PIERSON TO PERSON Brent Pierson

BILL DUKE is a retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department. He spent 32 years "on the job" protecting and serving the citizens of LA -- a job that both fed his soul and satisfied the adrenaline junkie in him. Climb into the back seat of Bill's car as he drives Brent around Hollywood, DTLA and Chinatown and talks about his life on the beat. (1hr 6min)  

JOHN T. LANG, Ph.D. is the chair of the Department of Sociology at Occidental College. Professor Lang devotes much of his academic research to the exploration of social relations surrounding the production and consumption of food. (EXTENDED EPISODE: 1hr 14min)   EPISODE NOTES:  Thanksgiving week is here and food takes center stage in America. So, too, on an extended episode of PIERSON TO PERSON as I talk with JOHN T. LANG, Ph.D. Professor Lang chairs the Department of Sociology at Occidental College and devotes much of his academic research to the exploration of social relations surrounding the production and consumption of food. Our wide-ranging conversation covers restaurant rivalries, fine dining, food trucks, small plates, family food budgets, meal kit delivery services, food TV, chain restaurants, the rise of Whole Foods, the fall of Fresh & Easy, the enduring cult of Trader Joe’s, food worker wages, lobster, caviar, sushi, Pringles, Cheetos, “secret” off-menu items, Yelp, food rituals … and a problem we both have in common. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!   Many thanks to Lee Rosevere for the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: 1. "As I Was Saying"  2. "Try Anything Once"  3. "4th Ave. Walkup" 4. "Curiosity" 5. "I'm Going for a Coffee" 6. "Southside" 7. "Keeping Stuff Together" 8. "Evening Glow" For more information on Lee Rosevere's music, please visit: leerosevere.bandcamp.com  

ANDY GINER kept his passion for rapping under wraps for several years before finding the courage to step forward as his hip-hop alter ego, ORION THE ARTIST. Andy is serious about finding a place for himself in the competitive rap world -- not for fame and fortune, but for a higher purpose. (44:13) EXPLICIT   EPISODE NOTES:    ANDY GINER is one of the best production sound engineers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I’d always seen Andy as a mild-mannered guy. Quiet and unassuming, but friendly. Then we became Facebook friends and I discovered, to my surprise, that Andy has a fast talking hip-hop alter ego he calls ORION THE ARTIST – a very different fella than the affable, low-key sound man I’ve been in the field with. Rapping, I’ve since learned, is a big part of Andy’s life and he’s serious about finding a place for himself in the competitive world of hip-hop. Not for fame and fortune, but for a higher purpose. For more information on ORION THE ARTIST and how to download his album IDENTITY LOST, please visit his website: oriontheartist.com Many thanks to Ryan Little for the opening/closing music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: "Falling Down" by Ryan Little -     

DAN ARDEN is a veteran non-fiction television producer with a reputation of being a very nice guy to work for – some say too nice. But for Dan, creating a positive and enriching experience for his production team is equally rewarding, sometimes even more so, than producing the show itself. (43:37)     EPISODE NOTES: I’ve known and worked with a lot of nice and conscientious TV producers over the years, but DAN ARDEN is hands down the nicest and most conscientious. It’s just who Dan is, and reflective of the way he leads his life. For nearly 40 years, Dan has belonged to Soka Gakkai International-USA, a Buddhist peace organization whose members are guided by the core principles of respecting the dignity of human life and the interconnect-edness of self and the environment. And whether he’s producing a series or special for Discovery, Animal Planet, Nat Geo, HBO, NBC, AMC, Showtime, Fox or PBS, Dan strives to create a positive and enriching experience for the people on his production team: “There’s the material, and the stories, and the outcome of the show you’re working on, and that’s really important. But equally, whether it’s for six months, one season or if you’re lucky enough to work on a show for years, it’s almost like having this other family. And I think when you’re producing, you’re able to create that environment where friends are working together and where you learn from each other. That becomes equally rewarding, and sometimes even more so when you look back on a project, than the show itself.” Many thanks to the composers of the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: 1. "Airlift" by Poddington Bear - soundofpicture.com 2. "Bill Pickett" by Simon Mathewson 3. "True North" by Adam Selzer 4. "Associations" by Poddington Bear - soundofpicture.com  

FAITH PRINCE won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Miss Adelaide in the 1992 Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls.” And while Faith was honored to be recognized for her performance, she says the baggage that came with the win messed her up for five years. (48:04) EXPLICIT     EPISODE NOTES: And the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical goes to … FAITH PRINCE. The year was 1992. The show was “Guys and Dolls.” The role was Miss Adelaide. And while Faith was honored to be recognized for her performance, she did not expect the baggage that came with the win: “It kinda messes you up for awhile because it puts you in this league and then people go, ‘Oh, you can’t take that. That’s not worthy of you.’ Suddenly I went from being a character actress to being a leading lady. And it took me about five years to shake all that and go back to my old self and start picking things that I liked and wanted to do.” FAITH PRINCE starred as Miss Adelaide opposite Nathan Lane in the 1992 Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls.” FAITH PRINCE won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in "Guys and Dolls." FAITH PRINCE stars as Della in the 2018 La Jolla Playhouse production of “The Cake” by Bekah Brunstetter.   Many thanks to the Blue Dot Sessions for the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: 1. "The Zeppelin" - 2. "Heliotrope" -

BLAKE BELTRAM is co-founder of MINDBODY, the largest provider of cloud-based business management software to the boutique, beauty, health and wellness industry. The publicly traded company serves clients in over 130 countries worldwide. (52:42)     EPISODE NOTES: It’s been 20 years since BLAKE BELTRAM sat in my living room tinkering with a software program that he had recently created to help yoga and pilates studios manage their daily business. I should have paid more attention. Turns out, Blake’s nascent software was the seed that grew into a mighty oak called MINDBODY. The publicly traded company is now the largest provider of cloud-based business management software to the boutique beauty, health and wellness industry serving clients in over 130 countries worldwide. Headquartered in San Luis Obispo, MINDBODY was co-founded by high school friends Rick Stollmeyer and Blake Beltram.   Many thanks to the Blue Dot Sessions for the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: 1. "The Zeppelin" - 2. "Cases to Rest" -