Storybeat With Steve Cuden

Andrew Conte serves as the founding director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University.  He writes the Pittsburgh Public Editor column at NEXTpittsburgh. And he was an investigative reporter at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where he won numerous national, state and local awards. Andrew has published several books, including Death of the Daily News, released in September, 2022, Breakaway, and The Color of Sundays, which explores the role of race in the National Football League mainly through how Bill Nunn, Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers identified undervalued players at historically black colleges. Netflix has optioned the book for a potential movie, and the Independent Book Publishers Association recognized The Color of Sundays with a Silver Benjamin Franklin Award. I’ve read The Color of Sundays and can tell you it’s a thoroughly researched, fascinating deep dive into how African Americans have become indispensable, elite players in high-profile sports.For the record, Steve and Andy have

Robert Kosberg is best known in Hollywood as, “The King of the Pitch,” for his ability to sell movie and TV stories to producers. After graduating from UCLA’s film program, Bob took a succession of minor entertainment industry jobs, while also writing scripts. He then moved to New York to work for a producer, where he found the time to look for his own material. He found a true story and was able to option it. Upon later returning to L.A., Bob began pitching this one true story idea while creating others. He found what he was always looking for: simple high concepts that no one knew about. A second true story sold to Lorimar that Bob and his writing partner wrote for that studio.Bob discovered that he was best at creating and/or finding great commercial material and then working to package those ideas with talent. Pitching is a major component of his success, which helped to launch his career as a producer.Bob learned that there is great 'power' in ideas. In time, his reputation grew as a "pitc

Jimmy Ryan has been Carly Simon’s guitarist since the 1970s. He’s an American artist, composer, producer, and author with a career that has spanned six decades. Beginning at seventeen, he and his college band, The Critters, had their first top forty hit, “Younger Girl,” which was followed by three charting albums and two more top forty hits, “Mr. Dieingly Sad” and “Don’t Let The Rain Fall Down on Me.”In 1970, Jimmy’s friend, Carly Simon, called him to put a band together for her. She was rising fast on the US and British top 40 charts with “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” as well as her first album “Carly Simon,” on which Jimmy played guitar. Jimmy went on to perform with Carly on most of her future albums and continues to work off and on with her to this day. He's the guitar soloist on many of Carly’s hits, the most memorable being “You’re So Vain,” and the Academy Award winning song of the year, “Let the River Run,” from the movie, Working Girl. Aside from Carly Simon, Jimmy’s also reco

Peter Smith and Laura Smith are co-authors of the book, “My Travels Through the Maelstrom of Punk Rock.”Peter is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sunderland, in the United Kingdom. Though paralyzed from the neck down, Peter continues teaching students online, while researching and writing about a number of subjects. He recently published articles and books on topics related to disability, postgraduate education, and rock music. He supports a number of students who are completing their Masters dissertations and PhD theses.  Peter is perhaps best known for his great contributions to Artificial Intelligence. Peter’s daughter, Laura, also publishes, sometimes with Peter, on topics relating to disability, rock music and the UK radio show “The Archers,” of which she’s a passionate follower and listener. Laura, who lost her sight at a young age, is a mother of two children and lives in the Northeast of the UK. She’s a qualified social worker, teacher, and a classically trained singing teacher.Peter and Lau

Leigh Marz is a co-author with Justin Zorn of the brilliant book called Golden, The Power of Silence in a World of Noise. Golden is a deeply researched, eye-opening revelation about just how important silence is, how much our world is currently lacking it, and ways to achieve silence that will enrich all of our lives. Leigh is a leadership and collaboration consultant with organizations including Harvard, Google, and IKEA, and she’s led a multi-year program teaching experimental mindsets to multigenerational teams at NASA. Leigh is also a longtime student of pioneering researchers and practitioners of the ritualized use of psychedelic medicines in the West.

