ON THE CALL with Ozzie Stewart

This is the 7th episode of Since Then “catch up” series with Vashti de Verteuil and Andre Largen. 2 Trinidadians, 2 educators, one of clothing, the other of dance, one a Professor at Parsons New School of Design and labor activist, the other at the University of the West Indies. Both working through the many challenges of teaching via zoom since 2020 in 2 different countries, still passionate about their careers. Love the accents in full display!!! It was great to have a conversation about covid-19 and its effects on Trinidad and its citizens. Some appalling yet humorous behaviour is revealed which shows that people are the same worldwide, especially where this pandemic is concerned. Check them out on YouTube.

We celebrate the Last #Episode of our On The Call #Podcast – Season 3, with my guests from the #movie LAST CALL, which we were all a part of: Peter Patrikios who played the #character “Digits”, Garry Pastore “Devecchio” and Greg Lingo, Writer and Executive Producer and myself as “Francine”. There was so much #laughter #giggles and #camaraderie on the call which replicated the feeling on set, with #conversations about #mentoring, the #acting arena, next steps and more… Thank you all for your support this season!!! Please support our movement to help support those facing end-of-life issues via our tees shirts and LISTEN to the full episode on our website at: ozziestewart.com  You can also FOLLOW US: @lingogreg @garry_pastore @peterpatrikiosactor @ozzie_stewart and @lastcall_movie on demand. #onthecallpodcast #shininglight #beingonpurpose #healthandwellness #advocacy #familyandfriends #endofseason #bestbuds

PERNELL WALKER: Actress of TV, Film and theater after gaining a BA from City College and MFA in acting from the Actors Studio Drama School. Pernell has worked with actors such as: Kevin Bacon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and directors such as: Dee Rees, Ava Duvernay, Dick Wolf, Lee Daniels, Steven Soderbergh, Martin Scorcese and more……With a substantial body of work from: Pariah -nominated for Black Reels Award for Outstanding Actress- Butler, When We Rise,The Deuce, Adventures In America, City On A Hill to name a few…..Pernell has a deep love for acting, from crafting a performance, digging deeply into a character, reveling in the investigative process, to set life where all the pieces of the puzzle come together. Follow her: @pernell.walker – Check out her website at: https://www.pernellwalker.com/  and her body of work at: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2651139/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

RICK DAVY: After immigrating from Trinidad, Rick is Founder and Director of 2 non-profit  entities: Fashion Week Brooklyn, 7 day fashion bi-annual event that focuses on inclusivity of all races, sizes, genders, age and disabilities, while building fashion entrepreneurship in low income communities and BK Style Foundation, showcasing emerging designers and talent, nationally and internationally. Through his foundation he supports: human rights, poverty, HIV/AIDS awareness, community development, leadership training and sustainability initiatives, now via his swap movement nationally, mentored by Patrick Duffy of @globalfashionexchange. This is one man who loves Brooklyn and its culture and diversity -his base for his life and his business, which he’s been working on for 17 years- lives a joyful existence, deeply spiritual, at peace with and in himself. Beginning with photography and film, he switched to styling for BET’s major artists like Jay Z, and other networks, for Ms. Universe and more, being ever more busy, he is deeply aware of the importance of self care. Check out his work at: www.fashionweekbrooklyn.com  and follow him: @rickdavyfwbk

SANDY ACENAS: Starting as a ballet dancer at the age of 5, then to tap and modern dance, Sandy travelled worldwide dancing on cruise lines for about 7 years – a life she loved deeply. Later she danced in Vegas for another 10 years moving to the restaurant industry, after which property management where I met her as a General Manager. Wife and mother of a son she loves very much, Sandy extended herself to me and my son at a very traumatic time in our lives. Her kindness, care, consideration and understanding were tangible evidence of her nurturing heart. It’s amazing the similarities in both our lives. Now Sandy has begun a new chapter in her life: veganism and loving it; staying true and taking care of the one vessel we are gifted in this life, that carries us through to the end.

