Playlist: Eric Drachman's Portfolio
Featured
The Beat of His Own Drum
From Eric Drachman | 03:53
Cape Cod heating and air conditioning installer, Ryan Fletcher, discovers a creative outlet when he finds his way to his first drum circle.
- Playing
- The Beat of His Own Drum
- From
- Eric Drachman
Ryan Fletcher is a heating and air conditioning installer on Cape Cod. When he found his way to his first drum circle at a weekend music festival, he says it was "life-changing wonderful." He wasn't great at first. In fact, his wife says, "It was horrible." They worked it out, and three years later, Ryan is still banging away, happiest when he has other people to play with.
Cranberry Dreams
From Eric Drachman | 08:25
Dennis Clemishaw is a cranberry farmer. He knows its a risky business, but now he owns his own bogs and is banking his retirement on them.
- Playing
- Cranberry Dreams
- From
- Eric Drachman
Dennis Clemishaw didn't want to be a cranberry farmer. It's what his father did and it was his part-time job as a boy, but as soon as he could, he left town and pursued other paths. After a while, though, he was drawn back home and into the cranberry business. Thirty years later, he and his wife, Karen, own their own bogs and are banking their retirment on their success. It's a risky business, but they're clear-headed and hard-working and together, they're planning to make a go of it.
The Broken Bridge
From Eric Drachman | 04:16
What does it take to raise and lower a 73 ton drawbridge without the motors? Listen to what engineers in Woods Hole, MA did after Hurricane Sandy flooded the engine room of the Eel Pond bridge.
- Playing
- The Broken Bridge
- From
- Eric Drachman
The drawbridge in the center of Woods Hole, Massachusetts was broken by Hurricane Sandy. The storm surge flooded the engine room. As the town of Falmouth works to repair the damage, the question remains how this kind of damage will be prevented in the future. In the meantime, when the bridge needs to be raised or lowered to let boats in or out of Eel Pond, it has to be done manually...or at least with a handheld drill. Listen to hear how engineers can lift a 73 ton bridge without the motors.
Whitey's Rules
From Third Coast International Audio Festival | Part of the 2012 ShortDocs: Neighbor Stories series | 02:54
Residents of a quiet Santa Monica apartment building remember their neighbor, Charlie -- also known as notorious Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger -- in this darkly comic piece.
- Playing
- Whitey's Rules
- From
- Third Coast International Audio Festival
Residents of a quiet Santa Monica apartment building remember their neighbor, Charlie -- also known as notorious Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger -- in this darkly comic piece.
"Whitey's Rules" was produced by Gideon Brower and Eric Drachman, narrated and reported by Gideon Brower, and scored with music provided courtesy of Kevin MacLeod. The story was submitted to the 2012 Third Coast ShortDocs Challenge, a collaboration with EveryBlock, which invited anyone and everyone to produce short audio works featuring at least two neighbors, a color in the title, and three consecutive seconds of narrative silence.
UnFictional: The Couple in 303
From KCRW | Part of the UnFictional series | 28:31
Boston Irish mob boss "Whitey" Bulger and his girlfriend spent 15 years hiding out in Santa Monica. Residents say the most wanted man in America was a good neighbor.
- Playing
- UnFictional: The Couple in 303
- From
- KCRW
Infamous Boston Irish mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, spent 15 years hiding out as retired couple "Charlie and Carol Gasko" on a quiet block in Santa Monica. The discovery of the Gaskos, in an apartment crammed with cash and guns, made headlines around the world and turned the block into a media circus. Writer Gideon Brower, who lived across the street from the Gaskos, talks to residents of their apartment building about the couple, the arrests, and why America's most notorious fugitives were actually pretty good neighbors.
State of Overwhelm
From Eric Drachman | 04:43
Katharine Gibson was not expecting to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Through her struggle to beat the disease and complete her treatment, the shift in perspective gave her insight and gifts that she also didn't see coming. See full description below for information about KCRW's 24 Hour Radio Race.
- Playing
- State of Overwhelm
- From
- Eric Drachman
"State of Overwhelm" won 2nd place in KCRW's 24 Hour Radio Race which took place on Saturday August 17 and 18, 2013. Producers of all experience levels from all over the world were given 24 HOURS to write, record, and edit a non-fiction radio story. On Saturday at 10AM PT, contestants were emailed a THEME. The theme for this year was "the last thing you'd expect". We then had 24 hours to create a story that somehow related to this theme. Halfway through the 24 hours (at 10PM PT), contestants received another email with an optional BONUS ELEMENT, which we could choose to incorporate into our story for extra credit. The extra credit was a photo of a 20-sided die. The finished piece then had to be uploaded to Soundcloud by 10AM on Sunday August 18th. The audio piece here is the exact version that we submitted just minutes before the 24 hours were up.
Our piece, "State of Overwhelm" featured Albert's wife, who was just completing her treatment for breast cancer. She was not expecting to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Through her struggle to beat the disease and complete her treatment, the shift in perspective gave her insight and gifts that she also didn't see coming.