March 19, 2019Finding Happiness with Joe Borri

Joe currently works in business development and has had a passion for painting ever since he was 10 years old. At first, he pursued a career in painting but had a tough time making a living in Detroit and went into sales. Joe says, “As you get older, I think you realize your morality a

March 19, 2019Finding Happiness with Melanie Neddow

When Melanie first started mortuary school, she loved it right away. At her first embalming class, she thought to herself, “I can do this.” Most of what Melanie does is behind the scenes. This would include embalming someone or simply bathing them and grooming them. She is able to wash their hair, do their hair

March 19, 2019Finding Happiness with Paddy Lynch of the Schvitz

Paddy is the proud owner of the Schvitz in Detroit, which is an old-world Eastern European-style bathhouse. The Meltzer family took control of the building in late 1920’s. They were affiliated with the infamous Purple Gang. The Purple Gang was responsible for about 80% of the alcohol coming into the country during Prohibition. Paddy says

January 13, 2019Finding Happiness with Bryan Temple

Paula Guthat is the co-founder of Cinema Detroit, which is the only truly independent movie theater in the Metro Detroit area. Paula has had a dream of owning a movie theater since she was 16 years old. In 2013, her dream became a reality. She aspires in bring in under-represented voices with the independent films she highlights. The theater has a quarterly celebration of local Detroit and Michigan filmmakers called Short Film Block Party. They are also a venue for Freep Film Festival, Cinetopia, and Trans Stellar Film Festival. The theater just finished with their first year with Detroit Shetown Film Festival, which is all films that have a woman as director, producer, and/or writer.

December 18, 2018Finding Happiness with Paula Guthat

Paula Guthat is the co-founder of Cinema Detroit, which is the only truly independent movie theater in the Metro Detroit area. Paula has had a dream of owning a movie theater since she was 16 years old. In 2013, her dream became a reality. She aspires in bring in under-represented voices with the independent films she highlights. The theater has a quarterly celebration of local Detroit and Michigan filmmakers called Short Film Block Party. They are also a venue for Freep Film Festival, Cinetopia, and Trans Stellar Film Festival. The theater just finished with their first year with Detroit Shetown Film Festival, which is all films that have a woman as director, producer, and/or writer.

December 18, 2018Finding Happiness with Martha Pease

Martha Pease has been doing knitting, crocheting, and handwork most of her life at 91 years old. She knits and crochets for the Neighborhood Club group has been going for many years. The group makes everyday items such as hats, mittens, scarves, baby hats, and baby blankets. But they also make lap ropes for wheelchair patients and afghans for the Cancer Hospital in Grosse Pointe. They give their creations to senior homes, COTS, and the Children’s Hospital in Detroit.

December 18, 2018Finding Happiness with Brad Petrinec

Brad Petrinec is the founder of Murder City Facial Hair Crew and the Circus of Whiskers. He founded these groups because as a recovering heroin addict, one of the steps is to give back and help others. He chose the Detroit Animal Welfare Group to give back to because it’s a charity already close to his heart and had volunteered with them in the past.

March 12, 2017Finding Happiness with Henry Birdseye

Henry Birdseye is a synthesizer obsessive and he enjoys making sounds. There are a lot of approaches to electronic music. There are different synthesizers, keyboards, or you can do it all on a computer. Henry prefers the tactile feel of all the cords and knobs and the blinking lights and weird sounds on synthesizers. He also likes watching them on oscilloscopes. He never finds himself bored when he is doing what he loves. There is always going to be another corner to turn and another new something to do.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Scott A. Galeski

Scott Gelaski is a retired police detective who wanted to provide students with the ability to make awesome independent films. He founded Downriver Detroit Student Film Consortium which recruits students from Downriver Detroit area schools. Some of the students are at-risk, some are disadvantaged, and some have been through adversity. There is an eclectic mix of kids. There is a running joke within the program that the kids are called the hoodlums. While at a film festival, another filmmaker approached Scott and condescendingly said, “I heard you’re having a film program with a bunch of hoodlums. Good luck with that.” And the program has been having the best luck because the kids have just shined.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Heather Merritt

Heather Merritt worked as a therapist for substance abusing offenders in jail. When she would get home at night, her artwork became her own therapy. She has been creating zipper art for 9 years and is called the Zipper Lady. After only one year of making these creations, she entered in a contest on Etsy to have the best recycled products. She ended up in the top ten, which put her on the Today Show. From there, her business blossomed.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Alan Posner Klezundheit!

