Pranakasha Productions Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matt Weiss
Pranakasha Productions Podcast featuring audio-only versions of Pranakasha Matt's interviews on the Pranakasha Productions YouTube channel www.Pranakasha.com
Pranakasha Matt interviews Eric Hayden VFX supervisor for The Orville Season 3.
as well as...
---Emmy Nominated VFX Supervisor of DEADWOOD: THE MOVIE for HBO
---Creator/Director of ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH
---Creator/Director of AMERICAN MADNESS a documentary currently in production.
"Astronaut: The Last Push" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njtDxD5V_yo
Eric's Interview with Orville Nation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyho_lwic0g&t=1429s
Viking Lander Interview https://youtu.be/uOhk-kaJLQA
The Mandalorian practical effects shots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtGAiEQEIXE
Eric's Twitter https://twitter.com/EricHayden1
Eric's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-hayden-444b2610/
Eric's IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1051393/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Pranakasha Matt interviews the hugely talented and hard-working Nami Melumad, music composer for both Star Trek Strange New Worlds and Star Trek Prodigy.
Nami's website: http://www.namicomposer.com/
Nami Melumad is represented by the Gorfaine Schwartz Agency.
Please reach out to Maria Machado’s Office:
Email: mmoffice@gsamusic.com
Phone: +1 818 260 8500
Contact Nami at nami@namicomposer.com
Nami’s Social Media profiles:
IG: @namicomposer
Twitter: @namicomposer
Facebook: nami melumad, Nami, Film-Composer
Spotify: Nami Melumad
Apple Music: Nami Melumad
Nami Melumad is an Israeli-Dutch film composer, based in Los Angeles, California. Her scoring credits include over 130 projects in a wide range of genres, most notably the HBO Max comedy, An American Pickle, starring Seth Rogen, the Amazon thriller-drama series, Absentia, starring Stana Katic, and EA’s VR video game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. She also scored the Oscar® winning documentary short, Colette, and contributed music and arrangements to Amazon’s latest hit, Borat Subsequent MovieFilm. Her score to the Star Trek episode, Shorts Treks: Q&A in 2019, landed her an upcoming Star Trek series, making her the first female composer for the franchise.
Nominated for Breakthrough Composer of the Year (2020) by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA), Nami won the IFMCA For Best Original Score for a Video Game for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, earned a Jerry Goldsmith Award Nomination for Over the Wall (2019), won the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for her work for Passage (2018), as well as Best Score for a Short at Fimucite for Luminarias in 2017 (out of 908 score entries), and Best Featurette Score at Idyllwild Festival of Cinema in 2017. She was also nominated for an HMMA for Miss Arizona (2018) and This Day Forward (2017).
Nami takes pride in telling thought-provoking stories that make an impact on the viewer, such as Subira, Kenya’s official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards, about a young Muslim woman who challenges gender stereotypes and tradition; Miss Arizona, a dramedy about a former beauty queen who meets four women at a shelter; More Beautiful For Having Been Broken, a drama focusing on a single mother and her special-needs child; and Not Your Skin, a documentary examining the issues of the transgender community through the stories of people who transitioned in different stages of their lives.
Nami had recorded music at the Fox Newman Scoring Stage, Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage, Abbey Road Studios, East-West Studios and Capitol Records. Her works have been performed by the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, The Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva and Helix Collective Ensemble.
An alumna of the prestigious ASCAP Film Scoring workshop (16′), Nami completed the highly rigorous Scoring for Motion Pictures and TV program (SMPTV) at the University of Southern California (15′) and holds a B.A. in multi-style composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where she was admitted directly to sophomore year.
Nami started her musical life as a pianist and a flute player, performing in orchestras and bands, and she also plays guitars, uke, and some clarinet. After completing her two-year IDF service she traveled the world with a big backpack (New Zealand, Australia, China, Thailand), and a small backpack (Israel, Europe, Canada, USA). She is an enthusiastic Trekkie and an avid film fan but also enjoys oil painting, hiking, and having coffee with friends.
