David Menasche (1973~2014) Requiem For A Hero

November 28, 2014 Micheal 3 Comments

DavidMenascheRecordsThePriorityListAtAirliftProductions — David Menasche Gives Up ‘The Fight’ at age 41, but not before recording his remarkable story at Airlift Productions

I first met David Menasche (pronounced ‘Men-AH-shay’) on November 7th, 2013 when he showed-up at the Airlift Productions Studios to begin recording his audio book version of “The Priority List: A Teacher’s Final Quest to Discover Life’s Greatest Lessons“.

Contracted by Penguin Audio out of Manhattan & Listen Up Audio Books in Atlanta to help work with David in the recording of this remarkable story, little did I then realize what I’d signed up for.

David Menasche, a gifted English teacher from Miami, Florida at Coral Reef Senior High was diagnosed in 2006 with gliablastoma multiforme cancer – he had a lemon-sized brain tumor in the right temporal lobe … and was given only months to live.

But blessed with a wicked sense of humor and the fearless courage of Hercules, David thumbed his nose defiantly at the grim reaper and proceeded to live nearly another EIGHT YEARS, defy all the odds, travel to hang with former students, write a best-selling book about his travels – and come to the Airlift Studios to record it with me.

DavidMenascheRecordsThePriorityListWithMichealZiantsNovember2013 — David Menasche in the Airlift Studios with Micheal Ziants recording “The Priority LIst”, November 2013

We quickly became fast and close pals. Together with his confidant and ride Jen Brewer, we drank scotch & Wild Turkey together, had dinners together, laughed and joked… talking life, philosophy, world religions, great literature and the hemorrhaging of the American Dream.

A lover. And a fighter. David’s amazing story is without a doubt the 21st century’s answer to Robin’s “Dead Poets Society”.

MichealZiantsDavidMenascheThePriorityListAirliftProductions — Airlift’s Micheal Ziants & Author/Bud/Educator/Major Mensch David Menasche sharing after-dinner laughs in the Airlift commissary

LISTEN to just a taste of our sessions together in this piece of audio I produced from his intro to “The Priority List: A Teacher’s Final Quest to Discover Life’s Greatest Lessons” here ….

~ Excerpted Intro to “The Priority List” with introduction by Micheal Ziants, courtesy Amazon.com, Audible.com & Listen Up Audio Books

Pause to consider what this dude pulled off – with only half a brain, half a body, and nearly zero vision (legally blind) he traveled via trains, buses, even hitching rides, across America to visit former students and landed a book deal based on his journal & writings.

SteveCarellTweetsReDavidMenaschePassing11-20-14 — Actor Steve Carell’s Tribute Tweet to Major Mensch David Menasche

Now, today in 2014, Warner Brothers out of Hollywood has bought and secured the movie rights … and cast none other than box office charmer Steve Carell to play him in the upcoming movie version of David’s “The Priority List”! Really.

DavidMenaschePostOpRecordsAtAiriliftProductions — Menasche post-op. He would later joke to frightened kids in airports & train stations that he’d been ‘kicked by a horse’. David finally gave up ‘the fight’ and dropped his body, surrounded by family & friends on November 20th, 2014 – one week before Thanksgiving.

After our last meal together, as I saw him out the studio doors and to the car, his final words as Jen drove him off were only to quote Maximus from “Gladiator” as he shouted to me “Strength & Honor, my friend. Strength & Honor!”

And his final text message to me – just last month – was “Hello friend, I hope this finds you ridiculously well and happy.”

I am indeed, brother David. To have known you. Now it’s eternal.

DavidMenascheRecordsThePriorityListAirliftProductions — David Menasche (1973-2014)

Airlift Productions ~ Telling America’s Great Stories from New Orleans since 1984

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Notes On Recording Annie’s Quvenzhane Wallis At Airlift Productions

November 22, 2014 Micheal Leave a comment

QuvenzhaneWallisRecordsVoiceOversAtAirliftProductionsNewOrleans — “Annie’s” Quvenzhane Wallis records VoiceOvers for Chrysler-Maserati at Airlift Productions … from Hushpuppy to Annie

So, what DOES a ten year old do in between starring in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (for which she earns the Best Actress Academy Award nomination) and helping all of America re-boot the Little Orphan Annie franchise?

Well, she heads to Airlift Productions in New Orleans to pick up a part-time job recording national television & radio work for Chrysler & Maserati with Airlift Mike, that’s what!

Hired by a Los Angeles-based ad agency that found my website, I vacuumed-up the Airlift red carpet in February to welcome little Quvenzhane, her stage mom and brother to come play in my sandbox for a day. And what a day.

Although, I must confess that I was caught a bit off guard when the agency declined the phone patch offer … and told me that yours truly could coach and direct her through the reads. Really?

The youngest Academy Award Best Actress Nominee Ever records VoiceOver at Airlift Productions

OK, so let me see if I’ve got this straight …. I’ve been tasked to record – and direct – the Academy Award’s Youngest Best Actress Nominee in it’s history through an entire VoiceOver session?

Oh, it went fine. The ads were a follow-up to her Superbowl 2014 spot for Chrysler-Maserati, wherein they’ve got a ten year old girl “manning-up” to pitch their automobiles! I kid you not.

