Longtime Weird Al and Slack-Key Guitarist Jim “Kimo” West and Billboard New Age Chart Topper Joss Jaffe Release Aum Akua Album Tomorrow

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Los Angeles, CA – Gorgeous instrumental album, Aum Akua, the latest from Grammy-winning slack-key and 40-year “Weird” Al guitarist Jim “Kimo” West and Billboard New Age Chart-topper Joss Jaffe, will be released by Be Why Music on all platforms tomorrow. (Press only listening link here. All public links are here.)

The album presents a never-heard combination of unique instrumentation, including Indian tablas, Hawaiian percussion, African Ngoni (harp), custom and rare guitars, and ambient soundscapes. The music at times feels like a tapestry of dreamy ambiance, Hawaiian music, African kora music, jazz, and world music reminiscent of the 70’s band Shakti with John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussein, who the tabla player Jaffe counts as one of his primary teachers and with whom he has performed en ensemble.

West, respected in his own right with a 2021 Grammy win for More Guitar Stories, is also well known as the lead guitarist with “Weird” Al Yankovic for over 40 years. In fact, he is currently on 130+ date tour with Weird Al! Additionally, West will be portrayed in an upcoming Weird Al feature biopic starring Daniel Radcliffe coming out this fall.

Jaffe is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist known for his ambient album Meditation Music, which reached number 3 on Billboard’s New Age Chart in 2019. He has toured the world, performing at premier yoga events and transformational festivals.

The album opener “Blossom” was also the lead single released late last year. The inspiration for this song was to open the album with a light, sunny, happy, upbeat track. The guitar evokes the descending and ascending melodic runs of a kora (African harp). The instrumentation includes Ngoni, playing a fun 6/8 ostinato with an African high-life feel. The tabla brings in world instrumentation with an uplifting, lilting groove that brings to mind a flower opening to the sun.

If Blossom is bright and sunny, the next track, “Open Ocean,” also released as a single last year, is more profound, more lunar, and moodier. A very different type of 6/8 groove creates a deeply meditative feel. Percussion comes from an Ipu Heke Hawaiian gourd with layers of shakers for a trance-like vibe. The middle section brings in the Bansuri bamboo flute from India. The ending ride out opens up into a major key refrain with a longing, hopeful energy, like clouds parting over the sea.

The album’s central track, “Free Float,” and third single, released this year, has been described by West as, “The most relaxing song I’ve ever recorded.” It features Joss’ vocalization to create an ambient pad with slow, meditative washes of notes surrounded by Ngoni and guitar for a dreamy atmosphere. This song is perfect for spa, massage, floatation therapy, and savasana.

“Kauai Daydream,” the album’s most recent single, invites you to picture yourself in Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai, looking out across the water to the green cliffs and mountains running off to the Nāpali Coast of Hawaii. You see clouds dance over the blue sky, idyllic, peaceful, and restful. It’s as relaxing as an afternoon daydream on the garden isle.

The focus track for the album release is “River,” which evokes the famous jazz/Indian classical/world fusion album Meeting by The River by Ry Cooder and VM Bhatt. “River” has a driving tabla beat that speeds up to a crescendo with slide guitar and layers that at times sound like blues, jazz, world, and classical Indian music.

Other tracks on the album include “No Rain No Rainbows,” from an expression popular in Hawaii that is similar to the Buddhist saying “No mud no lotus.” It speaks to the beauty that emerges from what’s dark, cloudy, or challenging; “Path Through The Bamboo” is a short interlude evoking the feeling of walking through a peaceful, tropical bamboo grove with the wind rustling above and the bamboo drifting around you; the album’s penultimate track “Voyaging” is dreamy ambient piece evoking the lilting, rolling waves of the open sea; the album closes with “White Sand Blue Waves,” a gentle, soothing ambient piece that is perfect for savasana, yoga, meditation, or just relaxation.

Not on the album, but a bit of a bonus single on all platforms, Jaffe and West cover John Lennon’s classic “Imagine.” The track is a benefit for Seeds of Peace, an organization that equips exceptional youth and educators with the skills and relationships to work in solidarity across lines of difference to create more just and inclusive societies. For info on this single, please go here.

Listeners are sure to enjoy this sonic trip to Hawaii by way of India and Africa! Aum Akua is released by Be Why Music, the California-based record label dedicated to music that uplifts humanity and known for its three Best New Age Album Grammy winners.

A WRETCH LIKE ME: The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog Reading and Panel on Domestic Violence March 25th

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A WRETCH LIKE ME: The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog
A new book by Emmy award-winning author Heidi Siegmund Cuda and veteran politico Marcia Fritz, the first release from their new publishing imprint

 

What People Are Saying About “A Wretch Like Me”

“This book serves as a reminder to be kinder.”
Rosie O’Donnell, actor/activist

“A visceral and devastating exploration of poverty and male violence, that plunges you into a half-forgotten world of hungry, Depression-era America. The power in ‘A Wretch Like Me’ is not only in its depiction of suffering and pain but in its bringing to life one woman’s strength and determination to make her own life.”
Sian Norris, Byline Times


Los Angeles, California–March 7, 2022. The brand-new non-fiction book, “A Wretch Like Me: The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog” began receiving five-star reviews just days after authors Heidi Siegmund Cuda and Marcia Fritz released it on Amazon under their new publishing imprint, Coral Winds Media, and now has 40 of them, along with being a #1 bestseller in five categories – Depression, Co-dependency, Personality Disorders, Sexual Abuse, and Domestic Partner Abuse.

Cuda and Fritz are now excited to announce they will be hosting a virtual book reading and panel on Friday March 25 at 2pm PT/3pm MT/5pm ET/10pm GMT where they and the book’s subject, Judy Ray Herzog, will read from the book, and also have a panel discussion with the three of them along with noted British domestic abuse and sexual violence activist and survivor Anna MacGregor of the organization Safer Spaces.

Cuda notes, “when we met Anna, we felt an immediate kinship despite the distance, as domestic violence and sexual abuse effect women across the planet, sadly it’s a universal issue.” Like Herzog, MacGregor is a survivor of domestic abuse who has come out on the other side, and is an inspiration to women looking to leave abusive relationships.

Coral Winds will split the revenue on all sales of the book from March 25-27 with Safer Spaces. To attend the event, please RSVP to info@coralwindsmedia.com with your Zoom name/handle and an email address so we can verify your info and get an accurate head count. Zoom link will be shared upon RSVP. The room can only hold 100 people, and we will be opening the room at 1:50 pm PT on first come basis.

Told in a series of short story vignettes, “A Wretch Like Me” is the gripping real-life account of Judy Ray Herzog, a survivor of hunger, incest, and intense transgenerational trauma. Like the hard-knock life chanteuse Edith Piaf, Judy openly shares the details of her childhood, the intense hunger, physical abuse, and the secrets that took place in her family’s one-room shack in the mining town of Kemmerer, Wyoming.

Hailed internationally as the first book to delve into “hunger porn”—the intersection of hunger and sex—Cuda and Fritz knew they could not look away from Judy’s truth. To ignore Judy’s story would be to force the genie back into the bottle for the discomfort it may cause.

They believed Judy’s story had to be told in all its complex horror and beauty, and at times, uproariously macabre humor. From its complicated interracial elements and the religiousness that had her caught between two faiths, Mormonism and Catholicism, to the poverty and incest that scarred her early life, “A Wretch Like Me” is as brutal as it is honest. Her story is bleak, but it’s not without hope. Despite its darkest moments, Judy makes it through this thing called life, finding exquisite joy through her love for her children and dancing on each teardrop.