Nami serves as board member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and is represented by Maria Machado at the Gorfaine Schwartz Agency.
Part 2 of Pranakasha Matt's interview with Rob Jones, US Marines Double Amputee.
Rob's Website https://www.robjonesjourney.com/
Rob's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robjonesjourney
Rob's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/robjonesjourney/
Rob's Twitter https://twitter.com/robjonesjourney
Rob's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/rob-jones-journey/
I grew up on a farm in the small town of Lovettsville, Virginia. During my junior year at Virginia Tech in 2006, I read the book “Brotherhood of Heroes” about the Marines on Peleliu. This story helped me realize that my life was missing the elements of courage, brotherhood, and selflessness. The following day, without consulting anyone, I went to the Marine Corps Recruiter’s office and set my path on finding those missing elements by joining the Marine Corps.
I was assigned to B Company, 4th Combat engineer Battalion, in Roanoke as a combat engineer and in 2008 deployed to Iraq with the role of finding buried caches of weapons. My second deployment was to Afghanistan in 2010, where I was tasked with the job of finding improvised explosive devices. It was in this role that on July 22, I stepped on an IED, which resulted in double above knee amputations of my legs.
Five days later, I arrived at National Naval Medical Center, having left in Afghanistan the Marines that supplied my brotherhood, and the mission that gave me courage and selflessness. I had lost my path toward these elements. Shortly after waking up, I met two fellow amputees who showed me firsthand that a new path could be found that brought me these same elements. With the support of my family, the hospital staff, and the Marine Corps, I began my search for that path by healing, regaining my strength, and learning how to walk, ride a bike, run, and row.
I retired in 2011, at the end of December. I was leaving behind the world I had known for five years, but armed with the tools I needed to find my new path. I immediately began training for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, and along with my rowing partner, earned a bronze medal in the double sculls event. Not only that, I found an even greater reward when I met a beautiful girl named Pam.
After the 2012 Games I noticed that something didn’t feel quite right. Despite the great strides in self confidence that rowing had helped me make, I knew that my path did not lay within it. Remembering how difficult and time intensive relearning how to ride a bicycle had been, and knowing that through extreme endurance challenges that push them to their physical and mental limits, many athletes find lifelong purpose, I decided to ride my bike across America in 2013 along with my brother Steve in a support vehicle. Six months, 5,181 miles, one polar vortex and $125,000 raised for charity later, I crossed the finish line at Camp Pendleton. But, something was still missing. It took two years, and a failed attempt to make the 2016 Paralympics in triathlon for me to determine what was missing, and how to encompass brotherhood, courage, and selflessness into one endeavor. The bike ride, I realized, had been about pushing myself. It was all about me. What I needed was a challenge whose purpose was selfless. I would run 31 marathons in 31 consecutive days in 31 different cities to create a positive story that veterans and civilians could use when they were struggling.
Pranakasha Matt aka Matt Weiss performs the premiere of his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra 1st mvt with the Octava Chamber Orchestra at their 2022 Summer Chamber Music Extravaganza which features premieres of new music in a wide variety of genres. Over 10 years in the making, and several months practicing the solo part under the expert guidance of his cello teacher, Benjamin Louwersheimer, this was the most important concert in Matt's life to date.
