DC Podcats

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Latest Episodes:

Episode 007 - Riley Critchlow, Nicole Wyland, and Alex Reeves - HAGS Podcast Nov 20, 2018

In this episode, we talk with the weekly feminist podcast, HAGS. The hosts - Riley, Nicole, and Alex - talk with us about how to do a podcast, why Dove Soap is evil, the tenants of feminism, what it’s like to be the contrary bitch in the family, Riley’s badass mom, and #plentyofAlex.

ABOUT RILEY, NICOLE, and ALEX:

RILEY - Riley Rose Critchlow is an actor, writer and producer. She grew up on Peaks Island, Maine, moving to LA to attend USC’s School of Dramatic Arts where she received a BFA in Acting. Riley has performed internationally at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and to sold out crowds at SF Sketchfest withher comedy duo, Mary-Kate and Ashtray. TV & film credits include Timeless, S.W.A.T., American Horror Story, Rizzoli & Isles, Southland, Video Game High School, Rocketjump: The Show, Marcia Clark’s Guilt By Association, and Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End. She currently stars alongside Sungwon Cho in Crunchyroll's live action series, Anime Crimes Division, produces content for Funny or Die, and hosts weekly episodes of HAGS Podcast. Follow her on Twitter @rileyrosecritch and on Instagram @rileyaceofspies.

NICOLE - Nicole is an actress, writer, producer, and vocalist. A native of Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, Nicole received her degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film. She is known for viral videos like freddiew's "Flower Warfare" which has garnered over 12M views. In addition to playing the role of Moriarty on the critically acclaimed webseries Video Game High School, Nicole writes and performs sketch comedy for her YouTube channel. Her parody Lady Gaga music video has been viewed over 12K times. In 2015, Nicole founded Verdant Pine Productions, a production company focused on female driven content where she has since produced several award-winning short films. Nicole is looking forward to producing her first feature early next year. She hosts weekly episodes on her podcast HAGS, a feminist comedy dream. She spends most of her time eating tangerine popsicles while reading aloud to her cats, Milo and Winnie, and her husband, director, W. Alex Reeves.

ALEX - Alex is an award-winning director, producer, and sound designer based in Los Angeles. Born in New York City and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Alex moved to Los Angeles in 2006 where he began a career as a television editor working on such modern classics as Supernanny, The Real Housewives of New York, and BBQ Pitmasters. In 2011, Alex opened Point of Blue Studios, a production company based in North Hollywood where he has since produced and directed multiple award-winning documentaries, short films, music videos, and commercials. He was the resident recording engineer for RocketJump Studios’ podcast network from 2013-2015, and his sound design work can be heard on Comedy Central, Hulu, and Disney XD. Alex is the other half of Hollywood power couple “Nicolex” and lives with his wife (Nicole Wyland) and two cats (Milo and Winnie) in West Hollywood. Follow him on Instagram @wa_reeves and Twitter @walexreeves

A LITTLE ABOUT HAGS:

HAGS is a weekly feminist podcast dedicated to deconstructing and demystifying the way society values women. Co-hosts Riley Rose Critchlow and Nicole Wyland are frequently joined by notable guests such as Gates McFadden, Troian Bellisario, Gina Susanna and Ione Butler. Each episode begins with a profile of a notable woman from throughout history before diving into freeform discussion inspired by an adjective that might be used to describe a woman (Beautiful, Polite, Feisty, etc.) citing historical evidence, pop culture, current events, personal anecdotes, and the voice of producer, Alex Reeves, for the male perspective. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn about rats. Tune in weekly on iTunes, Stitcher, at www.hagspodcast.com.

CONTACT HAGS:

Facebook: facebook.com/hagspodcast

Instagram: @hagspodcast

Twitter: @hagspodcast

Website: www.hagspodcast.com

***** PODCATS LEVELS OF ACTION*****

ONE CLICK WONDER - Give HAGS 5 stars and write a review on iTunes!

TUB THUMPER - Go see and support feminist content/movies/art! Go often!

SUPER SOLDIER - Figure out what you do well and use it to your advantage to advance the conversation. Graphic Artist? Podcaster? Make space for women! And recommend your female friends for things

KEEP THE CHANGE - Donate to HAGS OR donate to organizations that help women. Support female business owners, writers, filmmakers, artists. Buy their stuff.

Episode 006 - Riley Brann - KED Nov 06, 2018

In this episode, we talk with Riley Brann about his work with Knock Every Door on the National Nurses United for All’s national Campaign for Medicare for all. We get into voter apathy, a little bit into being a delegate for Bernie, and touch on the beauty of Southern Utah.

