"Saved by a Story" - Telling Tales for Charity | Ben Lee Music
Musician Ben Lee reflected on his experience participating in Saved by a Story’s Storytelling Salon, ENOUGH. Read more below:
Last night I participated in an awesome salon-style reading series for writers and storytellers (and the occasional songwriter) for an initiative called “Saved by a Story.”
Saved by a Story was started by Kathy Katims, a remarkable woman, who loves to bring people together to share stories.
These gatherings are designed to be both food for the soul and also a way of honoring an organization that helps people tell their stories in underserved communities. Admission is a suggested donation and 100% of proceeds go directly to the organizations.
Each event donates proceeds to a different non-profit, and last night was in support of Film2Future, a 501c3 aiming to build diversity in the entertainment industry by empowering underprivileged Los Angeles youth through an intensive filmmaking and life skills curriculum. F2F provides students with the necessary technical skills, mentors and confidence to pursue an entertainment career.
The night opened with Kathy Katims (who with her husband tv creator Jason Katims opened their beautiful Pacific Palisades home for the event) welcoming the crowd of around 200, and inviting the founder of Film2Future, Rachel Miller, and two current students, Andrew Oropeza and Jenna Flores, to share their experiences as part of the non-profit. I was particularly moved by Oropeza, a sweet, nerdy intellectual who grew up in South Central LA, listening to the sound of gun shots and helicopters circling overhead, sharing his gratitude for the opportunities being provided for him to study film composition and production.
The level of talent at these events is always astounding. Top writers in Hollywood showing up to share deeply personal tales that are funny, heartbreaking and thought-provoking, all in the belief that a story can really change a life.
Some of the highlights for me were:
Jessie Rosen - an L.A. based writer/producer who, in 2007, launched the blog 20-NOTHINGS – named a TIME Top 25 Blog in 2014 also included on the Forbes list of the Top 100 Websites for Women and Top 10 Websites for Millennials. 20-Nothings is an account of getting by from 20 to 30 with new posts weekly. The blog has led to assignments for publications such as Marie Claire, The Daily Beast, and AOL, as well as appearances on programs such as NPR and The Suzy Orman Show. Jessie shared a hilarious story about “Laundro-Matt,” the man she was blindly set up with, by her Korean matchmaking dry cleaner.
Laura Silverman - my friend and “B is for Beer: The Musical” collaborator, who you might recognize from The Comeback or The Sarah Silverman Show (she’s Sarah’s real life and tv sister), or recognize her voice work from shows like “Bob’s Burgers” or “Dr Katz” and is an AWESOME writer. She shared a story that literally had me writhing in laughter-pain called “Fake Farm,” about her parents decision to salvage their bad marriage through moving to a farm, but with no desire to actually engage in real farm life.
Tom Freund - excellent LA songwriter who shared a song called “Collapsible Plan,” and his feelings of grief around living 9 blocks away as a child from where John Lennon was killed.
Al Madrigal - comedian and actor, who was a regular correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and is a co-founder of the All Things Comedy podcast network, alongside Bill Burr. He gave a hilarious recollection of growing up with generations of men who dont like to spend money and gave us his 5 rules of getting a deal—“Where there is deep sorrow, there are deep savings.”
And of course, my duo, Radnor & Lee, were there to perform. We did three songs, “Outside In,” “Greene St” and “Here”. It is wonderful, warm supportive room, and we loved sharing our music with an audience so compassionate, literate and positive!
Check out the great work that Saved by a Story are doing and never forget the power of a story to change a life!
