interviews
Jerry Nelson is a travel and adventure photojournalist as well as a freelance editor. Photojournalism placed right in the heart of the moment. Freelance photojournalist, American, now based in South America and continuing to cover social justice issues globally. His body of work has been seen on leading media companies and top print publications around the globe. His images have been viewed by millions via TV, print, books, online and on tangible products. With humanitarian leanings Jerry has also worked on various assignments in the non-profit and NGO sectors and is always keen to work on all causes close to his own beliefs.
Known as a distinguished stylist, editor, and designer, Parker is a force to be reckoned with. His unparalleled style, and knowledge of his craft has set apart from others in the industry, and has placed in the fast lane to stardom.
BREAKAWAY DAILY: What got you interested in fashion?
PARKER: Fashion/art found an interest within me at the young age of 14 yrs old, I then took the talent god blessed me with and shared it, throwing fashion shows every three months. My old clothing line Coutur’e Parks Designz made a name for itself being more known for the accessories I made to accompany my designs in shoots or runway shows.
Author Derek Schuurman co-wrote The Globetrotter Travel Pack to Madagascarwith Antananarivo-based tourism expert Nivo Ravelojaona. Derek spoke with me about their travel book which is now in its 4th edition.
BREAKAWAY DAILY: What led to the two of you collaborating to write the Globetrotter Guide to Madagascar?
DEREK:
Nivo and I have now been working together for 22 years, specializing in responsible tourism to Madagascar. An author friend of ours, Ian Sinclair, recommended me to the publishers back in 1994. They invited me to write the first edition and I felt it appropriate to ask Nivo to cover the history and cultural sections, as she is Malagasy: I feel that those particular sections of any guide book are so much more effective and authentic when written by people from the countries which the books feature.
Josh Hancock is a teacher and author. His first novel, The Girls of October, is inspired by his love of all things horror–especially John Carpenter’s Halloween, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and William Friedkin’s The Exorcist.
The Girls of October tells the story of a young woman who develops a strange fascination with John Carpenter’s Halloween, believing that somewhere within the 1978 horror classic lays the truth behind an arcane force that has terrorized her since her childhood. As an escape from a world that has not always been kind, film student Beverly Dreger takes comfort in spooky urban legends, horror movies, and monster magazines.
BREAKAWAY DAILY: When did you first realize you had a passion for entertainment?
FRANKIE: I realized I had a passion for entertainment when I was 7 years old. The first solo I sang in church was entitled I Shall Wear a Crown! After seeing the congregation’s reaction, I knew then I was destined for greatness in the entertainment industry.
BREAKAWAY DAILY: Who have been some of your earliest influences?
FRANKIE: My early influences were Lecresia Campbell, Toni Braxton, Kirk Franklin and Family, Michael Jackson, and Donnie McClurkin.
Othello comes from a long pantheon of great characters written by the master himself, Shakespeare. Having seen various incarnations of the character in an array of settings it would take something fairly fresh and inventive to see another. Back in the summer of September 2014 at the Drayton Arms I got just that. An exciting update of an old tale revived and told through fresh eyes, modern context and a young and vivacious cast. This led up by Ben Kavanagh as the scheming Iago, Felicity McCormack as the rebooted stronger but still loyal Desdemona, Kate Cooper as the cynical Emilia, Fergus Leathem as the upstanding Cassio and Hainsley Lloyd Bennett as Othello himself.
In an era of films that are littered with comic books, book adaptations, remakes, reboots, rehashes and re-imaginings its increasingly difficult to find something new or original as studios clamber for familiarity to draw audiences in. So when I stumbled on the Kickstarter for indie drama White Awake it wasn’t just a breath of fresh air but a perpetual gust of wind slapping me in the face and demanding my attention. What immediately struck me about the project was the tone, subtle understated but with a real undercurrent of passion and emotion by a filmmaker who knew the film he wanted to make.
Hainsley Lloyd Bennett has enjoyed success as a model as well as actor in film, theatre, music videos, television, and virals. He has been in commercials for corporations such as McDonalds, The Times, Rubicon, Burger King and Boots. Hainsley has made television appearances in the longstanding British drama Casualty as well as Papuan kidnapper Yudas
in the true story documentary My Holiday Hostage Hell and starred in the
BBC series Crimewatch. Hainsley’s first feature film was London
Boulevard where he played alongside Colin Farrell, Ray Winstone, Keira
Knightley and Ben Chaplin.
Self taught composer Zaalen Tallis was born into a very creative and musical family from Perth, Western Australia and has been composing music since he was the age of twelve. He played the trombone and studied classical and jazz music for a very brief time in his early teen years however he left studying music to just focus on creating music. Since then he has composed music for projects in Australia, America and China and has been nominated four times for Best Original Music Award at the West Australian Screen Awards and in 2004 he received the Western Australian Swan District Education Award for Excellence In Music.