I fell in love with being a reporter when I got an internship at the RIAS in Berlin, weeks after die Berliner Mauer between East und West came down. I moved to Los Angeles in 2003 when I was assigned to be the head of German public radio’s West coast studio. In 2008, I became the California correspondent for Weltreporter, the largest network of German freelance foreign correspondents. I mostly work for Deutsches Public Radio, LA’s NPR station KCRW, and the journalism collective RiffReporter. If you want me to write a story for your publication, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
What would you do if a friendly lady in her mid-30s approached you--a big smile on her face, a colorful tote hanging from her shoulder, a ziploc-bag of cookies in her hands--offering you her treats? For free! Nothing expected in return!
I don’t get it! Why are Californians so relaxed about the two power plants that are standing right at their shore in tsunami zones and near earthquake faults? There is the Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo and the San Onofre Plant north of San Diego. A new active fault was discovered near Diablo Canyon a few years ago and scientists now say that San Onofre could experience even larger seismic activities than the maximum 7.0 magnitude earthquake that was predicted when the plant was built.
Hans Zimmer still pinches himself every day realizing that a “kid from Germany that didn’t do any good in school suddenly is a composer in Hollywood”. I met Zimmer in his windowless studio in Santa Monica, where he sat down in jeans and T-Shirt between red plush chairs, computer monitors, a piano and several electric guitars to talk with me about creating the Oscar-nominated Inception score, his life in Hollywood, longing for Europe and his aversion for award ceremonies.
So there is this new movie coming out soon: Battle: Los Angeles. Sure we will see lots of familiar places like Downtown’s skyscrapers and the Santa Monica Pier with it’s landmark ferris wheel, right? Yes we will! The weird thing about it is: the movie has been shot in Louisiana.
Afraid of public speaking? Feeling sweat in the palms of your hands just thinking about it? Losing your voice doing it? Don’t despair! Not only are most people like you, even celebrities with all their star-qualities in front of the camera. More importantly: you have the charisma, you have the magic inside of you to be a great public speaker. You have everything it takes to inspire and even change people who listen to you.
