Passion, skill, determination and slowly move towards success!

Four years on from our discussion on Your Story with Rocco from Metroccolis we once again sit on the roof tops of Berlin just near Mauerpark in the old East Berlin. But this time Stefan as the other half of Metroccolis joins us for coffee and donuts and talk of life as successful mime artists.

Recording on the Roof Tops of Berlin

No longer the starving artists.

Stefan and Rocco are the mime artists that are Metroccolis. A unique mime troupe who are passionate about silent theatre. Now together for 15 years since their school day they are managing to pay a real wage to themselves after many years as the classic startving artists.

In this episode we dig deeper from the previous episode into how things have progressed in the last four years. Now Metroccolis is making the dream happen and can share how they managed to get to where they’re a real business.

The ideas Stefan and Roccos share are gold for all artists. How to move forward with their passion and how to have the best shot at achieving success. Just some of the things they talk of:

• Not taking success for granted
• Importance of a specific unique vision
• Persistance
• Balance of business and art
• Passion for what you love

Their website is Metroccolis.com
Email is mail@Metroccolis.com

Mauerpark from the rooftops of Berlin

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Music is from

The Glitch Mob
“Warrior Concerto” (mp3)
from “We Can Make The World Stop – EP”
(Glass Air)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Lee Kalt
“American Excess” (mp3)
from “American Excess”
(House Music TV)
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

Creating, then helping others with their Indy Movie production!

Creative people never have an issue with the making. That’s their passion and what we talk about here on Your Story. Their issues are to fund and promote their creation. And that means getting attention!

Independent film maker Juliane Block shares these challenges but has additional skills to help her productions. All good information for indy film makers. She also has a cross cultural experience of  film making in Asia and what that’s like.

We all need help.

There are many things all creative people need for success but much of the time these are the skills they’re lacking. For the independent film maker the challenge is to create but also to fund, market and distribute, leaving them with the task of doing it all. So they have to reach for help. With the development of the digital age the task of getting attention has only become more complicated requiring the skills of a new breed of producer in the PMD that we discussed in Episode 58 of Your Story.

Behind & in front of the camera.

In front of camera

Juliane has produced, directed and acted in several short and two feature films both in Germany and in Asia where she lived and worked. She’s is working on her next feature, while using her graphic/industrial design skills to help other film makers with the promotion and funding of their production.

Juliane explains the basics of how crowd-funding works, along with ideas for spin off sales of products using the example of the recent huge success of Iron Sky of what can be done by keeping the fans in the loop all the way through the production cycle. Depending on the production needs the film public aren’t just passive observers any longer but are now involved at all levels of the production.

If you need some help with your production you can contact Juliane at Indiekraut to see some of the different ways of getting an indy film supported.

Director – Lights, Camera, Action.

For more information on Kinks or maybe to organise a house party for the screening of it just contact Juliane via her website and watch the movie trailer for Kinks at Kinksthemovie.com

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Music is from

Liquid Stranger
“Deep Down Below” (mp3)
from “Steel Trap EP”
(Interchill Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Oddisee
“Khartoum” (mp3)
from “Traveling Man”
(Mello Music Group)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Paxton Fettel
“Stare Forever” (mp3)
from “Dusty Thoughts EP”
(Soul Sheep Music)
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Stefan Mallmann
“Desire for Exercise” (mp3)
from “Night Drive Music, Vol. 2″
(Night Drive Music)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

This is the story of pointes.

It’s not just people who have stories but I had never thought of the importance of Pointe Shoes for a ballet dancer.

 

Imagine waking one morning to discover your sex has changed!

On the last episode of Your Story we heard from Sophie, about her time in Berlin from before “The Wall” came down in 1989 to today.

Sophie at Another Country Books

Today we hear Part 2, a completely different story to what we heard last time, about her amazing story of gender transition and how it all came about and evolved.

Just imagine that!

Imagine waking one day to discover something as fundamental as your gender, which seems to be locked in stone for life, suddenly changing.

Despite the momentum of a lifetime Sophie found herself in this situation and she takes us through how it came about and how she dealt with it along with the reality of what it means to move through transition. This is not the standard story of gender transition that we hear from time to time but a medical condition that has lead to a change but then, as Sophie mentions maybe it was a transition that was always going to happen when the situation was right and the medication was what tip the balance.

Another Country Bookstore

We talk about the reality of what it’s meant for Sophie, both emotionally, mentally and physically. The way it’s impacted her personal and professional relationships along with the continuity of running the business at Another Country Books in Berlin along with family and friends in her greater community. Sophie generously shares with us some incredibly personal aspects of the transgender journey and how living real can be the most import aspect of gender transition.

