Tag: Uncovering Oklahoma Page 59 of 77

I’m excited to announce that I’m one of the speakers for this year’s IgniteOKC! IgniteOKC is a community-driven networking event that connects people of diverse backgrounds and knowledge through a series of entertaining, rapid-fire presentations. The basic premise is presenters get 5 minutes and 20 slides that advance every 15 seconds. In my topic, Local Roadtripping 101, I will share my advice on planning, packing, and suggestions for road trips in Oklahoma.

I know one of the other speakers, Jeff Provine, as I’ve interviewed him for Uncovering Oklahoma. Jeff will be talking about Oklahoma City’s ghosts. Everyone else, I’m not familiar with, but I’m looking forward to meeting them. I am curious How Bach Can Change Your World One Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit at a Time.

The event will be May 25, 2017, at Lyric Theatre in the Plaza District. Before that, on Wednesday, May 3rd at 6:00 PM at The Offices of Dunlap Codding there will be a Meet and Greet event.

I hope to see you there!

Malarkey’s Dueling Piano Bar brings in entertainers from around the country for an all-request music show. Managing Partner, Wayne Potter, along with performers, Jamie McNeill and Wiz, talk about Bricktown’s newest nightlife spot. Several elements that set this Oklahoma City venue apart is the elevated stage, available appetizer menu, and the separate smoking/cigar lounge.

I had featured Wayne back in 2010 when he was the general manager at Michael Murphy’s Dueling Piano Bar. Wayne has taken all the feedback he was received from his time there and used it to make Malarkey’s better. Before the interview, Wayne gave my wife and I tour, explaining all of the various improvements, which I’m listing below in summary.

– Bigger, more space all around
– VIP table booths (you can even dance at your table)
– No support beams obstructing stage viewers
– Elevated center stage
– More bathroom stalls (Michael Murphy’s has 3 women’s stalls, Malarkey’s has 5)
– Dedicated smoking room (if you want to smoke at Michael Murphy’s, you’ll have to go outside and you cannot bring your drink)
– Food (Michael Murphy’s has no kitchen)
– TVs that show the stage
– Performances not broadcasted outside

I haven’t been to Michael Murphy’s in awhile and I’m sure there are some pros and cons, as with everything in life. However, overall, Malarkey’s is an improvement for Wayne. There is a cover charge of $10 at Malarkey’s (depending on the night, time, and specials so it may vary). My wife and I enjoyed our time. Watch the video, see for yourself, and check it out if looks like someplace you might like.

Throughout the past two weeks, I have been highlighting some of the merchants along Norman’s Lindsey Street in my Food of Lindsey Street series. These small business owners shared why they love the area, what visitors can expect, and why you should come out and support Lindsey Street. This tour featured the following seven places:

Get to know several of the merchants along Norman’s Lindsey Street in this Introduction to the Food of Lindsey Street. They share why they love the street, what visitors can expect, how the construction has been hurting them, and why you should come out and support Lindsey Street.

This video is first in a series highlighting several of Lindsey Street’s restaurants. In this video is Doug Kennon, Joe and Rebecca Sparks, Jeri Sieber, Kristen Mccall, Stephen Henkel, Darrol Ray, Andrew Marsh, Inderjit Singh, and John Trobare. Stay turned to Uncovering Oklahoma as individual videos about these places will be released over the next several days.

Support for this video provided by the Norman Art Council’s We Art Lindsey Street initiative and viewers like you.

Dusty Gilpin leads a tour of Tree and Leaf, a youthful lifestyle brand in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. Dusty walks through his store sharing how Tree and Leaf started, what they do to support the community, the artists they host during Live on the Plaza, and what they care about.

The day before I filmed this video, I interviewed Dusty for my art documentary, which I’m going to admit I had to borrow a memory card from him in order to film it. Such an amateur mistake, I know. On the serendipitous side, I hadn’t featured Tree and Leaf on Uncovering Oklahoma yet and since I had to return his SD card to him, why not do a video about his business while I was there? It all worked out. I now have a spare memory card that stays in my bag.

Instead of the normal interview I do with businesses owners, Dusty and I decided to do a tour like MTV’s Cribs. I’m getting better at working with people on these tour videos. While I enjoy the authenticity people reveal from themselves in a first take, next time, two takes to see what happens.

I also made a shorter, square 1:1 version for social media.

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A post shared by Dennis Spielman (@dennisspielman)

This was the first time I made a square video. Or maybe this is the second time? Whatever. There’s a square version that’s less than a minute for people.