On The Tinsel Front

Acknowledgements

Thanks to those who made this podcast possible

SEASON TWO

First and foremost, my wife Robbie Trombetta, who not only plays Lois (and occasionally Bet), but who read and gave notes on every draft, consulted on casting, listened to early episode versions and pout up with be sitting endlessly in front of my computer.

Brian Stanton, not only for brilliantly bringing Ollie to life, but being endlessly supportive.

Thanks to the listeners of my “Beta” episodes (i.e. the penultimate edits/mixes) — Mary Bomba, Tom O’Connor, Brian Stanton and Christine Culler — who provided valuable notes. (Also thanks to Mary Bomba, my sister, for reading numerous drafts.)

Samara Frame, who had the guts to tell me my initial version of Florence Anderson was all wrong and whose input led to the interesting and compelling character she performed with her usual genius.

High school classmate, longtime friend and fellow fiction podcaster Chris Côté, who encouraged me to tackle this project back in 2022, plays Ollie’s father Patrick Whelan and is still always supportive.

Wayne Joness for the loan of recording equipment.

To everyone at Tink Media, notably Wil Williams and Devin Andrade, for the sharing of their expertise on podcast marketing.

And thanks to these authors and their books for valuable information.

  • Brian Jay Jones, “Becoming Dr. Seuss”
  • Martha Sigall, “Living Life Inside the Lines: Tales from the Golden Age of Animation”
  • Agness Underwood, “Newspaperwoman.” 
  • Sam Weller, “The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury”
  • Ray Bradbury, “A Graveyard for Lunatics”
  • Mauricio Mazón, “The Zoot Suit Riots: The Psychology of Symbolic Annihilation”

And, of course, Wikipedia, YouTube and countless other informational websites. 

SEASON ONE

My primary inspiration for attempting this podcast came from observing longtime friend Chris Côté and his wife/partner Dayle Kerry write, produce, direct, and edit the 4-season scripted podcast series RED HOUSE RISING. Reading the first episode and outline of ON THE TINSEL FRONT, Chris — a high school classmate — not only gave me excellent notes, he assured me that I could produce it on my own as they did theirs. Since then he has been my podcast mentor, always ready to offer advice and answer endless questions. Thanks to Dayle for allowing Chris to spend so much time on me. (Chris and Dayle’s new series, MY RUSSIAN CLEMENTINE, will soon be released.)

Having had the privilege of knowing and working with Brian Stanton since 2008, I wrote the role of Oliver Whelan with him in mind. Reading that first episode/outline, Brian agreed to come onboard and became a partner on the project. A real trooper, he spent a week recording in the makeshift recording booth in the closet beneath our stairs.

Neighbor Wayne Joness walked me through the ins-and-outs of audio interfaces and lent me a microphone, a mic stand, headphones and mounds of cables as I set up my recording booth. Wayne and his wife Mie have been cheerleaders for the project ever since. Alan Blumenfeld and Katherine James expressed enthusiasm for the script and agreed to anchor the cast by playing key roles. My sister Mary Bomba and her husband Tom O’Connor not only voiced characters, they read and critiqued each draft and provided continuous support. My daughter Megan Bomba gave critical notes on the first episode/outline and listened to first edits. Son Nicholas Bomba did research for me on wartime Hollywood back when the idea was just percolating. Ron Lagomarsino read a draft and found me an actor. Collin Olson served as Samara Frame’s sound engineer in Wisconsin. Ted Dodd, Christine Culler and Renee Meshul read the script and offered notes and encouragement. Appreciation to Ron Boggio — and several people already named – for listening to my final edits.

Last but not least, my wife Robbie Trombetta supported me in this huge undertaking from day one. She read and commented on every draft, curtailed her music-making and crept around the house while others recorded, did her own time (as Lois) under the stairs, and gave opinions on edits/mixes whenever asked. She never complained that I spent almost as much time in front of the computer as I had while working, and bucked up my spirits whenever I got frustrated or overwhelmed.