~ 2nd and 3rd movements coming soon ~
Matt's lessons with Benjamin Louwersheimer: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK98bzleAdHaQ8McnX-cchMCjvgEBAJsK
Matt's website http://WeissConcerto.com
Follow Matt on Twitter https://twitter.com/pranakasha Pranakasha Productions on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Pranakasha
Checkout Benjamin's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHPqjWnV_aw7m0oBoRoZjA If you are interested in cello lessons with Benjamin, just follow Matt on Twitter and send him a DM :)
Checkout Matt's "Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra" https://youtu.be/_TsGMThatKE
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- Pranakasha Productions - Fantastic Creations Emerging Spontaneously from the Space of Life for the Benefit of All Beings Everywhere. We have a James. * * *
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Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/pranakasha
Buy our T-shirts and other cool stuff!!! https://teespring.com/stores/pranakasha-productions
"Snoopy, Woodstock, and Starry Night" by thkce https://imgur.com/gallery/bWmNWxx#
Channels we really like: Egotastic Funtime https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2uPX_DYyshfzbs_Mzwu5jg
Treklad https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsAu5ORxsll-_kAWBfddSw
Donny Versiga https://www.youtube.com/user/DVersiga1984
-TIEG- THE IMMORTAL ELITES GROUP https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2wfqrzwYKvhEsPlItBcWYg/
--------- Hi Everyone, Thanks for watching! Pranakasha Productions is a creative collaboration between Matt Weiss and James H. Pierce---we hope you enjoy our quirky stuff and Matt's original music. If you like what you see please help us out by liking and sharing our videos and subscribing to our channel. We have day jobs and this kind of thing really is a labor of love but it's nice to get some encouragement now and then. Also, James' Walking Across America blog is really good :) Subscribe at http://www.pranakasha.com/ James' blog is http://JamesAcrossAmerica.com
Pranakasha Matt interviews singer, songwriter, and producer Sahiljeet Singh.
The Kroonerz Project on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/thekroonerzproject
Sahiljeet's playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkveCSL5cS3FUykjddvkhv2Gv9Ik3Vkz6
Talking Urban Legends, Folklore, etc. with Jason Marc Harris, author of "Master of Rods and Strings" and Birke Duncan---Author, Playwright. Magician---and Jokester as they discuss the new edition of their joint venture "The Troll Tale and Other Scary Stories".
Birke's Books on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ABirke+Duncan
Jason's Books on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Jason-Marc-Harris/e/B001JSALHO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1637412686&sr=8-1
Birke's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMB_LfLY-TW6EijKenbjAyg/videos
Pranakasha Matt interviews Maria Shinzai of Tea and Telly
"I am Maria of Tea and Telly. But I wasn't always Tea and Telly. I was Maria radio show host of People Under the Stairs horror radio show. After years of radio hosting I decided to bring it to YouTube. My background is in criminal justice, and business. I was an investigator and also worked as a crime scene tech. I also did TV anchor show work for a previous employer. Now I like to build computers, write, sing, I rescue animals and I help people. I like to highlight the gifts and talents of other people to let the world know what they have to offer.
My goal is to make my show a place where people can come and have fun, have a laugh, feel calm and happy. I enjoy sci-fi, mystery, comedy, horror and a lot of Euro television. My music tastes are very eclectic as I love music of all kinds."
Maria on Facebook https://facebook.com/teaandtelly/
Maria on Twitter https://twitter.com/tea_telly
Maria on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/TeaTellyWMaria
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- Pranakasha Productions - Fantastic Creations Emerging Spontaneously from the Space of Life for the Benefit of All Beings Everywhere. We have a James. * * *
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Matt's website is http://WeissConcerto.com
Follow Matt on Twitter https://twitter.com/pranakasha
Friend Matt on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MatthewCharlesWeiss/
Pranakasha Productions on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Pranakasha
Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/pranakasha
Buy our T-shirts and other cool stuff!!! https://teespring.com/stores/pranakasha-productions
"Snoopy, Woodstock, and Starry Night" by thkce https://imgur.com/gallery/bWmNWxx#
Channels we really like: Egotastic Funtime https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2uPX_DYyshfzbs_Mzwu5jg
Treklad https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsAu5ORxsll-_kAWBfddSw
Donny Versiga https://www.youtube.com/user/DVersiga1984
-TIEG- THE IMMORTAL ELITES GROUP https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2wfqrzwYKvhEsPlItBcWYg/
Pranakasha Matt interviews Brian Joseph Cox, Dr. Who fan film creator, actor, and writer.