David McGiffert was First Assistant Director on close to 50 feature films including: all three of the Back to the Future films, Rain Man, Batman Returns, Tootsie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Fisher King, Absence of Malice, Witness, The Firm, Vanilla Sky, King Kong, An Officer and a Gentleman and dozens of others. David began working in film in 1969 when a friend offered him a job as the second assistant director on a movie he was working on. Two weeks later, when that person quit, David inherited the first assistant director position and was tutored by the film’s very patient Director who had, himself, been an assistant director.Subsequently, David worked beside a succession of experienced mentors who put him in the right place at the right time and allowed him opportunities he would not have been able to find for himself. During David’s years as a First A.D. he never stopped learning the job, which is essentially carrying out the director’s wishes for the day’s shooting while guiding and facilitating the f

Jay Moriarty has written and produced some of the most beloved and revered half-hour comedies in television history including: The Jeffersons, All in the Family, Good Times, Maude, What’s Happening Now!!, Dear John, The Royal Family, Here and Now, Cosby, and Los Beltran. And he’s developed and written pilots for networks and studios including CBS, NBC, ABC, Warner Bros., Columbia, and Paramount.Jay’s recent memoir, Honky in the House: Writing & Producing The Jeffersons, sneaks the reader behind the scenes of this classic series for a close-up look at how sitcom sausage is made.Jay and his writing partner, Mike Milligan, sold their first freelance script to Norman Lear’s Good Times and were hired on staff at The Jeffersons where they began movin’ on up from Writers to Producers to Showrunners.Most recently, Jay published Deadeye, a cowboy comedy novel with heart offering a tip of the Stetson to Don Quixote. Jay is also the author/creator of the classic Sherlock Holmes board game 221 B Baker Street, which h

Ruslan K is the Chief Technology Officer of Filmustage, a technology company that is streamlining the film production process using neural network technology.With 10 years of development experience, Ruslan has been able to develop Filmustage technology to automate the script breakdown process, normally a painstaking task that is necessary in the production of motion pictures. A lifelong musician, Ruslan is also well-versed in sound design.  Filmustage.com Filmustage is offering a discount to StoryBeat listeners.  On the Filmustage site, enter StoryBeat30 for a 30% discount.

Mike Byrne created The Beatles Story Exhibition in Liverpool in 1990 with his wife, Bernadette, who was a Cavern Club regular who knew the Beatles well in the early years and became one of the first official Beatles Guides in Liverpool.  Mike was a fellow Merseybeat musician, who went on to work in marketing, theatre and promotions.  He saw the huge potential of Beatles tourism through what Bernadette was doing as a guide and became the manager of Beatle City – an ill-fated exhibition of memorabilia which he took on tour to Dallas, Texas in 1987.Mike was determined that Liverpool would have its own permanent Beatles exhibition, but found the Liverpool tourism board apathetic.  Mike and Bernadette realized they would have to do it themselves, eventually raising funding.  Creating the exhibition presented a multitude of challenges and hurdles, not least of which was securing permission from The Beatles!Their vision was to create an immersive experience that conveyed the feelings and emotions of key periods in t

Kate Linder was cast as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless 40 years ago, where she remains a key member of the top-rated daytime drama’s cast. Kate’s feature film credits include: Hysteria, Erased, Miss Meadows, Garry Marshall's Mother's Day, Charlie Matthau's The Book of Leah, and various others.Kate enjoys the best of two worlds -- on the air and in the air – because she never quit her pre-Young and the Restless weekend job as a United Airlines flight attendant, which she says keeps her grounded.Born in Pasadena, California, Kate entered dance classes at 3. By the time she finished high school, she’d appeared in major singing and dancing roles in Promises, Promises, Threepenny Opera, L’il Abner, Jesus Christ Superstar, and many more.Following graduation from San Francisco State University with a degree in Theater Arts, Kate worked part-time at the University, which is where she met her husband, Professor Dr. Ronald Linder, who subsequently joined the Public Health and Medicine fac

