Valentina Castellani Quinn and Marvin Williams

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LALeave a comment

It’s been just 100 years since silent films were all the rage in Hollywood, followed by talkies, moving color, digital, and now AI.

Please join me in welcoming two experts in the film world who join us to talk about the ever-changing world of Hollywood, Valentina Castellani Quinn, president of Quinn Studios Entertainment, and Marvin Williams, founder of Big M Entertainment Pictures, discussing their latest venture on the Sony Pictures Studios lot to combine the best of Hollywood with the latest technologies.

Valentina’s father-in-law was Anthony Quinn, and she talks about the timing of this venture with Sony, once Columbia Pictures, which produced one of Mr. Quinn’s greatest films, Lawrence of Arabia. The film’s poster hangs proudly in the halls of Sony to celebrate its 100-year anniversary making motion pictures. Marvin, best known for producing “The Jungle Book,” among other classics, said he plans to combine the past with the future of Hollywood projects by merging AI technology with art. He says much like Netflix, Apple, and Hulu, streaming is where it’s at. At least for now. Will they transform older films with AI technology? We be talking about that, too.

We’ll also discuss some new ventures, including involvement with the Canne Film Festival and a very “passionate” film development that’s in the works as well. Please tune into #DeborahKobyltLIVE, the #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast on all video and audio podcast platforms to hear our discussion. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for joining us.

John Kobylt, award-winning talk host on KFIam640 radio and iHeart podcast

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The world has never been the same since January, 2025, not here in LA since the catastrophic fires, and not nationally since President Donald Trump took office. So we’re talking to @JohnKobyltRadio today about what’s happening both here and around the country. John hosts the number one local talk show in the country on @KFIam640 and @iHeart, talking with experts daily about what’s going on, what to expect, and what the heck is happening. We do NOT always agree politically, so our conversations are always interesting.

We’ll be talking about what’s been done since the fires in the Palisades/Malibu and Altadena. The cost, the efficiency, all of it. We’ll also delve into the homeless crisis in this city that seems to be an ever growing controversy in who is doing what, and where’s the money for it? Nationally, tariffs, 401k’s, and the growing concern so many Americans have over what’s next. It’s a lot to take in.

Please join @JohnKobyltOfficial and me, #DeborahZaraKobylt, when we discuss this and more on #DeborahKobyltLIVE, on all video and audio platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and iHeart. We look forward to having you join us. And invite your friends, too.

Debora Medici-Guetta, Visual Artist, Women’s Rights Advocate, Philanthropist

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Debora Medici-Guetta has inspired me since the day I met her. I could feel her intense passion for her work, her support of women, and for being someone not afraid to talk about her journey in life.

So won’t you please welcome her to our show this incredibly talented photographer & photojournalist, graphic artist, and documentary filmmaker.

Debora was born in Rome, and the first time she landed in Los Angeles, she felt at home among other creatives free to express their art unfiltered. She now divides her time between here and Italy.

Debora took time off, like many women, to focus on family. Her husband is famed artist #MrBrainwash, aka Thierry Guetta, and that alone is a full time job managing that level of notoriety.

But a decade ago, Debora decided to get back into the game and began the intuitive process of reframing who she was, one image at a time.

A return to making art meant embarking, in Debora’s words, on “a big, long, introspective journey.” After several years refining her technique and honing her perspective, she would reveal a series of photographs aptly titled, “Out of The Shadow,” a haunting body of images that reflected Debora’s desire to shed the trappings of the past and position herself as an artist in the world.

She followed this exhibition with “Landed”, a series of collages that capture the frenetic and freeing energy of the world’s great urban centers.

As her vision grew, so did Debora’s interests, so she started working with, and eventually joined, the board of directors for We Do It Together (WDIT), a nonprofit that produces films, documentaries, TV, and new media uniquely dedicated to the empowerment of women.

Recently, for International Women’s Day, the group launched “One of Us,” a documentary for which Debora served as honorary set photographer. The film, sponsored by Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, follows four Italian women who are challenging gender bias and discrimination in their fields of work.

We will talk with Debora about her incredibly successful career, and how she encourages women to discover who they are. She says her work “prioritizes emotions over mere moments,” and we’ll talk with her about that, in addition to her life, and of course living with #MrBrainwash himself. Lots to ask there.

Please join my interview with Deborah Medici-Guetta on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, & #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to have you with us.

