Orlando Water Hole Podcast

We interview National Dance Day Orlando Creative Director Holly Harris on how this annual event got started in Orlando, what classes are being offered during the 2015 event, why Dance is important to Orlando and much more!

Body Talk Party is an Orlando Dance Party that goes beyond music and dance. It has a bigger purpose to connect people, build community and create an environment where you can just express yourself for you who you are. We had the chance to experience Body Talk as their guest last month in the Milk District and after the event, spoke with it's Founder and Director Phil Santos about how it got started and why Orlando needs Body Talk.

Jim Hobart, Founder and Photographer of Macbeth Photo is probably best known for his social media head shots. You've probably seen his work on your friend's profile photos as you scroll through your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds. On the first Friday of every month, Jim offers anyone the opportunity to have their photo taken for a mere $20 on a rotating calendar of backgrounds.. This month, Jim and his team at Macbeth Photo have created a stunning map of Orlando (inspired by the artistic map design work of local Orlandoan Nathan Selikoff) that you have to check out for yourself. All proceeds will benefit the Rethink Homelessness Campaign.

  Briana Daniel is the Executive Director of Street Team Movement, a non-profit aimed at helping Orlando's Homeless Community by providing showers, laundry and remedial aid.  Celebrating two years, Briana and her team are working on fundraising to purchase a mobile shower unit that can travel across Central Florida to provided this much-needed service to Orlando's Homeless.

Today's guest, Joel Goldstein is an entrepreneur that has built a business you've probably never heard of… Mr. Checkout. Joel talks to us about the unique products he distributes, along with tips for budding entreprenuers and his work establishing the Jewish Chamber of Commerce.

Hands On Orlando is a non-profit organization that helps identify and manage volunteer opportunities around Central Florida that help improve the human condition. We had an opportunity to speak with the Executive Director Chris Allen and Community Partnerships Manager Kyle Trager to learn more about this organization that has to date supported over 190,000 volunteers on over 5,000 projects.   

Brittany and Patrick Lyne are the co-founders of Farm-Haus, a farm-to-table delivery service that offers freshly cooked meals each week delivered to your door in three simple clicks from their homepage. With a desire to change how and what people eat, Brittany and Patrick quit their day jobs to launch this innovative business that can also be found at East End Market.

The Orlando Conductor Crawl is a monthly bar hopping event with a twist… participants hop on and off along Central Florida's Public Transit System Sunrail and explore watering holes near each station. What started out as a small idea to encourage locals to take advantage of public transportation, has quickly grown into a massive meet-up with new and returning riders meeting, drinking and riding through the heart of Central Florida. On today's show we feature Sarah Peerani, one of "The Crawl's" co-founders to learn more about this event.

Professor Josh is one of Orlando's most recognized technology bloggers and community bloggers. His blog ProfessorJosh.com covers local tech events, gadget reviews and education in technology. When he's not writing about technology, Professor Josh is an organizer of multiple tech events in Orlando including: Startup Weekend Orlando, GottaGetBlogging and EdTech Orlando. On today's show, in addition to sharing his experiences organizing the events above, Professor Josh talks to us about: How the Orlando Tech Community got started, why the Orlando Tech Community is growing rapidly, why the technology industry is good for Orlando, details on Orlando Tech Week and how you can get involved in the Orlando Tech Community.

Just minutes away from Orlando's theme parks, Downtown Orlando and International Drive rests a very different kind of attraction. Jim Passmore, Owner of Marsh Landing Adventures operates Orlando Airboat Tours in the headwaters of the everglades. Jim talked to us about how he got started, wildlife encounters and our role in protecting the Everglades.

Most people know of the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain by it's more common name, the Lake Eola Fountain. On today's show, we're talking with the fountain about Orlando's history, what it was like to get struck by lightning, plastic surgery and colored lights!

Andi Perez, Yelp Orlando's Community Manager, is probably one of Orlando's biggest fans. We are out of breath just watching her instagram feed light up every waking hour and well into the night as she highlights some of Orlando's best businesses while planning events for Yelpers all year long. After a year on the job we had to catch up with her to find out what inspires her about Orlando.  

The Yellow Brick Road Foundation is a local Orlando non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD). When we first were approached by it's President Trey Flynn about being a guest on the show, we were instantly struck after hearing the story about his son Holden's birth from the film, "The Tin Man". Since that life-changing moment, Trey and his wife have worked to establish a foundation to help families impacted by CHD.  

