Meditations with Ryan Zlomek

The Relevance of Film with Pro8mm Business Owner Phil Vigeant

Heading to the west coast, Ryan interviews Phil Vigeant, the owner of Pro8mm, a company that handles all elements of the Super 8 film production process. Super 8 film was developed by Kodak in the 1960s and is considered the first completely accessible home video format. Since 1982, Phil has owned Pro8mm (formally Super8 Sound), a company that sells, processes, and scans film as well as offers camera purchase and repair. Phil's spirit for collaboration and invention clearly comes through in this interview and he talks about his background in business, regularly evaluating for growth areas at his company, the excitement of the 1980s Super 8 music video boom, and the modern landscape for film shooting in everything from the amateur to professional markets. This is an amazing conversation about the limitless things one can do when they are so wholly devoted to an artistic medium just as Phil is to Super 8. 

For more information on Phil's work at Pro8mm, find them online at https://www.pro8mm.com/, as well as on Instagram and Facebook at @Pro8mm.

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Neurodiversity, ADHD, & Creativity with Artist Kyla Yager

In this episode Ryan connects with ADHD Intuitive Artist Kyla Yager, a practicing creative working in Toronto in Ontario, Canada. After being diagnosed with ADHD, Kyla has spent her career developing artwork that showcases her mental procedures on canvases of all kinds. Her work makes the viewer feel seen, recognized, and even adds a tactile elements which encourages interaction and play. In this conversation, Kayla talks about growing up in New Orleans, the way in which her brain functions for administrative and creative tasks, strategies for people with ADHD, and the importance of collaboration in the artistic space. 

If you're interested in learning more about Kyla's work, you can find her at https://www.kylayagerartwork.com/, as well as @Artby.KylaY on Instagram and @KylaYagerArtwork on TikTok.

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Exploring The Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland & Oz Historian John Fricke

This week Ryan sits down with John Fricke, the foremost biographer of Judy Garland and historian on The Wizard of Oz. In this episode we travel through time to 1900, the year the book The Wizard of Oz was published by L. Frank Baum and then make our way to 1939 to talk about the production and relevance of the MGM film almost 85 years later. John Fricke is a New York City-based writer who has published numerous landmark books including Judy Garland: The World's Greatest Entertainer, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated History of the American Classic. His newest book is about the film White Christmas and is due out in 2024. John is also the co-director and host of the documentary We're Off To See The Munchkins and is the featured audio commentary narrator on the Blu-Ray, DVD, and Laser Disc releases of The Wizard of Oz as well as the other Judy  Garland classics Meet Me In St. Louis, For Me And My Gal, and  Easter Parade. In this conversation John talks about growing up in Milwaukee, discovering the Oz books at a young age, the importance of libraries in his career trajectory, and gives a tremendous behind-the-scenes glimpse into the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz and its historical importance as the most watched film of all time.

If you're interested in learning more about John Fricke and the importance of L. Frank Baum's work, check out the All Things Oz Museum on the web where John writes a regular blog and consider coming to Chittenango, NY to visit the museum in person or attend Oz-Stravaganza the first weekend in June every year. 

For more about Meditations With Ryan Zlomek, follow The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com to inquire about sponsorships or collaborations. 
 

Observing Life One Frame At A Time with stop motion animator Tim Allen

In this conversation, Ryan travels across the globe to sit down with world-renowned stop motion animator, Tim Allen. Having started his career on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and more recently working with Aardman Animations on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Tim is a giant in the film industry acting with stop motion puppets one frame at a time. In this conversation Tim talks about discovering his passion for animation, how to overcome imposter syndrome, performing through puppets, and the value of sharing your craft with a new generation. Additionally, he shares tales of working on such films as Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. It’s an engaging, humble chat that will inspire you to seek out your passion and show them to the world.

Tim can be found online at Facebook and Instagram (@timallenanimation) as well as at his website https://timallenanimation.co.uk/

For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations. 

Investing In Your Community with Communications Manager CJ Butler of The Salt City Market

This week Ryan is joined by CJ Butler, the Communications Manager of The Salt City Market in Syracuse, NY. CJ talks about her journey as a young professional exploring social media management, determining whether to put down roots in the big apple (New York City) or the big orange (Syracuse, NY), the Allyn Family Foundation and the work CJ does for The Salt City Market project. Additionally, CJ talks about her time exploring American Sign Language in college and fiber arts with the Off The Hook Crochet Club. 

For more information on CJ's work, visit The Salt City Market through their website, Facebook, and Instagram as well as follow Off The Hook Crochet on Instagram. 

For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations. 

Exploring The Creative Process with Comic Artist and Educator Ryan Claytor

Two Ryans, one podcast, what could go wrong? This week Ryan Zlomek (college educator, media artists, and pinball collector from New York) is visited by his doppelgänger Ryan Claytor (college educator, comic artist, and pinball collector) from Michigan to talk about the creative process. Ryan Claytor discusses his new book One Bite At A Time, the importance of bartering, how his process changes from designing comics to watches to pancakes, and how he views his personal evolution over the last 20 years. The fellow Ryans also discuss the serendipitous nature of their relationship to one another and the manner by which similarities in sometimes just can not be avoided.

For more information on Ryan Claytor, visit his website http://elephanteater.com/ or find him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/elephanteatercomics) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/coinopcarnival/).

For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations. 

 

In Talks of Healing with Proprietor Kelly Tompkins of Blue Moon Apothecary

We transport to Liverpool, NY this week to talk with Kelly Tompkins, the owner of the Blue Moon Apothecary. Kelly chats with Ryan to talk about her journey to find work/life balance, the history of apothecaries, the importance of talking through your ailments to find the root cause, and ensuring we rely on both holistic and modern medicine. Additionally, this is a conversation about entrepreneurship and the welcoming environments people can create when they invest in themselves and the community around them. 

You can find more about Kelly and her work by visiting https://www.thebluemoonapothecary.com/.

For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations. 

Podcasting Behind The Scenes with Matt Hartman and Mariana Ruiz

It's time to get meta in the Meditations Universe as Ryan chats on a podcast with two podcasters about podcasting. Matt Hartman of the Drunkard's Walk and Mariana Ruiz of the Impact Driven Entrepreneur Podcast share their backgrounds and journeys to podcasting from the STEM fields to developing audio media for clients and curious patrons. This episode is a deep dive into the work it takes to develop a podcast, different ways to think about your audience, successful scheduling tactics, technology to consider, and the manner by which your personal interests can positively feed into your work. 

For more information about Mariana and her work with entrepreneurs, find her on Facebook Mariana S. Ruiz. To explore Matt Hartman and the Drunkard's Walk, visit https://drunkardswalk.buzzsprout.com/ or find them on your favorite podcast app. 

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