Christopher Hatton is a writer-director-producer based in Singapore.  His work ranges from sci-fi to drama to action to animation. He’s created projects in North America, the U.K., Europe and Asia.  He recently completed writing, directing, and producing Raven’s Hollow, an ambitious period thriller based on events in the life of a young Edgar Allan Poe.   I’ve seen Raven’s Hollow and can tell you it’s a terrifically entertaining, beautifully rendered, quite eerie mystery-horror-thriller. Some of Christopher’s other credits include Battle of the Damned with Dolph Lundgen, the robots-gone-berserk thriller Robotropolis, Cyber Wars with genre legend David Warner, Phantom Racer, and the first draft screenplay for what would become Shanghai Noon, among many others. Christopher earned an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Iowa where he took time out from writing plays to submit an unsolicited spec script to Star Trek: The Next Generation, which wound up being produced as a two-part episode.  This was immediat

Hilary Sloane is a journalist and documentary photographer living in the Mojave Desert. She researches, writes, shoots and works as an event reporter for local radio station Z107.7 FM.Hilary was an advertising photo stylist with various skills in production, wardrobe, set design, and makeup for many years in Los Angeles. She worked for, and with, numerous celebrities and well-known photographers and directors until 2008, when she saw an opportunity to leave L.A. and move to Joshua Tree, California. Hilary’s love for photography and writing inspired her to study journalism. She subsequently earned a certificate from Michigan State University. In 2017 and 2018, she traveled with Raleigh International, a British non-profit, as their photographer. In 2020, she joined a group of world-renowned photographers working with consultant, Christina Force, in which they share information and support. Hilary spends her free time photographing local wildlife around her home and dreaming up new projects that will take her in

David Carpenter is the CEO of Gamiotics, a live entertainment software company that enables real time communication between audience and content and is powering the next generation of immersive and experiential entertainment. Gamiotics’ mission is to deliver authentic experiences through audience agency. David is a twenty-year veteran of the entertainment industry and a Tony nominated producer. He got his start many years ago at the renowned theatrical office of The Dodgers. Eventually, he became a Dreamworks Theatricals executive, where he oversaw sales operations for Shrek The Musical.He’s currently a managing partner in the new interactive experience, The Twenty-Sided Tavern, which brings a Dungeons & Dragons style Role Playing Game into the live entertainment space using Gamiotics technology to power audience engagement. In 2019, David was the lead producer of the Broadway run of Slava’s Snowshow. He helmed the off-Broadway record breaking comedy Puffs, which ran for three years in New York and is in

Deborah Grace Winer is a theatrical writer, creator of theatrical revues and concerts, and she’s a leading expert on the American Songbook. Her new collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center--the Songbook Sundays Series at Dizzy’s Club--has been an instant sold out music destination. Deborah’s previous collaborations include Feinstein’s/54 Below, Birdland, and a decade as Artistic Director of the 92Y’s Lyrics & Lyricists™ concert series, steering the venerable series back to audience and critical acclaim.  She collaborates with top-tier artists from Broadway and the music world and works with leading institutions.  Among Deborah’s various books, On the Sunny Side of the Street: The Life and Lyrics of Dorothy Fields, was named by the Wall Street Journal one of the five best books on American Songwriters. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times and numerous other publications.  And her plays have been produced off-Broadway and regionally.  Deborah’s been featured on PBS’ American Masters, as well as

Dakin Matthews is familiar to audiences the world over.  He’s an actor, playwright, dramaturge, teacher, director, translator, emeritus English professor, and Shakespeare scholar. He’s been a leading actor in over 250 professional plays—eight on Broadway, including recently Waitress and To Kill a Mockingbird. Dakin is a member of both the Motion Picture and the Television Academies and has appeared in over 30 feature films, including: True Grit, Bridge of Spies, and Lincoln; and over three hundred television episodes, including shows such as: The Gilded Age, The King of Queens, Desperate Housewives, The Office, and Gilmore Girls. He’s been the Artistic Director of four professional theatre companies. His multiple award-winning scripts – adaptations, translations, and originals – have been performed across the country. Dakin won a Drama Desk Award for his Broadway adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV. His eleven rhyming verse translations of Golden Age comedies are currently being published by LinguaText. He&a