Emanuele Amendola, Director at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show, the director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Los Angeles, AKA the Italian Cultural Institute, Emanuele Amendola, and he joins us to discuss the mission of the @iiclosangeles in bringing cultural, scientific, academic, and culinary experiences that highlight everything authentic direct from Italy. The programs are all free, engaging, and open to everyone.

Emanuele works closely with our Consul General of Italy in LA, Raffaella Valentini, and together they have forged a partnership that brings us the best of everything from Italia, including products direct from Italy.

Each exhibit, talk, and experience is unique. Recently, there was a showing and discussion about the film, Womeness, followed a few days later with the opening and lecture about the Volterra exhibit. There was a Q&A and demonstration with famed chef Nancy Silverton, and the list goes on. So we wanted to know, how does Emanuele select what to present to the public, because the Cultural Institite goes beyond the walls of their physical location in Westwood.

Their work extends down to San Diego in addition to nine states, so in effect, they take their work on the road! Also, in addition to top exhibitions, musical performances and more, the @IICLosAngeles offers language courses and incentives for exchange programs.

Before coming on board here in Los Angeles, Emanuele was appointed Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington DC, where his duties included fostering partnerships between Italian and American cultural institutions. He started his tenure at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles in January 2022.

Please give a warm welcome to Emanuele, and join our interview on all video and audio podcast platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and the #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.

Yvonne Scio, Writer & Director of Womeness; Actress & Model

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

As we continue to celebrate #InternationalWomensMonth, please welcome my guest, Yvonne Scio, actress, model, and the writer/director of the documentary, Womeness, which was just recently screened at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles to rave reviews!

Yvonne, who was raised in Italy, is also known for her work in the 2006 version of The Pink Panther, in addition to Redline, and Rose Red. She’s appeared on TV in both Italia and the States, including The Nanny. In fact, here’s a bit of trivia for you – her best friend is Fran Drescher, who was in attendance at the screening of #Womeness.

Yvonne’s film is a magnificent look into the stories of five extraordinary women, offering a portrait into female resilience, identity, and the evolution of feminism. Womeness unfolds in two parallel narratives: on one side, three women who lived through the formidable season of Italian feminism, who reflect on the battles fought, the victories won, and the challenges that remain. On the other side of the story, and the world, are the lives of two women who defied societal prejudice by following the painter Balthus to Italy, and embracing what became her silent revolution. Through music and performance, they turn art into resistance, amplifying the voices of women from Iran and beyond in their fight to reclaim control over their bodies. The film remains with me, it is extremely powerful. In addition, my dear friend, Lorenza Calamandrei, composed the music in the film.

During our interview, we will ask Yvonne about the inspiration behind Womeness, and the impact the film is expected to create throughout the world. Now more than ever.

Please find my full interview with Yvonne Scio on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to have you join us. Please invite your friends as well to this important conversation.

Eden Alpert, Partner, Vibrato Grill Jazz

Deborah Kobylt Live

Please welcome to our show, Eden Alpert, partner at Vibrato Grill Jazz in Bel Air, which remains one of the most outstanding places in LA to hear LIVE music while enjoying amazing food and drink. But it’s the story behind Vibrato that really steals the show, and it’s all about Eden.

Eden grew up in LA, the adopted daughter of jazz great Herb Alpert and his then wife, Sharon. She was adopted through Vista Del Mar, an all Jewish Family and Child non-profit service agency at the time. But as Eden tells it, her early years were far from perfect, describing her mother as a raging alcoholic and drug addict, while her dad was on the road. Which was a lot. Her parents divorced when she was three.

But Eden decided she didn’t want to be a victim to her past, she did A LOT of therapy to find peace and balance. She also went on a journey to find her birth mother, but that didn’t quite work out as expected, and we’ll talk about it.

When her father opened Vibrato, Eden worked as a hostess, but after her dad saw how customers gravitated towards her, she not only managed the place, she eventually became partner. Let’s just Eden is who people ask for when they walk through the door, she keeps it going as the vibrant, A-list venue that it’s known for. Yet it’s tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, so locals love it, too.

Eden has one daughter, the light of her life, and when we spoke she was busy planning her wedding. And she was also on her way to a board meeting. She is big into philanthropy, and serves on four boards. Yet she still found time to call me for a preinterview, because that’s how Eden rolls.

Please find my full conversation with Eden on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for joining us.