Dr. Who Music https://www.youtube.com/c/Dalekium
Dr. Who Fan Series Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hardgroundproductions/
Philip's Sea Devils https://www.facebook.com/groups/511449668949745
Tom's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tomsrefurbishments
Tom's Instagram https://instagram.com/toms.refurbishments
Neil's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/neilcoleadventuresinscifimuseum/ Neil's Instagram https://instagram.com/classicscifimuseum
Adam Walker's Instagram https://instagram.com/adamwalkervfx?utm_medium=copy_link
Adam's YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCrMeCl6Af6Td6eRJRQm6JkA
Spiritual Conversations with Author Alan A. Allen---Scientist, Naval Officer, World-renowned Oil Spill Expert, Husband, Dad, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, and Golf Enthusiast. Al is 83 years old, looks like he's 70, and acts like he's 40! In this interview we get to spend some quality time with Al.
We touch on many of the subjects in his new book, "Clues Can Light The Way" which describes how unexplainable events and profound connections with others can awaken us to a new understanding and excitement for Life and Beyond.
"Clues Can Light The Way" on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Clues-Can-Light-Way-Discovery/dp/1480895156/
"Being with Al" interview series over at Al's house https://youtu.be/mZBe2awqs6Q
Pranakasha Matt Interviews Rachel Tillman Founder/Executive Director/CuratorFounder/Executive Director/Curator of the The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project.
Yellow Alert: We did some hypothesizing and theorizing on areas outside of our expertise at times. Stream of consciousness type of stuff...
The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project is a 501C3 focused on preserving the history, artifacts, documents, and data from the Viking Missions to Mars, to inspire and educate current and future leaders and thinkers, and to instill collaboration and equity into Missions of tomorrow.
The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project is funded by donations and carefully selected sponsors that support the mission of global education with a special focus on STEM + Arts, collaborative learning, and international cooperation.
We are conducting in-depth Oral History Interviews with Viking contributors from all participating institutes and ALL roles, curating materials donated for the Viking Museum, and are beginning curriculum and interactive experience development to explain the array of engineering, scientific, and human achievements that made Viking a success.
Website https://thevikingpreservationproject.org
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VikingMarsMission
Sneak peek of Viking Interviews and VMMEPP activities around the globe. https://iaf.ipostersessions.com/Default.aspx?s=2F-EA-48-AB-A7-15-0E-A3-DC-BB-83-80-8F-0C-66-32
Rachel's Patreon https://www.patreon.com/universal_reflections
Rachel's Poem about Physics & Philosophy
Physics
From whence we came our fathers always wonder
and deign to think to wrench our lives asunder
thinking with deterministic view
that all creative lies within a few.
From nothing (so they tell us) we are Gods
denying what they first had said was true
that there's no difference between our bodies
and the pieces of the classic particle zoo.
A ball of compact energy invisible
excited by the bodies it surrounds
expands in size by numbers not divisible
within the macro world in which we're bound.
One trillionth of a second and its over
the explosion splits the matter into twos
of particles to annihilate each other
emitting energy, new charges that will fuse.
The universe condenses, forcing out
the swarms of stars, and planets…galaxies
that slowly grow while shifting all about
in orbits that we clearly quantify.
"Creation ex nihilo" said Aquinas
all our energy and mass was neutralized
before the grand explosion. Einstein says
we could not be nothing and so the skies
continue to confuse us in their origin
Some say with Quantum physics we won't know
exactly where we end and when began
this saga of so many years ago
In ignorance forever we will live and with our creativity we'll find
new ways to give our presence meaning
forever waiting for the next prophetic sign.
In the midst of Chaos and Calamity, Pranakasha Matt discovers the real Noah Averbach-Katz, the man behind the blue-green mask...
Noah A.K. is an actor best known for his role as the Andorian “Ryn” on STAR TREK: DISCOVERY and as the Dungeon Master of #DiscoDoesDnD, a Dungeons and Dragons live stream group comprised of his fellow Trek actors. He is a graduate of The Juilliard school, and has appeared in TV and Film projects such as THE GOOD FIGHT, A BREAD FACTORY PT.1, and RELEASE. He has appeared Off-Broadway in the New York Premier of David Ives' THE METROMANIACS, and in numerous plays regionally including A LION IN WINTER, MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, and BAD JEWS.
