The Accutron Show

To conclude this season of The Accutron Show, our hosts David Graver and Indrani talk to actor, writer and philanthropist Jay Ellis. Together they talk about Jay's book called "Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? ", a testament to the importance of invention, trusting oneself, and making space for creativity;It is a memoir of a kid who confided in his imaginary sidekick to navigate parallel pop culture universes (like watching Fresh Prince alongside John Hughes movies or listening to Ja Rule and Dave Matthews) to a lifetime of birthday disappointment (being a Christmas-season Capricorn will do that to you) and hoop dreams gone bad. Jay has also starred in the HBO hit series "Insecure" and in the blockbuster movie "Top Gun: Maverick". Join us for one last time for this season and use your imagination until we return to you.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS7:00 I grew up in the 80s and 90s, I moved around quite a bit. I went to 12 schools in 13 years. So I had an imaginary friend, his name was Mikey and he was a mix of Dwayne Wayne from "A Different World" and Fresh Prince from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". 21:17 The movie industry is an industry of "runs''. People go on runs; sometimes they last for years, some times are also gone for years. One thing I always try to remember is that it's all a journey. 26:00 To be able to work on a documentary about Sue Bird was one of the most incredible projects I worked on in my life. We received so many "no's" for this project but we made it and it was great, especially to see it screened at Sundance.

To celebrate Space Exploration Day, here is a special episode of The Accutron Show that features a conversation between two young and brilliant women that are building careers in aviation and space travel, Accutron ambassador Zara Rutherford and Alyssa Carson. Zara Rutherford s a Belgian-British aviator who, at age 19, became the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world and the first person to complete a circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft after a five-month journey. Alyssa Carson is an American student with the goal of training to become an astronaut and to be selected for future human spaceflight to Mars. She attended U.S. Space Camp in 2008 and has also attended other space camps in Canada and Turkey. In 2013, NASA invited Alyssa to be on the MER 10 panel in Washington DC to discuss future missions to Mars live on NASA TV. Join the conversation between these two young women and dream big and fly high.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS2:16 Alyssa: Since I was a kid, I was obsessed with the idea of going to space. No one in my family had a science or space background. So when I was 7, I went to space camp in Huntsville, Alabama - that was my version of Disneyworld. Everything I wanted to know as a kid was right there. Then watching a show on Nickelodeon, that's the first time I heard the word "Mars". 20:44 Zara: My trip around the world lasted 5 months. That's also because I was stuck in Alaska for a month, in the middle of winter, waiting for the weather to improve. The temperature dropped down to -30 degrees celsius; I was really worried since the plane had not been tested under those conditions. 30:31 Alyssa: I love meeting young kids, I love opening their eyes to the possibility of becoming an astronaut. Kids are used to hearing about becoming doctors, lawyers, etc. and not so much about joining a space program.

In this episode of The Accutron Show, our hosts David and Indrani welcome Executive Chef and Proprietor of The Beatrice Inn in New York City, Angie Mar, renowned for her vision and unequivocally modern interpretation of classic fine dining.  Mar is the niece of the legendary restaurateur and politician Ruby Chow, who was widely known in the Seattle community for her tireless work in Civil rights, equal opportunity for Asian Americans, women of color, and theLGBTQ community. Ruby was an integral figure in Mar’s early life, teaching her the values of community involvement, advancement of underrepresented groups, and charity work. Hallmark of Mar’s cuisine, are both refinement and elegance, and yet  familiar. Combining the flavors of Mar’s Asian heritage with French technique, the food remains firmly stanced in Americana, with an undeniably global perspective. Tune in and savor this very interesting episode of The Accutron Show.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS5:52 Yes, the New York dining scene is extremely competitive. However when we talk about fine dining and the chefs that are really changing the game and leading the way, it is tremendously supportive and wonderful. I have been very lucky to have the support of incredible chefs. 13:59 At the beginning of my career, when I go back to the interviews I did, I used to say that there were no issues related to being a woman in my industry. But as my career progressed, it became distinctively harder because I am a woman. 40:00 For me, to be the daughter of immigrants, to be in New York, an Asian woman cooking French cuisine, this is the most American thing that could happen to me.

Chloe Flower is one of today's most relevant artists bridging the gap between classical and pop with her self-created genre — 'popsical'. Born in Pennsylvania, Chloe first reached for piano keys at the age of two. By twelve, she was studying at the Manhattan School of Music followed by London’s Royal Academy of Music. This multi-hyphenate star has become music and fashion’s go-to creator as she intertwines her personal couture style and unique sound into something the industry has never seen or heard before. Over the years Chloe has grown into a musical powerhouse — from her show-stopping 2019 GRAMMY® Awards performance with Cardi B to her featured performance with Lil Baby on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Aside from her own music, Chloe has co-produced and composed for Céline Dion, Johnny Mathis, 2 Chainz, Swae Lee, NAS, Babyface, and more. Chloe is also an ardent advocate of anti-human trafficking and a champion of music education and therapy. Tune in and let the music take you away in this episode of The Accutron Show.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS3:40 The idea of 'popsical' for me was to popularize instrumental music in general, since it's so unique. It can be baroque sounding, it can be film sounding, it can be classical, blues, jazz. There is no such thing as new, it's all an idea of an idea and with social media it's become so easy to bend a genre. 11:55 I started piano lessons at 2 years old, but then I played 3 instruments. In all of the years until I graduated I was never given a piece of music that was not written by a white man specifically. That is why Ryuichi Sakamoto was such an inspiring artist for me. He experimented with electronic music, classical music, with the way he dressed... he stepped out of the box. 24:04 Beethoven and Mozart were rock stars during their times. Their music was really popular. In order for us to have the Beethovens or Mozarts of this time, we have to prioritize music education. Until we see excitement about music education, kids lining up to learn to use an instrument, we are going to miss out on those musical geniuses.

In this episode of The Accutron Show, hosts David Graver and Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri sit down with Eugene Brave Rock. Actor and stuntman, Eugene has garnered acclaim for his compelling performances in AMC's "Dark Winds" and as "The Chief" in the blockbuster film "Wonder Woman," where he proudly brings on the silver screen his culture and language. A member of the Blood Tribe of Siksikaissksahkoi, or Blackfoot Country, Brave Rock was raised by his grandmother Florence on the Blood Indian Creek Reservoir in southern Alberta, Canada. Today Eugene is passionately dedicated to preserving and promoting the Blackfoot language, which he considers vital to his identity and the future generations. Tune in, subscribe and join the conversation!EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS8:00 I had the opportunity to act in the major movie Wonder Woman and to speak my language. It was the first time our language was heard on such large scale. 17:23 When I was young I remember watching a TV show and seeing an indigenous man on a horse. That inspired me so much to bring my culture to a big audience. I'm taking steps very few of my people have taken before me. 22:23 I never saw myself as an actor. I am a storyteller and storytelling is our oldest tradition. I am happy to carry that on in a contemporary way.