Pierson To Person

BILL DUKE is a retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department. He spent 32 years "on the job" protecting and serving the citizens of LA -- a job that both fed his soul and satisfied the adrenaline junkie in him. Climb into the back seat of Bill's car as he drives Brent around Hollywood, DTLA and Chinatown and talks about his life on the beat. (1hr 6min)  

JOHN T. LANG, Ph.D. is the chair of the Department of Sociology at Occidental College. Professor Lang devotes much of his academic research to the exploration of social relations surrounding the production and consumption of food. (EXTENDED EPISODE: 1hr 14min)   EPISODE NOTES:  Thanksgiving week is here and food takes center stage in America. So, too, on an extended episode of PIERSON TO PERSON as I talk with JOHN T. LANG, Ph.D. Professor Lang chairs the Department of Sociology at Occidental College and devotes much of his academic research to the exploration of social relations surrounding the production and consumption of food. Our wide-ranging conversation covers restaurant rivalries, fine dining, food trucks, small plates, family food budgets, meal kit delivery services, food TV, chain restaurants, the rise of Whole Foods, the fall of Fresh & Easy, the enduring cult of Trader Joe’s, food worker wages, lobster, caviar, sushi, Pringles, Cheetos, “secret” off-menu items, Yelp, food rituals … and a probl

ANDY GINER kept his passion for rapping under wraps for several years before finding the courage to step forward as his hip-hop alter ego, ORION THE ARTIST. Andy is serious about finding a place for himself in the competitive rap world -- not for fame and fortune, but for a higher purpose. (44:13) EXPLICIT   EPISODE NOTES:    ANDY GINER is one of the best production sound engineers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I’d always seen Andy as a mild-mannered guy. Quiet and unassuming, but friendly. Then we became Facebook friends and I discovered, to my surprise, that Andy has a fast talking hip-hop alter ego he calls ORION THE ARTIST – a very different fella than the affable, low-key sound man I’ve been in the field with. Rapping, I’ve since learned, is a big part of Andy’s life and he’s serious about finding a place for himself in the competitive world of hip-hop. Not for fame and fortune, but for a higher purpose. For more information on ORION THE ARTIST and how to download his album IDENTITY LO

DAN ARDEN is a veteran non-fiction television producer with a reputation of being a very nice guy to work for – some say too nice. But for Dan, creating a positive and enriching experience for his production team is equally rewarding, sometimes even more so, than producing the show itself. (43:37)     EPISODE NOTES: I’ve known and worked with a lot of nice and conscientious TV producers over the years, but DAN ARDEN is hands down the nicest and most conscientious. It’s just who Dan is, and reflective of the way he leads his life. For nearly 40 years, Dan has belonged to Soka Gakkai International-USA, a Buddhist peace organization whose members are guided by the core principles of respecting the dignity of human life and the interconnect-edness of self and the environment. And whether he’s producing a series or special for Discovery, Animal Planet, Nat Geo, HBO, NBC, AMC, Showtime, Fox or PBS, Dan strives to create a positive and enriching experience for the people on his production team: “There’s the materia

FAITH PRINCE won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Miss Adelaide in the 1992 Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls.” And while Faith was honored to be recognized for her performance, she says the baggage that came with the win messed her up for five years. (48:04) EXPLICIT     EPISODE NOTES: And the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical goes to … FAITH PRINCE. The year was 1992. The show was “Guys and Dolls.” The role was Miss Adelaide. And while Faith was honored to be recognized for her performance, she did not expect the baggage that came with the win: “It kinda messes you up for awhile because it puts you in this league and then people go, ‘Oh, you can’t take that. That’s not worthy of you.’ Suddenly I went from being a character actress to being a leading lady. And it took me about five years to shake all that and go back to my old self and start picking things that I liked and wanted to do.” FAITH PRINCE starred as Miss Adelaide opposite Nathan Lane in the 199

BLAKE BELTRAM is co-founder of MINDBODY, the largest provider of cloud-based business management software to the boutique, beauty, health and wellness industry. The publicly traded company serves clients in over 130 countries worldwide. (52:42)     EPISODE NOTES: It’s been 20 years since BLAKE BELTRAM sat in my living room tinkering with a software program that he had recently created to help yoga and pilates studios manage their daily business. I should have paid more attention. Turns out, Blake’s nascent software was the seed that grew into a mighty oak called MINDBODY. The publicly traded company is now the largest provider of cloud-based business management software to the boutique beauty, health and wellness industry serving clients in over 130 countries worldwide. Headquartered in San Luis Obispo, MINDBODY was co-founded by high school friends Rick Stollmeyer and Blake Beltram.   Many thanks to the Blue Dot Sessions for the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licens

