The Renaissance Effect

My special guest for episode #8 is Choon James.

She is a licensed real estate broker in Hawaii and has a B.A. in English and TESL as a minor from BYU - Hawaii

Choon is originally from Singapore and has been involved in various environment and social justice causes for decades. She has been actively participating at Honolulu Hale for the past 12 years.

She is a founding member of both the Defend Oahu Coalition and Save Oahu Farmlands.

She is on the Ko'olauloa Sustainable Communities Planning Advisory Committee

Kahuku Hospital Board of Directors

Laie Point Community Association President & Board Member

BYU-Hawaii/CCH Alumni Association President

Shes a member of the Sierra Club

An Amnesty International Freedom Writer

Shes the Host of - Country Talk Story - which airs on Olelo Public Television

And shes also a North Shore News columnist

Just as a heads up, this is not a political podcast or episode, but I found Choon’s story very compelling.

Choon’s been a lifelong activist, and has also recently thrown her hat into the ring, in running for Mayor of Honolulu in 2020.

As a differentiator from most or all of her opponents, She's not accepting donations from Lobbyists or PACs, and in our conversation, much of her focus in running, is on restoring ethics to government.

Choon has a unique voice in the political arena and is laser focused on bringing an efficient, inclusive, ethical government to the city of Honolulu.

She also wants to bring back a strong sense of fiscal responsibility and accountability to city spending.

We had fun doing this episode but unfortunately my SD card failed halfway through the interview and we had mic issues throughout. I managed to salvage the episode however but I had to do a little more editing than I normally like to and the sound quality suffered so I apologize for that. That being said, I hope you guys enjoy this conversation with, Choon James!

My guest for Episode 7, is Geroge Samuels!

I've known George for many years and in fact I met him when he interviewed ME for a film I was producing when I had my animation company back in the day.

Kinda cool that I get to return the favor.

George is the Managing Director of Faiā, a consultancy he describes as bridging gaps through community & tech.

He has long been a "community guy" with entrepreneurial tendencies,

George, like many entrepreneurs, is something of a jack of all trades: his career has spanned from programmer to animator, salesman to Enterprise Community Manager.

Then Bitcoin exploded onto the world stage:

He first got involved with Bitcoin technology in 2013, was labeled a Key Person of Influence by Adobe in 2015, and was dubbed one of "Australia's Best Community Builders" by Pause Fest in 2017. His company Faiā is one of the first in APAC to offer exclusive BitcoinSV blockchain integration services.

George could easily be credited as the first person to really push me into the blockchain world, and my life has been much the better for it.

We talk about everything from growing up in Bangladesh and Australia, identity issues, entrepreneurship, business, and of course, Bitcoin! 

I had a great time doing this interview and I hope you guys enjoy it!

When he's not advocating for BitcoinSV or writing about communities, you'll find George boxing, reading, or playing weiqi (Go) over tea.

Jody Kamisato is an entrepreneur and the owner of Ukulele Hale, an ‘ukulele studio in Honolulu that has produced some of Hawaii’s greatest rising stars. Many of his students have gone on to win international and statewide talent competitions including the dynamic duo Honoka & Azita. Jody is also a member of the award-winning group Heart & Soul. His debut album entitled “Take it Easy” was the recipient of the 15th Annual Hawaii Music Award for Island Contemporary and was nominated for 2 Na Hoku Hano Hano Awards – Most Promising Artists & Contemporary Album of the Year. Jody was recently featured on the Island Style Ukulele Volume 2 album, which received the 2015 Nā Hoku Hanohano Award for Compilation Album of the Year. Currently, you can find Kamisato performing with Heart & Soul twice a week at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa’s signature show the Starlit Hui and mentoring his ‘ukulele protégés Honoka & Azita. Jody also spends a lot of his free time volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hawaii as well as involving himself in many other charity events and activities. Jody is a rarity in that he not only has the respect and admiration of his fans as well as his musical peers, he also has found a way to build an incredibly successful business around it. When we think of entrepreneurs, we often think of someone in the tech space. There is a lot of bias in the media towards "the next big app", or the latest gadget that is changing our lives, for better or for worse. Because of this, the masses often don't think of music being an entrepreneurial pursuit. But make no mistake, Jody is the quintessential entrepreneur. He has the right mindset for success and has proven that you can take your passion, no matter what space it's in, and turn it into a wild success. What makes Jody so amazing to me, however, is not just his business and creative success, but also the fact that he has managed to design his business around his ideal lifestyle. Because of this, he spends every day doing exactly what he loves to do, with the people he wants to do it with. This, to me, beyond money, beyond notoriety, is a very high bar of success indeed and one we should all strive towards.

Brian Watanabe is a screenwriter, Copywriter, Creative Director and Blogger. He's written two screenplays which have both been produced for the big screen. His first, Operation End Game, has a stellar cast which includes the likes of Ellen Barkin, Rob Corrdry, Maggie Q, and Zach Galifianakis among others. His second screenplay was "Maisa", and it was the first ever animated film produced completely in the Chamorro language. Brian got his start in advertising and is now a freelance copywriter and director. His client list includes the likes of AT&T, McDonald's, Intel, Kraft, Mazda, Major League Baseball and many more. We cover a wide range of topics in this episode including advertising, screenwriting, and getting a script produced in Hollywood. For all aspiring screenwriters, filmmakers, Mad Men and creatives, this will be a fun one!

My podcast guest for this episode is the very talented Risa Beer (Risa Okamoto). She is an award-winning documentary producer/director, and a media educator. She has directed and produced numerous documentaries for major international broadcasters including Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Bio Channel, Crime & Investigation Channel, The Travel Channel, Channel News Asia, and Sony Pictures. Her recent awards include a Gold World Medal for Best Social Issues Program at the New York Festivals International TV and Film Awards, and Silver World Medals for Best Directing, Best Biography/Profile and Best Community Service Program. Her work covers a wide variety of subjects, ranging from rodeo bull riders in Texas to human trafficking in Nepal; from the ancient wonders of China, to the history of Japanese food. In this pilot episode, we talk about a range of topics from filmmaking (of course) to surfing, to hanging out of airplanes while 8 months pregnant. We dive deep into the emotional substance at the core of her films and what drives her to pick up the camera and shoot.