Meet Our Latest Hidden Talents: Fantasy Podcasters, an Archer and a 3-D Printing Craftsman… and They All Work Right Here at VNS Health!
Welcome to the latest edition of Frontline’s “Hidden Talents” series—featuring profiles of your colleagues with special skills you may not have known about!
Do you have a hidden talent that you’d like to share in Frontline, or do you know someone else at VNS Health who does? We’d love to hear about it, so please email us with your hidden talent!
Talk’aran’rhiod Podcasters, Joe Perry and Tom Cocozza
When it was announced a few years ago that the beloved 1990s book series Wheel of Time was being adapted for a TV show on Amazon Prime, scheduled to air in 2020, superfans of the series excitedly geared up for the release.
Those superfans included two team members from Personal Care: Joe Perry, Director of Private Care and Tom Cocozza, Director of Operations. As the result of a conversation at a backyard barbecue, Tom, Joe and another friend decided to take their ideas, speculations, and free-minded discussions about the Wheel of Time television show and start their own podcast, Talk’aran’rhiod, to connect with other fans and viewers of the series. (The podcast title is a play of words on Tel’aran’rhiod, a “world of dreams” that features prominently in the book series.)
Their first podcast episode aired in September 2019, a year prior to the expected launch of the TV show. With news and media around the show limited due to COVID restrictions throughout filming and production, however, developing content for Talk’aran’rhiod proved more difficult than expected. “Our first couple of episodes were rough because our equipment wasn’t the best, and we had to navigate how to conduct a podcast with the little information we had,” recalls Tom. “A few episodes later, though, we got into the groove,” adds Joe. “We developed a routine and definitely improved.”
The trio conducted research weekly and recorded an episode every Friday during the podcast’s first season. As a result of their strong, original, and consistent content, Talk’aran’rhiodhas gone on to gain considerable popularity among Wheel of Time viewers, drawing thousands of weekly listeners.
“One of the best parts of doing the show is that we can help people open their minds to new possibilities,” notes Tom. For example, the Wheel of Time franchise is categorized as Fantasy Fiction, a genre that is typically not diverse in terms of casting various cultures and backgrounds. When the show announced the cast for its first season, there was much conversation about the cast being more diverse than expected. Viewers upset that the TV adaptation didn’t meet their casting expectations brought some of their opinions to the podcast. Through Talk’aran’rhiod, the podcast team was able to address the conversation surrounding race and create an open dialogue with their viewers about the possibility of Fantasy Fiction not having one singular image.
The trio also participates in conventions where they connect with their listeners. They’ve been invited to speak at various panels and have even been asked to host social media watch parties sponsored by the Wheel of Time franchise. Joe and Tom report that they’re excited to start filming episodes for the show’s upcoming new season, and that they plan to continue interacting with their listeners and expressing their love for Wheel of Time.
If you’d like to listen to the Talk’aran’rhiod podcast, go to www.talkaranrhiod.com.
Bull’s Eye: Andrew Torres Keeps His Eye on the Target
It all dates back to when Health Plans Project Account Manager Andrew Torres saw the Disney classic Robin Hood in the third grade. Watching Robin and his Merry Men, Andrew developed an immediate love for the sport of archery. When he began to create bows with sticks that he used to shoot at makeshift targets in his backyard, his father took notice and purchased Andrew his first fiberglass bow.
Ever since then, Andrew says, he has been enamored with the sport. “When I picked up the bow, it just felt like home, like I’d been here before.” says Andrew. “Everything about it felt so natural.”
As Andrew grew older, his interest in archery deepened and he began studying the sport through books and, more recently, YouTube videos. Based on his experience being self-taught, Andrew says he always advises would-be archers to get formal training. “I recommend to anyone who wants to get into archery that they enroll in classes, so they don’t develop bad habits like I did and then have to unlearn them,” he notes. “Start with a teacher, right from the beginning.”
These days, Andrew can be found regularly practicing in his backyard archery range. He credits archery with bringing clarity, discipline, and structure to all aspects of his life, while also serving as a great way to relieve his stress and maintain inner peace. To balance archery and his home life, Andrew has gotten his family interested in the sport as well, and the Torres family gets much joy from engaging in family target practices. Andrew adds that his future plans include participating in archery competitions.
“Great techniques in archery come from the ability to block out outside distractions and focus in on your target,” he explains. “Similar to the workplace, you need to be able to ignore irrelevancy in order to meet your goals.” While this can be stressful for some, Andrew has the opposite reaction. “Many people see archery as work, he says, “but I view it as very relaxing.”
Russell Meyers Explores the World of 3-D Printing
Five years ago, Russell Meyers, Manager of Mobile Services for VNS Health’s IT Services, walked into the Manhattan Mall on his lunch break and saw a sale on 3-D printers. Intrigued, he purchased one. Since then, he has developed a remarkable talent for creating exquisite art pieces, sculptures, and memorabilia through the magic of 3-D printing.
The process of 3-D printing involves making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many thin layers of a material in succession. Russell uses a technology called fused deposition modeling (FDM) to compose his projects. Small projects like a set of Legos can take as little as 20 minutes. Larger projects such as a replica of an airplane or truck can take a day to finish; and for very large projects, such as creating an eight-foot-long studio-scale replica of Star Trek’s starship Enterprise—which Russell did last year—it can take up to four months to print out the dozens of separate components and then glue them together to form the completed model.
Russell’s work is inspired by his own interest in the props, models and special effects used in films. Growing up, he was enamored with Sci-Fi media such as the Star Wars and Star Trek series, which led him to develop a keen eye for set designs and props. He went on to study film production as an undergraduate and eventually worked at Paramount Pictures in Motion Picture Publicity and Distribution before coming to VNS Health.
When working on a project, Russell likes to recreate models of objects that are typically not available for commercial sale. Learning how to summon the concentration required for creating a design from scratch and then following that design has aided Russell in both his 3-D printing hobby and his role here at VNS Health, he says. At the same time, he adds, the immense attention to detail needed for 3-D printing is the hardest part of the process.
“The best advice I can give someone who wants to get into 3-D printing is to recognize when you can’t do it all,” says Russell. “You should feel comfortable asking for collaborations when needed—it will only make your craft stronger.”
Having already created custom collections of memorabilia for himself and his loved ones, Russell hopes to continue printing models for clients and loved ones in the future—a goal that includes providing a potential client at NASA with their own model of the starship Enterprise. “The best part of 3-D printing,” he says, “is the gratification that you get from finishing a project, and the joy your friends, family and clients get from seeing that finished product.”