ABOUT RILEY BRANN:

Riley Brann, is a former Bernie Organizer, Delegate to the 2016 DNC for Senator Sanders. He worked in Ohio during the national election as a Regional Field Director, then came home to work in local politics, campaign manager for county commissioner, SEIU Union Organizing. Now he works with the National Nurses United for all on their National Campaign for Medicare for All, as well as for the CNA's California Plan for Medicare for All. He is also the co-chair of Portland DSA's M4A Program. Riley went to school in CA (UCSB) Class of 2016 - that is where he worked for Bernie, and then became a delegate, went to Philly, then moved to OH. Then ultimately back to OR.

A LITTLE ABOUT KED and THE NATIONAL NURSES UNITED FOR ALL:

Nurses have been at the helm of this fight for Medicare for All for decades and there is good reason why. Nurses bear witnesses to the dire consequences on their patients every day. They see patients rationing their prescriptions or putting off important medical procedures because of cost. They see patients dealing with the devastating burden of choosing between their rent or groceries and their healthcare. Nurses are committed to this fight because they know firsthand that Medicare for All will bring many of their patients enormous relief. For some of their patients, the passage of Medicare for All will be the difference between life and death.

CONTACT RILEY ABOUT KED/MEDICARE FOR ALL CAMPAIGN:

Click here to go to their helpful guide!

riley@bigorganizing.com

***** PODCATS LEVELS OF ACTION*****

ONE CLICK WONDER - Join the text banking team! OR Look up your representative and say you support Medicare for All.

TUB THUMPER - Go out and host!

SUPER SOLDIER - Riley has tasks for you! Be a repeat host

KEEP THE CHANGE - Donate to a campaign/candidate that supports medicare for all

***** RESOURCES MENTIONED*****

National Nurses United Campaign for Medicare for All Meets DC PodCats

Response Cycle

Episode 005 - Serina Holmstrom - Eco Thrive Oct 18, 2018

In this episode, we talk with Serina Holmstrom about her newest project, ecoThrive. We also get into the issues surrounding homelessness in Seattle, ways to stay zen, and the importance of Whiskey.

ABOUT SERINA HOLMSTROM:

Serina Holmstrom spent five years as a counselor for at-risk youth and families before pursuing residential interior design. Serina brings her passion for social justice, background in direct service and aesthetic gifts to create community-designed spaces that balance beauty and function by serving as a cofounding board member of the new nonprofit, EcoThrive Housing. Her work in building Resilient Villages began with homeless art outreach and making meals for the transitional tiny housing villages newly implemented by the City of Seattle. Along with many others, she is working on meal distribution to homeless encampments and unhoused neighbors.

She supports Rainier Beach High School as a mentor to the Housing and Gentrification student group and Washington Building Leaders of Change (WA-BLOC), a program providing year-round culturally infused learning, leadership and social action for scholars K-12 in South Seattle.

In addition to endlessly drawing dream treehouses, Serina is working on a television series adaptation of the female spy novel, The Oracle Glass, about an underground network of women revolutionaries in 17th century Paris. This is her second year judging for the Social Justice Film Festival.

A LITTLE ABOUT ECO THRIVE:

A resilient housing project in Seattle, Washington hoping to provide affordable, permanent, atheistically pleasing, housing for homeless or transitional persons that is also self - sustaining.

CONTACT ECO THRIVE:

ecothrivehousing.com

***** PODCATS LEVELS OF ACTION*****

ONE CLICK WONDER - Support economic opportunity for hardworking vendors by purchasing and reading your local street newspaper. In Seattle, it’s Real Change News, in Austin, The Challenger, Street Sheetin San Francisco, The Big Issue is based in the UK but distributed internationally.

TUB THUMPER - Attend a workshop or event led by the anti-racist organizing group, People’s Institute. http://www.pisab.org

SUPER SOLDIER - Volunteer at your local food bank. Just type in “Food bank” + your zip code into your search engine

KEEP THE CHANGE - ”We sacrificed our land to make the City of Seattle a beautiful reality. We are still waiting for our justice” - Cecile Hansen, Chairwoman of the Duwamish Tribe. Real Rent Duwamish is a program to provide reoccurring monthly donation to the tribe as a way of serving long-awaited justice. Donate to your local tribe.

Children’s Defense Freedom Schools puts on programs almost everywhere in the United States. Either seek out your local chapter or donate online.

***** OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED*****

If you want to see what Serina’s art collective is up to you can go to lovewinslove.com

Read Lindy West’s Article in the New York Times

Episode 004 - Phil Telfeyan - Equal Justice Under Law Aug 14, 2018

In this episode, we talk with Phil Telfeyan about his pro bono practice, Equal Justice Under Law. We touch on his time at the DOJ, his decision to start a non-profit, how Trump has affected his work, and a little bit about his magic habit. Tune in for some great information and inspiring tidbits on how to start your non-profit and how you can help Equal Justice Under Law.

ABOUT PHIL TELFEYAN:

Phil Telfeyan founded the civil rights non-profit Equal Justice Under Law with the goal of ending inequality in our justice system. Under Phil's leadership, Equal Justice Under Law has become an aggressive agent of change and a powerful advocate for those living in poverty. Prior to founding Equal Justice Under Law, Phil served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He spends his spare time volunteering in the D.C. community and performing magic for charities all across the country.

A LITTLE ABOUT EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW:

Equal Justice Under Law is a civil rights non-profit based in Washington DC, dedicated to eradicating discrimination in our justice system against people who are poor. Over the past four years, the organization has filed over 30 lawsuits across the country targeting money bail, abuses of private probation companies, modern day debtors' prisons, driver's license suspensions, and trailer home banishment. They do truly incredible and interesting work.

CONTACT EJUL:

www.equaljusticeunderlaw.org

Follow them on Facebook

***** PODCATS LEVELS OF ACTION*****

ONE CLICK WONDER - Send in your stories and experiences if you have been abused by the criminal justice system. Call or email Equal Justice Under Law.

Email: admin@equaljusticeunderlaw.org

Phone: 202-670-1004

TUB THUMPER - Volunteer in your community (Boys and Girls Club, local schools, Homeless shelters)

SUPER SOLDIER - Join the Board of Investors or be an Ambassador for EJUL - email admin@equaljusticeunderlaw.org

KEEP THE CHANGE - Go to the website at equaljusticeunderlaw.org AND/OR you can buy the coloring book Alternative Facts on Amazon.com. You can learning more about the coloring book here -https://www.alternativefactscoloringbook.com.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST

ELECTION PROTECTION

Election Protection Hotline: (866) OUR-VOTE -- (866) 687-8683

https://866ourvote.org

United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

https://www.justice.gov/crt/how-file-complaint

Episode 003 - Ifrah Absir & Najmah Hasaan Somali Student Association May 07, 2018

On this podcast we talk with the incredible students of Washington University, Ifrah and Najmah about their involvement with the Somali Student Association, their continual activism in their neighborhoods combating the negative impact of gentrification in the Somali community, and what it is like being young Muslim women with Somali refugee parents in America. Check out the links below and browse through the Podcats Levels of Action to see how you can give to their cause!

ABOUT IFRAH AND NAJMA

IFRAH

Ifrah Abshir is a current Sophomore at the University of Washington on the Pre-Health track. She is interested in combining her love for medicine and social justice. She has participated in social movements ranging from accessing inclusive curriculum, implementing transcriptional equity, exposing inequalities in the computer science industry, to combating gentrification and the relocation of ethnic businesses. She has stayed in the south end of Seattle for all her schooling, up until college. This is what gave her the start to activism - just addressing the needs that were clearly present. She is a 3x member of the CDF Freedom Schools family, and last summer spent 6 weeks leading her own classroom themed after Chance the Rapper. She is Somali, but was born in Uganda. Eventually the goal in her life, is to take her knowledge she received from here and use it to rebuild her country with other likeminded folks.

NAJMA

Naomi is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in environmental studies. She has been involved in the Somali Student Association since her freshmen year as a general member, former president, former club advisor, and now as a member of the SSA Conference planning committee. Her activism work is mainly focused on environmental justice in the lower Duwamish region. She has been working in environmental engagement for over 2 years now, and hopes to continue to do so.

