http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Bruce/RLSG-38-2012-0318.mp3
We chose O'Toole's Irish Pub and Restaurant in New Haven as our venue for the 38th Real Life Survival Guide editorial board meeting, knowing that the show would air at the end of St. Patrick's Day weekend. (What we didn't know was the fact that the date would also mark the end of what the O'Toole's staff refers to as "the silly season".)
This week's guest editors included Nanci Sklar, Suzanne Cahill-Manning, Rob Leonard, and Gary Choronzy, and we talked about political correctness, conversation ball-droppers, apologies and... a certain shillelagh.
Nanci Sklar, a Chicago native, has lived, worked, and raised her family in Connecticut. Athough she did not realize her long held dream of being a singer in a band and/or the next J. Walter Thompson, she has been employed in some form of media, marketing, and broadcast communication for all her working life. Nanci is a married mom of two twenty somethings and the owner of an adorable maltepoo. Her interests include reading, travel, theater, working out, friends, family, and weighing in/dispensing advice on all matters whether solicited or not.
Suzanne Cahill-Manning loves being a part of the Milford community with her children Todd and Maryalice. To echo her love for our city, Suzanne launched Milford Living Magazine seven years ago to provide a printed resource matching the lifestyle and interests of our Milford family. Throughout her career in publishing Suzanne has been responsible for the development and supervision of a number of successful publications, books, and Internet product launches through our company RED MAT MEDIA.
Rob Leonard was asked to help out on a bottling run at New Haven Brewing Company, a local micro brewery, in 1992. Not giving up hopes of the “real job” he had in mind, he gladly walked through the brewery doors and put empty bottles on a conveyer belt for 8 hours. That was 20 years ago and Rob is still in the industry. He has worked at breweries around New England, and acquired New England Brewing Co. in Norwalk, CT in 2001.
Today Rob owns and operates his successful craft brewery in Woodbridge, CT and is proud to produce New Haven’s local beer. Rob is the father of four children, ages 15 to 1 and enjoys playing live music out and about town - especially the bars that serve his beers.
Gary Choronzy is the Chief Web Guy at Connecticut Websites, and has built projects for folks like Ann Nyberg’s Network Connecticut, Ed Bartlett’s CT Out and About, and most recently, George Gombossy’s CT Watchdog.