Nerd Nite Orlando is a super fun monthly event in a local bar where individuals give talks on virtually every topic imaginable. Oftentimes based in the sciences (but not always) presenters share their passion with the audience in brief, multimedia-enhanced talks. Don't let the nerdy title turn you off, many of the talks feature brilliant, fascinating insights while others are just plain fun. Past talks have included:  Hoarding, Flag Collecting, Growing Weed in Space, They Might Be Giants and much more. On today's show we spoke with Nerd Nite Orlando Host Ricardo Williams who's been with the event since it's introduction to the city two years ago.

The Dinner Party Project is a blend of food, art and culture as Orlando strangers come together over a surprise menu that changes with every meal. Our guest today, Dana Marie Roquemore, Founder of The Dinner Party Project shares with us how this idea got started and what it's like hosting these social dinners and meeting Orlandoans from all walks of life. 

The Orlando Downtown Food and Wine Fest, now in it's 7th year, is coming to Lake Eola on Saturday and Sunday February 21st and 22nd. Tapas-style plates from Orlando's top restaurants, live musical entertainment and barrels of wine come together for this weekend-long celebration of Orlando's Culinary Scene. We spent some time with Nick Smith, Integrated Marketing Director for CBS Radio, (the organizer of the event) to learn more about the event. Nick shares with us: How the Downtown Food and Wine Fest got started, a preview of the restaurants, food and wine that will be featured at the fest, what to look forward to this year, details on VIP Packages - including how you can have your own private bathroom, the Cupid Shuffle, tips for visiting the Downtown Food and Wine Fest, entertainment at the Downtown Food and Wine Fest, the Golden Fork Awards and Nick's must-eat pick while at the fest.

Two years ago we participated in Greenwood Cemetery's Moonlight History Stroll and were instantly impressed. Don Price, Cemetery Sexton and Cemetery Tour Guide is a masterful storyteller who takes participants on a two-hour guided stroll sharing the stories behind the notable figures of Orlando who call Greenwood Cemetery their permanent home. Offered monthly, it's not uncommon for the tour to sell out in minutes of the ticket release time because of it's popularity. Today, Don talks to us about the rise in popularity of the Greenwood Cemetery Tour along with sharing, what is a Cemetery Sexton. what you learn in cemetery school, how the Moonlight History Stroll got started, why Fred Week's Mausoleum is one of Don's favorite stories to tell, where Don finds the material for his tours, whether or not the cemetery is haunted by the spirits of the deceased, the connection Thomas Jefferson has to the City of Orlando, how the spirits within Greenwood Cemetery are feeling and Orlando's death

Just off Colonial Drive on Highland Ave rests the Faith Arts Village Orlando (F.A.V.O.), a community space supported by the Park Lake Presbyterian Church where artists can paint, draw and create what inspires them and showcase their work to the Central Florida Community. But what makes this place unique is the fact that each studio space is inside a renovated motel room creating a vibrant community of art. On today's show we spoke with Will Benton, Executive Director of F.A.V.O to learn how he grew the community from it's humble beginning of only four, open studios, to now having over 30 studios and a monthly event open to the public on the first Friday and Saturday of the month. Will shares with us: How the idea for Faith Arts Village Orlando got started, insight into the some of the artists at the Faith Arts Village Orlando (including one who sculpts with chocolate), how to become an artist at the Faith Arts Village Orlando, where Will get his artistic inspiration from and of course, his #MYORLANDO pick for

Jon Busdeker, Multimedia Reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, is the kind of guy we'd love to drink a beer with and just listen to him tell us stories about the people in Orlando he's met as part of his work at the newspaper. In his most recent series, Jon traveled the whole of International Drive and documented the people, attractions, nightlife and stories of this tourist landmark in Orlando. On our show, Jon shares with us: how and why he got started in journalism, where the idea for an Eye on I-Drive came from, what is was like to interview Spiderman on International Drive, why Orlando Locals should spend more time on I-Drive, The History of International Drive, what's missing from I-Drive (and the answer may surprise you!), top things to do on International Drive,  how to avoid traffic on International Drive and his #MYORLANDO pick: Nora's Sugar Shack 

With an elevation of 19,341 feet Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa and the namesake of the film Conquering Kilimanjaro, a documentary following a group of cancer survivors attempting to summit this challenging mountain. Today, we speak with the Marc Middleton, Founder and CEO of Bolder Broadcasting Inc. and filmmaker of the the documentary. Marc answers for us: what is Growing Bolder, why he left TV News to start Growing Bolder, what it takes to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, how he filmed Conquering Kilimanjaro and how he's inspired everyday by the people he features in his films and website.