The New World Order
Slowly, cautiously and somewhat hesitatingly, the world is opening up again. We are in a pseudo-Stage 4 level in New York, albeit with no gyms or indoor dining, but nonetheless it is a start towards normalcy, whatever that means these days.
With larger amounts of people coming together comes the need for monitoring and regulations to keep folks safe.
This is certainly the case in the film and television production world.
What a difference it is on a tv set today from just a few months ago, when I shot an episode of a CBS program in Queens.
There were tons of people working all aspects of production for just one scene. I am glad I had that experience and others like it, because that will not exist again for the foreseeable future.
But productions will resume, under a very different code of conduct.
With this new world order, medical supervision is paramount. And luckily, there is a company that was created for that very purpose. Several years ago,
Paradocs was born to fulfill the need of having medical staffs on site at large scale events, like concerts and sporting events in stadiums. In our new Covid universe, the company is now incredibly busy providing medical personnel to small production sets, outdoor theatre productions, or any place that people gather. Learn more here.
Arthur Avenue Food Tours is a company that provides tours of Arthur Avenue’s iconic shops and restaurants in the Bronx, as well as food and wine tours to Italy. This thriving company has had to make a sharp turn away from live events.
Since the quarantine began in March, the creators of the company have been busy going virtual. The tours of Arthur Avenue are now visited via a laptop or phone, but the experience is nonetheless enchanting. www.arthuravenuefoodtours.com
And if you are like me, the endless string of dreadful, foreboding news is becoming too much to bear. How about some positive stories? There must be something good going on, right?
The answer is a resounding “yes!”
Entrepreneur Al Cattabiani, founder of the successful cultural digital magazine for middle age adults, “Culture Sonar” has created yet another engaging website. This new venture is geared toward a community of people who embrace a healthful lifestyle, practice sustainability and exude kindness. Titled “Now With Purpose”, the website features stories focused on positivity and people that practice paying it forward. Finally, some good news. www.nowwithpurpose.com
Some interesting people doing fascinating things. Listen to their stories on “Bagels and Broadway with Valerie Smaldone” Saturday morning from 9:05-10:00 on WNYM Radio, online, Alexa and podcast.
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
