Finding her true fortune: Lisa Schiller exits corporate life to enter a world of possibilities
By Nina Livingstone In the late ‘90s, Lisa Schiller was a movie producer working with Hollywood stars Tyne Daly and Ally Sheedy. By the 2000s she was vice president of operations for a Fortune 500 company serving clients that included Procter & Gamble, TD Ameritrade, Wells Fargo, among others, across more than 50 countries. “My [...]
A Race from the Heart: Becca Pizzi is a Worldwide Verb
By Nina Livingstone Becca Pizzi believes she trained her whole life to run the World Marathon Challenge, which she did in 2016, completing seven marathons in seven continents in seven consecutive days. Then, two years later, the Belmont native decided to do it again. Both times she walked away with a new world record. (The [...]
Boston Casting: Catch of the Day
The women who bring local talent to the big screen By Nina Livingstone When “CODA” won an Oscar for Best Picture no one was more surprised than the women behind the film’s casting. This was “the biggest moment in our career — so far,” said Angela Peri, owner and founder of Boston Casting. [...]
Voices That Matter
After 50 years, SpeakOUT still has something to say Celebrating its 50th anniversary By Nina Livingstone | Boston Spirit All photos courtesy of SpeakOUT Boston “I was a very naive and closeted guy who grew up in Buffalo, New York, in the ’60s and ’70s. I didn’t come out until I was 24 after [...]
British Actor Kieran Hodgson: The “Undoing” of the “Crown”
By Nina Livingstone British actor, writer, and comedian Kieran Hodgson is what both sides of the pond refer to as a “rising star.” With his ingenious wit and deft impressions —think the entire cast of “The Undoing,” “The Crown,” “Succession” among others — Hodgson is surely on the cusp of universal recognition. It was [...]
HBO Max’s “Julia” feeds our insatiable appetite for Julia Child
By Nina Livingstone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZBacZqwbCA With 18 films to her name, Boston-based food stylist Christine Tobin quickly admits that Julia proved to be the most challenging. “All of the food production and styling work I’ve had leading up to [Julia] has trained me to do this job,” she said during a recent press junket promoting [...]
Dreams Come True
Y/A fantasy fiction writer Aaron Pacheco creates books he never had as a kid By Nina Livingstone Growing up in a small town in the late-1990s, Aaron Pacheco remembers what it was like to be young and gay. “I didn’t really have access to stories with young LGBTQ+ characters, either on TV or in [...]
The Art of the Eye: How Artist Alexia Stefanovich Sees the World
By Nina Livingstone Alexia Stefanovich started Right Eye Studios in 2018. Due to health complications, Alexia has slowly gone blind in her right eye. “I thought of the name as a way to honor what I've lost while remaining grateful for everything I do have that allows me to continue painting,” she writes. Alexia [...]
“CODA” Star Marlee Matlin on Deaf Representation in Hollywood
The deaf actor and Academy Award winner discusses her new film and inspiring journey. Marlee Matlin in “CODA” (Promotional still) In 1987, Marlee Matlin made Academy Awards history as the first deaf actor to be nominated for—and to win—an Oscar. At 21, she was also the youngest to win the best actress award. The film [...]
Oscar-nominated “CODA”: Kayla Caulfield strikes a perfect note as “Off Key Girl”
Kayla Caulfield was at a doctor’s appointment when she heard the news: “CODA” had been nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture. The 24-year-old Massachusetts native, who played the role of “Off Key Girl” in “CODA,” is certainly on key with 27 film and TV credits creating a solid portfolio. But being associated with an [...]
Harvard’s Hasty Pudding “Man of the Year” — Jason Bateman
Despite the setbacks and adjustments imposed by the pandemic, it was almost business as usual at Thursday night’s Hasty Pudding Man of the Year roast honoring Jason Bateman. True, the in-person event meant we’d need our vaccine cards at the ready, as we secured our masks in place just to enter Harvard’s Farkas Hall. But [...]
Happy, Healthy New Year!
Two Top LGBTQ Trainers on Keeping those Fitness Resolutions Page 10 from Boston Spirit Magazine Page 11 from Boston Spirit Magazine Page 12 from Boston Spirit Magazine This article was originally published in the Jan / Feb 2022 Edition of Boston Spirit Magazine.
In The Closet With Fran Lebowitz
A wide-ranging conversation with the witty New York writer and humorist. By Nina Livingstone When I saw the first few episodes of 2021’s “Pretend It’s a City” on Netflix (made by Martin Scorsese), I was struck by Fran Lebowitz’s acerbic wit and savvy sense of humor. By the end, I knew that I would be [...]
Winter Bliss in a LizBiz Quilt
Meet Liz Gray, owner of LizBiz, and discover the warmest quilts for winter Dec 9, 2021 When I walked into the artist’s co-op ...it was as if a field of flowers had been projected upon the wall. It was a quilt, as magnificent as any painting. Luminous golds and blues dominated the design. I stood [...]
Some Like It Hot
Meet Kamaal Jarrett, founder of Hillside Harvest, a unique hot sauce company with Caribbean roots. Nov 29, 2021 By Nina Livingstone Kamaal Jarrett is the founder of Hillside Harvest. There, he taps his Caribbean roots, adding an American influence to his unique hot sauces. There are currently three hot sauces in the Hillside Harvest lineup: [...]