Website: AnotherCountry.de
Address: Riemannstr, 7, 10961 Berlin, (U7 Gneisenaustr)
Phone: 030/96401160

If you’re in or ever get to Berlin make sure you check out Sophie’s bookstore.

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

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Support Your Story by commenting on this episode with one of the social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes.

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Music is from

Stereoglyph
“Comatose” (mp3)
from “Neon City”
(Muti Music)
More On This Album

Vodovoz
“Hottub” (mp3)
from “Mantra”
(Night Drive Music)
Buy at Napster
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

Berlin change & Another Country Books.

From the beginning of her time going back to 1987, Sophie has been part of the culture and changes in  Berlin. Back in the day, Berlin was a divided city with “The Wall”, still very much in evidence.

Sophie in Another Country Book Shop

Sophie tells us about Berlin before the wall came down and what those dying days of the East/West divide were like. What was it like to live in the city that was the most likely starting ground for WW3 and then what was it like to see the end of the Cold War and the fall of the wall and the changes reunification brought to Berlin?

Chatting amongst the books.

While remaining an ex-pat Brit, Sophie has now very much settled as a local in Berlin with her eclectic Another Country English Language Bookshop. A blend of club, reading room, library and book store designed to bring people together, especially those interested in meeting like minded English speakers and travellers.

Each week Sophie puts on a open house dinner for anyone to drop-in and meet other interesting people. On a personal note I can vouch for the wonderful opportunity to meet and chat with people from around the world while enjoying a great value meal, drinking wine and the wonderful German beer. Take the time to check it out if you happen to be in Berlin

Her website is AnotherCountry.de
Address: Riemannstr, 7, 10961 Berlin, (U7 Gneisenaustr)
Phone: 030/96401160

Ian's Birthday bash amongst the books

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Music is from

← If you want to record the Life Stories of others, listen to my other podcast at Create Your Life Story.com or on iTunes.

…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Music is from

Bright Moments
“Travelers” (mp3)
from “Natives”
(LUAKA BOP)
More On This Album

POLIÇA
“Dark Star” (mp3)
from “Give You The Ghost”
(Totally Gross National Product / POLIÇA)
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

Using a 350 year old model to create a 50% discounted Peer to Peer insurance scheme.

You hate insurance, I hate insurance, we all hate insurance but we all know, when things go down the toilet, it’s good to have the safety net to help us recover.

Like all of us, Sebastian Herfurth hated insurance also but after deciding he didn’t want to work in law, thought, there had to be a better way for insurance, using the power of modern social networks. This is simply reinventing the forgotten system from the history of insurance of 350 years ago, when friends and colleagues would group together to spread the risk of damages.

Sebastian Herfurth

The reason we don’t like insurance is we’re dealing with a gargantuan, faceless company and we never see benefits unless something goes wrong.

If we’re a good risk we see little benefit.

Sebastian and the team at Friensurance are taking that model of insurance and turning it on its head. If we do the right thing, not to abuse the scheme and make no claims, we’re rewarded with up to a 50% refund of our insurance premium.

This scheme is all about using the opinions and good will of our social network to encourage risk minimisation and avoid people who may defraud the scheme.

It’s simple really…

1. Buy insurance through Friendsurande from a large traditional provider.
2. Group a good risk, social network to share the policies.
3. Claim when needed but not abuse.
4. If no claims are made, receive a refund of 50% at year’s end.

The insurance companies benefit by having low risk individuals keeping an eye on each other for their mutual benefit, resulting in minimised fraud and abuse. That reduces overheads for the companies resulting in refunds to the customers. The companies are generating the same income, it’s just that with Friendsurance there is no need to pass on to the customers the cost of abuse and fraud, resulting in the 50% refund. Bonus

High risk individuals whose social network isn’t interested in supporting them would still have to purchase tradition insurance at the normal 100% cost.

The company website is Friendsurance.de

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…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Music is from

Dance by Jason Shaw
licensed under a
Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Find out more at Free Music Archive

Eastern Sun
“Northern Vision” (mp3)
from “In Emptiness”
(Ball of Waxx)

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Stream from Rhapsody
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More On This Album

 

It seems to have taken four weeks for my soul to catch up with me.

I’ve been in Berlin now for four weeks meeting people and spending time settling in to how this city operates. I find it takes time to find my feet in any new environment and understand how the basic functions of life operate. It’s a mix of confusion and excitement, that is both fun and distracting.