JEFF COPELAND is an author, screenwriter and non-fiction television producer whose close friendship with Andy Warhol superstar HOLLY WOODLAWN (immortalized in Lou Reed's biggest hit song "Walk On the Wild Side") dramatically impacted his professional and personal life in ways he never expected. (46:40) EXPLICIT     EPISODE NOTES: Andy Warhol made her famous. Lou Reed immortalized her in song. And JEFF COPELAND wrote the book that chronicles the extraordinary journey of a 15-year-old runaway who, as Reed croons, “shaved her legs and then he was a she.” As Jeff tells me in his PIERSON TO PERSON episode WALK ON THE WILD SIDE, he distinctly remembers the first time he laid eyes on the drag queen who would so dramatically impact his professional and personal life. JEFF: “I spotted this androgynous being, and I couldn’t figure out if this was a man or a woman. I turned to my friend and asked, ‘Who is that?’ And he said, ‘Oh, that’s Holly Woodlawn. She’s an Andy Warhol superstar. Don’t bother with her. She’s a me

ELIZABETH COOPER SMOKLER has spent 40 years working as a Hollywood makeup artist, primarily on TV sitcoms such as Roseanne, The Ellen Show, Reba, Blossom, The Larry Sanders Show and Who’s the Boss? It’s been a wonderful career – except, that is, for all the sexual harassment she’s had to deal with in the process. (50:53)     EPISODE NOTES: Not long before allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein jump-started an ongoing dialogue on sexual harassment in Hollywood, I talked with veteran TV makeup artist ELIZABETH COOPER SMOKLER about her experience working with lecherous celebrities. ELIZABETH: “These are people with a lot of power that nobody ever says ‘no’ to. Or, very rarely. And they’re wealthy and entitled, and you’re in their personal space. You’re touching their face, touching their neck and so it can be a challenge at times because people take that as an opportunity to cross boundaries. That was a huge problem in my life.” Elizabeth has spent 40 years making actors up, primarily for sitcoms (e.g. Rosea

MACEO HERNANDEZ is a professional Taiko drummer whose passion for the ancient Japanese form of percussion began in the 7th grade. Despite having no rhythm or musical experience, young Maceo was determined to play Taiko, leading him on a life-changing journey to Japan and inspiring a documentary film. (51:11)       EPISODE NOTES: MACEO HERNANDEZ was in the 7th grade when he experienced an epiphany while listening to a Japanese Taiko group performing at a family friend’s wedding. MACEO: “You could really feel the impact and the vibration of these Taiko drums. And it just blew me away. I went up to them and helped them load these drums into their car. I just wanted to touch and feel these drums. I knew then I wanted to play these drums, even though I had no rhythm. I never drummed in my life. I never played an instrument. But the Taiko drum drew me to want to play it, even though I didn’t know anything about it.” Having a Mexican-American teenager dedicate himself to the ancient Japanese form of percussion mad

LLOYD GORDON is one of the top estate liquidators in Los Angeles. Nearly 30 years in the business, Lloyd stages and presides over estate sales in some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. He says just because an item is valuable doesn’t mean it will sell. (50:26)       EPISODE NOTES: Next year LLOYD GORDON will celebrate his 30th anniversary working as an estate liquidator in Los Angeles. It’s not something the exuberant song and dance man set out to do. But a funny thing happened to Lloyd on the way to a musical theater career – he made a real name for himself staging and managing estate sales in some of the city’s toniest neighborhoods. As Lloyd tells me in his PIERSON TO PERSON episode YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, when he first started liquidating the earthly possessions of the recently departed he did not feel good about himself: LLOYD: “I felt a little bit like a creepy undertaker -- no offense to undertakers. But then a friend of mine said, ‘You know, what you’re doing is actually helping people

