The livestream of this even can be found on YouTube here.
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In times of crisis, it is a common refrain to say that “the world needs stories now more than ever,” and yet it can also feel selfish to devote time to creative pursuits in the face of mass tragedy. While some creators feel driven in such times, others struggle to create at all. This panel will discuss the role that creating art can play in coping with difficult times and how art can contribute to the well-being of others, but also why it’s okay to be unproductive when there is so much else going on.
This panel will be live-streamed on YouTube with live closed captioning and an ASL interpreter. A link to the stream will be made available on the day of the event.
Richard Seneque
Visionaries Audio Drama
Richard Seneque is a New York based writer, director, and producer. He started his career in acting and later shifted his focus to writing. Richard’s most recent work is the fantasy podcast series, Visionaries Audio Drama. He wrote, directed, produced, and released season one to all major podcast platforms in early 2020.
Jeffrey Nils Gardner
Unwell, Our Fair City (Hartlife NFP)
Jeffrey Nils Gardner is a director, audio artist and engineer. They are the Executive Producer and Founder of HartLife NFP, which produced the eight season award winning audio drama podcast Our Fair City and the critically acclaimed Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery. Jeffrey also spent ten years in various positions both educational and operational at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, and was an instructor in the theatre department at Kenyon College in Ohio. As a director and dramaturge, Jeffrey’s Chicago stage credits include Sideshow Theatre, the Steppenwolf Garage, Collaboraction, and WildClaw Theatre’s Deathscribe festival. Jeffrey holds a Masters in Sound Arts and Industries at Northwestern University.
Yhane Smith
Harlem Queen (Fable and Folly)
Yhane Smith is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, folklorist, film festival founder, an A’Leila Bundles Community Scholar at Columbia University and nine time Lower Manhattan Cultural Council grant recipient. While working as a freelance producer, Yhane independently made her own short films. For nine years, Yhane amplified the work of women filmmakers through her non-profit Chicks with Flicks Film Fest. In 2019, Yhane independently produced and launched Harlem Queen, an audio drama based on Madame Stephanie St. Clair, “Numbers Queen” and patron of the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Queen is listed as a Top Podcast on Apple Podcasts Drama Fiction.
PJ Scott-Blankenship
Hit the Bricks, Phantomwise
PJ Scott-Blankenship is a writer/actor/director living in Columbus, Ohio. PJ’s first audio-related role was as the voice of Greg in the actual play podcast Join the Party. Since then he’s gone on to create the audio drama Hit the Bricks and co-created Phantomwise.
Jeff Van Dreason
Greater Boston
Jeff is the co-creator of Greater Boston, which he makes with Alexander Danner. Together, Alexander and Jeff created ThirdSight Media, a production company that hosts PodTales, a festival of Audio Fiction and Audio Drama. Jeff also sound designed and edited the second season of Fan Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, a romcom podcast about fandom, written and directed by Shenee Howard.
In addition to his work in audio fiction, Jeff is an award-winning playwright and published fiction writer. He’s also been a college educator for nearly twenty years.