Now that the settling is hopefully completed I’m looking forward to seeing how things continue to evolve. I’m slowly developing a network of people who are openly and actively connecting with me and offering assistance both in general ideas of where to go and what to see but also who I could connect with. The open generosity of many of the people here is encouraging and maybe shows something of the personality of the people of Berlin.

This was cold!

I said in 2008 that Berlin is like a run down share house full of university students who are doing some interesting things. With that attitude comes a “we’re all in this together”, attitude. Everyone knows that we can all help each other to help ourselves. That attitude gives this city a vibrancy of purpose to create and build some amazing things, even if the specific direction isn’t clear.

If you want to follow all my content just go to About.me/IanKath or my daily Boos at AudioBoo

Make sure you download from iTunes

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Grabbing opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else.

When you’re young and exploring the world, there are chances for finding yourself wherever you are but the opportunities that present themselves will vary depending on location. Just take a moment to consider how different your life would have been and the opportunities that you took advantage of or missed simply due to where you spent your formative years.

Capturing the spirit of opportunity

In this episode of Your Story we chat to Henry Richards about the opportunities that are presented for him here in Berlin that weren’t available to him in Sydney where he grew up or London where he migrated from.

Henry is at that point in life right now, where he’s formulating the person he’ll become and it’s his current experiences in Berlin that will be part of that.

We chat about how he identifies himself, how Berlin culture allows people like him to be as they wish, to risk presenting in ways that other communities don’t allow and how he sees a future for himself here to continue to grow, study and become who he’ll one day be.

Do you automatically download Your Story to iTunes?

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Akir & R.E.K.S.
“The Good Life” (mp3)
from “Underground Overstood”
(alchemetric)
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

The Glitch Mob
“Drive It Like You Stole It” (mp3)
from “Drive It Like You Stole It – Single”
(Glass Air)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

One Guitar for a DJ Mix Party

At a recent Betahaus event in Berlin, the Awesome Foundationawarded 1000€ to innovative musician Robin Sukroso, aka. Rainer, to help further the development of his one man band guitar modification.

Robin Sukroso

Taking the idea of percussive and traditional guitar playing, using the instrument as an input for a midi device, means that virtually any synthesized instrument can be played, looped and feed back into the mix all while performing in the best of the techno clubs here in Berlin.

Three years of development including cutting into his beloved acoustic guitar and now Rainer has his own performance instrument and a prototype to take to manufacturing. Time will tell if we see this as an add on available for musicians to help them with a new style of performing,

If you want to have  an understanding of how his creation works just watch this video…

His website is Robin Sukrosos One Man Band
His email is robinsukroso@googlemail.com

Check-out Rainer’s music on SoundCloud Here

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

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Support Your Story by commenting on this episode with one of the social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes

← If you want to record the Life Stories of others, listen to my other podcast at Create Your Life Story.com or on iTunes.

…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

 

Could Berlin return to these times 100 years later?

As a walk around the streets of Berlin and talk to people I realise that there are aspects of the culture that reminds me of Berlin’s most avant guard times in the 1920′s. In the area where I’m staying I notice some of the relaxed attitudes that are mentioned in this video.

In this audio I mention this image I’m seeing in the UBahn everywhere. Would your culture be nonplussed to have this as promotional material?

 

Megève’s a stunning place to see Snow and Ice, something I don’t know!

I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be in the Alps in winter. The cold, the snow, the strong biting sun but I’ve never had the chance, until now!

Megève from high up on the slopes

What we call mountains in Australia doesn’t really compare to what is the real alps scattered around the rest of the world. When I finally saw those mountainous rocks piercing the sky on my first visit to Megève in the summer of 1992 for my sister’s wedding I thought to myself, “these are real mountains!” …And as I left I wondered what it would be like in winter.

Now I’ve seen a real winter scene.

Megève at night

Coming from the sub-tropics, a real winter as experienced by most people is something that I’ve always wondered about. Sure I’ve experienced some cold moments in my life but never the ice and snow of the French Alps and all that it entails. It’s far too easy for me to have no idea what to do and how to live in this environment but there is also the fun of seeing for real what I’ve only every seen in film and images.

• My first step when I arrived involved sliding on the ice. (The ground isn’t supposed to be slippery).
• How do the hedges survive under half a metre of snow.
• Amazement of the strength of the building to hold tons of snow on the roofs.
• Icicles forming from dripping water on the gutters.
• Bitting cold that saps the warmth from every exposed or poorly covered part of the body.
• Snow that remains dry and powdery even after days of warm weather.
• Ice that melts (sublimates) to dryness without ever being liquid water.
• How much air is in freshly fallen snow.
• A large mouthful of snow results in very little water to drink.
• Ice is really hard to walk on in leather soled shoes!
• The comfortable inside temperature is no indication of how cold it is outside.
• Ice crystals growing on the snow over the several days of fine weather .

