Alexis McCrossen, a professor at SMU and an expert on how cultures have marked time in history, Joins Tim to talk about our New Year’s Eve traditions with a special focus on the story behind that Times Square Ball Drop. This episode was first released on December 24, 2018.
Plan on watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation this holiday season? Listen to the film’s director Jeremiah Chechik talk about the impact that movie has had on him and on our holiday entertainment traditions. He’ll talk about the making of the film and why the Griswold Family have become a staple in holiday viewing. This episode was originally released on December 2, 2019.
Television host and producer Marc Summers joins Tim to talk about the classic Nickelodeon show that put him and the Nickelodeon cable network on the map, Double Dare. Before Double Dare, kids didn’t have their own game show and the Nickelodeon network was not as widely known as it would become after this crazy, messy, green slimy “party” that millions of millennials would rush home after school to watch. This episode was originally released on March 16, 2020.
Seth Shostak joins Tim to talk about the serious scientific search for intelligent life beyond Earth. Seth is the senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, which was created by NASA and is located in Silicon Valley. It is dedicated to the search for life beyond Earth. In this episode, Seth talks about what we’re learning about the potential for finding intelligent life, not only within our solar system, but well beyond it.
The voice of the Detroit Lions Dan Miller joins Tim to talk about America’s Thanksgiving football tradition and life as a pro football play-by-play announcer. Dan is the Sports Director at Fox 2 TV in Detroit, and he’s been the play-by-play radio voice of the National Football League’s Detroit Lions since 2005. In this episode, Dan talks about a Thanksgiving tradition that dates back to 1934. The annual Thanksgiving Detroit Lions football game.
The founder of the band Wild Cherry and the creator of the iconic song “Play that Funky Music,” Rob Parissi, joins Tim to do an anatomy of a funky song. That funky song, which has been named one of the top 100-performing songs of all time. Rob tells stories and gives a hint why new generations are embracing it even today.
Milton Riess joins Tim to talk about the recent Alec Baldwin shooting and what it means to safety on the Hollywood set going forward, along with standard safety protocols for filmmakers. Milton is a writer, filmmaker and a college professor who has worked on nearly 300 film and television productions over 35-plus years. Milton talks about working conditions and safety on the set of Hollywood film productions.
Justin from the popular true crime podcast called Generation Why joins Tim to talk about America’s obsession with true crime and his podcast’s role in shaping the growing genre. Justin and his best friend and co-host Aaron launched their podcast in 2012, helping to pioneer the true crime podcasting.
The COO and General Manager of Nashville’s famous Bluebird Café Erika Wollam Nichols joins Tim to talk about the Bluebird, its storied history and how this little place in a strip mall has impacted country music, songwriting and our culture. This encore episode was first released as Episode 81 on August 19, 2019.
Ed Root joins Tim to talk about the people and the groups who have dedicated their lives to remembering the people and the lessons of 9/11. Ed is a cousin of flight attendant Lorraine Bay, who was aboard United Flight 93 when it crashed into a field on September 11, 2001. Since then, Ed has been an active member of a group called, “Families of Flight 93.” Ed has dedicated much of his life to since that day. From September 12th until today, that story and the work involved can be summed up in two words, “Never forget.” This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.”
Award-winning photographer Thomas E. Franklin joins Tim to tell his story of Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, and the story behind that now iconic photo he took that day, one that gave a nation in shock and mourning, something new. A sense of hope. And something to rally around. Our collective sense of patriotism. He captured that image of those three firefighters raising the American flag amidst the ruins of the World Trade Center. This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.”
Retired Marine Lt. Colonel Robert Darling joins Tim to tell his story of what it was like in the White House bunker on 9/11, where the vice president and other administration officials gathered intel and made decisions minute by minute. Some of those decisions were not only life and death, but historically, never had to be made before. Robert gives an insider’s story on how the nation’s leadership responded to the most severe attack on America’s homeland since the Civil War. This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.”
Former Bloomberg News White House correspondent Dick Keil joins Tim to talk about his story of 9/11 that started at 6:30 a.m. when he went on a morning run with President Bush in Sarasota, Florida, where the president was scheduled to make an appearance at a local elementary school. Dick provides details and background on what the chain of events was with the president that morning, and what it was like to cover the President of the United States from Air Force One as history was unfolding. This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.”
Former CNN lead news anchor Aaron Brown joins Tim to tell his story from September 11, 2001, where he brought the event to 1.4 billion viewers around the world, live as it happened. It was Aaron Brown on that day, standing on a rooftop in New York City, bringing us one of the most historic and tragic moments of our generation in real time. This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.”
This is a 100-minute, moment-by-moment telling of the story of September 11th 2001 “As It Happened” and the days that followed. Over the past three years, we’ve interviewed people who were there in New York, at the Pentagon and on site at that farm field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This year, we’ve talked to more people with their own personal stories of 9/11. Each provides a new perspective on the events that changed America, and their reflections now after 20 years. This episode is part of our special series, “9/11: A Generation Removed.”
O’Brien Communications’ Shaping Opinion Podcast is an award-winning podcast about people, events and things that have shaped the way we think. It sits at the corner of culture, history and communication.
We publish new episodes on Mondays. Each episode features a conversation between Tim O’Brien and a guest.
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Tim O’Brien is a Pittsburgh-based communications veteran with experience in complex matters that have ranged from marketing and C-suite issues, to crisis and issues management. He’s the producer and host of Shaping Opinion, where he talks to guests on a wide range of topics at the intersection of communications, history and culture. He’s available to provide media interview coaching, consulting and speaking, and of course, he is always interested in your thoughts for the podcast. Just get in touch.