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Program Founders
Antonio Ortiz is a media professional with 15 years experience working for listener sponsored KPFA Radio, where he has produced radio segments, engineered live national and local broadcasts and provided technical support to programming staff. He is currently KPFA’s Operations Manager and he joined the KPFA community in 2004 through the First Voice Apprenticeship Program as an apprentice. Ortiz has also spent a few years working as a Technical Producer for Free Speech Radio News, a nationally syndicated new program which relied on various international reporters to cover issues within their communities. In addition to his work in radio, he has 7 years experience in Public and Government Access TV, Berkeley Community Media, working on live and taped local programming and post production work. Ortiz also studied acting at Studio ACT, Berkeley REP School of Theater and Second City Chicago Training Center Immersion courses and he has 16 years experience in dance, first with Ballroom Dance and then American Clogging and Salsa just to name a few. He is also a graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in Comparative Literature. Education and personal/creative growth are important to Ortiz and he looks forward to supporting each individual that goes through the Operations Department Internship Program.
Erica Bridgeman is a graduate of the KPFA Apprenticeship Program who has worked in the realm of radio broadcast and communications since 1999. Erica has hosted, produced, and engineered for many local and national programs as well as conducted numerous trainings, workshops, and continuing education in production, broadcast, and station regulations. She holds a Masters degree in Communication from California State-East Bay.
Instructors
JoAnn Mar is an independent public radio producer. Her documentaries and features have aired on NPR, the BBC, Voice of America, The Charles Osgood File, and Pacifica Radio. Mar has won the prestigious George Polk award in 2006 for investigative reporting on prison privatization. She was the recipient of a 2007 media fellowship from the Open Society Institute and produced an award-winning documentary on California’s prison crisis. Most recently, Mar received fellowship grants for reporting on end-of-life care from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the New America Media/Geronotological Society of America, and USC Annenberg’s Center For Health Journalism.
Toni Orans is a classically trained actor, voice talent, narrator and coach having acted for more than 50 years! Hailing originally from NY, she trained both there (HB Studios) as well as a 3-year course in London at East 15 Acting School, living in Europe for seven years. Upon returning to the States, she lived in the Bay Area for 12 years acting in different companies and teaching drama workshops at Fort Mason. She recently returned to the Bay Area after living on the Mendocino Coast for 23 years where she performed in numerous plays and started to work as a professional voice talent in her own studio as well as doing a live story hour on KZYX for seven years. Now living in the East Bay, Toni’s continuing her voice coaching as well as acting in independent films.
Kevin Pina has worked in audio and video broadcasting for the past 30 years. He is currently the senior producer and regular guest host on the KPFA/Pacifica Radio program, Flashpoints. Pina also currently teaches podcasting and radio classes at California State University-East Bay in Hayward, California.
David Ogilvy has spent over 40 years in recording studios and radio broadcasting, working with artists such as Mr. Bungle, Charles Brown, and Tupac Shakur. Experience interviewing and recording bands live naturally followed. He taught recording production at SAE Expressions College for twelve years and trained Stanford students in disc-jockeying.
Hands On Trainers
Kirsten Thomas
Lucrecia Burton
Mike Biggz
Miguel Guerrero