Alan Posner is the music director of Klezundheit. Klezundheit is a Klezmer band in Detroit. Klezmer music is traditional Jewish music from the old country, which is now Poland and Russia. It began in the diaspora in the ’20s and the great Yiddish theaters all throughout New York. It combined with American jazz and culture and created the music style. The band isn’t all Jewish people, but also people who appreciate Jewish culture and especially Klezmer music.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Deon Forrest

Deon Forrest wants to be the first drummer to play pots and pans for a singer or a rapper. Deon was homeless and needed a hustle because he didn’t want to ask others for money. Deon believed he had a talent where he could show people and they would understand. Deon would always play on the sink with his fingers and play on the desk at school.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Richard Skelton

From film work to sculpture to woodwork, Richard Skelton finds satisfaction through his creations. You never know what you’re going to get when you start creating. Richard uses blow torches and sledgehammers to take things apart to use it for his art. There are challenges with getting the symmetry, composition, and design right. But when it does turn out right, he finds happiness in that.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Brian Chaffins

In his spare time, Brian Chaffins enjoys rebuilding and working with vintage audio equipment. In the last couple of years, there has been a resurgence of vintage 70’s equipment. The pioneers of audio equipment created equipment with metal fronts, metal knobs, and glass. There was a lot of quality in the equipment.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Debra Chaffins

Debra Chaffins has been working with fibers since the 70’s when she began knitting and crocheting. One thing she never tried was weaving. She decided on a whim 18 months ago to get it a shot. She always knew she wanted to try it, but she needed to find out if she would be any good at it. It turns out that she is talented at it and she is very passionate about it too.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Todd LaRosa

Todd LaRosa collects anything dead and weird. He is the owner of a shop called Dead Society Antiques and Oddities. The first vehicle he drove was a hearse and what began his passion for weird things was working for funeral homes, removal companies, and crime clean up companies. The collection he currently has on display at his shop is his medical antiques which include skulls, skeletons, shrunken heads, and bones. His other collections include coffins, caskets, and embalming machines.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Ben Miller

Ben Miller is a professional graphic designer and illustrator. He is originally from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan where he had a lot of friends who were artists and designers. When he moved to Detroit, he came here knowing no one. Ben noticed that there were no sketch groups in the area and that’s what inspired him to create his own.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Laura Witkowski

Laura Witkowski is a certified professional dog trainer who finds happiness in helping dogs and working with a program called Teacher’s Pet. Laura is a facilitator for Teacher’s Pet, which is a program through Detroit Animal Control. One of the things that she loves about the program is that she gets to take her skill set of dog training and she gets to teach younger people how to do it. Laura wants the dogs to be judged at who they are and be given the things they need at that moment. Laura feels the same way about the kids on her crew. She wants to help them develop skills with helping dogs but also how to perform at a job.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Amy Johnson “Teacher’s Pet”

Amy Johnson is the Director of Teacher’s Pet. Teacher’s Pet is a program that pairs at-risk youth with shelter dogs that are having trouble getting adopted. Amy has noticed that the program immensely helps both the kids and the dogs. The kids have been able to find similarities with the dogs in the feeling of being “locked up”. Most of them spend time in detention, while the dogs are caged in shelters. This special connection allows them to work through relationship issues they are experiencing in a safe and trusting way.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Angelyc Seeley

Angelyc Seeley doesn’t just find happiness, she promotes it with her poetry. The message she wants to send is to, “Love your brother and your sister, raise your sister up.” She doesn’t stop trying to spread this message with only her poetry. She tries to promote more happiness in her everyday life. While some people aim to hurt others, Angelyc enjoys helping others and seeing them happy.

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Tom Bedway

October 31, 2018Finding Happiness with Sarah Masters

Sarah Masters is a project manager by day and a CrossFit enthusiast by night. Sarah finds happiness in being able to have that time to shut her brain off and focus on the tasks she’s doing while at her CrossFit gym. Sarah says that she is typically an anxious person and that CrossFit has been the most freeing experience for her.