Archive for January 2022

St. Louis Alderman Bill Stephens of the 12th Ward is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann about his first nine months in office, almost all of which have been handled virtually, and what he hopes to accomplish in the time he has on the board.

Stephens was elected in April, part of an effort to boost a progressive presence at City Hall known as “Flip the Board.” He beat Vicky Grass, who had joined the Board of Aldermen in June 2020.

Stephens will have to decide in 2023 whether he wants to run for a full term to represent what after redistricting will be the 1st Ward.

Here is what Stephens talked about on the show:

• How he was able to get elected as a gay atheist in a ward that as recently as 2011 was represented by a Republican.
• Why he wants to focus on environmental issues, especially those that deal with water and rivers. “I have to consider as the 12th Ward aldermen, with the River Des Peres in his ward, that all drainage from say Willmore Park, which drains directly into the River Des Peres, then consequently drains directly into the Mississippi,” he said.
• How he balances his personal progressive values with his role as an alderman for 12,000 people, not all of whom may agree on the issues.
• Why Zoom legislating has made the process of governing nastier.

Stephens split his childhood between Hazelwood and Marquand (where the population was just under 200 in 2020), Missouri. He was the second person in his family to graduate from high school and would later receive an undergraduate degree in modern language and linguists from Webster University. He is currently working on a second bachelor’s degree in Greek and Latin at St. Louis University.

Before he was elected, Stephens worked on the St. Louis Public Library’s early childhood outreach team. He says the stark inequities he saw while doing story times at day cares across the city motivated him to run for office.

Follow Bill Stephens on Twitter: @BStingSTL

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann

Lights, Audio, Action! Podcast in partnership with the Missouri Film Office.

Created and developed for STLPR by Michael D. Francis and Michael D. Francis Presents. Executive Producer, Jade Harrell.

Featuring MoStories Winning Script, “Don’t Go There” written by Jeffrey Field.

Executive Producer: Jade Harrell, Director of On-Demand Content & Community Partnerships
Producer: Michael D. Francis

Screenplay Writer: Jeffrey Field

Jeffrey Field is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked in television and digital newsrooms for 25 years. He now works as a communications coordinator at one of the Midwest’s top medical schools. Jeffrey is a six-time Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist, a Screencraft Fellowship winner, and the only two-time Missouri Stories fellowship recipient.

His screenplay DON’T GO THERE was named the overall winner of the 2018 Tracking Board Launch Pad Feature Competition. He has written or co-written scripts that have won first place at the Nashville, Omaha, and Destiny City film festivals and the Screencraft Science Fiction competition.

He has also been a Silver and Bronze prize winner and a 10-time finalist at the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, as well as a finalist in screenplay competitions at the Slamdance, Austin, Kansas City, and Atlanta film festivals. He received the inaugural PAGE Fellowship to the Stowe Story Labs.

Director: Corey Piper

Corey Piper is an award-winning filmmaker who has written, directed, edited, and produced several independent films over the past 5 years. He has taught dozens of children the ins and outs of filmmaking at summer camps where filmmaking was one of the classes taught.

Before he became a filmmaker he spent 10 years producing music and family-friendly events for crowds of 500-5000 people. From hosting music concerts to pig roasts to bubble soccer tournaments Corey has always found himself leading the way and inspiring the best in others.

Corey, a veteran himself, grew up all over the world as the eldest son of an officer in the United States Air Force. He was brought up in a very multicultural world, surrounds himself with people from all walks of life, and has made a vow to make sure that his art always reflects this.

Sound Design: Sean “DJ Sean” Kilker

Sean has 20 years of work experience in the audio industry as a DJ, in sound reinforcement, location recording and digital audio editing. He is a graduate from Webster University ‘15 with a BA in Audio Production.

Actors

• Kalonda Cloyd
• Jennifer Piper
• Glenn P. Mirabella
• Keith Nussbaum
• Skully Shemwell

 
Music:

• Swinging Jingle Bells – T. Bless & The Professionals
• We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Tennessee Pistols
• The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Tennessee Pistols
• Tempted – Hazlenuts
• Give It Up – Roy Young

Lights, Audio, Action! Podcast in partnership with the Missouri Film Office.

Created and developed for STLPR by Michael D. Francis and Michael D. Francis Presents. Executive Producer, Jade Harrell.

Featuring MoStories Winning Script, “Don’t Go There” written by Jeffrey Field.

Executive Producer: Jade Harrell, Director of On-Demand Content & Community Partnerships
Producer: Michael D. Francis

Screenplay Writer: Jeffrey Field

Jeffrey Field is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked in television and digital newsrooms for 25 years. He now works as a communications coordinator at one of the Midwest’s top medical schools. Jeffrey is a six-time Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist, a Screencraft Fellowship winner, and the only two-time Missouri Stories fellowship recipient.

His screenplay DON’T GO THERE was named the overall winner of the 2018 Tracking Board Launch Pad Feature Competition. He has written or co-written scripts that have won first place at the Nashville, Omaha, and Destiny City film festivals and the Screencraft Science Fiction competition.

He has also been a Silver and Bronze prize winner and a 10-time finalist at the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, as well as a finalist in screenplay competitions at the Slamdance, Austin, Kansas City, and Atlanta film festivals. He received the inaugural PAGE Fellowship to the Stowe Story Labs.

Director: Corey Piper

Corey Piper is an award-winning filmmaker who has written, directed, edited, and produced several independent films over the past 5 years. He has taught dozens of children the ins and outs of filmmaking at summer camps where filmmaking was one of the classes taught.

Before he became a filmmaker he spent 10 years producing music and family-friendly events for crowds of 500-5000 people. From hosting music concerts to pig roasts to bubble soccer tournaments Corey has always found himself leading the way and inspiring the best in others.