KAY BESS is a veteran voice-over actor with hundreds of commercial, film/TV narration and video game credits to her name. Kay says technology has dramatically changed the way VO artists work. And while there are more voice-over jobs than ever before, they’re a whole lot harder to get than when she first began. (45:27)     EPISODE NOTES: I’d like you to meet my new Bess friend, KAY BESS, a veteran voice-over actor with hundreds of commercial, film and TV narration, live show announcing, network promo and video game credits to her name.  Kay is the voice of HGTV’s “Property Brothers” seasons 1-4 and plays Persephone Brimstone in the video game "Agents of Mayhem" and is Lara Croft’s nemesis, Ana, in the video game “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” She’s also pitched everything from Apple, Motel 6 and Hidden Valley Ranch to Toyota, Jergen’s and Kaiser Permanente on the radio. As Kay tells me in VOCE FORTE, technology has dramatically changed the way VO artists not only audition for jobs – which are harder and harder t

BOB NIEMACK is the zealous executive producer of Discovery’s long-running docudrama medical series “Untold Stories of the ER.” Bob began his action-packed production career as an editor and won a national Emmy for editing the groundbreaking documentary “Scared Straight!” – a film he says came dangerously close to never being seen. (49:13) EXPLICIT     EPISODE NOTES - Posted June 24, 2017: Tomorrow will mark my 25th appearance as the announcer at BOB NIEMACK’s mostly-annual softball game. Bob loves to celebrate his birthday by playing softball with friends, family and TV colleagues, and I’ve had the privilege of providing live, amplified commentary over the years at what he calls the BBBB: Bob’s Birthday Baseball Bash. But Bob’s PIERSON TO PERSON episode STILL SWINGING has nothing to do with baseball – or softball, for that matter. Although the title is certainly a nod to our summertime tradition, this episode is really a profile of one of my first production mentors who, after 45 action-packed years in the t

CARRIE MORITA spent 36 years teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Although she had several opportunities to work closer to home, Mrs. Morita endured a daily 75-mile, bumper-to-bumper roundtrip commute to teach at Eagle Rock Elementary School because of the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of its large student body. (45:58)      EPISODE NOTES - Posted June 10, 2017: I cannot bring myself to call CARRIE MORITA by her first name. She was both my daughters Taite and Quinn’s kindergarten teacher at Eagle Rock Elementary School and has always been – and always will be – MRS. MORITA to me.   PHOTO: Carrie Morita at her retirement party in June 2011. Hundreds of friends, colleagues, former students and their families came to wish her well. It does, as they say, “seem like only yesterday” that Jillian and I took our little 5-year-old Taite Rose Pierson to Mrs. Morita’s kindergarten classroom for her first day of school. Taite’s now 18 and, indeed, it was only yesterday that she graduated as one of

JOHN GRANT is an award-winning location manager who knows the Greater Los Angeles Area like the back of his hand. From feature films to reality TV shows, John has a genuine love for finding real-world settings for producers and directors to use in creating make-believe worlds. (43:28)     EPISODE NOTES:  I’ve lived in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles for 20 years and in that time I’ve seen a lot of film and television shoots on my street and around the neighborhood. Clint Eastwood lived in the house behind me in “Million Dollar Baby.” The Italian Bakery at the end of my street had a recurring role in “Sons of Anarchy.” “The Office” shot at Pete’s Blue Chip Burgers, and Zooey Deschanel rode down Colorado Boulevard in a pedicab for her show “New Girl.” Pharrell Williams used Eagle Rock High School, our bowling alley All Star Lanes, and the local CVS for his “Happy” music video. HBO’s “Togetherness” was not only filmed in Eagle Rock, but actually set in Eagle Rock -- it usually passes for other places. The tid

RICHARD KONIGSBERG was one of the youngest agent trainees to ever be promoted at ICM. But Richard ditched the powerhouse talent agency to become an actor himself. Five years later, he returned and was made an agent for a second time -- but not before having to serve another tour of duty as assistant to one of the most demanding agents in the biz. EXPLICIT (45:56)      EPISODE NOTES: My first job in the entertainment business was at the powerhouse talent agency International Creative Management. I started in January 1988 and in the two-plus years I was there, I assisted agents in both the motion picture and television departments. And despite witnessing a lot of ego and pressure-driven theatrics and bad behavior, I was very glad to be at ICM because at that time it was one of “the” places to work in Hollywood. From the Los Angeles Times (Column One – By Amy Wallce – Dec. 11, 1998): "In the '80s and early '90s, talent agents ruled the industry. Movie studios and television networks found themselves beholden to