DEE CASTAGNO: The one person to whom I’ve entrusted my health for over 12 years and happily so. An army veteran who, because of her agent-orange experience, became a “nature-healer” as I call her – which she then took on the road coaching many all over the country working 24/7 on behalf of others, for more than 3 decades. As a biochemist, fearless Dee has been the best coach for me all these years, keeping me in the best of health, on the phone whenever the need arises, as well as my son during the fight of his life. Literally. What she does as coach is heavy work, but Dee exists in a state of happiness… I wish we could get on the dance floor together soon. My sister.

Mother, talent manager and business woman owning a company that carries her name, Ingrid French has been in the business of people management since 1999 and continues to be impassioned by it to date. Her company IFM (Ingrid French Management) represents clients: actors and models for television and print commercials, film, theatre and voiceovers booking for Smirnoff, Yellow Tail, Yeungling. Her talent has booked commercial campaigns for Verizon, John and Johnson, Target, T-Mobile, Bacardi, Fedex, Nike and Heineken to name a few. Television bookings include: Blacklist, Law & Order SVU, Orange is the New Black and film bookings consist of: Brooklyn, The Wolf of Wall Street, Daughter of God. This is only a partial list. All these years later after graduating with a major in journalism and minor in theater, a nurturer, Ingrid is still excited  about the daily work and long hours that come with it, as she is about the New York she always wanted to live in. A realist, Ingrid still looks at the glass half full. Check her out at: https://www.ingridfrenchmanagement.com

From a double major in Political Science and Italian from Binghamton and Syracuse Universities, where International Business Law and being an Interpreter were the goals, Jaime Baker switched to his love – the entertainment industry. After working as an assistant for a talent agent for one year, he made the jump to Talent Management, never looking back, able to use his legal training as well as his fluency in: Spanish, Italian and French, for 23 years successfully. Born in Manhattan and raised in Queens where he still lives, Jamie has been managing talent for 23 years now, in the commercial, television and theatrical arenas. Some of his commercial clients are: Target, Pepsi, Starbucks, Citibank, MTV, Fidelis and television clients are: Equalizer, Manifest, Succession, NCIS, FBI, Power Book III. BROADWAY/NATIONAL TOURS: Sweat, Phantom of the Opera, Motown, Dirty Dancing, Anything Goes, Sister Act, 42nd Street, Annie and more. Through Jaime Baker’s management, I found myself on billboards all through the boroughs and Times Square, as well as at bus stops and in trains. His heart is open and large, but never advertised. Jamie can be reached at: http://www.jbakermanagement.com

PAT PATTERSON: With a Masters in Psychology, followed by marriage, Pat turned back to her first love and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and HB studios to  be classically trained and under the likes of Earle Hyman and Uta Hagen. Motherhood did not deter Pat from  returning to the industry and she embarked on a career on stage, film, television and voiceovers, appearing on 30 Rock, the Blacklist, Younger, CrazyTown and more. Some of her film appearances have been Alter Ego, Chronicle of a Serial Killer, The Mustard Seed and others. She formed Fleetwood Stage with 2 Broadway veterans, which produced 4 main stage productions yearly, along with children’s theatre and Shakespeare in the Park, for 11 seasons. She formed her own independent production company, Pate Productions, with award winning creations such as: Junction, A Younger Man -now taught in NYU’s undergraduate writer’s program and part of an outreach program by the Volunteer Services for the Hospice of Chesapeake, Maryland, and her episodic, HereAfter Here which deals with Near Death Experiences (NDE). As a woman, mother, grandmother, actress, producer and line producer of deep faith, the ever busy Pat Patterson’s Pate Productions’ mission is that of creating uplifting, faith-based stories. Keep up with Pat at: https://www.pateproductions.com/

ALAN SUSSMAN: A garment industry veteran for more than 30 years, Alan’s reputation in the market has been stellar, still maintaining friendships from the early years in the business. Always a hip, contemporary, fashionable dresser, Alan traveled extensively 2 – 3 times yearly, not only domestically for business, but internationally to the Asian and European markets, growing from top shelf salesperson to a sought after merchant. His prowess was his knowledge of fabrics of all types: but he became known for his knowledge of knits, working within the better men’s market. Father of a daughter on whom he dotes, Alan loves gardening, but what’s most important to him, is to be remembered as a good, kind, loving, caring person and delight to be with. He loves to laugh, tease, poke fun.