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Shari Berman

Shari Berman

Shari Berman

Shari Berman’s movie, My Life as Abraham Lincoln, is a journey with a woman desperately trying to unravel the tragic mystery of her own mind. It’s also a joyous love letter to the films and film genres Shari most enjoys. Shari also directed Sugar, a rock-and-roll movie about middle-aged women making the most of what could be their last moment to shine (even if it’s only on “MILF-at-Loser-Tube-Dot-Com”!). Denis marveled at the film’s bass-player, June Millington, a kick-ass guitar player from the all-girl band, Fanny.

Shari is pulling her next production together, Pink Mist. For starters, it has muslim immigrants, neighborhood bullies, a yiddish ghost and a tween amputee. Denis is looking forward to seeing where this all goes, and how Shari will weave her sense of humor into the tale. Shari is producing Pink Mist with actor/producer Michael Cuomo. She highly recommends Michael’s film, Happy New Year. One of the lead roles will be played by Lynn Cohen, who is also well known for her character Mags, from the Hunger Games. Shari’s husband, Chris Benker will be the director of photography.

Shari edited the web series, Switch, a dramatic exploration into the real life experiences of people who work in BDSM dungeons.

Notes from The Horizons Conference

Notes from The Horizons Conference

Denis attended The Horizons Conference: Perspectives on Psychedelics. There he met with other enthusiastic attendees, most notably Kalindi Iyi, Hamilton Morris, and Roberta Russell. He also got to hear accomplished speakers share their research findings on the therapeutic applications of MDMA to treat PTSD, DMT for treatment-resistant depression, and psilocybin to treat cocaine addiction. Michael Pollan was a highlight. Pollan’s in depth, solemn, and almost ‘mainstream’ treatment of psychedelics in his book, How to Change Your Mind, was the inspiration Denis needed to attend this conference and seek out other therapists who are bringing entheogenic experiences to the folks who need them.

Jon Elston

Jon Elston

Jon Elston is a playwright who, in 2003, co-founded Road Less Traveled Productions, a theater company in Buffalo, NY. Jon has won numerous awards for his writing. We talked about how a love for the truth can lead to a crisis of loyalty. We explore the #MeToo movement and its aftermath. We talk about Jon's play After America: Wasteland 2015, and Jon gushes about the writing and character development in Game of Thrones. Jon also collaborates with his fiancé, Winifred Storms. Her play  Branches is going into production soon and Denis will link up to show dates just as soon as they're available.