Design Talk Hawaii

Joining Matt is Thea Marshall, a true creative who has woven together a lifetime of academic and life experiences into a rich and wide tapestry of endeavors as diverse as authoring her father’s WWII memoirs to becoming a preeminent expert in kaleidoscope artistry.

Joining Matt in the studio is the enthusiastic Marianne Ambrose, an Amazon-award-winning author and sign language entertainer. Marianne is a creative force in the local sign language community, with several fun children’s books, animation movie plans, and other branded products in the works to help all of us to learn and appreciate the needs of our hard-of-hearing colleagues and friends. https://www.facebook.com/MarianneofWaikiki 

Take a mental break from the isolation and social distancing as Matt catches up with a friend and former guest of the show, June Dillinger, who has just released a new book entitled, “The Benefit of the Ex: Making Love Visible When Everything Changes”. With her book, June explores ways to help all of us learn from the ending of a relationship in new ways that help us grow and thrive. https://makinglovevisible.com 

Joining Matt in the studio is popular television and radio personality, Billy V. Sometimes referred to as the “Hawaiian Ryan Seacrest” for his diversified career, Billy is widely recognized throughout the islands and known to have one of the most familiar voices in Hawaii. https://www.billyv.net 

Joining Matt this week are Salem Media of Hawaii radio colleagues “Team Lally”, residential real estate experts Adrienne Lally and Attilio Leonardi. Adrienne and Attilio co-host a weekly one-hour show every Tuesday at 6 pm on AM 690/94.3 FM. Team Lally shares with us their real estate insights and recommendations about how to handle your real estate issues during -and after- this unprecedented coronavirus situation. https://teamlally.com

Matt’s joined by self-proclaimed “serial eco-entrepreneur” Scott Cooney of Pono Home Inc. From his humble business beginnings in 2003, Scott has built an impressive resume of business startup ventures, all focused on emerging sustainability that serves our community and helps save our planet. https://ponohome.com  

Kam Napier, Editor-in-Chief of Pacific Business News, returns to Design Talk Hawaii for his annual chat and to mark the beginning of our 6th Year. Kam and Matt reflect on the PBN mission in the community and in this unique moment for contemporary media outlets. https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific

We explore the challenges and opportunities of language literacy with U.H. Associate Professor Dina Yoshimi. Dina is the Director of the Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative, a federally funded program aimed at producing more multi-lingual graduates to better serve all areas of our business community.http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/languageroadmap

After a simple day on the beach three years ago, Kate Reimann dedicated herself to solving the problem of creating environmentally friendly beach toys that would not add plastic to the marine world. Listen to hear how her new venture, Rogue Wave Toys, has accomplished the prototype and is ready to launch!https://www.roguewavetoys.com

Matt has some fun with ventriloquist Abba Geebz. Geebz has gained so many skills in his life, including a stint as tour guide at Kualoa Ranch. But all of it has been in preparation for his most important life mission of bringing smiles, joy, and laughter to kids at 100 hospitals over 365 days.http://www.abbageebz.com

Matt spends a fun hour chatting with two `Ukulele masters, Dr. Trey Terada and Jody Kamisato, about this weekend’s 12th Annual `Ukulele Picnic & Contest at Victoria Ward Park. Saturday is the `Ukulele Contest from 9 AM to 3 PM. Sunday is the Picnic, open to all. And Monday is the concert at Blue Note Hawaii. http://www.ukulelepicnicinhawaii.org/en/index.html

Matt chats with Miss Hawaii 2019, Nikki Kehaulani Holbrook. An accomplished pianist and athlete, Nikki was introduced into pageant life in her teens, and has thrived through its many opportunities for personal growth and scholarships that have helped her education goals at BYU Hawaii. Inspired by her passion for service, Nikki developed the SNAP (Service Nurtures All People) program; an interactive presentation to promote community service.https://www.misshawaii.org/nikki-holbrook-.html

Matt manages to sit down with Ka`imi Hanano`eau, one of the busiest musicians in Hawaii. Fresh from an appearance in New Zealand, this Maui native talks about his love of music, which has taken him from his start in Polynesian shows back in "small kid time" to an acclaimed career as a solo artist and opening act that has expanded throughout Hawaii, to the mainland, and around the world. https://kaimimusic.com

Matt reconnects with Donna Blanchard of both Kumu Kahua Theatre and `Ohina Showcase to discuss The Work, an exciting new partnership between these two creative organizations. The Work is a unique onstage event format that will explore one film script through the lens of two theatrical directors, using the same set of actors.http://www.kumukahua.org

Matt meets with local artist and muralist Hilton, also known as Hilton Alves. Brazilian by birth, Hilton is self-taught from an early age. His surrealistic works, depicting the aquatic world are already legendary here on the islands and around the world, as are his humble, collaborative work with local school kids and his love of his community.https://www.101perfectwaves.com

Matt visits with Impact Hub Honolulu’s Head Host and Program Coordinator Josh Rivera. They discuss all that is Impact Hub Honolulu, the purpose and benefits of co-working environments, and the unique events and offerings of this international network of Hubs.https://impacthubhnl.com

Matt kicks off the New Year with Jaimey Hamilton Faris, Associate Professor of Art History and Critical Theory at UH Manoa, for a fascinating discussion on creative approaches to climate change and climate justice, as well as an exciting exhibition she is curating: Inundation: Art and Climate Change in the Pacific. https://www.inundation.org

Matt spends the hour talking with his good friend and colleague Jessika Lawrence. Jessika is an accomplished local real estate broker who has helped shape the commercial retail community. She also has a passion for Film and TV, and has launched several projects that are taking shape and stoking her creative fire.https://www.jfodor.com 

Joshua Tavares and Zare Anguay, two bright young local actors, join Matt in studio to tell us about their exciting lives as cast members of the 20th Anniversary Tour of RENT, which is playing 8 shows this month at the Blaisdell, from December 24th to the 29th.www.broadwayinhawaii.com

Matt takes a deep dive into the commercial real estate community and speaks with Wendell Brooks, the Senior Vice-President of Retail at JLL Hawaii. Wendell comes from a strong real estate pedigree and is currently representing numerous major landowners and companies in Hawaii as they build and rebuild our neighborhood community centers through quality planning and design.https://www.us.jll.com