An Alpine Village

Megève is a quintessential French Alpine village with all the cultural aspects that come with that. The people are fiercely proud of their farming heritage even though tourism has developed into a major part of their community. The local produce from cheese to cured meats is of the highest standard and in no time at all you can indulge way too much of the good life.

Mixing it with the Locals

If you’re inclined and can afford it I would whole heartily recommend Megève as a place to visit and enjoy.

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Tycho
“Hours” (mp3)
from “Dive”
(Ghostly International)

Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

Letting life unfold as it will…

What will happen, will happen and we can do nothing about it because we don’t have any control despite the illusion that we do.

This, to my understanding is the way of life. We live an illusion that we make decisions about all manner of things but the reality is every decision we make is based on the sum total of experiences that we’ve had in our life. At the most fundamental level we are our genetics and our totality of experiences, nothing more. And those two criteria are all that we are and every decision is based on those things. We make our decisions based on this criteria but who are we, if not our genetics and our experiences which drive our decisions?

Todays Your Story Addendum episode is from the departure gate just prior to boarding my flight to Europe.

I’m off on a trip to Europe for 2.5 months. Initially I’ll be in Megève in the French Alps as a guest of my sister and her family then I’ll be heading north to spend a couple of months in Berlin.

Did I make the decision to go?

On My Way to Europe

Well, I may think and feel like I did but the reality is I simply reacted to the situations as they presented themselves with the final upshot being I’m now on my way as I write this somewhere over Indonesia. But more to the point this trip is about creating situations that could provoke opportunity.

In my everyday life I have a routine of situations and people who are a constant with little variation and without breaking away from the status quo I’ll continue to have the same opportunities.

It’s crunch time!

For five years now I’ve been working on Your Story and Create Your Life Story, to learn the skills and develop the sites to where they may be able viable as more than just hobbies. I’ve tried a few things to develop them but to date these things haven’t worked and it’s time to see if there may be some other opportunities that I haven’t considered.

Staying in my home environment will maintain a similar situation to what’s been the case for these last five years but travelling to Europe may, just may, create an environment that is different and present opportunities that I couldn’t find at home.

Everyone who’s had any level of success will be the first to credit the good fortune in their lives that has lead to them becoming who they are (actually that’s the same for all of us, good and bad), and that good fortune could turn up anywhere. It’s just that if you get around, meet more people and be in different situations there is a greater chance of that good fortune turning up.

It isn’t choosing anything!

For me this is just about putting myself out there where opportunity may arise and allowing things to unfold. When we think about it, that’s how life is for all of us.

I don’t know or can’t imagine what may come of this trip. Maybe something, maybe nothing but as I said when I started on this adventure of learning how to podcast I’d rather give a red hot go, than stay in the certainty of routine.

What may come.

I’ve a few ideas for content for Your Story. We may get to revisit some past stories to see how they’ve developed over the last few years and I’m sure we’ll discover a few new stories. I’m hoping to produce both video and audio content and I’ll be putting it out in all the usual channels.

Since my last trip social networks have continued to develop and with the power of my new iPhone 4S along with the video, photo, audio sharing networks there is an opportunity for me to put out a variety of content through multiple channels.

If you want to find all the major social channels that I use go to About.me/IanKath where you can link across to see all that I produce over the next many weeks.

If you have any ideas for people to meet of place to visit in Berlin please let me know using the contacts above.

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

Subscribe freely in iTunes by Clicking here.
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Support Your Story by giving it a Digg or Stumble from the links under the heading for this episode or writing a review on iTunes

 

Some people have a passion for food that goes beyond what most of us have.

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Do you love food?
I mean really love it, in all the different ways that it can mean. The history, the preparation, the eating, the sharing! Or do you just eat food because you have to, as the cooking is more of a task that has to be put up with in order to eat.

Charmaine O'Brien

For some people food is more than just simple sustenance and for Charmaine O’Brien food is far more than just that!

We all eat but it’s rare to find someone who embodies food in more than just the simplest body nurturing way. Occasionally I come across someone who eats, breathes and sleeps food, and recently at the Oral History Association of Australia conference in Melbourne, I had the good fortune to meet and ask Charmaine to come onto the show and tell us about her interest in food, based on the stimulating presentation and menu she prepared for the dinner.

