My latest book, which I wrote with Jeff Provine, is now available for you to read! If you’re new to OKC, trying to expand your horizons, planning to Visit OKC, or trying to convince a friend to move here, “100 Things to Do in Oklahoma City Before You Die” is a thoughtful collection of places to experience and activities to enjoy.
Oklahoma City boomed out of the prairie in 1889 with a land run, and it hasn’t stopped since. At the literal crossroads of the nation where I-35 meets I-40 and one of the key cities on Route 66, OKC welcomes travelers from across the country and world. Today they call it the Modern Frontier, where there is no shortage of people to meet or things to do. Take a drive to see highlights of Route 66 like the Gold Dome, Milk Bottle Building, and Lake Overholser Bridge, the background of countless road trip movies. Get to know the history of the city and take in some fabulous culture in museums like the First Americans Museum, Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, and the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. Have a night on the town with a musical canal cruise, a Ferris wheel ride, and the best slice of pie you’ve ever eaten. Shop the new Farmers Market at Scissortail Park, tour the town’s hidden record shops, and the chic’est chic of OKC’s numerous art districts. When you’ve done all that, you’re just getting started!
In 100 Things to Do in Oklahoma City Before You Die, you’ll get the best tips from local researcher and ghost-tour guide Jeff Provine and journalist Dennis Spielman on where to meet Sir Indiana Bones the Museum Cat, where to hunt for fairy houses in the park, and where to play retro video games while sipping signature cocktails. There’s always something new to do in OKC!
Book Signing: Saturday, July 20, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Second Story Books 718 Culbertson Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Free and open to the public
Book Signing: Thursday, July 25, from 6 – 8 p.m. Best of Books 1313 E Danforth Rd, Edmond, OK 73034 Free and open to the public
Presentation and Book Signing: Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. OKC Horror Con 100 Mick Cornett Dr., Oklahoma City, OK 73109 Free and open to the public
Book Signing: Thursday, August 1, from 6-8 pm Kendall’s Restaurant 100 S 3rd St, Noble, OK 73068 Free and open to the public
Book Signing: Friday, August 2, from 7 – 9 p.m. Literati Press Bookshop 3022 Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Free and open to the public
Book Signing: Saturday, August 3, from 3-4 pm Full Circle Book Store 1900 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Free and open to the public
Presentation and Book Signing: Saturday, August 17, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lit Fest at Metro Library Downtown 300 Park Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Free and open to the public
Presentation and Book Signing: Monday, August 26, from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Literati Press Bookshop 3022 Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Free and open to the public
In this Art & Victory episode at the pop culture convention, Pallas interviews Soonercon’s 2023 featured artist, Chaz Kemp, about being a freelance artist.
Chaz loves SteamPunk, CyberPunk, and Fantasy. SteamPunk and CyberPunk are all about creatively defying authority and forging your own path. It’s resistance as art. Fantasy is all about visualizing your dream and then defying the odds to achieve it, no matter who you are or what you look like. This is why Chaz draws culturally diverse characters in the Art Nouveau style. Publishers and corporations say that diverse characters don’t sell. He loves proving them wrong. Defying the odds is what defines him, and forging his own path is what drives him. Art is Rebellion.
Join me on a tour of Factory Obscura’s summer art experience, Time Slip.
Combining handmade details, interactive technology, and awe-inspiring artistry, “Time Slip” invites participants to embark on an immersive adventure unlike any other. From the moment visitors step foot into the 3,000-square-foot experience, they will find themselves transported to a realm where past, present, and future converge. Factory Obscura invites participants to traverse the labyrinth of “Time Slip,” encountering classic creatures and discovering new creations. “Time Slip” opened to the public on June 8, 2024, and continues through September 30, 2024. Factory Obscura is located at 25 NW 9th St in Downtown Oklahoma City, where “Time Slip” is open in addition to their permanent immersive art experience, MIX-TAPE.
Be sure to become a supporter of Spielventure for early access to my new videos and exclusive bonus content.
Join us for an exciting panel discussion on “Getting Into Cosplay,” hosted by Spielventure’s Art & Victory series in partnership with Soonercon. This session is perfect for both aspiring cosplayers and seasoned enthusiasts, offering invaluable insights into the art of costume creation and character portrayal. Our expert panelists share their experiences, tips, and tricks on everything from selecting your first character to sourcing materials, mastering crafting techniques, and refining performance skills. Whether you’re just beginning your cosplay journey or aiming to elevate your skills, this discussion will provide the inspiration and knowledge you need to bring your favorite characters to life.
THE PANELISTS:
Rachel Karch (R Karch Photography)
“I’ve spent years organizing events, supporting conventions and charities, and working in marketing. With over 14 years of experience in cosplay, I’ve worn many hats in the cosplay community. Recently, I’ve discovered a deep passion for cosplay photography. I love showing cosplayers how stunning and talented they truly are. It’s incredibly rewarding when people tell me I make them look beautiful because I get to reveal the beauty that was already there, allowing them to see themselves through my lens.”
Levi Hornsby (Levicious Cosplay)
“My love for cosplay started in 2017 when I went to Fan Expo Dallas. I was blown away by the amazing costumes and the excitement people had while dressed as their favorite characters. In 2019, I decided to give it a try and wore my first store-bought cosplay, Lemillion from My Hero Academia, to a convention. I even entered the cosplay contest, and while I didn’t place, it showed me how much effort and skill goes into winning. After that, I started making my own cosplay pieces, learning from YouTube, friends, and lots of trial and error. In 2022, I entered another contest with my future wife, and we actually won first place in the novice class. I’ve learned and built so much over the years, and each experience has made me love cosplay even more.
