There are some brilliant performers in the world of podcasting.  Mind blowing fresh ideas with the guts to break down old fashioned programming.  I’d love to hear Marc Maron on a Sunday night iHeart Broadcast but would hate to be the editor that’s getting minimum wage to silence the F bombs. 

The golden ring is dangling in the breeze.  The opportunity to jump onto the airwaves of the world’s largest broadcast company but how will the shows be forced to change?  It’s an honest question.  I love talking with every podcaster that’s available to share their journey.  It’s pretty cool to not only swap ideas but to hear the hunger in their soul to bring their vocal art to life. 

Book authors that had to train themselves to use their god given voice.  Being heard to most authors is showing up on a page in a book, magazine or newspaper.  Now they get the chance to make sounds from their mouth?  Terrestrial radio people know that when big business is involved in the broadcast it comes with formats that shout, “Do it our way of you don’t get to play.” 

Look…I’m the same way with my 15 different podcasts.  Each has its own personality and purpose.  The broadcast platform is surviving on its own and doesn’t need a knuckle head to drop in a few episodes and screw it up.  I met a terrestrial radio programmer one time that would’ve taken that thought and calmly replied, “This is why I can’t hire you.  You’re stuck in your way.  You’ve got to learn how to expand.  If it means me redesigning your layout.  So it goes.” 

Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy is getting a spot.  The first episode of season two teams him up with presidential candidate Karmala Harris. 

Seriously this is a brilliant move for iHeart Media.  Content sent out over a 14 second song intro no longer makes connections with long term listeners.  The average length of Ron Burgundy is 35 to 50 minutes.  I listen to the entire show.  Before podcasting terrestrial radio barely got seven minutes of my time before I jumped to another station. 

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I hope this move from iHeart inspires other major outlets to begin utilizing podcasting.  It would be a great way for small town owners to make time spent listening bucks.   With the internet connecting itty bitty cities to the globe all things shooting from your server can be a money maker.  Hell I remember when Larry King was only heard on the Mutual Radio Network during a time when every radio station was ABC NBC or CBS. 

I’m gonna get kicked out of the podcasters club for not being anti-radio enough.  Actually I see it as nothing more than another platform to push push push.  But will the episodes have to follow a strict format?  The organic behavior associated with podcasting is what makes it sweet to listen to.  Which is what earned me an email last week from a podcaster that made it a point to remind me that putting the shows out there is another way for the companies to make money and the podcaster to make less. 

There are so many ways to look at the possibility.  Radio making money off other people’s talent is no different than 1950’s Boss Jock Radio.  The partnership between iHeart and podcasters finally gives podcasters well deserved recognition.  The number of business owners that still don’t know about podcasting won’t spend a dime until the seasoned leaders in making money for radio help gas up this new age engine. 

I can’t help but wonder though how the surface of terrestrial radio is going to change when it comes to future hirings.  Tomorrow’s talent is gonna have to know how to podcast.  Your digital numbers will either catch the attention of the major corporations or invite leaders to look elsewhere.  Just keep in mind.  If your podcast opens the door for you to get employment the features you write and produce probably won’t belong to you.  Once you quit or have been terminated the big guys have every right to keep everything that fell from your creative journey.

So what’s the moral of the story?  Radio and podcasting aren’t just looking at each other from afar.  Physically airing them on Sunday night’s means the relationship has moved to first base.  There’s some touching going on.  No need to call the parental figures.  It’s safe play for now.  Keep in mind radio has been around for 99 years.  In order to survive the industry has learned how to beg borrow and steal.  Protect your art while enjoying the respect iHeart Radio is sharing.    