What’s on the menu? – 100 years ago!

It’s not often that we get to taste a historical menu from post colonial, Australian cookbooks and discover that food reproduced from 100+ years ago is not just boiled mutton and lard with damper.

As we discuss on this episode of Your Story, the meal was a wonderful blend of different ingredients that we no longer think of using and a surprise to realise how well the people of Victorian Australia ate, despite the challenges of preparing food without all the modern appliances that we now take for granted.

Presentation @OHAA

Charmaine opened my eyes to how well they ate in the 19th century and some of the reasons for how things have changed over the last 120 years.

Her website is CharmaineObrien.com
Her email is Charmaine@CharmaineObrien.com

When have you meet someone or done something that goes beyond the norm of what most people think of food?

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

Subscribe freely in iTunes by Clicking here.

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Support Your Story by commenting on this episode with one of the social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes

Music is from

← If you want to record the Life Stories of others, listen to my other podcast at Create Your Life Story.com or on iTunes.
…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Music is from

Argy
“Peace Of Me feat. POSH! The Prince” (mp3)
from “Fundamentals”
(Ibadan Records)
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

David Starfire
“Indian Fever” (mp3)
from “Bombay Beatz”
(Six Degrees Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Tycho
“Hours” (mp3)
from “Dive”
(Ghostly International)

Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

How does an entrepreneur see the world?

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Are you one of those rare individuals who see the world differently? You see opportunities where others only see problems!
Do you then have the skills to action those opportunities to make something of them? Maybe a business!

Mike Boyd

If you are, maybe you’re what is referred to as an entrepreneur. But the curse of the entrepreneur is seeing too many opportunities and maybe working on so many of them that the efforts are fragmented and none are given the effort that is necessary to make a success of any. Or maybe you don’t have all the skills in place to make a success of your ideas even though you see the opportunity. There are so many components to get right to have a successful business personality.

Today we talk with Mike Boyd who has already started drawing attention to himself as a young “go getter “, making a name as someone who can think and motivate with his enthusiasm for business. We talk about:

• Stating business in childhood
• Multiple businesses through University
• Strategy for finding the passion that all entrepreneurs need
• The importance of giving back to receive
• Rebranding himself to help others

Mike shares what he feels is the different attitude that all entrepreneurs have and gives us a glimpse of how to negotiate all those ideas, to find the single one to put all that enthusiasm into, for the sake of you and all those around you.

His website is MikeBoyd.com.au
Contact via This contact form

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

Subscribe freely in iTunes by Clicking here.

If you use another Podcast software Get the feed here.

Support Your Story by commenting on this episode with one of the social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes

← If you want to record the Life Stories of others, listen to my other podcast at Create Your Life Story.com or on iTunes.
…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Music is from

IceCold by Jason Shaw

is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Paxton Fettel
“Stare Forever” (mp3)
from “Dusty Thoughts EP”
(Soul Sheep Music)
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

 

Interview on GeneaBloggers Blog Talk Radio & Podcast²

It sometimes becomes a deluge but recently I’ve done two interviews.

The first published was with Thomas on GeneaBloggers – BlogTalk Radio about the advantages of recording a life story and how that will become part of the history for future generation.

The second was with Andrew at his podcast review site Podcast² which is all about letting you know what is out there in the world of podcasting and winnowing out the wheat from the chaff. Recently I was interviewed but Andrew about how I got started in podcasting and a bit of the back end story of me and podcasts.

GeneaBloggers

If you want to listen to GeneaBloggers – BlogTalk Radio I’m on from about 5:00 minutes to 25:00 minutes

Some of the topics Thomas and I touched on were:

• My back story
• Ease and cost of modern technology
• Laying down genealogy for the future
• Sharing stories with family
• Audio as a start for other media
• Advantages of recording before it’s a panic
• Leading to others developing an interest

Podcast²

Andrew and I discuss similar topics but get into a little more of the podcasting side of things. If you want to listen to the Podcast² I’m on from about 11:30 minutes in.

Let me know what you think of the interview in the comments below

 

I’m not big into self promotion so I’ll let Adam do it for me!

I like to let the work that I do here at Your Story and over at Create Your Life Story speak for itself. But the way the internet works is that you need to be noticed, shared and recommended or else you disappear into the mire.

Fortunately for me there are people out there who appreciate what I’m attempting and are happy to blow the trumpet for me. One of these is Adam Daniel Mezei who we’ve heard from on Episode 25 and Episode 58 who I regard as a good friend but recently he produced this unprompted video that I thought I’d share with you. Yes it is a huge compliment that I appreciate and am humbled by his comments and if what he is saying is true it only means that I’m producing content of the standard that I strive for. But still I know that I continue to learn and improve

Thanks Adam

 

Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door – NOT!

