Meanwhile... at the Museum

James Burns, Director of OMNIMAX Operations

If you've seen an OMNIMAX film at CMC in the past 26 years, James Burns has likely been part of that experience, whether he was greeting you as you came in, operating the film projector, introducing the movie or all of the above. In this episode, we'll dig into James' journey from his small town theater to CMC's OMNIMAX, our theater's switch to a digital projector in 2018 and his many side projects, which include a music career and a screen printing business. 

Katie Hunt, Paleo Lab Manager for Elevation Science at CMC

If you've been to Cincinnati Museum Center's Dinosaur Hall and Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight gallery, you probably notice our Paleo Lab. And if you've been here recently, you saw Katie Hunt hard at work preparing fossils! Katie works in our lab whenever the museum is open as part of a partnership we have with Elevation Science Institute, a non-profit organization that has a field program where you can get your hands (and everything else) dirty digging up dinosaurs! We'll dig into Katie's background, her experiences in the field, and find out what it's like to prepare dinosaur fossils while people watch through the window. 
 
Check out Katie's Instagram, @KateWhoExcavates to see her updates from the field!

Joey Talmage, Manager of Marketing

Today's guest is the CMC Marketing Department's own Joey Talmage. Joey's career in marketing spans continents, from Cincinnati to LA and all the way to New Zealand. At the same time, he's had a continent-spanning career in music. We'll dig into all of that, Joey's change of heart regarding whales thanks to our Blue Whales OMNIMAX film, and have a chat with Joey's mom. Plus, in our second year of Meanwhile..., Cody is joined by Mitch (who has until now been off-mic as producer and editor) as a co-host.

Celebrating the First Year of Meanwhile... at the Museum

Today we're shaking up our usual format as Cody and Mitch discuss some of their favorite moments from the first twenty-five episodes and first year of Meanwhile... at the Museum. We'll talk about Shakespeare, the Hamburglar, a few varieties of historic toilets and a whole lot more. Take a listen, and let us know some of your favorite moments by messaging us at meanwhile@cincymuseum.org! 

Tim McQuillan, Senior Director of Public Safety and Security

Tim McQuillan has had a lot of jobs: roller coaster ride operator, airport bus driver, K-9 security officer and more. But today he's our Senior Director of Public Safety and Security here at Cincinnati Museum Center. We're chatting with Tim to get the inside scoop on what he does here, exploring a 500,000 square foot National Historic Landmark, and his long history of interesting jobs.

Katherine Gould, Curator of History Objects and Fine Art

Though collecting objects is just one part of what a museum does, it is a very important one. But why is it important to collect objects like a safe, bed or small piece of rope? Today we're digging into that question with Katherine Gould, our Curator of History Objects and Fine Art. We'll also learn about Katherine's path to becoming our curator, and about some of her favorite objects in the collection, like a fallout shelter toilet. 

Graham Turner, Assistant Manager of Museum Engagement

15 years ago, a child wandered into CMC and never left. Now that child is an adult, and that adult is Graham Turner, an Assistant Manager of Museum Engagement. Join us as we talk to Graham about our room full of things in jars, his time in CMC's Youth Programs, that time he ran away to the circus at age 6, and just how passionate Graham is about Cincinnati Museum Center.

Charisse Lawrence, Director of Guest Experience

A family walks into Union Terminal for the first time, overwhelmed by not just by the sheer scale of the Rotunda, but by the plethora of options before them. History museum, science museum, children’s museum, OMNIMAX Theater, featured exhibitions, programs, Membership, our friends in the Holocaust & Humanity Center?! Luckily, a friendly face is waiting to help these baby birds out of the nest: Charisse Lawrence. In a way, without Charisse you wouldn't be listening to this podcast, since she trained Cody at the box office 13 years ago! Join us as we talk to Charisse about reading and guiding museum-goers, favorite family meals, and her go-to karaoke song.

Cody Hefner, Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Today we are flipping the script, as we welcome CMC President & CEO Elizabeth Pierce back to the pod as host instead of guest. We've learned a lot about Cody over the previous 20 episodes, but now we're ready to turn things around and dig into his story. We'll talk about his 13 years with CMC, his path to being a Marketing VP with a graduate degree in history, and oh so many shenanigans. 
 
And as requested, here's a playlist of just a few of Cody's finest moments. 
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKg_QLggSmtjJTGgI4p8s_I26FAVRQH_l&si=cXMwz4-f5ilnntrF

Marc Staubitz, Manager of Exhibits AV & IT

Museums are full of technology (try counting how many screens, projectors, buttons and digital interactives you come across on your next visit!). And someone needs to develop, manage and troubleshoot all that tech. Enter Marc Staubitz. As our Manager of Exhibits AV and IT, Marc handles all the tech in exhibits, from the Quizinnati game in our You Are Here exhibit to the ancient aquarium screens in Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight. In this episode, we talk to Marc about his career path, his many hobbies including rowing, fencing, caving and more. We also dig into Marc's German roots to answer the important questions like where to get the best authentic German food in Cincinnati, and if David Hasselhoff is really that popular in Germany.