MORE ABOUT THE SOMALI STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Somali Student Association aims to firstly create a space for Somali student at the UW to come together and feel included and represented. Secondly, we focus on community outreach and events. Somali students, especially in Seattle, mainly come from a low income background, are the children of refugees, and are also black and Muslim. Coming from an extremely marginalized background instills a sense of urgency in you, to not only connect with people like yourself but also to uplift your community in any way you can. Today, SSA hosts college readiness workshops in the Spring and the fall to encourage East African youth, especially in South Seattle, to pursue higher education. Through these efforts, we have managed to significantly increase the number of Somali students that apply and are admitted to the UW. We also host alumni mixers and networking events, to connect college students to Somali professionals. In addition to this, we have a lot of "fun" programming as well, like a yearly talent show, and frequent discussion groups at our general meetings called "Shaah and Sheeko" (which means Tea and Talk in Somali). What we love most about SSA is that it allows our peers a space to fully be themselves. We can come to an SSA meeting, grab a cup of traditional Somali tea, and engage with our peers about the travel ban, how we can combat the school to prison pipeline, or who the best local artist is. It allows us to exist in all our complexities and intersectionalities.

CONTACT SSA:

Website for the conference: ssaconference.org

Twitter: @uw_ssa & @ssaconference

LINKS REFERENCED IN PODCAST:

http://kuow.org/programs/radioactive-youth-media

https://www.rescue.org/volunteer

Episode 002 - Barclay Deveau - Persist NYC Feb 22, 2018

In this episode, Debbie and her long time college friend, Barclay, compare notes on their activist groups they started last year. We play with what is an appropriate color for the pussy hat, how becoming an activist may put rifts between you and family at Thanksgiving, and why having an all female group is not a slight at the male population but a necessity to make it through this turbulent time. Join us as we talk to Barclay about her group Persist NYC and make sure to check out the links below and browse through the Podcats Levels of Action she suggests.

ABOUT BARCLAY DEVEAU:

Barclay DeVeau is a producer/director based in Los Angeles and New York. She has produced dozens of feature films and television shows, including projects for 20th Century FOX, Disney, Regency Television, Viacom and NBC Universal.

DeVeau has received several honors for her work, including special recognition from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her contribution to the “Magic of Television” and a Sony Music Video Director’s Award.

A graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, DeVeau has also been a featured guest lecturer for USC’s Independent Feature Workshop. She is dedicated to raising the visibility of women in front of and behind the camera and to increasing opportunities for women in the entertainment industry and beyond.

A LITTLE ABOUT PERSIST NYC:

PERSIST is a women’s activist group dedicated to combating systemic inequities and achieving gender parity.

Based in NYC and formed shortly after the 2016 election, Persist is comprised of women who span the spectrum of careers - film, television and Broadway producers, musicians and composers, performers, writers, editors, architects, surgeons, attorneys, venture capitalists and veterinarians, among others.

Thanks to the guidance and support of some incredible mentors, including Kathleen Turner, Gloria Feldt and the inspiring team at the Joyful Heart Foundation, Persist spent 2017 raising money and awareness for several organizations that tackle gender parity. We teamed up with Kathleen to raise money for the local chapters of Planned Parenthood that were most in need of funds, we’ve been working with Joyful Heart on their End the Backlog campaign, and our group members wrote, performed in and directed a theatrical piece about systemic workplace harassment at the November benefit gala for Take the Lead, Gloria Feldt’s organization dedicated to achieving leadership parity by 2025.

Through advocacy, education and empowerment, the women of Persist continue working to shed light on the myriad issues that contribute to the continuance of a patriarchal society, in order to achieve gender parity in the workplace and beyond.

CONTACT PERSIST NYC:

persistnyc@gmail.com

Follow them at Twitter @persistnyc

Follow them on Instagram @persistnyc

***** PODCATS LEVELS OF ACTION*****

ONE CLICK WONDER - Take a moment and check out 5calls.org

TUB THUMPER - Find volunteer/activist events near you in NYC year round: nycares.org

SUPER SOLDIER - Contact Barclay at persistnyc@gmail.com to join or build your own group!

KEEP THE CHANGE - Donate to endthebacklog.org

And here is the link to Ms. Sanchez's class we promised! Enjoy!

Episode 001 - Elaine Loh - Operation Checks and Balances Feb 02, 2018

We had the opportunity to chat with Elaine about the letter writing group she established last year, Operation Checks and Balances. Not only did her group find people to write a letter to the President every day, but they also did a monthly donation to a political or social cause and did a different action item every month. Elaine truly is a grassroots activist. We are happy we are able to share her success story with you and hope that it encourages you to become more active in your community. Check out at the bottom of this post to see the levels of action Elaine suggests for this interview!

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ELAINE:

Elaine Loh is an award winning writer, director, and actor who got her first taste of public service when she was elected a member of the Local Board of Directors for SAG-AFTRA. She joined the Diversity Committee, and has long made inclusion a part of her artistic work. In fact, she considers herself an "artivist". Activism meets artistic expression.

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