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**BLAM!… Out of nowhere you have the inspiration of a great idea.
You’ve just dreamed up a new and novel way of doing something that everyone will want and now all you have to do is show it to the world for the fame and fortune to be yours. Too easy! Now to make it happen…

How many times have you heard or thought this yourself?

OTTO Espresso

Good ideas are like grains of sand on the beach, very few will ever find their way to an oyster to become a pearl.

Craig Hiron

Craig Hiron has learned the lesson, that there are four main steps to making a raging success, while developing one of the hardest design tasks around in the OTTO Espresso.

• The easiest aspect of any new project is the inspiration, where everyone has a good idea…
• But of the millions of good ideas, few make it to the serious design phase, where the reality of the idea will normally fall by the wayside…
• Leaving few, to move on and deal with the challenges of  manufacturing…
• Then only to be left on the shelf without great marketing.

By the time an idea has been through each part of this process, with sometimes hundreds of thousands of steps, dealing with multiple complication of ideas, people, finance and business, very few ever survive to become a viable success. And then you have to measure success?

The Classic Atomic and the OTTO

Craig tells us of his journey to create, from the inspired classic form of the Atomic Stove Top Cappuccino Maker, something that takes 21st century technologies and creates the ultimate portable cook top espresso maker.

When the OTTO Espresso was released I immediately ordered one because of my love for my Atomic and it’s classic form but also with full regard for the challenges of manufacturing the OTTO. My unboxing video is below.

Craig explains in detail in this episode of Your Story the challenges of finding a product to develop, all the way through the design, manufacturing and marketing process.

Bringing the inspired idea to fruition is is a tale of determination to overcome the pitfalls and a great lesson for anyone interested in product design, manufacturing and marketing.

If you’re a student of industrial design this is a must listen to episode of Your Story.

His website is OttoEspresso.com

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Here is my un-boxing video of the OTTO…

Music is from

The Black Seeds
“Sometimes Enough” (mp3)
from “Into the Dojo”
(LOOP)

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The Airmen of Note
“Blues for Mundy” (mp3)
from “Today”
(Altissimo!)
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Every generation thinks that it’s all new and then you see something that comes from the past in the case of this from 1940 reminding us that nothing changes and the same issues are around today as have been part of civilisation for a long time.

**Start and play both videos together, Chaplin video starts 54 seconds in.**

Although The Great Dictator was a film of it’s time this closing speech by Charlie Chaplin is still relevant today as we deal with the infernal War on Terror.

 

Using their pleasure for tango to help others who desperately need it

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We’ve all had the experience where we’ve gained so much value from people or an activity that we feel a need to return something. It called reciprocity  – the desire to do something in return.

Cheryl & John

In this episode of  Your Story we talk to John and Cheryl Lowry about how they have fulfilled this desire in themselves for all the pleasure that they’ve had from being involved in learning and dancing tango. They’ve returned the favour not to the greater tango community but by using that communities desire to dance tango socially as a means of generating income to support disadvantaged children in Argentina by setting up Para Los Niños children’s charity.

Internationally supported

The charity is supported internationally to enable income to be generated through milongas (tango dances) which is then used in Argentina to support many desperately in need children to have what we would call the necessities of life.

Here is an example of one of the Milongas that has been orginised in aid of Para Los Niños.

The charity website for Para Los Niños is paralosninos.net

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Music is from

Che Papusa
“La Milonga” (mp3)
from “Buenos Aires Tango Dance”
(Suramusic S.R.L)

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Juanjo Hermida and Gabriel Merlino
“Sauvage” (mp3)
from “Tangos En Duo”
(Suramusic S.R.L)

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This is how to tell a good story?

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Daryll Bellingham

Many people live a life in the arts. Sometimes it’s through choice or circumstances but it’s always a life that is lived independent of many of the norms of Western Society, using their resources to work in a variety of fields within the art that is their choice. The performing arts are much like this. In today’s Episode 61 of Your Story we talk to Daryll Bellingham about his life as a professional storyteller.

Through examples, Daryll shares with us some of his personal life stories of how he expresses himself using his skills as well as some of the advantages for adults in communicating better with family and colleagues using these storytelling skills. Daryll mentions how the use of storytelling has given his community and himself some of the greatest gifts that people can give each other – the sharing of stories.

