Dennis Spielman

Take a hike in one of these three scenic parks in Oklahoma. In this relaxing Uncovering Oklahoma video, there are no interviews—only footage of nature. First up is George M. Sutton Wilderness Park in Norman, then we go near Sulphur to explore the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, and finally in Tulsa to visit Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness.

In other Uncovering Oklahoma news, my documentary on Brett James, Half a Day with the Halfrican American, has gotten over 300 views in less than one week! I plan to do some more “Day in the Life” videos in the future.

Uncovering Oklahoma spends half a day with comedian, Brett James, a.k.a. the Halfrican American as he celebrates his retirement from the Air Force and as he transitions into a full-time comedian.

As you can tell, this week’s video is different with the “day in the life” documentary style. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. Depending on feedback, I may do more of these in the future. I’ve asked people on the site if I did, who would they want me to feature next.

I’ve wanted to feature Brett as a guest for some time, back when I did Uncovering Oklahoma as a talk show format. However, when I changed the format, I wasn’t sure how to feature him. Fast forward to several months later. I was at an art barter show at Current Studio where people trade goods or services in exchange for art. My original offer was to follow the artist around for a day to make a documentary/mockumentary about them. On the two art pieces I bid on, my offer wasn’t taken, but I still liked the idea. When I was brainstorming who to follow, I thought of Brett.

Originally, I had planned to spend all of Wednesday with Brett, but some issues came up for him, and I joked with him, “I think I’m going to call this ‘Half a Day with the Halfrican American.'” He liked the title, and we stuck with it.

Thank you again for your patience on the release of this week’s video! We wanted to make sure we used the best clips for it. As you’ll learn from watching the video, Brett is a new father of two twins, and so it took him a while to review his comedy set to pick the best segment to showcase.

For more Uncovering Oklahoma videos, check out the Uncovering Oklahoma YouTube Channel. If you want to help support the series, become patron or a sponsor.

Starting on Main Street in Downtown Noble, Kendall’s is a family owned restaurant with home-style cooking using recipes passed down from their family. What they are also known for is their Chicken Fry Challenge. Owners Kimberly Lock and Dee Downer talk about the restaurant, advice for those thinking about taking on the food challenge, their Oklahoma pop-culture walls, and how you’ll feel like family when visiting.

Then on Main Street in Downtown Norman is the new coffee shop and bistro, The Screen Door. Bridgett Hefner talks about The Screen Door’s cool steam-punk atmosphere, the fun events, and their efforts to support the community.

This week’s episode of Uncovering Oklahoma starts off with an interview with hip-hop artist, Jabee. Jabee discusses his new album, Black Future, and the challenges he faced when making the album, what inspires him, where he go with a time machine, and this one time he went into the future. The short film with Jabee has parodies and easter eggs referencing to Back to the Future, Doctor Who, and The Terminator. For more Behind the Scenes on this short, read this post.

One of Jabee’s favorite places to eat is Empire Slice House in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. Owner, Rachel Cope talks about their New York style pizza, their unique atmosphere, and what makes their pizza great. During the interview, the sunlight changed on me, washing the interview out a bit, but I managed to color correct it to save it.

Want to watch only the short film, Bleak Future, starring Jabee? I’ve included it above. The story follows Jabee as encounters a time traveler who shows him a dangerous future he must prevent. The stand-alone short features its own special credits while the interview video has the bloopers at the end.