The book chronicles her unflinching description of hunger, of a childhood spent dreaming of food and scheming ways to find food. Whether it was cooking worms on an old soup can lid, prowling for food scraps in a neighbor’s dog bowl, or crawling under rows of theater seats to find popcorn or candy on the floor, Judy did what she had to do to try to cure her hunger pains.

Born in 1942, Judy was rejected and marginalized by the white community in which she was born; they dismissed her as a “dirty Mexican.” Even though her lineage was far more complicated, she and her siblings were the proverbial angels with dirty faces.

They had no shoes, no underwear, and no showers except for the monthly bath they received at the Southern Hotel, a brothel where a kindly prostitute let them scrub the dirt off one child at a time until the water was black. Judy recalled trying to scrub the brown from her skin to be like the other girls.

In “A Wretch Like Me,” the authors depict the trauma that took place in Judy’s home—her father Logan Herzog’s relentless and reckless pursuit of sex: his constant sexual demands of Judy’s mother; his repeated molesting of Judy—the only times she experienced affection from her father; and his notorious deviant sexual behavior in the dance halls of Wyoming and Utah in the ‘40s and ‘50s. That he was as charismatic as he was evil makes the telling of this story even more compelling. After his release for incarceration because of a 1957 felony conviction for “lewd and lascivious” behavior toward a nine-year-old girl in a movie theater in Nevada, 44-year-old Logan Herzog prowled the gin joints one time too many; he preyed on the wrong woman in the wrong bar. On May 7, 1961, he was murdered in cold blood while sleeping in his car. The key suspect was a jealous husband, but the crime was never solved.

As Cuda and Fritz investigated Judy’s world, they learned that the subject matter addressed and exposed was more common than they realized, and they dedicated the book to those who might still be suffering the ravages of their unhealed past:

“To the hungry, the marginalized, and to anyone feeling they are unloved, you are not alone. Let this book be your safe space to release any anguish you might still harbor and to celebrate the complex pain and beauty of life.”

The book’s title was taken from the Christian hymn, Amazing Grace (1779): “Amazing grace, How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I’m found, Was blind, but now I see.”

The lyrics began to haunt the authors as they listened to Judy list her hardships as a girl and young woman, an awful example of the way society treats those on the margins.

With minimal narration, Judy speaks directly to readers, sharing her blunt, unfiltered truth, which could only be told by lived experience. “A Wretch Like Me” is the unvarnished reality of the unsafe, the unseen, the marginalized, and the unfed.

In her witty way, Judy quips: “She should have been a chorus girl,” her love of dancing is celebrated throughout the book. Rather than become a chorus girl, she survives one abusive marriage after another to ultimately become a nurse’s assistant, and be put in charge of an entire psych ward, which as Judy notes in her iconic humorous way, she’d been preparing for her whole life.

The authors’ goal, as Rosie O’Donnell noted, is to encourage a kinder world, to emerge as better people having read Judy’s story.

As Cuda and Fritz write in the book’s forward, “This is a book that reveals why people love monsters. Sometimes, they are closer than you think.”

And as the book’s readers have noted, “A Wretch Like Me” will linger in your heart, long after you have turned the final page.

Judy, who still dreams of being a dancer, says it’s her goal to be an angel. We think she already is one.

****

More quotes on “A Wretch Like Me”:

“Judy sounds like an angel on earth,” Darlene Ortiz, co-author with Heidi Cuda of “Definition of Down: My Life with Ice T and the Birth of Hip Hop.”.

“A vivid, engrossing, and poetic story that gets more unpredictable by the page. A Wretch Like Me goes where most authors won’t, and the world is a less lonely place for it.”—Ben Apatoff, reporter, educator, and author of “Metallica: The $24.95 Book” (Bloomsbury).

****

Quotes by Judy Ray Herzog:

On hunger:
“It was a lifetime of hunger. It was a hunger every day. When you’re in that situation, you don’t think of anything, the future, the past; you’re just in that moment, trying to survive.”

On her father:
“The only time he touched me was when he was molesting me.”

On hope:
“I always managed to find my own sunshine; beyond the clouds, there was always a little hope there.”

On life goals:
“I think I am on this earth going through all this because I’m working to be an angel.”

****

About the Authors:

Authors Heidi Siegmund Cuda and Marcia Fritz have been teaming up for a decade to tell hard stories with unflinching realism. Heidi Siegmund Cuda is an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and activist, who has authored more than a half dozen books. Marcia Fritz is a nationally renowned political consultant on public finance whose experience as a retired C.P.A. makes her particularly adept at forensic reporting and understanding the challenges for those living on the margins, that struggle the most with life’s transitions. This is the first book on their new imprint, Coral Winds Media.

A Wretch Like Me:
The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog
by Heidi Siegmund Cuda and Marcia Fritz
Coral Winds Media |January 23, 2022. Available as e-book and paperback.
ISBN 979-8406239353

A new book by Emmy award-winning author Heidi Siegmund Cuda and veteran politico Marcia Fritz, the first release from their new publishing imprint

by

A WRETCH LIKE ME: The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog

 

What People Are Saying About “A Wretch Like Me”

“This book serves as a reminder to be kinder.”
Rosie O’Donnell, actor/activist

“A visceral and devastating exploration of poverty and male violence, that plunges you into a half-forgotten world of hungry, Depression-era America. The power in ‘A Wretch Like Me’ is not only in its depiction of suffering and pain but in its bringing to life one woman’s strength and determination to make her own life.”
Sian Norris, Byline Times


Los Angeles, California–February 14, 2022. The brand-new non-fiction book, “A Wretch Like Me: The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog” began receiving five-star reviews just days after authors Heidi Siegmund Cuda and Marcia Fritz released it on Amazon under their new publishing imprint, Coral Winds Media.

Told in a series of short story vignettes, “A Wretch Like Me” is the gripping real-life account of Judy Ray Herzog, a survivor of hunger, incest, and intense transgenerational trauma. Like the hard-knock life chanteuse Edith Piaf, Judy openly shares the details of her childhood, the intense hunger, physical abuse, and the secrets that took place in her family’s one-room shack in the mining town of Kemmerer, Wyoming.

Hailed internationally as the first book to delve into “hunger porn”—the intersection of hunger and sex—Cuda and Fritz knew they could not look away from Judy’s truth. To ignore Judy’s story would be to force the genie back into the bottle for the discomfort it may cause.

They believed Judy’s story had to be told in all its complex horror and beauty, and at times, uproariously macabre humor. From its complicated interracial elements and the religiousness that had her caught between two faiths, Mormonism and Catholicism, to the poverty and incest that scarred her early life, “A Wretch Like Me” is as brutal as it is honest. Her story is bleak, but it’s not without hope. Despite its darkest moments, Judy makes it through this thing called life, finding exquisite joy through her love for her children and dancing on each teardrop.

The book chronicles her unflinching description of hunger, of a childhood spent dreaming of food and scheming ways to find food. Whether it was cooking worms on an old soup can lid, prowling for food scraps in a neighbor’s dog bowl, or crawling under rows of theater seats to find popcorn or candy on the floor, Judy did what she had to do to try to cure her hunger pains.

Born in 1942, Judy was rejected and marginalized by the white community in which she was born; they dismissed her as a “dirty Mexican.” Even though her lineage was far more complicated, she and her siblings were the proverbial angels with dirty faces.

They had no shoes, no underwear, and no showers except for the monthly bath they received at the Southern Hotel, a brothel where a kindly prostitute let them scrub the dirt off one child at a time until the water was black. Judy recalled trying to scrub the brown from her skin to be like the other girls.