Chelsea Hornsby (Sith Princess Cosplay)
“My journey in costuming began in the early 2000s through middle and high school theatre. During this time, I developed a love for haunted trails, mastered special effects makeup, and immersed myself in creating unique characters and their stories. In 2021, I discovered a new passion for building cosplays, bringing my favorite characters to life. Since entering the Oklahoma cosplay scene, I have won first-place awards for foam armor work and, alongside Levicious Cosplays, received the Cosplayer of the Month award. I have had the honor of guesting at New World Comic Con and Enid Comic Con, participating in charity work with Funds for Small Heroes, and teaching valuable lessons to kids at the Superhero School hosted by New World Comics. Join us to connect with fellow fans and dive into the vibrant world of cosplay! Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more exciting content.”
Continuing on what I started last year by writing my end of the year reflection in the new year instead of the last day of the year. For New Year’s Eve, I was hired again by the Oklahoma City Arts Council to live-stream their Opening Night event, but this time around, I only broadcasted the last hour while I roamed around capturing b-roll and photos.
2021 was filled with exciting client projects. Starting with the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, I live-streamed their Twilight Concerts for them during the summer again. For Oklahoma Contemporary, I filmed several videos, including some big pieces on Ed Rusha. I worked again with the Oklahoma City Museum of Art recording a series of lectures and art tours. Ran around with deadCenter Film for their festival, new office opening, and Glitter Ball. I got to be part of the media team for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute in Chickasha. I live-streamed the performances at the Asain Night Market Festival in the summer, which was so entertaining. Did a big concert video with Graham Colton in November.
I filmed a feature-length movie, About A Bear, with Namron Players Theatre. About A Bear is a mockumentary of stories and memories from the Norman community of the “bears” people have faced over the past 14 months during the pandemic. I also helped with their New Plays of 2021.
The client that kept the busiest was Exhale. The company plans to revolutionize lung rehabilitation with an online 12-week rehab program. I’ve been filming all of their educational, exercise, yoga, and promo videos, of which there are over 100! They plan to launch early this year. I’m super excited for them.
I think I covered all of my major client work in 2020 as I kept rather busy last year.
Before writing this post, I kept wondering why I didn’t do as much for myself, but when I looked at what I did for others, I feel great at what was accomplished!
Uncovering Oklahoma in 2021
I’m going to start with the biggest news: I was honored with the Governor’s Arts Award for Media in the Arts by the Oklahoma Arts Council. I feel great appreciation for the recognization of my work throughout the years.
I knew 2021 was going to be a crazy year going forward, so I shifted focus on Uncovering Oklahoma to film monthly episodes with multiple places. In other words, I did the series more like a travel show. Although I did some individual stories too.
According to YouTube, my videos got 48,885 views in 2021 with a watch time of 2.2k hours, and 264 new subscribers. Here was the Top 10 most-watched videos in 2021.
10. Oklahoma State Fair Food 2019
9. Winchester Drive-In Theatre
8. Great Salt Plains State Park
7. Guthrie Ghosts
6. Press Waffle Co at The Collective
5. Wicked Forest of Terror
4. Magnetic Hill in Springer
3. A Day in Bartlesville
2. Black-Owned BBQ Restaurants
Gathering Place
Tales Unveiled in 2021
For the fourth season of Tales Unveiled, Jeff and I kept the season short with five episodes. However, with a shorter season, we were able to produce our most interesting fictional narrative arc. Having Kristy Boone back was great.
As for the most listened-to episode at the end of the year, I’m Here at Flower Bluff Manor was the most popular. This was the episode where I captured a real EVP.
Minor Spoilers: The season ends with Geoff’s character disappearing. We do have some ideas for a possible fifth season, but there has been some talk that Jeff may be moving, so we do have an ending if that is the case.
The 16th Phoenix Universe in 2021
In 2020, I wrote a new short story pretty much every week while for 2021, I scaled back with longer stories, but once a month. For 2022, I’m going to keep up with the monthly stories. I’ve been enjoying building my fictional universe.
I did continue work on my various books, including a collection of my short stories, which are in the process of being edited.
Top Songs of 2021
According to Spotify, which is how I mostly listen to music, this was my 2020 soundtrack. As always, keep in mind I will often put a song (or playlist) on repeat when writing or for inspiration sessions. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite song?
Plans for 2022
I’ve been going back and forth on what I want to share for plans for 2022, which has caused me to delay publishing this reflection. There are tons of content I want to create with the goal of building a studio venue. As a proof of concept, I worked with Janine De Guzman to get this vision for The Show Starts Now Studios out of my head.
Let me explain what’s going on in this scene. People are enjoying drinks on a rooftop pool-themed bar while watching a show on a massive drive-in movie theater screen. There are cars parked also watching the movie while people are entering the Earth-built studio to watch live productions. This is part of the entertainment experience I would love to create with The Show Starts Now Studios.
Getting to this goal is the question. I think I have a plan to get there. I’ve been putting all of these elements and pieces together, learning along the way. As of writing this post in January, the path involves creating an OTT service for all of my shows, movies, and documentaries. There’s more to the plan than having a monthly subscription streaming service, but I won’t go into those details. Though I will say I will be focused on adding adventure to people’s lives, so I won’t be directly competing against anyone and positioning myself as a niche add-on. As I’ve been soul-searching and figuring out my “glorious purpose,” everything needs an adventure.
Art & Victory and Yes! Science! will return. I’m going to give my art travel show, Colorful Escapes, another go. I got two other travel shows I’ve been talking to people about starting. I got educational content planned. There are card games (plural) in the works and so much more. I have some documentary films I’m putting together too.
I feel like such a weirdo/freak at times with all of the things I want to do and make, but this makes me happy. I just got to remember to pace myself and focus.
Thank you everyone for your support in the past year. I hope to continue to join me in my endeavors.