William McKeever

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Ocean conservationist, filmmaker and author William McKeever sends a call-to-action to save sharks. He dispels the Jaws myth of sharks as man-eaters in his new book Emperors of the Deep.
McKeever claims that without the ocean's most important guardians, our seas will experience ecological disaster.
In the new film, Emperors of the Deep, companion to the new book, Emperors of the Deep: Sharks-The Ocean's Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood, and Most Important Guardians (July 2019; HarperOne, ISBN 978-0062932990, PRICE $25.99; Hardcover), author and Conservationist William McKeever is on a mission to change everyone's views of the mysterious creatures of the deep. The book takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey around the world and deep under the water's surface-from the frigid waters of the Arctic Circle to the coral reefs of the tropical Central Pacific-to dispel the narrative about sharks (from Jaws to "Shark Week,)" which claims they're terrifying underwater predators. McKeever says, "Sharks are unequivocally essential to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. When these important apex predators are removed from the ocean, the effect on reefs, seagrass and all the marine ecosystems is catastrophic for generations to come."
Author William McKeever is a writer, a documentary filmmaker and the founder of the non-profit Safeguard the Seas, dedicated to ocean conservation. McKeever is the author of Emperors of the Deep, the producer and director of the forthcoming feature-length global documentary Emperors of the Deep-which has not been previously released-to further raise awareness.
After McKeever saw a shark tournament, he was so incensed that he left his job in finance and now donates all of his time to ocean conservation and saving sharks. He embarked on a two-year journey around the world to write the book and produce the film because every year the plight of the shark is getting worse. Emperors of the Deep features the first female captains of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, the South African trackers of great whites, and the self-professed "last great shark hunter."
The book includes interviews with world-renowned shark scientists who have examined the Mako, Tiger, Hammerhead, and Great White sharks. McKeever dispels the myth of sharks as man-eaters. Humans killed 100 million sharks last year while human fatalities from sharks were only 4 WORLDWIDE. Sharks are in trouble. An estimated 32 percent of open ocean sharks-including the scalloped hammerhead and whale shark-are currently threatened with extinction. Sharks are 450 million years old and have survived five extinction level events, including the one that killed off the dinosaurs.
Shark fins sell for as much as $300 per pound to make soup. Around the world, consumers are eating more shark meat and using the sharks to make cosmetics. Shark tourism is a growing business. A single shark generates an estimated $100,000-$250,000 per year in revenues.
Scientists have made exciting new discoveries about the over 500 species of sharks. For example, the Thresher shark kills with its tail, not its jaws. The Epaulette shark "walks" on top of coral reefs in search of prey during low tide. Sharks can dive 4,000 feet below the surface where water temperatures are barely above freezing, and the water pressure crushes most animals. Sharks have developed a sixth sense to detect electrical fields that they use to navigate thousands of miles or to bite prey with intricate precision. As apex predators, sharks are crucial to the ocean's health by maintaining reef and seagrass ecosystems.
The Emperors of the Deep movie is being shown as an exclusive private screening and will be released to the general public in 2020.

Laura Gomez

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Laura Gómez, actress, voiceover artist, writer, and director, has been making a name for herself in the entertainment industry over the past decade.

Laura is best known for transforming herself into Blanca Flores, a cunning and disheveled inmate on the award-winning smash Netflix hit series, "Orange is the New Black." Blanca is first introduced in season one when she hides a cellphone within the prison wall of a restroom stall and wards off other inmates by continually talking to "El Diablo." Viewers later learn about Blanca's life before prison and who Diablo really is. Season six ended on a shocking and emotional note with Blanca being released from prison early, only to be taken into ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody. Laura will return for the seventh and final season to be released on July 26, 2019.

On the film front, Laura continues to work in her home country of the Dominican Republic with her next few projects there including a role in the film, "Sunshine" shooting July 2019, and directing a feature and a short film, both of which she wrote. She was also seen in "Exposed" as Eva De La Cruz opposite Keanu Reeves, Ana DeArmas and Mira Sorvino, and in the Dominican film "Sambaě," directed by award winning filmmakers Laura Amelia Guzmaěn and Israel Cardenas, where she stars as a boxing promoter.

Inspired by the overwhelming support she received from the OITNBM season six finale when Blanca was taken by ICE, Laura has recently started a couple of series on her Instagram page. She has #ImmigrantStoriesByLauraGomez where she shares stories of people who immigrated to the United States presenting a mini bio with their journey, struggles and positive impact in American society. Additionally every Saturday morning, she posts a personal series of essays ranging from her views on motherhood, love, loss, anxiety, and discrimination.

Laura started her journey in Dominican Republic studying advertising. After growing up in Santo Domingo and working as an actress and journalist, she moved to New York City at 21 years old to study acting. Within three years of being in the states, she had landed professional work including her work at the Spanish Repertory Theater, where she participated in critically acclaimed plays, like "DonŢa Flor and her Two Husbands" and "The House of the Spirits," directed by Joseě Zayas and written by Obie Award playwright, Caridad Svich.