In “A Wretch Like Me,” the authors depict the trauma that took place in Judy’s home—her father Logan Herzog’s relentless and reckless pursuit of sex: his constant sexual demands of Judy’s mother; his repeated molesting of Judy—the only times she experienced affection from her father; and his notorious deviant sexual behavior in the dance halls of Wyoming and Utah in the ‘40s and ‘50s. That he was as charismatic as he was evil makes the telling of this story even more compelling. After his release for incarceration because of a 1957 felony conviction for “lewd and lascivious” behavior toward a nine-year-old girl in a movie theater in Nevada, 44-year-old Logan Herzog prowled the gin joints one time too many; he preyed on the wrong woman in the wrong bar. On May 7, 1961, he was murdered in cold blood while sleeping in his car. The key suspect was a jealous husband, but the crime was never solved.

As Cuda and Fritz investigated Judy’s world, they learned that the subject matter addressed and exposed was more common than they realized, and they dedicated the book to those who might still be suffering the ravages of their unhealed past:

“To the hungry, the marginalized, and to anyone feeling they are unloved, you are not alone. Let this book be your safe space to release any anguish you might still harbor and to celebrate the complex pain and beauty of life.”

The book’s title was taken from the Christian hymn, Amazing Grace (1779): “Amazing grace, How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I’m found, Was blind, but now I see.”

The lyrics began to haunt the authors as they listened to Judy list her hardships as a girl and young woman, an awful example of the way society treats those on the margins.

With minimal narration, Judy speaks directly to readers, sharing her blunt, unfiltered truth, which could only be told by lived experience. “A Wretch Like Me” is the unvarnished reality of the unsafe, the unseen, the marginalized, and the unfed.

In her witty way, Judy quips: “She should have been a chorus girl,” her love of dancing is celebrated throughout the book. Rather than become a chorus girl, she survives one abusive marriage after another to ultimately become a nurse’s assistant, and be put in charge of an entire psych ward, which as Judy notes in her iconic humorous way, she’d been preparing for her whole life.

The authors’ goal, as Rosie O’Donnell noted, is to encourage a kinder world, to emerge as better people having read Judy’s story.

As Cuda and Fritz write in the book’s forward, “This is a book that reveals why people love monsters. Sometimes, they are closer than you think.”

And as the book’s readers have noted, “A Wretch Like Me” will linger in your heart, long after you have turned the final page.

Judy, who still dreams of being a dancer, says it’s her goal to be an angel. We think she already is one.

****

More quotes on “A Wretch Like Me”:

“Judy sounds like an angel on earth,” Darlene Ortiz, co-author with Heidi Cuda of “Definition of Down: My Life with Ice T and the Birth of Hip Hop.”.

“A vivid, engrossing, and poetic story that gets more unpredictable by the page. A Wretch Like Me goes where most authors won’t, and the world is a less lonely place for it.”—Ben Apatoff, reporter, educator, and author of “Metallica: The $24.95 Book” (Bloomsbury).

****

Quotes by Judy Ray Herzog:

On hunger:
“It was a lifetime of hunger. It was a hunger every day. When you’re in that situation, you don’t think of anything, the future, the past; you’re just in that moment, trying to survive.”

On her father:
“The only time he touched me was when he was molesting me.”

On hope:
“I always managed to find my own sunshine; beyond the clouds, there was always a little hope there.”

On life goals:
“I think I am on this earth going through all this because I’m working to be an angel.”

****

About the Authors:

Authors Heidi Siegmund Cuda and Marcia Fritz have been teaming up for a decade to tell hard stories with unflinching realism. Heidi Siegmund Cuda is an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and activist, who has authored more than a half dozen books. Marcia Fritz is a nationally renowned political consultant on public finance whose experience as a retired C.P.A. makes her particularly adept at forensic reporting and understanding the challenges for those living on the margins, that struggle the most with life’s transitions. This is the first book on their new imprint, Coral Winds Media.

A Wretch Like Me:
The Shocking and Beautiful Story of Judy Ray Herzog
by Heidi Siegmund Cuda and Marcia Fritz
Coral Winds Media |January 23, 2022. Available as e-book and paperback.
ISBN 979-8406239353

SUNDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS COME TO THE CW WITH SEASON 3 OF STAGE 13’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ANTHOLOGY SERIES TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES DEBUTING JAN. 16

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Companion Podcast Launches Jan. 25
Los Angeles – January 13, 2022 – An incredibly diverse cast and wildly creative team lead the third season of the horror anthology series TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES debuting on The CW on SUNDAY, JAN. 16 at 9:00PM ET/8:00pm CT. Every episode streams for free on the next day at cwtv.com and the CW app. Stage 13 brings 10 half-hour episodes airing in pairs for the duration of their run. The creator and executive producer is Vera Miao; executive producers are Lisa Morales and Liz Levine, an all-female and LGBTQ+ team. Liz Hsiao Lan Alper is a writer/producer. Shawn Angelski of Pink Buffalo Productions is a producer.

The psychological thriller showcases an array of multicultural talent behind and in front of the camera to tell stories about complex issues facing modern society, paying homage to the horror genre’s long legacy of tackling challenging topics in unique ways. Each compact half-hour episode offers suspense, frights, subversive elements, terrifying realities and outrageous outcomes, as well as multidimensional characters with intersectional perspectives — often from less-heard voices.

Inspired by online microfiction and using social horror to help unwrap complex issues, the series layers thrills and chills with curiosities and provocations from the women-led creative team. Wide-ranging subjects, not always found in horror, include equality, being true to oneself, understanding painful histories, the perils of abusing nature, privilege and fairness, the dangers of using cruelty as a path to power, the interdependence of ecosystems and people, and a warning about tech dominance in every aspect of life.

As varied as the topics are, the themes are all universal — fear, the healing power of kindness, the desire to be loved, inner strength, identity, appreciation of heritage, celebration of differences, and the oneness of humanity — or the lack of humanity.

The series has a writers’ room that is 100% women (80% BIPOC). Notably Lisa Morales, in her first showrunning gig, is one of the few Latina showrunners in Hollywood. The series features 100% diverse (female, BIPOC, LGBTQ+) directors. Many of the over 35 up-and-coming writers and directors of 2SHS episodes have gone onto guild acceptance, larger shows, films and gaming. The show’s casting has also been remarkably diverse.

With the third season airing on The CW, the TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES franchise has aired 28 episodes. The first 5 episodes incubated on CW Seed with a digital season in 2018. The show is unique in that it was a digital-first series, that has also run on linear, and now streaming, doing well across platforms and generations. The first two seasons can be streamed on Netflix.

The series has an audio companion TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES: THE PODCAST that launches JAN. 25 and can be heard on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and elsewhere. The podcast is an immersion into the unique worlds created by each episode of the hit anthology series that features the horror genre and tackles social and cultural issues. In each podcast the hosts talk with the television series creators, as well as celebrity guests, horror experts, social activists, and culture critics as they dive deep into social themes at the intersection of diverse and inclusive storytelling explored on the cult CW series.

Fans can follow updates on season 3 and the podcast and learn more about the show at:

Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/twosentencehorrorstories
Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosentencehorrorstories
Website: http://www.twosentencehorrorstories.com/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWcns0_Y5wQ
EPK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJcTduUPoHM

Season 3 episodes and air order are:

Announced:

Crush (#310) Jan. 16 at 9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT
Directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear; written by Amy Do Thurlow.
Twins Mabel and Jane live in a “Grey Gardens” house that’s a little too full of memories and possessions, as well as their love and anger for each other. Their twisted sisterhood is quite a battle, until a new threat arrives. The episode stars twins Joyce and Jacqueline Robbins, who’ve been acting for 40+ years, often together, and is directed by identical twins Kailey and Sam Spear.