Margy Whitmer produced the beloved TV series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, for many years. After production ended in 2001, she continued on with Fred Rogers Productions, producing live-action segments for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood through the end of 2018, after which she remained a script consultant on the show through season 6.  Over the years, Margy has also been the liaison for Fred Rogers Productions to PBS’s Ready To Learn Initiative. She co-created, wrote and produced video-based early childhood professional development workshop materials. And she was the project director for two series of picture books, “First Experiences” and “Let’s Talk About It.” She has held production and administrative positions at WQED-TV for both local and national programs, including the “Once Upon a Classic” series and National Geographic Specials. Margy has served on the board of the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, ultimately as board President. She’s been a volunteer reader for Read Together and a steeri

Writer, editor, and manager, Tim Quinn was born in Liverpool, England. He started his career as a clown at Blackpool Tower Circus before working on BBC TV’s Good Old Days music hall series where he wrote scripts for top comedians. It was a small jump from there into the world of comic books where he spent many happy years as a scriptwriter on such noted UK titles as The Beano, The Dandy, Sparky, The Topper, Buster, Whoopee!, Bunty, Jackie, Dr Who Magazine, and Whizzer & Chips before heading to the United States to work for the mighty Marvel Comics Group as both editor and Head of Special Projects. Through those years he also produced many daily newspaper comic strips and interviews with such names as Klaus Voormann, Derek Taylor, Sir Tim Rice, Jeffrey Archer, Willy Russell, Eddie Izzard, Sierra Boggess, and Chyler Leigh.Tim has worked as a writer for the Guardian newspaper, as well as editor for America’s oldest publication, The Saturday Evening Post, and as producer for LWT’s The South Bank Show TV docum

The brilliant singer-songwriter, David Pomeranz, has achieved success in virtually every entertainment medium. His songs have been recorded and performed by a long list of major artists including: Bette Midler, Kenny Loggins, Cliff Richard, Freddie Mercury, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, Lou Rawls, John Denver, Missy Elliott, and Barry Manilow, who had international #1 hits with David's “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again,” and “The Old Songs.” David's concert performances have delighted audiences worldwide. His recording and songwriting projects have earned him a total of 22 platinum and 18 gold albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide.At 19, Decca records signed David to a multi-album solo contract. He subsequently toured extensively with artists like: The Carpenters, Steely Dan, Air Supply, Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, The Doors and many more. David’s solo albums include: "It’s in Every One of Us,” "The Truth of Us,” “Time to Fly”, “New Blues,” “On This Day,” and “The Eyes of Christma

The brilliant stage, screen, and voice actress, Melinda Peterson, has been performing professionally for more than 40 years. She was introduced to audio theatre in 1990 when she played all 17 of the female roles in Proctor & Bergman’s Power which aired on NPR as a regular segment of John Hockenberry’s Heat. Since that time she has contributed voices to NPR Playhouse productions, including working with all-star casts on We Hold These Truths and Empire of the Air for Other World Media, as well as performing with the legendary Firesign Theatre on The Great Internet Broadcast for the Toyota Comedy Festival in New York. And she’s traveled several times to Dublin to participate in Crazy Dog Audio productions for RTE, Ireland’s public radio service. Melinda is most proud that she was Norman Corwin’s very favorite Lucretia Borgia in his The Plot to Overthrow Christmas. She’s also led the casts of Agatha Christie’s BBC Murders playing Agatha Christie herself. Melinda has performed at regional theatres across the c

The brilliant singing duo of Maripat Davis and Richard Osborn,burst onto the cabaret scene with sold out California engagements at The Gardenia in Hollywood, and Sterling’s Upstairs at Vitello’s in Studio City. Their first show, entitled Let’s Fall In Love, featured a potpourri of classic American love songs from the 30’s, 40’s and beyond, taking a fun and sentimental look at the many moods of love from first blush to a lifetime love affair. Their second show, Moonlight and Love Songs, took them on a romantic journey through many of the memorable songs from the silver screen, past and present. In addition to numerous appearances at The Gardenia, they’ve also performed at: the Ten20 Club, and The Vermont in Los Angeles; the Central California Cabaret Series with Broadway star Luba Mason; Billy Reed’s, Azul's, the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs; and the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York.Maripat began her performing career at the age of six. She’s also an actress and dancer with credits in theater, fil