Daryll has a huge understanding of both sides of the storytelling world both as performer and teacher of storytelling as a communication tool for individuals and corporates, as well as being an oral historian and digital storyteller of other people’s lives.

How do you make a living as a professional storyteller? By being as skilled as Daryll Bellingham is, in many aspects of this oral art form.

Daryll’s  website is Storytell.com.au
His email is mail@Storytell.com.au

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

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Music is from

Das Kamileon

“Detroit Taxi” (mp3)
from “Lovn Cruzn”
(e.y.e. Label)

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Swanken
“Lose The Man” (mp3)
from “Break Out”
(Musical Missionary)

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Helios
“South Tree” (mp3)
from “Unleft”
(Circle Into Square Records)

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Mint
“Personal Spaces” (mp3)
from “Glued, Stapled, Remixed”
(Boltfish Recordings)

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Walking to the other path through life

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the opposite gender?

Or have you ever wondered how it is for someone who isn’t just curious but identifies with being the opposite sex?

I like many people have wondered these things from time to time. I’m happily a heterosexual male but I realise that there are some people in our community who feel different about their body and would love to have the opposite gender. What is that like and how does someone deal with it?

Lorelei

Today we talk with Lorelei, originally from Northern New South Wales but now living in Brisbane who is 18 months into transitioning from being a male electrician working in a sugar mill to a female natural therapist.

Now that must be some journey!

Lorelei and I talk about her early memories as a boy with some different feelings, then becoming and working with blokes but with a feminine twist,  eventually to migrating to a supporting community as she transitions to become one of the girls, including dealing with hormones, possible medical procedures and relationships. What a journey this must be.

Thanks for being so open in sharing Your Story, Lorelei.

Website is EverQuestingMind.wordpress.com
Email is on her site’s Contacts Page

Do you know someone who has been through similar experiences in their life? Please comment below.

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Music is from

Che Papusa
“La Milonga” (mp3)
from “Buenos Aires Tango Dance”
(Suramusic S.R.L)

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Stream from Rhapsody
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More On This Album

Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes
“Playing the Game” (mp3)
from “Playing the Game”
(Blue Skunk Music)

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More On This Album

 

One of the best Episodes Re-Published

It’s a rare world that we live in. I don’t mean you… I’m thinking of a few rare people that I meet from time to time and myself.

Stories of Our City

Most people are worried about what I call the noise of life. You know what I mean… All the stuff that is out there that we’re told to be afraid of or we need to be entertained by. Look at the news channels and reality TV, it’s all there… The Noise of life.

But there are a few of us who look for the substance of more important things. The stories that are real and live in everyone. “But normal people are boring”, I hear you say. NO! You’re the normal people and you have amazing stories. We all just need to take the time to turn off the damn idiot box and listen to the real stories that live in everyone around us.

That’s what I’m doing here on Your Story and what I’m encouraging others to do on Create Your Life Story. Get into real stories, not the media beat up that we’re familuar with.

It’s rare that I meet someone who has similar ideals in this regard. Sure, many people pay lip service to it but few (and I mean very few), actually do something about it. But there are a few…!

…and she has the personality to match the smile

Recently one of the previous episodes was picked up by another podcast. To my joy Stories of Our City has republished an edited version of the Episode 48 : Tiffany. Infidelity Investigator. It’s a brief example of what we’re doing here at Your Story and I encourage you to see what Katy is doing with Stories of Our City and listen to some of the other stories that she has published maybe even on iTunes, they’re eye opening to the life that she observes in the middle east.

Katy is one of us dear reader/listener. She knows the power of stories and how sharing them makes all of us much better to the greater world.

 

Ramblings or real understanding from your dreams

Ever woken in the morning and wondered what that dream meant? Sure you may be able to second guess what it’s all about if the dream was similar to what’s going on in your day life but we’ve all had those dreams that confound any sense of meaning. And even if we did have some understanding, can we really trust those supposed meanings. Aren’t they, after all, just the random mumblings of our subconscious mind and not important anyway?

Jane Teresa Anderson

Or are they?

Maybe we can guess or ask someone who “supposedly” knows what they may mean, for some real insight but aren’t they just as clueless as us? Well maybe not everyone…

The filters we look life through

Jane Teresa Anderson is one of those people who can help with our understanding of our dream-life but with a twist. She comes to dream interpretation, not from the esoteric fields of connecting with your hidden spirit guide, while dancing amongst the flowers, where everything is touchy-feely but from the world of hard core science.

Trained in the UK with a Honours Degree in Zoology, specialising in developmental biology with some neurophysiological research, Jane Teresa had taken her analytical scientific approach into the world of understanding dreams, their meanings and how they influence our lives.