Plant Life (#301) Jan. 16 at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT
Directed by Vera Miao; written by Stephanie Adams-Santos.
A tech-addict workaholic receives a plant from his boyfriend to enhance his work-life balance but instead faces disturbing changes as the plant takes root in his life. The couple faces the perils of ignoring Mother Nature in favor of the devices and robots controlling their lives. Series creator and executive producer Vera Miao directs the episode.

Toxic (#306) Jan. 23 at 9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT
Directed by Chase Joynt; written by Liz Hsiao Lan Alper.
Class differences and cruelty take hold of a group of high school frenemies as they prank a Yale hopeful in the woods. They might realize too late that not all jokes are harmless and some ghost stories are true. Chase Joynt, director of acclaimed Season 2 episode “Elliot,” returns.

Teatime (#304) Jan. 23 at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT
Directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear; written by Stephanie Adams-Santos.
A new babysitter’s gig takes a sinister turn when she discovers her charge’s dolls are not what they seem. In her fifth 2SHS episode, Guatemalan-American writer Stephanie Adams-Santos turns the classic horror trope of evil dolls on its head.

Upcoming in January and February:

Teeth (#302)
Directed by Kathleen Hepburn; written by Lisa Morales.
A romantic weekend escape to the woods for a bi-racial lesbian couple goes awry when they are targeted by a group of bigoted locals, other creatures, and a dark and lonely secret their relationship may or may not overcome. Director Kathleen Hepburn has won multiple awards including a Leo Award and a Canadian Screen Award.

The Killer Inside (#307)
Directed by Heidi Saman; written by Sehaj Sethi.
A surgeon is forced to take drastic measures to save her father when following the rules does not succeed. Egyptian-American director Heidi Saman (“Queen Sugar”) draws on her cultural heritage and journalism background with NPR’s “Fresh Air” to bring 2SHS writer Sehaj Sethi’s fourth episode to life (and death).

Patel Motel Cartel (#308)
Directed by Nimisha Mukerji; written by Sehaj Sethi
A teen boy learns his true identity when a violent intruder tries to check into his family’s motel. Indian-American Sehaj Sethi writes her fifth episode for 2SHS and she probes her and award-winning Indian-Canadian director Nimisha Mukerji’s culture.

Erased (#309)
Directed by Albert Shin; written by Liz Hsiao Lan Alper.
An indigenous mom tries to save her home and her family’s rich Hawaiian culture from income inequality, gentrification, and environmental degradation. Writer Liz Hsiao Lan Alper has written for “Hawaii 5-0,” “Chicago Fire” and “The Rookie.”

Encore:

Crush (#310)
Plant Life (#301)

Heirloom (#305)
Directed by DuBois Ashong; written by Lekethia Dalcoe
Pointing out Oregon’s ugly histories and recent resurgence of racism, this episode follows a new widower and his daughter who learn their new home sits on haunted land with deeply rooted horror spanning generations. In a classic 2SHS reversal, the scariest character might not be a ghost.

Homecoming (#303)
Directed by Freddy Chaves Olmos; written by Stephanie Adams-Santos & Lisa Morales
Three Latinx brothers return to their childhood home to visit their dying father only to be forced to confront the demons of their past — and the secrets that families keep. The episode is the directorial debut of Mexican-American Freddy Chaves Olmos, who has had a successful career in VFX.

About Stage 13
Stage 13 is a multiple award-winning, fearless, original content studio showcasing a new generation of inspired talent and voices in scripted and unscripted storytelling. With six EMMY® nominations, the brand’s diverse portfolio of series and features are available on the Stage 13 platform, Facebook, YouTube, and its distribution partners, including Netflix, The CW/CW Seed, HBO, and HBO Max. Creating impactful series for multidimensional audiences, Stage 13 is part of the Warner Bros. TV Group.

TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES: THE OFFICIAL PODCAST

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GOES BEHIND THE SCENES AND EXPANDS THE THEMESOF ACCLAIMED ANTHOLOGY SERIES AIRING ON THE CW
Companion Podcast Launches Jan. 25
Los Angeles, CA – January 25, 2022 – Warner Bros. Television’s Stage 13, originator of the popular anthology series “Two Sentence Horror Stories,” which debuted season three on The CW on Jan. 16, is excited to announce the launch of the companion podcast TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES: THE OFFICIAL PODCAST on TUESDAY JAN. 25 on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. Forty-five-minute episodes of the companion podcast debut on Tuesdays and Thursdays after the corresponding new television episodes premiere on Sundays on The CW. The TV episodes air in pairs throughout their run on The CW and stream for free the next day at cwtv.com and The CW app. The first two seasons can be streamed on Netflix.

“We are thrilled that both the ‘Two Sentence Horror Stories’ television series and podcast are sparking discussions about important issues,” said Stage 13 SVP/GM Diana Mogollon. “Continuing the debate and digging into core societal issues with intersectional storytelling and multicultural representation behind and in front of the camera have become a signature of the series and Stage 13. In addition to being great stories about social horror, the series and podcast are vastly entertaining and take viewers on a terrific, worthwhile journey.”

The podcast is an immersion into the unique worlds created in each episode of the hit horror anthology TV series that tackles social and cultural issues. In each podcast, hosts Danielle Radford (writer, actor, comedian, writer for the Emmy®-nominated series “Honest Trailers”) and Megan Rosati (writer, director, actor, Fangoria contributor, “52 Ways To Break Up”) talk with the television series’ creators, as well as celebrity guests, horror experts, social activists, and culture critics, and dive deep into the social themes at the intersection of diverse and inclusive storytelling explored on the cult CW series, which also streams on Netflix. The podcast is produced by Jordan Kauwling (“NPR,” “The Root”) and associate produced by Stephanie Franco (“Marijuanera” “Bay Area Youth Voice Podcast”).

Guests for season 3 companion podcasts include Jeffrey Reddick, creator of the “Final Destination” franchise and writer of “Tamara,” “Day of the Dead” and “Dead Awake”; Tommy Pico, award-winning poet, recipient of the Whiting Award, host of podcasts “Scream Queen” and “Food 4 Thot” and writer for FX’s Sterlin Harjo/Taika Waititi comedy series “Reservation Dogs”; Matthew Rodriguez, senior culture editor at The Atlantic, author, graphic novelist, teacher and journalist whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, The Advocate, Slate, Self, former host of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” podcast “Slayerfest ‘98”; Dr. Tananarive Due, winner of the American Book Award for The Living Blood, winner of the NAACP Image Award for the novel The Black Rose, author of 13 novels, film historian, educator at UCLA and expert in Black horror; Peaches Christ/Joshua Grannell, drag star, writer/director of “All About Evil” with Natasha Lyonne and “Nightmare on Castro Street” and subject of an acclaimed retrospective at San Francisco’s de Young Museum; Josué Argüelles, of educational organization A Call To Men which works worldwide to promote healthy relationships in men and boys and to prevent gender-based violence for all women, men, trans, LGBQ and nonbinary people, he was a former fellow at San Francisco Labor Leadership Institute and is a board member of Make It Happen!/Brooklyn; Dr. Stephanie Diez-Morel, author and founder of Reboot and Recover, a non-profit dedicated to responsible technology use; Jeff Masters, “LGBTQ&A” Podcast host, writer, director of podcasts at Pride Media/Advocate & Out Magazine, GLAAD Award-winning journalist whose work has appeared on NPR, MSNBC and The New York Times; Clarkisha Kent, writer and journalist whose work has appeared in Essence, Entertainment Weekly, The Root, MTV, BET; and Drea Washington, film nerd, horror fanatic and co-host of “Scream Queen.”