Corey, a veteran himself, grew up all over the world as the eldest son of an officer in the United States Air Force. He was brought up in a very multicultural world, surrounds himself with people from all walks of life, and has made a vow to make sure that his art always reflects this.

Sound Design: Sean “DJ Sean” Kilker

Sean has 20 years of work experience in the audio industry as a DJ, in sound reinforcement, location recording and digital audio editing. He is a graduate from Webster University ‘15 with a BA in Audio Production.

Actors

• Kalonda Cloyd
• Jennifer Piper
• Glenn P. Mirabella
• Keith Nussbaum
• Skully Shemwell

 
Music:

• Swinging Jingle Bells – T. Bless & The Professionals
• We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Tennessee Pistols
• The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Tennessee Pistols
• Tempted – Hazlenuts
• Give It Up – Roy Young

Lights, Audio, Action! Podcast in partnership with the Missouri Film Office.

Created and developed for STLPR by Michael D. Francis and Michael D. Francis Presents. Executive Producer, Jade Harrell.

Featuring MoStories Winning Script, “Don’t Go There” written by Jeffrey Field.

Executive Producer: Jade Harrell, Director of On-Demand Content & Community Partnerships
Producer: Michael D. Francis

Screenplay Writer: Jeffrey Field

Jeffrey Field is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked in television and digital newsrooms for 25 years. He now works as a communications coordinator at one of the Midwest’s top medical schools. Jeffrey is a six-time Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist, a Screencraft Fellowship winner, and the only two-time Missouri Stories fellowship recipient.

His screenplay DON’T GO THERE was named the overall winner of the 2018 Tracking Board Launch Pad Feature Competition. He has written or co-written scripts that have won first place at the Nashville, Omaha, and Destiny City film festivals and the Screencraft Science Fiction competition.

He has also been a Silver and Bronze prize winner and a 10-time finalist at the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, as well as a finalist in screenplay competitions at the Slamdance, Austin, Kansas City, and Atlanta film festivals. He received the inaugural PAGE Fellowship to the Stowe Story Labs.

Director: Corey Piper

Corey Piper is an award-winning filmmaker who has written, directed, edited, and produced several independent films over the past 5 years. He has taught dozens of children the ins and outs of filmmaking at summer camps where filmmaking was one of the classes taught.

Before he became a filmmaker he spent 10 years producing music and family-friendly events for crowds of 500-5000 people. From hosting music concerts to pig roasts to bubble soccer tournaments Corey has always found himself leading the way and inspiring the best in others.

Corey, a veteran himself, grew up all over the world as the eldest son of an officer in the United States Air Force. He was brought up in a very multicultural world, surrounds himself with people from all walks of life, and has made a vow to make sure that his art always reflects this.

Sound Design: Sean “DJ Sean” Kilker

Sean has 20 years of work experience in the audio industry as a DJ, in sound reinforcement, location recording and digital audio editing. He is a graduate from Webster University ‘15 with a BA in Audio Production.

Actors

• Kalonda Cloyd
• Jennifer Piper
• Glenn P. Mirabella
• Keith Nussbaum
• Skully Shemwell

 
Music:

• Swinging Jingle Bells – T. Bless & The Professionals
• We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Tennessee Pistols
• The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Tennessee Pistols
• Tempted – Hazlenuts
• Give It Up – Roy Young

Lights, Audio, Action! Podcast in partnership with the Missouri Film Office.

Created and developed for STLPR by Michael D. Francis and Michael D. Francis Presents. Executive Producer, Jade Harrell.

Featuring MoStories Winning Script, “Don’t Go There” written by Jeffrey Field.

Executive Producer: Jade Harrell, Director of On-Demand Content & Community Partnerships
Producer: Michael D. Francis

Screenplay Writer: Jeffrey Field

Jeffrey Field is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked in television and digital newsrooms for 25 years. He now works as a communications coordinator at one of the Midwest’s top medical schools. Jeffrey is a six-time Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist, a Screencraft Fellowship winner, and the only two-time Missouri Stories fellowship recipient.

His screenplay DON’T GO THERE was named the overall winner of the 2018 Tracking Board Launch Pad Feature Competition. He has written or co-written scripts that have won first place at the Nashville, Omaha, and Destiny City film festivals and the Screencraft Science Fiction competition.

He has also been a Silver and Bronze prize winner and a 10-time finalist at the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, as well as a finalist in screenplay competitions at the Slamdance, Austin, Kansas City, and Atlanta film festivals. He received the inaugural PAGE Fellowship to the Stowe Story Labs.

Director: Corey Piper

Corey Piper is an award-winning filmmaker who has written, directed, edited, and produced several independent films over the past 5 years. He has taught dozens of children the ins and outs of filmmaking at summer camps where filmmaking was one of the classes taught.

Before he became a filmmaker he spent 10 years producing music and family-friendly events for crowds of 500-5000 people. From hosting music concerts to pig roasts to bubble soccer tournaments Corey has always found himself leading the way and inspiring the best in others.

Corey, a veteran himself, grew up all over the world as the eldest son of an officer in the United States Air Force. He was brought up in a very multicultural world, surrounds himself with people from all walks of life, and has made a vow to make sure that his art always reflects this.

Sound Design: Sean “DJ Sean” Kilker

Sean has 20 years of work experience in the audio industry as a DJ, in sound reinforcement, location recording and digital audio editing. He is a graduate from Webster University ‘15 with a BA in Audio Production.

Actors

• Kalonda Cloyd
• Jennifer Piper
• Glenn P. Mirabella
• Keith Nussbaum
• Skully Shemwell

 
Music:

• Swinging Jingle Bells – T. Bless & The Professionals
• We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Tennessee Pistols
• The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Tennessee Pistols
• Tempted – Hazlenuts
• Give It Up – Roy Young