LISTEN to just some of our session together – out takes included, her ‘back-cracking’, watery eyed sneezes… and just plain being a sweet, and often overwhelmed, ten year old little girl in this never-before-heard exclusive audio clip —-

“Annie” & “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star Quvenzhane Wallis cozies up to the Airlift Studio mics for Chrysler-Maserati, Feb 2014

Honestly, this little Houma, Louisiana born cutie is the real deal.

In “Beasts of the Southern Wild” her grit, character, gumption, and tenacity were showcased, and all of America is about to be charmed by her grace & style when “Annie” hits theaters across the USA for Christmas next month.

In the meantime, should you catch any of her work in the advertising realm, now you know the rest of the story … sincerity & searing honesty from the mouths of babes, courtesy Airlift Productions.

And should I happen to catch you around the mall cineplex for “Annie” next month, the first tub of overpriced popcorn & a soda are on me. Cheers!

QuvenzhaneWallisRecordsAtAirliftProductionsNewOrleans — Quvenzhane & Micheal Ziants spending some time together at Airlift Productions, February 2014

Airlift Productions ~ Audio Alchemy from New Orleans since 1984

Airlift Productions RADIO work, New Orleans VoiceOvers

Sex In The Suburbs ~ Courtesy Airlift Productions

November 11, 2014 Micheal Leave a comment

Ideally situated - just off Veterans and Causeway Boulevards, and near the suburbs main mall - Legends Encore is set to take-off... again — Ideally situated – just off Veterans and Causeway Boulevards, and near the suburbs main mall – Legends Encore is set to take-off… again

Imagine being tasked with re-branding and imaging one of metro New Orleans oldest and most established night spots! I mean, there have been more marriages created … and broken in this one little spot on the map than you can shake a wedding band at!

Legends Encore is now the name. Under new owners and management – Dean St. Pierre, Nick St. Pierre & Chad Prestenbach, respectively – the NEW LEGENDS ENCORE is set to take off.

Long a favorite hangout for those single and ready to mingle, the divorced, separated, disenfranchised, fresh-off-the-backboards in the game of love … Legends has become, well, sort of a … legend.

Now, newly renovated, with so many suspended flat screens that it comes off like a Best Buy with alcohol and burgers, Legends Encore is poised to move to the top of the nightclub heap in Jefferson Parish.

And the improvements to the stage and sound system are epic!

Looking to image the club and make the most of what it has to offer, my first shot across the ‘radio bow’ came out like this. Blow some dust off your digital device’s speakers with this one ….

~ Initial Legends Encore radio :30 written, voiced & produced by Micheal Ziants @ Airlift Productions for B-97 & Bayou 95.7 …. “Legends Never Die” ~

Fun, creative, with swag & attitude, “Legends Never Die” sure accomplishes a good deal in 29.5 seconds. A call-back to the legacy of decades of parties, teasing promises of love & sex ( ‘get the downlow on the hook-up’), even a cameo from Mike Myers as Austin Powers!

To say nothing of setting the stage – that’s Legends Encore’s stage – for this club to be perceived as ‘Metairie’s Premier LIVE Music Venue.’ And this is in an area (metro New Orleans, come on) that really knows music.

~ yet another party crowd on yet another Saturday night at Legends Encore, 2708 North Hullen, Metairie ~

No, you won’t find this spot on Carrie Bradshaw’s ‘Sex in the City’ HBO reruns … but if she ever did time in Louisiana, you sure would.

Just think of me as the digital media matchmaker and toll taker on that ever elusive and always just out of reach ‘Highway of Love’! :-)

Airlift Productions ~ Audio Alchemy from New Orleans since 1984

New Orleans VoiceOvers

It’s An Airlift to LA ~ With A Dash of Pepper!

November 5, 2014 Micheal Leave a comment

PepperBinkleyRecordsVoiceOversAtAirliftProductions — Actress Pepper Binkley Records VoiceOvers for Amazon At Airlift Productions, New Orleans

Or maybe we should make that Red Pepper.

Perhaps you’ve caught Pepper Binkley on-screen with Robert De Niro in “Stone”, or on TV as Nurse Bridget on the long-running soap “All My Children”, or helping throw steam from the flat screen on the Showtime series “Masters of Sex”.

In any event, Pepper and entourage were in the house yesterday at the Airlift Studios to record VoiceOvers on behalf of the CyberiaMedia krewe in Santa Monica … tracks destined for an ‘amazonian’ crowd, to tout and promote Amazon Web Services.

We phone-patched from Airlift to California, and David & Richard, in-house at CyberiaMedia helped steer the entire session, as Ms. Pepper mystified and amazed us with her masterful microphone maneuvers. Really.

Crank-up your speakers on your digital device and give a listen …

~ Pepper Binkley wows the Amazon crowd … with a little help from Airlift Productions ~

In New Orleans ~ Hollywood South ~ to film “A Night Without Armor”, Pepper was in need of a studio to help ‘connect the dots’ and Airlift & I were only too happy to oblige.

Trained in London, Pepper has a spot-on British accent, which she can turn on & off like the flick of a switch. But in this case, it was full-on American neutral … in pursuit of a crowd of very technologically inclined millennials.