The “2SHS” TV series creative team, one of the most diverse and multicultural teams in the business, also will appear in podcast episodes to give insights on the creation of each television episode and its deeper themes. Those booked thus far include creator/executive producer and episode director Vera Miao; executive producers Lisa Morales and Liz Levine; writers Stephanie Adams-Santos and Sehaj Sethi; directors Dubois Ashong, Chase Joynt, Nimisha Mukerji, Heidi Saman (“Queen Sugar” NPR’s “Fresh Air”) and Kailey Spear and Sam Spear, twins and directors of season 3 episodes “Teatime” and “Crush,” which features terrific performances by the Robbins twins. Cast bookings include “Crush” episode stars and twins Joyce Robbins (“Motherland: Fort Salem”) and Jacqueline Robbins (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”), who have been acting together and separately for more than 40 years and “Erased” episode actor Mapuana Makia (“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”).

More guests will be announced at a later date. Detailed listings follow below.

TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES: THE OFFICIAL PODCAST will accompany 20 episodes of the current TV series run of “Two Sentence Horror Stories,” which will total 33 at the end of this season on The CW. The TV show is one of the fastest growing horror franchises with 72MM+ viewers to date.* The first part of the podcast focuses on the television episode with show creators, talent and a celebrity guest, while the second part delves into the episode’s themes and social issues with an expert.

Inspired by online micro-fiction, “Two Sentence Horror Stories” (2SHS) is a critically acclaimed psychological horror anthology series designed to subvert classic horror tropes by centering on everyday people and diverse perspectives. The half-hour series taps into universal primal fears while tackling the provocative social and cultural issues that exist in modern society.

Created by Vera Miao, TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES is from award-winning studio Stage 13, part of Warner Bros., and features one of the most diverse and inclusive writing and directing teams in television. The series has a writers’ room that is 100% women (80% BIPOC). Notably, Lisa Morales, in her first showrunning gig, is one of the few Latina showrunners in Hollywood. The series features 100% diverse (female, BIPOC, LGBTQ+) directors. Many of the over-35, up-and-coming writers and directors of 2SHS episodes have gone onto guild acceptance, larger shows, films and gaming. The show’s casting also has been remarkably diverse.

About the podcast team
Writer, actor and comedian Danielle Radford (co-host) is a writer on the four-time Emmy®-nominated comedy series “Honest Trailers,” which takes a hard look at films and presents maybe-too-honest spoof trailers for those films. She is a co-host of the pop culture debate show “Movie Fights” and is a regular contributor to Screen Junkies and Fandom Entertainment. Her additional credits include “SSCC” and “Dimension 20.” Twitter: @danielleradford and Instagram: @danielle_radford

Writer, director, actor and mega horror fan Megan Rosati (co-host) was named one of Hollywood’s New Top Writers by Tracking Board. She is a regular contributor to the popular genre website Fangoria and wrote “Essence,” a season two episode of Two Sentence Horror Stories. Her additional credits include “Everyone Is Doing Great,” “Two Guys, A Mermaid and A Couch” and “52 Ways to Break Up.” Twitter & Instagram: @meganrosati

Storyteller, comedy writer and podcast producer Jordan Kauwling’s (producer) work has appeared on NPR, The Root and Maximum Fun and is the host of the upcoming podcast “Views from Nervosa: A Frasier Rewatch,” which passionately discusses the Emmy®-winning television series. She is more than happy to argue with anyone online about TV series “Lost” plot threads. Twitter: @cinnamonlafemme

Born and raised in the San Francisco area, writer, storyteller and producer Stephanie Franco’s (associate producer) work has appeared on “Marijuanera” for Locatora Productions and the Bay Area Youth Voice Podcast for Youth Leadership Institute.

TV episodes synopses and companion podcasts info
For fans of social horror, TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES: THE OFFICIAL PODCAST is a deep dive behind the scenes of season three of the TV series and into the issues explored in the show, spotlighting the diverse groups of creators and cast and bringing the themes to vivid life.

Guest bookings thus far, with more to be announced at a later date:

Toxic (#306) Podcast debut: Jan 25
Podcast guests: Josué Argüelles, of educational organization A Call To Men which works worldwide to promote healthy relationships in men and boys and to prevent gender-based violence for all women, men, trans, LGBQ and nonbinary people, he was a former fellow at San Francisco Labor Leadership Institute and is a board member of Make It Happen!/Brooklyn; and TV episode director Chase Joynt.

The CW TV series debut: Jan. 23 at 9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT.
The CW TV series synopsis: Directed by Chase Joynt; written by Liz Hsiao Lan Alper.
Class differences and cruelty take hold of a group of high school frenemies as they prank a Yale hopeful in the woods. They might realize too late that not all jokes are harmless and some ghost stories are true. Chase Joynt, director of acclaimed Season 2 episode “Elliot,” returns.

Teatime (#304) Podcast debut: Jan. 27
Podcasts guests: Peaches Christ/Joshua Grannell, drag star; writer/director of “All About Evil” with Natasha Lyonne and “Nightmare on Castro Street,” and subject of an acclaimed retrospective at San Francisco’s de Young Museum; Kailey Spear and Sam Spear, directors of season 3 TV episodes “Crush” and “Teatime.”

The CW TV series debut: Jan. 23 at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT
The CW TV series synopsis: Directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear; written by Stephanie Adams-Santos.
A new babysitter’s gig takes a sinister turn when she discovers her charge’s dolls are not what they seem. In her fifth 2SHS episode, Guatemalan-American writer Stephanie Adams-Santos turns the classic horror trope of evil dolls on its head.

Teeth (#302) Podcast debut: Feb 1
Podcast guests: Jeff Masters, “LGBTQ&A” Podcast host, writer, director of podcasts at Pride Media/Advocate & Out Magazine, GLAAD Award-winning journalist whose work has appeared on NPR, MSNBC and The New York Times; Clarkisha Kent, writer and journalist whose work has appeared in Essence, Entertainment Weekly, The Root, MTV, BET; executive producer and TV episode writer Lisa Morales, and executive producer Liz Levine.

The CW TV series debut: Jan. 30 at 9:00pm ET/8:00pm CT.
The CW TV series synopsis: Directed by Kathleen Hepburn; written by Lisa Morales.
A romantic weekend escape to the woods for a bi-racial lesbian couple goes awry when they are targeted by a group of bigoted locals, other creatures, and a dark and lonely secret their relationship may or may not overcome. Director Kathleen Hepburn has won multiple awards including a Leo Award and a Canadian Screen Award.

The Killer Inside (#307) Podcast debut: Feb 3
Podcast guests: Tommy Pico, award-winning poet, recipient of the Whiting Award, host of podcasts “Scream Queen” and “Food 4 Thot” and writer for FX’s Sterlin Harjo/Taika Waititi comedy series “Reservation Dogs”; Drea Washington, film nerd, horror fanatic and co-host of “Scream Queen;” TV episode director Heidi Saman (“Queen Sugar” NPR’s “Fresh Air”) and writer Sehaj Sethi.