Noah is great fun to interview and also a very talented and versatile actor. We also spent a lot of time digging into clips from his reel, talking about his education at Julliard, meeting at Star Trek Las Vegas 2021...but dang it all that was lost because Matt forgot to press the button!!!!! A Type 1 diabetic himself, Noah is creating a short film "Type 1". This is a diabetes drama, funded by a very successful Kickstarter campaign in it's final stretch....
TYPE 1
Because of the insulin pricing crisis in the United States, 1 in 4 American Diabetics have to ration Insulin order to stay alive. And for many other Type 1 Diabetics losing their access to insulin is an ever present danger and looming fear. Noah's film, Type 1, makes this experience an immediate, personal story. The protagonists Micah and Laura undertake an exploration of the physical and emotional costs of rationing insulin in a broken world.
Noah's Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/noahak/type-1
Noah's Website http://www.noahak.com/
Disco Does DnD http://www.noahak.com/
Hangout with Noah on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/thetype1trekkie
A Disability Drama. So often in movies and TV, especially in the post-apocalyptic or disaster genera, a disabled person is reduced to a plot point - a problem that gives the abled hero an opportunity to save the day. In Type 1, just like in real life, people with disabilities advocate and fight for themselves, and lean on their abled allies for aid and support. Likewise, it’s exceedingly rare to see a story that captures the fears, trials, and experiences of a Type 1 diabetic, and it's even more rare for that story to be told by someone who actually has Type 1 diabetes.
In this film, we are going to do both. A Dystopian Drama. Type 1 is is a gripping and tense dystopian thriller, with nods to other stories that imagine a dark future in order to shine a light on a broken present: The failings of the present are laid bare in a splintered future as in Black Mirror. Worst nightmares and deepest fears become a living reality, a la The Twilight Zone. We ask questions about the future so we can answer them in the present, just like Star Trek.
Pranakasha Matt interviews the ever-youthful, ever-enthusiastic, supremely overachieving, your friend and mine, Marc Zicree a.k.a. Mr. Sci-Fi!!!
Marc Scott Zicree is an American science fiction author, television writer and screenwriter. Zicree has written for major studios and networks including Paramount, Universal, Disney, Sony/Columbia Tri-Star, MGM, New Line, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, WB, UPN, Showtime, PBS, Turner, USA Networks, Syfy, Discovery, Nickelodeon, the BBC, Marvel and NPR.[1] His credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, The Twilight Zone, Babylon 5, Beauty and the Beast, Forever Knight, Sliders, Friday the 13th: The Series, Liberty's Kids, Super Friends, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs and many others, as well as pilots for CBS, NBC, ABC and Showtime.
MarcZicree #MrSciFi #SpaceCommand #StarTrek
Watch Space Command https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEKdrVeUTAE&t=9s
Mr. Sci-Fi YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkKt7gHnZpcY0nreBdPhwmQ
If you live in LA and want to order food from Morales Kabob call (213) 884-7065 & (213) 985-6671 Visit Morales Kabob on the sidewalk Saturday/Sunday at: E 9th St & Stanford Ave Los Angeles, CA 90021
Morales Kabob on Instagram @mor_alescatering
Morales catering Food Delivery Service Comida para eventos. Llamenos para un presupuesto 213 884 7065. O 213 985 6671
Pranakasha Matt interviews Dr. Mohamed Noor, professor of Biology and the Dean of Natural Sciences at Duke University, Podcaster, YouTuber, and steadfast Trekkie.
