Independent Producer
Eric Drachman is a freelance radio producer and children's book author/publisher living in Los Angeles, CA. He founded Kidwick Books where he has written, published and produced picture books with audio for the younger set (3-7). These days, even more, he's been producing radio pieces for grown-ups and always aims to strike a good balance between serious and silly. He volunteers and works for several KCRW projects and considers KCRW his radio home.
From India to Los Angeles When Namee Baijal moved from India to Los Angeles, the differences were all around her.
Feeling at home in Dodger Stadium Jeff Kim recalls becoming a true Angeleno while watching Chan Ho Park play with the hometown team.
New in LA and 'shooting caravan' Bryan Coffee tells the story of coming to LA for the first time, and learning the strange ways that Angelenos bar hop.
A boat captain's life on the water Tom Conover has been on the water all his life and some of that time, he spent living on Catalina Island. Now he is the captain of a ferry to and from the island. He still loves spending time on the water. He still marvels at a pod of dolphins that swim alongside the boat and when he has time off with his kids, they like to spend it in, on, and around the water on Catalina Island.
Three generations of guitars Candelas Guitars started with two brothers from Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico. Today, two generations later, the tradition and the artistry continue in Boyle Heights with grandson and current owner, Tomas Delgado. Producer Alex Medina.
Hatching chicks to inspire second graders Mrs. Perez’s second grade students have been waiting for this day for three whole weeks! Today, the eggs in the incubator have started to hatch. She believes that “Every day can be something new and just sparkly” and going to the effort to hatch chicks in her classroom is just one of the many ways that she makes that happen for her students.
The ups and downs of being a plumber Jonathan Michael Vasquez got a BA in History and a minor in American Studies, but today he’s working as a plumber, installing a sewer line. Jobs were scarce when he graduated in 2008 and Jonathan had looming student loans, so when his friend offered to teach him a trade, he hopped in the van.
Always climbing Audrey Sachs has been climbing since she was a toddler - whether it was escaping her crib or climbing up the walls or trees or rocks or now – training as a competitive climber at Rockreation in Los Angeles. Audrey is focused and determined and she loves to “jump up to things and reach for things and be swinging in the air”!
Underwater pavilions The artist Doug Aitken has a history of taking his audiences out of the traditional museum or gallery spaces. His latest installation, a companion piece to his retrospective exhibition Electric Earth at MOCA, is a series of sculptures in the ocean called " Underwater Pavilions ." Viewing them involves a ferry ride to the island of Catalina, followed by a deep sea dive. Eric Drachman investigates, with support of KCRW's Independent Producer Project , and found there's more below the surface of this art project.
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.
Industry insights and lessons learned from memorable guests We have interesting guests on The Business, and sometimes our conversations are too long to fit into one show. This week we give you stories that were too good to leave on the cutting room floor, including some sharp insights on making it in the industry from David Mandel, David Simon, Shawn Levy and Matt Reeves.