IFUNANYA “NODDY” NWEKE is the founder and executive director of Jazz Hands for Autism (JHFA). The non-profit organization provides platforms for musically inclined individuals on the autism spectrum to explore and express their talent, and helps many of its gifted musicians find steady paying gigs. (35:27)     EPISODE NOTES: There’s no choosing the talents any one of us are born with – nor the challenges. I would love to have a natural talent for music. I don’t. But I also don’t have autism. IFUNANYA NWEKE knows plenty of people who have both. Ifunanya is the founder and executive director of JAZZ HANDS FOR AUTISM (JHFA), a non-profit organization that provides platforms and seeks avenues for musically inclined individuals who are on the autism spectrum to explore and express their talent. As she tells me on her PIERSON TO PERSON episode THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUM: “Music is processed differently than speech. It’s processed using almost every single structure in the brain. That kind of processing helps byp

DON COLLIVER was working as a non-fiction TV producer when he decided to make a highly unconventional career change and became a professional clown. This episode was recorded three days before Don flew to New York to join the award-winning performance art company Blue Man Group. (44:36) EXPLICIT       EPISODE NOTES: Several of my TV producer friends and colleagues have exited the business, but nobody’s exit strategy has been nearly as unconventional as the switch DON COLLIVER made by becoming a professional clown. Now, if you’re imagining Don wearing big floppy shoes and making balloon animals at children’s birthday parties, stop right there. As Don explains in his PIERSON TO PERSON episode DOWN TO CLOWN, his style of clowning is a theatrical art form that allows him to explore a wide-range of human emotions and express himself in a way that is cathartic for the audience: “When I feel an emotion I share it with the audience completely, right into their eyes. Not to be angry at the audience, but to show I’m a

JONATHAN DOWDELL is a senior producer at TV home shopping giant QVC. Jonathan identifies with the legions of loyal viewers who tune into the network 24/7 searching for good deals because at the age of 50 he is – as he’s always been – compulsively conscious of every dollar he spends. (34:26) EXPLICIT       EPISODE NOTES: Some of my very best friends in life are people I’ve met while working on various television shows. JONATHAN DOWDELL is one of them. I met Jonathan on a series in 1993 and, despite his moving to the east coast 15 years ago to take a producing job with TV home shopping giant QVC, we’ve managed to stay close. When I turned 50, Jonathan and I met up in Clarksdale, Mississippi to celebrate with another relocated TV buddy. Recently, Jonathan turned 50 and this time the celebration was in Louisville, Kentucky. I packed my portable digital recorder thinking I might, on the occasion of his milestone birthday, convince him to sit down and record an episode of PIERSON TO PERSON. I wasn’t sure what we w

HOLLISTER RAND was a young child when she first realized she could see and talk with dead people. Frightened and feeling freakish, Hollister kept her unusual talent a secret until she was nearly killed at the age of 18. Today, she fully embraces her life as a medium and finds great purpose in helping people connect with their loved ones in spirit. (46:31) EXPLICIT    EPISODE NOTES: Ask me what my oddest TV job was and I won’t hesitate: line producer on the Psychic Friends Network infomercials. Hosted by singer Dionne Warwick, the talk show-like program hawked a 900-number to call for a live $3.99-per-minute psychic reading over the phone. As part of my job, I once auditioned a dozen psychics who read me back-to-back. Although the task was to see how each of them looked and sounded giving a reading on camera, I saw it as an opportunity to put the concept of psychic ability to the test. And while I did find a couple of people who were suitable for an appearance on PFN, I didn’t experience anything that I felt w

BRIAN PAYNE is the president and CEO of the $750 million Central Indiana Community Foundation and the founder of the internationally-recognized Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Brian was recently named an Indiana Living Legend -- not something the California native with two degrees in theater arts from UCLA ever imagined being. (42:28)     EPISODE NOTES: Who in their right mind moves from the beautiful, hippy-dippy seaside city of Santa Cruz to landlocked Indianapolis? I mean, what sort of self-respecting native Californian heads Midwest to live in Indiana? That’s what I thought 23 years ago when BRIAN PAYNE told me that he’d decided to do just that – a decision that I didn’t fully understand or appreciate until my 5th and most recent trip to Indy when Brian and I sat down for a heartland heart-to-heart. HOOSIER BY CHOICE is the 17th episode of PIERSON TO PERSON, but the first episode in which I’m the one who gets a little choked up during the interview. I met Brian when he was a graduate student at UCLA. He was