She knows that with an understanding of our dreams we can not only understand our current lives but we can also impact on what we want to achieve in our daily experiences. Dream interpretation is a real diagnostic tool to better live our lives and help us understand how we are evolving in our personal life towards achieving what we want for ourselves.

In this Episode 59 of Your Story Jane Teresa gives us an overview of her journey through the sciences to end up in this, not so science recognised field of understanding. She also has an hour long weekly podcast with invited guests discussing their dreams and their meanings along with private coaching and professional services.

Her website is dream.net.au and contact email is JaneTeresa@dream.net.au

.

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What are dream interpretation experiences have you had? Post a comment below and let us know.

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Music is from

Urban Legend
“The World Keeps Spinning (feat. Chana)” (mp3)
from “Tropical Techniques”
(Blind Lemon Music)

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Swanken
“Lose The Man” (mp3)
from “Break Out”
(Musical Missionary)

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More On This Album

Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes
“Pulled Pork” (mp3)
from “Playing the Game”
(Blue Skunk Music)

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More On This Album

 

What is a Producer of Marketing and Distribution? – PMD

Welcome back everyone!

…And welcome back to Adam Daniel Mezei who we last heard of back in Episode 25 while mid-way through his 5 year European sojourn, living in Prague. I had decided to take up his invitation and drop in on this crazy Canuck who I meet on Twitter while I was spending a couple months in Europe back in 2008.

Adam at Toronto International Film Festival

As I mentioned back then, I had a wonderful three days with Adam as he showed me around the sights of Prague, looking after my every need as a tourist wanting to understand the city but also to understand this Canadian ex-pat making a go of it in the Czech Republic.

We’ve stayed in touch over the last 2.5 years since I was there through Twitter and Facebook and I knew he had returned to his home city of Toronto to chase down his new dream as a PMD for Hire, helping film industry professionals to grasp the dynamics of marketing and distributing films in this new era where the old systems aren’t holding up to the dynamic flux being created by the internet.

This is the same skill-set that Adam used in Prague, in a trivial way, to organise me to settle immediately and get to see the sights of the Golden City. The same skills he had been honing in networking to satisfy the desires of other ex-pats as clients who wanted to do business in The Czech Republic and didn’t know where to start. These skills of creating a network is what he’s bringing to film makers who don’t know the new playing field of marketing and distributing their films.

Bringing a new marketing skill set to Film Makers

Adam is the “Mr Wolf from Pulp Fiction“, who is called in to sort out the Marketing Issues for movie makers overwhelmed by the demand to be noticed amongst the white noise generated by many great movies that are never noticed and simply fade away to the discount bins where they can never return their funding.

In this Episode 58 of Your Story, Adam and I catch up (sadly not in person but on Skype) about what he’s been up to, why he left Europe and how he’s resettled into Toronto. We chat about the importance of family to him and the advantages of being in North America for his PMD work and what he can do for clients.

His website is PMDforhire.com

Email is info@pmdforhire.com

Here is a video of Adam with a little bit of philosophy on life…

ADM Videoblog #188 — “Don’t Bring Yesterday’s Garbage Into Today” from Adam Daniel Mezei | ADMTV on Vimeo.

…and if you want an opinionated Adam as a PMD about the importance of using more than just Facebook and Twitter:

ADM Videoblog #210 — “A Facebook page and a Twitter handle is not a marketing strategy!” from Adam Daniel Mezei | ADMTV on Vimeo.

…or watch the videos on his blog

Ian and Adam in Prague in 2008

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”

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Music is from

Heyoka

“Micron” (mp3)

from “Marklar”

(Muti Music)

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More On This Album

Panik

“Their Unforgetable Things” (mp3)

from “Panik #5 Instrumentals”

(Molemen Records)

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Stream from Rhapsody

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I’ve been a Tad Busy with a Flood

I want to bring you up to speed in this episode 26 of Your Story Addendum to help you understand what’s been happening, particularly in the last three weeks with the flooding of the Brisbane River and it’s impacted on me.

This Episode 26 Recorded Here in the Foreground

If you would like to understand my experience I’ve written a post about the Brisbane Flood 2011, on my personal blog about what it was like to prepare and make the most of a community flood but in this episode I just want to explain and remind you that all is still good and I’m still here although maybe a little busy dealing with my other podcast Create Your Life Story and a few of the issues that come up from time to time

To automatically receive this podcast freely to you, click on one of the links to the left or search in iTunes for “Your Story.”
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