Mohamed teaches and leads a team conducting research in the broad areas of genetics and evolution. Dr. Noor has held many elected scientific society offices (including president of the Society for the Study of Evolution and of the American Genetic Association) and research journal editorships (e.g., editor-in-chief for "Evolution" 2016-2019). He has also been active in education and outreach, and teaches a popular online course via Coursera on genetics and evolution. Dr. Noor published a book via Princeton University Press that uses Star Trek to teach principles in genetics and evolution: "Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds". He regularly gives classes and talks at various venues using science fiction to teach scientific principles, and he serves as an occasional scientific consultant for the Star Trek Universe.
Mohamed's website http://www.BioTrekkie.com
Mohamed's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/BioTrekkieExplains
Mohamed's book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Live-Long-Evolve-Evolution-Genetics/dp/0691177414/
The 7th Rule https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule
Virtual Trek Con https://www.youtube.com/c/VirtualTrekCon
Pranakasha Matt interviews J. G. Hertzler aka Klingon General Martok
John Garman "J.G." Hertzler (born 18 March 1950) is an American actor from Savannah, Georgia, who has portrayed many different roles on several Star Trek series. He is one of only five actors to play seven or more different characters in the Star Trek franchise, the others being Jeffrey Combs, Randy Oglesby, Vaughn Armstrong and Thomas Kopache. Hertzler's best-known role is Klingon General Martok, whom he played for four seasons on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also wrote the continuation of his character's story in The Left Hand of Destiny novel diptych with Jeffrey Lang.
In addition, Hertzler has provided voice-over roles on several Star Trek computer games, including Star Trek: Armada and Star Trek: Armada II as the voice of Martok.
Hertzler also played the role of Koval in the independent production Star Trek: Of Gods and Men. In 2007, it was announced that Hertzler would play Harry Mudd in a forthcoming edition of Star Trek: New Voyages, which he would also direct.
In a special feature on the DS9 7th Season DVD set (disc 7), Hertzler remarks, "You know, the thing about Star Trek is they use more theater people, Shakespearean-trained (I've done a lot of Shakespeare – most of the Klingons have done a lot of Shakespeare) and that's something that Star Trek was unique. Is unique. They tend to go with people who can operate in a strangely heightened reality and somehow make it as close to reality as you can. That's sci-fi, you know, that's what you need."
#Martok #StarTrek #DS9 #JGHertzler #Axanar #Pranakasha
Buy "The Left Hand of Destiny" Kindle Edition https://www.amazon.com/Left-Hand-Destiny-Book-Star-ebook/dp/B000FC0QY8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8EGDEOWDZBLT&dchild=1&keywords=the+left+hand+of+destiny&qid=1634898412&sprefix=the+left+hand+of+desti%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1
Pranakasha Matt interviews Rob Jones, US Marines Double Amputee.
Rob's Website https://www.robjonesjourney.com/
Rob's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robjonesjourney
Rob's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/robjonesjourney/
Rob's Twitter https://twitter.com/robjonesjourney
Rob's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/rob-jones-journey/
I grew up on a farm in the small town of Lovettsville, Virginia. During my junior year at Virginia Tech in 2006, I read the book “Brotherhood of Heroes” about the Marines on Peleliu. This story helped me realize that my life was missing the elements of courage, brotherhood, and selflessness. The following day, without consulting anyone, I went to the Marine Corps Recruiter’s office and set my path on finding those missing elements by joining the Marine Corps.
I was assigned to B Company, 4th Combat engineer Battalion, in Roanoke as a combat engineer and in 2008 deployed to Iraq with the role of finding buried caches of weapons. My second deployment was to Afghanistan in 2010, where I was tasked with the job of finding improvised explosive devices. It was in this role that on July 22, I stepped on an IED, which resulted in double above knee amputations of my legs.
Five days later, I arrived at National Naval Medical Center, having left in Afghanistan the Marines that supplied my brotherhood, and the mission that gave me courage and selflessness. I had lost my path toward these elements. Shortly after waking up, I met two fellow amputees who showed me firsthand that a new path could be found that brought me these same elements. With the support of my family, the hospital staff, and the Marine Corps, I began my search for that path by healing, regaining my strength, and learning how to walk, ride a bike, run, and row.
