The New Cuba, Walt & Airlift Mike

December 19, 2014 Micheal Leave a comment

WaltHandelsmanN.O.AdvocateCartoonistCubaThoughtsAirliftProductions — New Orleans Advocate’s WALT HANDELSMAN does His take on the USA normalizing relationships with Cuba – December 19th, 2014 ~ Too Funny!

You know, when you’re in the company of greatness, you just know it, you know what I mean?

The Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman (today with the New Orleans Advocate, lucky dudes they are) visited the Airlift Productions Studios years ago at the now-the-stuff-of-legend Iberville Street haunts mid-city and what a recording session we had.

This guy had it! Magic! Inventive Genius! Walt possesses a rare gift – the ability, through pen and ink, to ‘speak Truth to Power’ … to throw a few sacred cows on the barbie’ – without even opening his mouth!

That’s why, though, he came to Airlift to record with me.

WaltHandelsmanTestimonialAutographToMichealZiantsAirliftProductionsNewOrleans1994 — Walt Handelsman Testimonial Autograph To MichealZiants “Airlift Mike” during our recording sessions on Iberville back in the day

Contracted by Lenny Delbert at Pan Am Communications to help Walt out that day, I was tasked to record VoiceOver for a video to help promote his convention services – Walt would stand, pen in hand, at a drawing pad projected to a big screen, and lay-out a cartoon panel LIVE to amazed conventioneers!

I was merely the guy extolling Walt’s virtues and dazzling talents, and telling the tale. But, what a party it all turned out to be.

At this time, 1994, Walt was cranking them out for the Times-Picayune, had yet to win one – let alone two – Pulitzer Prizes for excellence in the field of editorial cartooning, leave New Orleans to work for NewsDay – and then return to N’awlins (thank God) to resume amazing us all daily from the New Orleans Advocate.

Who knew this dude had all this greatness in him? I sure did. That day. And as to this day? Well, the cartoon at the top of this blog (from today’s 12-19-14 Advocate) is a testament to Walt’s relevance, timeliness, timelessness … and runaway Genius!

Oh, and Walt, if you just so happen to be reading this … the Rolling Rocks are cold in the fridge, and we’ve got some catching-up to do, my brother.

WaltHandelsmanCaricatureOfMichealZiantsAirliftProductionsNewOrleans — Walt Handelsman’s impromptu caricature of Airlift Productions proprietor Micheal Ziants, beer can on head and all! Thanks for the laughs, Walt, see ya’ in the funny papers!

Airlift Productions VoiceOver & Recording Studio ~ Audio Alchemy from New Orleans …. since 1984!

Airlift Productions RADIO work, New Orleans VoiceOvers

Sex Sells Via Airlift Productions

December 15, 2014 Micheal Leave a comment

Perhaps it’s because SEX is the act that brought us all here, I mean you would not even be alive to be reading this blog post if mom & dad had not done the horizontal hokey-pokey, that it drives so much attention, and as a result – most advertising.

From all makeup products to clothing styles, colognes to beer – SEX and the drive to find it, hang on to it, make yourself more attractive to the other and/or same SEX, it’s allure & mystical powers have driven us all to part with more dollars than any other ad gimmick you can name.

Not to be left out, enter Airlift Mike and local N’awlins radio work for Chad, Nick and the krewe at Legends Encore, radio ads for “Jeff Parish’s Party Palace”.

In putting together the latest spot for the club, I threw ‘lost love’, the quest for ‘new love’, Steve Carell’s voice from ’40 year old virgin’ and the ’50 Shades of Grey’ phenomenon into the audio cuisinart and came up with this, beginning tomorrow on N’awlins radio …..

** LEGENDS ENCORE Radio :30 from Airlift Productions **

Since time immemorial men have dueled under oaks over a lady, fought to the death in arenas over a lady, waged great wars over the loss of a lady. Thankfully, and hopefully, there’ll be less bloodshed on North Hullen generated by this radio ad.

On a tamer note, after years of staid educational software audio work that gave me cause to walk away from the local media scene, it sure is fun and rewarding for yours truly to be back on the radio & TV in my own home base of New Orleans.

And in many cases, as is the case with this Legends Encore piece, writing the spots too! It gives me the opportunity to put my own words in my own mouth.

From TV campaigns for Sue’s Jewelry & Laser Tag of Metairie to some recent political ads … and, of course, this on-going work to help pack the club at Legends Encore, it sure is a riot to be flexing my commercial muscle again for the hometown crowd.

MichealZiantsAirliftProductions — Airlift Productions Audio Spin Doctor Micheal, it’s 50 Shades of Ziants

Yes, SEX sells – 24-7-365… even at Christmastime.

And what if, just what if, at the end of the game (the end of life) … the hokey-pokey really IS what it’s all about?

Airlift Productions ~ Audio Alchemy from NOLA since 1984

Airlift Productions RADIO work, New Orleans VoiceOvers

NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu Records At Airlift Productions

December 5, 2014 Micheal Leave a comment

N.O.MayorMitchLandrieuRecordsAtAirliftProductions — New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu brings fire to the Airlift Productions microphones in an effort to resolve School Millage issues

Run-offs, taxes & exemptions, oh my. With senate & congressional seats, as well as a variety of propositions & millages up in the air and scheduled for a vote tomorrow, Dec. 6th – the fur is flying in NOLA!

And last week, Airlift Productions and yours truly gave two of New Orleans most prominent voices a soapbox … and a microphone.

Contracted & hired by the LeBlanc & Schuster team, I vacuumed-up the red carpet and warmed-up the mics to record & produce radio ads with both Mayor Mitch Landrieu and NOLA City Council Chief Stacy Head.

Long-time political lightning rods for change – and controversy – I found both the Mayor & Ms. Head in-person to be engaging, warm and sincere folks. Even fun. (Stacy even brought daughter Charlotte to the recording session.)

NOLAsStacyHeadRecordsRadioAdsAtAirliftProductions — NOLA City Council Head Stacy Head Records ahead of the Dec. 6th vote at Airlift Productions

Give a LISTEN to the radio spots now airing on WWL & WNOE radio (and yes, yours truly was tagged to perform the tag at the tail) being heard today all over New Orleans airwaves …

** Mayor Landrieu addresses NOLA School Millage issues **

** NOLA Council President Stacy Head adds her ‘two cents’ **

Post-Katrina New Orleans is without question still rife with it’s own share of thorny, prickly issues. Our job on this day was to tackle the upcoming vote on school maintenance and it’s attendant school millage proposals.

As a long-time political atheist, I personally do not have a dog in any donkey-elephant hunt and remain more neutral than the Swiss … and yet watch the fur fly from the sidelines with rapt attention and curiosity.

But as the fur and the dust settle the day after tomorrow and the votes are tallied and issues decided – and whether you vote or not – remember the time honored definition of the word ‘experience’: Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.