Interviews on wonder, curiosity and creativity
Kalyani is a science television researcher and a travel and wildlife photographer. Her adventures have taken her to the peaks of the Himalayas to the depths of the South African oceans. As a biologist and science communicator, wildlife photography and filmmaking is her main passion and she has been fortunate to have slept in bear hides in Finland, diving with sharks and she even slept through a leopard attack in India.
Jo is a composer and singer-songwriter living in Birmingham, UK and is a proud honorary Brummie. She specialises in scoring plays, games and films, and particularly enjoys writing for piano, violin, electronics, and orchestra. She collaborates closely with the directors she works alongside. The features REUNIFICATION and THE BELLWETHER that Jo has scored are available to stream via Amazon Prime.
Huw James is a Welsh Science Presenter. He’s presented live science to over 750,00 people on 6 continents and had over 2 million views online. His background is in Astronomy and Space Science and Geology. He now makes educational material including films, photography and live classroom talks in geographically interesting locations worldwide.
Last year I interviewed filmmaker Pip Piper. This Easter his new film The Vinyl Revival is released on DVD and it seemed like a good opportunity to catch up with him and why he is fascinated by vinyl records.
John Bucher is a mythologist. Communicator, and strategist based out of Hollywood, California. He is also an author, podcaster, and speaker. He is the author of six books including the best-selling Storytelling for Virtual Reality, named by BookAuthority as one of the best storytelling books of all time. John has worked with companies including HBO, DC Comics, The History Channel, A24 Films, The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation and served as a consultant and writer for numerous film, television, and Virtual Reality projects. He also consults on stage magic, puzzles, and escape rooms. Currently, he serves as Content Curator for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and teaches writing and story courses at the LA Film Studies Center. He holds a PhD in Mythology and Depth Psychology and has spoken on 5 continents about using myth and the power of story to reframe how products, individuals, organizations, cultures, and nations are viewed. Disruptor named him one of the top 25 influencers in Virtual Reality in 2018.
An award-winning writer/film director from Scotland; author, conjurer and expert on con games, scams and deception.
Zena Holloway has photographed Olympians, sports personalities, singers and songwriters as well as newborn babies, indigenous peoples and creatures of all shapes and sizes; both marine and terrestrial. Born in Bahrain and raised between London and pretty much everywhere else in the world, she went on her first dive in England as a teenager. Charmed by the magic of the underwater world, she began experimenting with a camera and decided to chart her own course in an ultra-niche profession.
Maria Cork works in Creature F/X and Special Make-Up F/X for the film industry. She was the supervisor of the Hair Department in creature effects for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and had the responsibility of looking after Chewbacca. Other film credits include Lost in Space, Hot Fuzz, Sherlock Holmes, and Maleficent. Maria also loves magic and has worked with many magicians over the years, making unusual and specialised props for TV and theatre shows.
Jonathan Sanderson is a lapsed physicist and occasional filmmaker, now unexpectedly an academic working on widening participation projects at Northumbria University. He trains science and engineering performers internationally, and has research interests in digital making, tinkering education, and diversity in the STEM workforce.
A filmmaker for over 20 years, Pip loves to find and tell stories that matter to audiences that care. He works collaboratively with others who share that passion.
Words on Wonder 