The CW TV series debut: Jan. 30 at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT
The CW TV series synopsis: Directed by Heidi Saman; written by Sehaj Sethi.
A surgeon is forced to take drastic measures to save her father when following the rules does not succeed. Egyptian-American director Heidi Saman (“Queen Sugar”) draws on her cultural heritage and journalism background with NPR’s “Fresh Air” to bring 2SHS writer Sehaj Sethi’s fourth episode to life (and death).

About Stage 13
Stage 13 is a multiple award-winning, fearless, original content studio showcasing a new generation of inspired talent and voices in scripted and unscripted storytelling. With six Emmy® nominations, the brand’s diverse portfolio of series and features are available on the Stage 13 platform, Facebook, YouTube, and its distribution partners, including Netflix, The CW/CW Seed, HBO, and HBO Max. Creating impactful series for multidimensional audiences, Stage 13 is part of the Warner Bros. TV Group.

* Source: Nielsen TV Toolbox, Linear = Live+35, Two Minute Qualifier, Netflix Sept 2019-Oct 2021, CWTV.com, All Seasons of Each Series; U.S. and Connected TV only.

Links and for more information

“Two Sentence Horror Stories” TV series and companion podcast links:

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-sentence-horror-stories-the-podcast/id1606273152Podcast trailer: https://youtu.be/m79JHDZyKUI
Stage 13 site: https://www.stage13.com/shows/two-sentence-horror-stories/
Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/twosentencehorrorstories
Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosentencehorrorstories
Series Website: http://www.twosentencehorrorstories.com/
Series Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWcns0_Y5wQ
Series EPK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJcTduUPoHM

“Two Sentence Horror Stories” TV series, season 3 airs/streams: cwtv.com and the CW app
https://www.cwtv.com/shows/two-sentence-horror-stories

FALL IN LINE WITH STAGE 13’S DOCUSERIES “MARCH”, AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE REVERED HBCU MARCHING BAND AT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY, DEBUTING JAN. 24 ON THE CW

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Meet the Featured Students and Staff of this Incredible 300+ Person Precision Ensemble

LOS ANGELES, CA – Step into the riveting and demanding world of the Marching Storm, the award-winning band at HBCU Prairie View A&M University, as its members strive to climb in the rankings, balance the demands of life and school, and carry the bold legacy of the university. Stage 13’s docuseries MARCH debuts on Monday, January 24 at 8:00pm ET/PT on The CW. The 8-episode series is executive produced by Jamail Shelton (“Love & Hip Hop”), Emmy winner Cheryl Horner McDonough (“The T Word”), and Stage 13 EPs Shari Scorca and Marcel Fuentes.

Each one-hour episode of MARCH showcases the dedicated and talented band and staff members including musicians, drum majors, dancers, flag team and faculty advisors as they navigate performing in one of the country’s most prestigious HBCU marching bands as well as tackling rigorous academic schedules and maintaining high-grade point averages. The series chronicles their pressure-filled journey to become the top-ranked HBCU band in the land after starting the season at #8, as ranked on ESPN’s The Undefeated.

The docuseries includes electrifying performances at Homecoming and football games against Texas A&M and Jackson State University. While MARCH shares the personal and unique stories of band and staff members from the more than 300-person marching band, it also explores the legacy and culture of Prairie View A&M and highlights how the Marching Storm is an integral part of that rich history.

Shot in the fall of 2021, MARCH presents the students and staff members navigating a plethora of relatable issues – the effects of the pandemic on their lives, long-distance relationships, the current discussion around pronouns, being a student and a parent, getting along with bandmates, and more. The student band members also cope with the common college issues including the first-year students missing their families, sophomores and juniors growing into leadership positions, and seniors contemplating their next moves – all while working toward the shared goal of musical and performance excellence.

With HBCU bands having been celebrated in pop culture – Beyonce’s homage at Coachella, Lil Nas X’s recent VMAs performance, Lizzo and Ciara videos and the hit film “Drumline” — the marching band experience has already left a lasting influence.

“At Stage 13, we are thrilled to partner with The CW to bring audiences the dynamic energy and inspiration of Black college life via the awesome HBCU marching band experience,” said Stage 13 SVP/GM Diana Mogollon. “PVAMU’s Marching Storm is unparalleled, and its members deliver quintessentially high-stakes entertainment at its best, with swagger, camaraderie, and heart throughout the series.”

“It’s been completely incredible to be immersed in this unique world,” added Stage 13 EP Shari Scorca. “I’m impressed by the commitment of the band members, the tough but nurturing band staff, watching 300 people come together for truly magical moments of music and movement coordination, and seeing these kids grow as musicians and people in real time. Producing this show has been an inspiration for our team, it truly comes through on screen.”

The series launches tonight in time for the February observance of Black History Month and HBCU Awareness Month in March. MARCH is an uplifting show that will make audiences smile, laugh, and even weep while bringing the impressive artistry and cultural import of this cornerstone of the Black college experience vividly to life.

Audiences will fall in love with featured band members and staff:

March -- “Into the Storm” -- Image Number: XXX -- Pictured: Dr. Timothy Zachery -- Photo: Lee Morgan/The CW -- © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Timmey T. Zachery – Dr. Zachery is the Marching Storm’s tough but loving advisor, who knows and cares about the growth of all the band members in his sprawling organization. After graduating from Peabody Magnet High School in his native Alexandria, Louisiana, Tim moved on to performing in the famed Southern University Marching Band in Baton Rouge. Tim went on to obtain his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from Norfolk State University. A brief assignment in the United States Navy Band gave Tim the opportunity to travel the world. His journeys to Africa forever changed him when he was given the opportunity to listen to and perform with musicians there. A strong proponent of education, he went on to obtain his Doctor of Music Arts degree from Indiana University. Now, as a former Professor of Music and Assistant Band Director at Norfolk State University and current Director of Bands at Prairie View, Dr. Zachery is poised to infect as many young people with hope and the love of music that he embodies.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Ms. Shawn Zachery – Shawn is the coach of the Black Foxes dance section and is an inspiration to the young women she guides. She began her career in dance as a Southern University Dancing Doll. After receiving a degree in Computer Science, she began her career in technology at IBM while also continuing her dance studies. She has worked in the IT field for over 30 years while also performing in local dance troupes. She has served as Director and Choreographer for Howard University’s Ooh La La! Dancers, the Champagne Dancers at South Carolina State University, and the Hot Ice Dancers at Norfolk State University. Ms. Zachery created the National HBCU Auxiliary and Dance Directors Association. She is a member of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Kaylan – Senior, Black Fox, Hometown – Houston. Kaylan is the Captain of the Marching Storm dance troupe, the Black Foxes. Her hard-core leadership style is intense, but she just wants to leave her legacy behind before graduating. Kaylan graduated at the end of Fall ‘21 semester and has already started a full-time job at an architecture firm in Dallas.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jalen – Senior, Drum Major, Hometown – Dallas. As a senior Drum Major, he's the most chill person you'll ever meet. Jalen is compassionate and understanding, often mentoring the younger band members as part of the Drum Major’s leadership role. Many band members come to Jalen to discuss their problems. Jalen is a Kinesiology Major set to graduate December ‘22 with plans to attend chiropractic school after grad school.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Aaron – Senior, Drum Major, Hometown – Charlotte, NC. Aaron is a senior Drum Major who is strict and disciplined. As he is preparing to graduate, he wants to find a Band Director job somewhere because he loves this life so much. Band life is part of his DNA. The band means more to him than most people, and he wants to do this for the rest of his life.
He is a Band Performance Major who graduates Spring ‘22 and hopes to find a job at a middle or high school in the Houston area after graduation.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Shelbi – Sophomore, Black Fox, Hometown – Houston. All signs point to sophomore Shelbi being the next Captain of the Black Foxes. She has the support of Kaylan, the current Captain. Everyone loves Shelbi, but can she win over the Directors to be the next Captain? Also, watch to see if Shelbi and Jalen’s flirtation/casual dating situation becomes something more serious.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Nehemiah - Junior, Dance Committee Member/Mellophone Player, Hometown – Missouri City, TX. A talented and quick-tempered drum major hopeful, now on the Dance Committee who choreograph and coach movement for the overall band, as well as holding it down playing the mellophone for the band. He has it all— the looks, the personality, and the passion for the band and has real drum major potential.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Martayvia – Senior. Piccolo Section Leader, Hometown – Dallas. A senior and section leader for the Piccolos - that’s until she got into an altercation with her former friend Euphonium player, Cardavion. They are now both kicked out of band and are fighting to get back in before they graduate. Although band is the most important thing to them, they also try and save what’s left of their friendship.