I retired in 2011, at the end of December. I was leaving behind the world I had known for five years, but armed with the tools I needed to find my new path. I immediately began training for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, and along with my rowing partner, earned a bronze medal in the double sculls event. Not only that, I found an even greater reward when I met a beautiful girl named Pam.
After the 2012 Games I noticed that something didn’t feel quite right. Despite the great strides in self confidence that rowing had helped me make, I knew that my path did not lay within it. Remembering how difficult and time intensive relearning how to ride a bicycle had been, and knowing that through extreme endurance challenges that push them to their physical and mental limits, many athletes find lifelong purpose, I decided to ride my bike across America in 2013 along with my brother Steve in a support vehicle. Six months, 5,181 miles, one polar vortex and $125,000 raised for charity later, I crossed the finish line at Camp Pendleton. But, something was still missing. It took two years, and a failed attempt to make the 2016 Paralympics in triathlon for me to determine what was missing, and how to encompass brotherhood, courage, and selflessness into one endeavor. The bike ride, I realized, had been about pushing myself. It was all about me. What I needed was a challenge whose purpose was selfless. I would run 31 marathons in 31 consecutive days in 31 different cities to create a positive story that veterans and civilians could use when they were struggling.
Pranakasha Matt interviews Wesley Eure, best known as Will in The Land of the Lost. Wesley is the most wonderful, kind, generous, and caring person---it was such a joy to do this interview!
Wesley's website https://wesleyeure.com Wesley's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WesleyEure Wesley's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wesleyeure/ Wesley's Twitter https://twitter.com/WesleyEure Land of the Lost Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/120883895197744 Parasense: The Naked Experiments https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18270396/
Wesley Eure (born Wesley Eure Loper; August 17, 1951) is an American actor, singer, author, producer, director and educator. He is best known for appearing as Michael Horton on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1974 to 1981, during which he also starred on the popular children's television series Land of the Lost. He later hosted the popular children's game show Finders Keepers in 1987 and 1988, and co-created the children's educational television show Dragon Tales in 1999. He has also published several books, produced plays and been an organizer and fundraiser for several charities. Eure was born Wesley Eure Loper in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 17, 1951. His father left the family when he was two years old, so his mother, Mary Jane Loper (February 6, 1927 - January 25, 2011), moved his sister Gai (born September 10, 1950) and him to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Eure's grandmother lived. While Eure grew up in Mississippi, his mother obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology and began teaching. She subsequently took positions in Texas and Illinois, and became a drug abuse counselor with the state of Nevada.
The Eures moved to Las Vegas, where his mother ran a methadone clinic and hosted a radio talk show about drug abuse. He spent his senior year of high school in Las Vegas. Eure moved to Los Angeles in 1973 after discovering it was cheaper to live there, but offered just as much opportunity to become an actor. He was hired to star in a pilot for a Kaye Ballard TV series, The Organic Vegetables, created and produced by the team behind The Monkees. When that series was not picked up due to the 1973 writers' strike, Eure answered an ad in an industry trade publication to audition for a television show. He learned that David Cassidy was threatening to leave The Partridge Family, and that the audition was for a role as a "neighbor boy" who would take over the lead in the family band from Cassidy. Eure won the audition, but never joined The Partridge Family after Cassidy agreed to stay on. The show was canceled before the next season started. In 1974,
Eure starred on NBC's Days of Our Lives, playing the role of Mike Horton. He also starred as Will Marshall in Sid and Marty Krofft's children's adventure series, Land of the Lost from 1974 to 1976, filming this show and Days of Our Lives simultaneously. (The gold chain he wore on the show was a gift from his then-lover.) As a publicity stunt, Eure agreed to be billed simply as "Wesley" on Land of the Lost, although he later regretted the decision. Eure's stardom in the 1970s led to a number of appearances on game shows. He was repeatedly asked to appear on both Password and Match Game. He appeared on Password so often that he became a semi-regular on the show.