Piera Van de Wiel - Interview

09/03/20 • 35 min

Piera Van de Wiel has captured the attention of the world and United Nations for raising awareness and relief funds for global causes. With this September marking the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Dorian which devastated the Bahamas, she just released a music video for the single "Come Back Home" written to aid humanitarian efforts in the Great Abaco Island that consists of home footage supplied by the members of the community before the Hurricane destroyed the islands. The music video is currently competing in the renowned ARTS x SDGS Film Festival, and the song also received a Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Listener Impact at the Global Music Awards.With each impactful lyric, Piera is an artist passionate about social impact, and she understands how music can be used as a vehicle to increase awareness of Global Causes. She is the founder of her collective Stronger With Music that promotes the importance of Music and Mental Health and Music and Social Impact. Piera is a singer-songwriter and actor passionate about social impact and storytelling. She is the founder of the renowned philanthropic group "Stronger With Music," an influential collective that promotes the importance of music and mental health and music and social impact. She has worked and performed with NGOs globally, including the Barefoot College International, Applaud Our Kids Foundation at 54 Below, the Aspire Artemis Foundation, and has sung at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for International Women's Day sponsored by the Mission of Djibouti, and at other UN sponsored events around the world, including the Regional STEAM & Innovation Symposia in St Lucia with UN Women and Microsoft. As an actor she has worked in Hollywood on films including period drama "Strip Clara," 1950s film "Tainted Choices" which are both on the film festival circuit, Fox Films "Amsterdam in Anatolia", and performed at the prestigious Rose Theatre in London, London Salvation Army Hall, South Hill Arts, Atlantic Stage 2 with the Atlantic Acting Company in New York, and her leading role in Off Broadway production of The Three Musketeers as Milady De Winter with the Classical Theater of Harlem. This production was nominated for Off Broadway theatre awards including 9 Audelco Awards including Best Drama. Follow us on IG and Facebook: @societytalkspodcast Follow Joe: @joe_lorenzo Podcast edit by: @lacimercede #StaySafe #StayCreative #SocietyPerformers ARE #AloneTogether #SocietyTalks #JoeLorenzo #SocietyEntertainment

Previous Episode

Bubba Ginnetty - Interview

Ryan "Bubba" Ginnetty, (director, production manager, and comedian) joins us on Society Talks to talk about his company, InCrowd, to keep live show comedy alive in the new pandemic normal. With tours cancelled, stay at home orders issued and social distancing changing the landscape of live concerts and comedy shows/performances for both fans and performers, one man is introducing a solution without leaving the comfort of home. Ryan “Bubba” Ginnetty launched a Los Angeles-based immerse innovative experience - "InCrowd", an original multimedia concept that creates an interactive stage where performers can interact via Zoom with fans who are safely at home. This allows the performers to see, feel and laugh with the audience which is a key element to stage performances. Comedians Drew Lynch (NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”) and "Comedy Central’s" James Davis are amongst the performers participating in the experience. Each LIVE virtual even can hold up to 50,00 General Admission attendees and 300 VIP Wall participants who will be displayed on screen and heard virtually anywhere in the world. Ginnetty's pandemic proof solution was to combine his stage and lighting design skillset and partner with Zoom to create "The Wall." VIP fans are shown to the performer via a 360-degree video wall during their performance, streamed LIVE over Zoom. Ginnetty designed 'The Wall' so that it is curved around the performer to simulate a surround-sound audience. The Wall projects up to 300 VIP participants who can see, hear and interact with the talent and other members of the audience. Each show is directed live and controlled by an in-studio broadcast and production team allowing for an ultra-high-quality multimedia stage show. When Ginnetty has time off from traveling around the world producing shows for DJ Snake, French Montana, and Zeds Dead, he is also a part-time stand-up comedian. With his background in comedy and stage/touring production, he meshed his two passions together to create InCrowd’s first production “The Secret Comedy Show,” a weekly comedy series/stand-up featuring comedy legends like Sarah Silverman, Drew Lynch, Damon Wayans, Bryan Callen, Taylor Tomlinson, Tone Bell, Ron Funches, Brad Williams, Iliza Shlesinger and Reggie Watts. This partnership has allowed InCrowd to sell out audience from all around the world, and they have already reached more than 7.5 million impressions. InCrowd Entertainment unifies the latest technology in live streaming and stage production with comedians, musicians, theatre productions and more that thrive in a live audience setting. From live studio performances and talk shows to concerts and theatre, InCrowd is the new way to experience live entertainment from the comfort of your home. Thank you Bubba Ginnetty for joining us on Society Talks! Follow us on IG and Facebook: @societytalkspodcast Follow Joe: @joe_lorenzo Podcast edit by: @lacimercede #StaySafe #StayCreative #SocietyPerformers ARE #AloneTogether #SocietyTalks #JoeLorenzo #SocietyEntertainment

Next Episode

Aneesa Sheikh - Interview

Aneesa Leena Sheikh is a singer, Miss Michigan Teen USA, and a figure skater. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan as the youngest of five siblings, Aneesa Leena Sheikh is half Pakistani and American. She grew up in an ice rink, training in competitive figure skating. Alongside her love for the sport, she simultaneously pursued her talent in and passion for music and performing by playing the guitar, singing, and songwriting. While graduating at the top of her High School class, on a spur she entered her first pageant and won the title of Miss Michigan Teen USA 2O2O fall of her senior year. After her father underwent a medical crisis, Aneesa, who was living with him at the time, turned the tough time into triumph by founding a non-profit organization, “Music4M.I.R.A.C.L.E.” that aims to spread music therapy. Aneesa describes herself as a proactive, strategic, and highly ambitious person, but also a compassionate and faithful friend, which is parallel to the literal definition of the name “Aneesa”. Music has the power to transport us to another time and place. Aneesa loves to harness that power with a broad audience of fellow music lovers and passionate musicians alike. Ever since a young age, Aneesa has found great joy and satisfaction in making music and sharing it with fans and people all over the world. Starting from the ripe age of eight years old, Aneesa fell in love with her sister skating to Santana’s, “Black Magic Women”. That was the impetus of her wanting to play electric guitar. Soon after she began taking lessons on a classical 3⁄4 sized guitar and joined the youth choir. Every chance Aneesa got to perform in front of others she took, even if it was playing “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin in a neon green ankle cast at her 5th-grade talent show. At the age of fourteen, she began to song write on her grandfather’s twelve-string guitar. Soon after writing her first three songs, she was invited to perform on the “Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour” in Lexington, KY. From there on she turned her passion for music to her purpose in life. Aneesa attended IMTA (International Model and Talent Association Convention in New York thee summer of 2019) where she won “Most Sought after Female Talent” and a scholarship to record an original song. After winning the title of Miss Michigan Teen USA 2020 she released her debut single, “Bad Thing” in January of 2020. Follow us on IG and Facebook: @societytalkspodcast Follow Joe: @joe_lorenzo Podcast edit by: @lacimercede #StaySafe #StayCreative #SocietyPerformers ARE #AloneTogether #SocietyTalks #JoeLorenzo #SocietyEntertainment