Photo: The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Cardavion - Senior, Euphonium Player, Hometown – Dallas. A senior who is part of the Euphonium section in the Marching Storm…that is until they were kicked out of the band for misconduct due to an altercation with a fellow bandmate. While not in the band, they’re keeping busy with two budding businesses – baking and hair accessories.

Please check out the following links for more info:
Clip: https://youtu.be/fb0vLChDoPg
MARCH page: https://www.stage13.com/shows/march/
Stage 13: www.stage13.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stage13network
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stage13network/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stage13network
Hashtag: #CWMarch

Early Episode synopses:
Episode 101: “Into the Storm” Jan. 24 at 8:00pm ET/PT
Meet the Marching Storm, the award-winning marching band of HBCU Prairie View A&M University as its 300+ student members and faculty advisors head into the second half of a unique 2021 collegiate season with plenty of life, school and pandemic challenges. As they prepare for a critical performance and legacy pressures of Homecoming weekend, new leaders begin to emerge for the next season.

Episode 102: “Homecoming” Jan. 31 at 8:00pm ET/PT
Homecoming weekend arrives with lots of nerves and the pandemic as an uninvited guest, but the Marching Storm plans to deliver a performance worthy of the Prairie View A&M name. Camaraderie, relationships and family are all on the minds of band members and faculty as they prepare for the big event.

Episode 103: “Eye of the Storm” Feb. 7 at 8:00pm ET/PT
With Homecoming behind them, the performers focus on the next event: a game with historical gravitas against Texas A&M University. The game brings pressure to win but the band faces added strain of their own to deliver a great performance, all while facing concerns about midterms and their grades.

Episode 104: “The Showdown” Feb. 14 at 8:00pm ET/PT
The biggest crowd of the season and a longtime rival await the Prairie View A&M’s Marching Storm. Opponent Texas A&M University shares a challenging history with PVAMU, who also faces a different audience with this performance. Ousted band members seek to rejoin the band, but first they must soul-search and repair their own relationships.

About Prairie View A&M University
Designated an institution of “the first class” in the Texas Constitution, Prairie View A&M University is the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state. With an established reputation for producing engineers, nurses and educators, PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degree programs through seven colleges and the School of Architecture. A member of The Texas A&M University System, the university is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research, and service. For more information regarding PVAMU, visit www.pvamu.edu.

About the Marching Storm
For more than 80 years, the Marching Storm band has entertained audiences around the world. Known for its high-octane performances and unparalleled musical artistry, the nearly 300-member band primarily performs at football games and other Prairie View A&M University and community events. The dynamic field show includes a showcase of performances from the Black Foxes dance troupe, Twirling Thunder flag corp, and the Marching Storm Drumline. Notable alumni include Terry Ellis (member of the Multiplatinum recording group EnVogue); Virgin Records singing group IDEAL; and Ricky LaFontaine of the Richard Smallwood Singers. For more in the Marching Storm, visit www.pvamu.edu/marchingstorm.

About The CW
THE CW NETWORK launched in 2006 as America’s fifth broadcast network, with programming targeting younger viewers, a demographic highly sought after by advertisers. The CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, now broadcasts across the week, offering fourteen-hours of primetime programming, Monday through Sunday, beginning in Fall 2021. The CW’s primetime programming is also available to stream for free, without authentication, on the ad-supported CWTV.com and The CW app, now available on every major OTT platform. Additionally, The CW broadcasts a three-hour Saturday morning kids block. The CW’s digital network CW Seed launched in 2013 and offers original short-form digital content as well as past seasons of fan-favorite television series. For more information about the network and its programming, visit www.cwtvpr.com

About Stage 13
Stage 13 is a multiple award-winning, fearless, original content studio showcasing a new generation of inspired talent and voices in scripted and unscripted storytelling. With six EMMY® nominations, the brand’s diverse portfolio of series and features are available on the Stage 13 platform, Facebook, YouTube, and its distribution partners, including Netflix, The CW/CW Seed, HBO, and HBO Max. Creating impactful series for multidimensional audiences, Stage 13 is part of the Warner Bros. TV Group. https://www.stage13.com/

Retention Focus for Sports Betting Brands after Super Bowl LVI

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Keeping customers active to prevent attrition is key to growth

Gzira, Malta – February 10, 2022 – With the number of U.S. states legalizing online sports betting growing at a fast pace over the last year, online gambling brands will be keen to attract new players ahead of Super Bowl LVI on February 14th. However, customer service experts Enteractive say that retention of new players will be key to maintaining growth in the current gold rush to build a loyal customer base.

“While sportsbook operators are spending large sums on licensing, promotion, marketing, and competitive odds to prompt fast growth as they enter these new markets in the U.S., they must keep a focus on retention of all those hard-won customers,” says Mikael Hansson, founder of Enteractive, a company which provides loyalty and engagement services for the online gambling industry, contacting players on behalf of sports betting brands with more personal one-to-one phone calls.

Following last month’s successful launch of mobile sports gambling services in New York, it’s clear that there’s a large appetite amongst US consumers for the growing number of online sportsbooks. In a YouGov survey from January 2021, almost 20% of Americans said they like to wager on the Super Bowl, with 77% betting purely on the outcome of the game.

In 2022, with so many more states now offering legalized mobile sports betting, sportsbook operators can expect to see increased registrations from new customers around Super Bowl LVI, but while this increased interest is good for business, successful growth will depend upon those new customers remaining active, rather than ‘churning’ after big events like the Super Bowl are over.

“There’s currently a gold rush in the U.S. sports betting market,” adds Hansson, “and the eventual winners will be those brands that engage with their customers and build relationships for the future. Every brand in this sector must keep a clear focus on all aspects of their offering, ensuring that all the hard work in getting to market is not quickly lost to the competition.”

Ei.Ventures and Orthogonal Thinker Acquire 12×12 Estate in The Sandbox in Anticipation of PSLY.COM Launch Post-Merger with Mycotopia Therapies in Q1 2022

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Miami, Florida – January 4, 2022 – Ei.Ventures, along with Orthogonal Thinker, is excited to announce the acquisition of a 12×12 estate in The Sandbox, a virtual world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences on the Ethereum blockchain. This purchase represents the third-largest land sale in the Metaverse and is valued at $2.22M. The land will be called PSLY.COM, the name of the soon-to-be merged company of Ei.Ventures with Mycotopia Therapies.

After only a week on the platform, Ei.Ventures and Orthogonal Thinker CEO David Nikzad was ready to invest in a legacy project for the combined companies’ vision of psychedelic therapy and move into the Metaverse over the next 36 months, noting, “The combination of our tech, cannabis, psychedelics, outer space, and crypto-related holdings will all be utilizing this exciting space. We are very excited to invite all of our portfolio companies and investors to be part of something extraordinary.”

Ei.Ventures now owns 144 pieces of Sandbox land that make up this 12×12 estate. Their neighbors include noted companies like Axie Infinity, SANDBOX, Binance, and many others. PSLY.COM is now right in the middle of these disruptive giants.

While the exact plans for the PSLY.COM Sandbox space are still in development, expect wondrous VR experiences of Hawaii, positive psychedelic trips, healing modalities, and much more.

Nikzad adds, “As I remember my early days as an investor going to Y Combinator, it was about looking at things that were 10B disruptive. Health and Wellness is a trillion-dollar market. As we’ve now gone through COVID and are still in the craziness of it, these technologies will become much more important as communications and how financial transactions are handled is changing,” and ends with thanks to “Blockchain.com, MetaMask, NFTTRADER, and all the individuals and teams, including Ei’s co-founders, that came together to execute this transaction.”

Mycotopia CEO Benjamin Kaplan adds, “as we are working to close our merger with Ei.Ventures, we are so heartened by the forward-thinking moves Ei is making to set up PSLY.COM for success in the Metaverse and beyond.”

Ei.Ventures Closes Out an Exciting 2021, Heads into 2022 Leading the Way in Psychedelic Medicine Development, Fundraising and more

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Miami, Florida – December 15, 2021 – First and foremost the Ei.Ventures’ Reg A+ raise has been incredible. Support from investors from all over the country has topped expectations. As it stands, Ei.Ventures has raised $19,914,863 of a $50 million qualification.

With new studies emerging showing that microdosing psychedelics has a clear association with fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, it’s no wonder there is such a desire to see Ei.Ventures’ Psilly and other psychedelic medicines hit the mainstream.

And as of last week Ei.Ventures announced some exciting news regarding its Go Public pathway: the company signed an LOI with Mycotopia (TPIA) to explore a merger and the formation of PSLY.COM, a $360 million transaction, and will apply to list shares on NASDAQ. More info about the potential merger and anticipated NASDAQ listing is available here. Ei.Ventures CEO David Nikzad notes, “This is a very exciting deal that provides more certainty in a “Go Public” path forward and disrupts the typical investment-banker run going-public model which is often full of bumps and headwinds. Ei.Ventures anticipates closing on the merger in March 2022, assuming we reach a definitive agreement.”

Part of Ei.Ventures’ business strategy has been to develop revenue producing products and partnerships while the novel psychedelic medicines move down the clinical pathway and into legal jurisdictions. On that front the company has been working on three key partnerships over the past few months.

The first joint venture partnership is with The3RDBevCo out of New York. The3RDBevCo is focused on creating first to market functional beverages into the $110 billion global functional drink market. The3RDBevCo will produce the Psilli line of functional mushroom drinks. Psilli will come in five unique blends that target energy, immune support, sleep, cognition, and mood. Interested beverage and mushroom fans can register to win a lifetime supply on launch in late Q1 of 2022 and learn more about Psilli here.

Ei.Ventures also made progress on the clinical development front, with an engagement with Tioga Labs, a premier transdermal research and development company with US offices in San Diego, a noted biotech hub. Tioga has secured the required DEA credentials to handle psychedelic drugs, and has acquired the raw materials to begin development and testing of a transdermal delivery system. Forbes covered the engagement here.

In conjunction with the development of this novel transdermal formulation, Ei.Ventures has also signed a non-binding LOI with RYAH, a connected device, big data, and technology company focused on valuable predictive analysis in the global medical plant and nutraceutical intake industry. RYAH has developed a smart patch technology that would further enhance the transdermal delivery system.
The proposed collaboration is expected to:

  • Assess the compatibility of the RYAH Smart Patch delivery and monitoring device, software, and data platform with Ei.Ventures’ proprietary psychedelic formulations
  • Further Ei.Ventures’ research and development strategy, accelerating use testing on controlled delivery and monitoring of psychoactive compounds for mental wellness treatments
  • Position the companies toward a commercial licensing arrangement to deliver psychedelic therapies, in anticipation of governmentally approved treatment options for mental healthcare

There is more info about the LOI here.

In addition to these, Ei.Ventures is working on finalizing an additional partnership with a biotech company focused on developing novel bio synthetic psychedelic materials. This would allow rapid production of botanical psilocin for the current clinical development at an incredibly low cost.

It would also allow pursuit of additional novel patents and IP within the space at a rapid pace. As such Fox Rothschild has been engaged as counsel for further IP development and filings.

The company anticipates that three other very major initiatives will be announced soon.
Ei.Ventures CEO David Nikzad concludes, “As 2021 comes to a close we would like to wish all in the psychedelic, startup, and investment communities, along with our new friends in the South Florida business community, who have been so incredibly welcoming, a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year in 2022.”

Ei.Ventures Partners With The3rdBevCo for PSILLI™, a line of Mushroom Infused Functional Sparkling Waters

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Ronkonkoma, New York/Miami, Florida – November 17, 2021 – Noted medicinal and supplemental mushroom research and development company Ei.Ventures has partnered with rising functional beverage company The3rdBevCo on the first ever line of mushroom infused sparkling waters, called PSILLI™. The line is targeted to be available to wholesalers in late Q1 2022 and to the general public shortly thereafter.

The3rdBevCo CEO Peter Scalise notes, ““I must say meeting the founding team of Ei.Ventures really gives credence to the phrase first impressions are the most important. We immediately hit it off with a working chemistry I never experienced before. We share the same vision, path forward and are laser focused in achieving our goals. Get ready because we are about to bring to market a whole new category in the functional beverage sector unlike anything seen to date that is sure to be the talk of the entire industry from distributors to consumers.”

PSILLI™ is a perfect addition to The3rdBevCo’s growing product range of functional beverages, which include the energy drink line LAID™, CDB energy shot Chill’d™, and ProsecGO™ for those looking for a non-alcoholic experience of Prosecco.

As scientists are discovering, not only are most of the claims about medicinal mushrooms true, but they’re often also safer and better tolerated with fewer side-effects than many modern pharmaceuticals. With PSILLI™, functional mushrooms will be available to
The3rdBevCo’s nationwide base of retailers, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and event venues, allowing everyone to experience mushrooms’ positive effects.

Functional mushrooms are nutritional powerhouses with a myriad of health benefits including immune support, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, blood sugar management, brain health and cognition support, nervous system support, and increased energy and stamina.

PSILLI™ will use a variety of mushroom types to create five distinct formulations: Brain Boost to support cognitive and immune function; Study Buddy, a Nootropic supplement; Energizer, a natural energy enhancer; Good Mood a mood optimizer and appetite moderator; and Bedtime, for relaxing.

PSILLI™ will be packaged in the popular 12 ounce slim can and come in five amazing flavors – Black Cherry, Mixed Berry, Blood Orange, Pineapple Hibiscus, Pomegranate Watermelon. With no sugar, zero carbs and only 10 calories in each can, PSILLI™ will be functional and delicious!

Ei.Ventures CEO David Nikzad notes, “We’re so excited to partner with The3rdBevCo on the PSILLI™ line of functional beverages, as they are a leader in the space and can help us spread understanding of the value of mushrooms through the enormous beverage channel. Once people start to use functional mushrooms, they’ll be eager to try the other supplemental mushroom products, and eventually medicinal products that we are bringing to market.”