Petra Van Bremen, Influencer, International Model, Author, Women’s Advocate

Deborah Kobylt Live

Petra van Bremen is one of the most beautiful and elegant women I’ve ever met. We were introduced at the Venice Film Festival, and sat next to one other during the gala dinner honoring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon. That’s where I got to know her, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Petra was born a beauty and has been modeling since she was a young girl in Europe. Last year, she was featured in Vogue, and it seems the older she gets, the more work she gets, too.

It’s no longer taboo to tell your age or let your hair go gray or white. Look at Andie MacDowell or Maye Musk. They’re fashion icons, owning this time in life and feeling more empowered than ever, inspiring the rest of us to do the same. And that’s what Petra is doing, too. Working the clothes from top fashion designers, showing the world that there’s beauty in aging. And we talk about that, about her book on beauty, which is currently published only in German, and how we can all feel empowered at any age or size. We just have to believe there’s no rules but our own.

Please find my full interview with Petra on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE and please invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to have you join us.

Chris Gialandella, President/Publisher. Los Angeles Magazine|Orange Coast Magazine

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Love LA Magazine? I don’t miss an issue. How about Orange Coast, Pasadena, and SoCal Magazines for those folks living there? Well, the brains behind all of them is President and Publisher Christopher Gialanella, and I’m thrilled to welcome him to our shows today.

Chris is from Livingston, New Jersey, and when I found that out, the two of us couldn’t stop chatting about it because I went to the Livingston Mall all the time as a kid, shopping at Spencer’s and all kinds of stores we both loved. After working in PR in New York, Chris made his way to LA, and quickly rose within the ranks of publishing, working for Modern Luxury and LA Confidential. And who doesn’t get these magazines in their mailboxes, oohing and aahing at the gorgeous home and fashion spreads on the inside. Well, that’s Chris’ vision, too.

And these days, we can’t go anywhere without seeing Chris on the red carpet, including at the Oscars this year, and just about anywhere that’s relevant in SoCal, you’ll find Chris front and center. And he’s a master at branding, too. We’ll talk about that. We will also talk about the future of magazines and how they’re pivoting to online, like most things. And it’s profitable. Also, Chris is of ITALIAN descent, and we will discuss the Italian influences in his early life and today.

Please join my #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast on all video and audio platforms, and please invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.

Ira DeWitt, Founder, SAINT Candles

Deborah Kobylt Live

Dr. Ira Dewitt inspires me. And a lot of other people, too. Ira grew up a sickly kid, but she clearly had some devine intervention because she’s healthy now, traveling the globe, and is the founder of something not only beautiful, but truly inspirational, SAINT Candles. And recently, she founded the SAINT app, and she also hosts her beyond SAINT Podcast. Oh, and her husband is Bill Dewitt, President of the St. Louis Cardinals. On top of that, Ira is the proud mama of three children.

How does she do it all? She credits her faith, and determination to live life to the fullest. In fact, she lives part-time in Rome, and says she embraces Italian life and culture as if she were born Italian. She’s wasn’t, but she has the spirit of one.

We’ll talk about Ira’s faith and how it guides her, also her infamous SAINT candles have became the “it” candles in Hollywood, inspiring a place many say doesn’t embrace faith, but it does. I’ve experienced it firsthand. Her SAINT app offers daily devotionals and inspiring messages, and her beyond SAINT Podcast will have you clinging to your chair. Check it out!

Please welcome Dr. Ira Dewitt to #DeborahKobyltLIVE on all video and audio podcast platforms. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I hope you invite your friends to join us, too! Should be a very inspiring chat🙏🏻

Maria Elena Infantino, International Singer and Actress

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

For a woman who never wanted to be a singer, international sensation Maria Elena Infantino has certainly made her mark. And we’re thrilled to welcome her to our show today.

Maria grew up in Rome to a famously talented family of opera singers. In fact, Maria is working on a documentary about her father, tenor Luigi Infantino, and we’ll talk about that.

Maria was schooled in London and studied drama, but upon graduating, her first job wasn’t acting, instead, she sang a rendition of “Do You Want To Know A Secret” for the 50th Beatles Anniversary with Shirley Bassey at the Royal Albert Hall.

She debuted as a professional actress on the ITV British series “Emmerdale.” She’s hosted and produced a one woman show in London as a tribute to her father, and that same year, she was nominated for the 21st annual L.A. Music Awards as best International artist.

Maria eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she lives in addition to Europe. There, she created another one woman show based on legendary French Icon Edith Piaf. She’s done so much, and often performs at one of my favorite spots in LA – Vibrato.

What I notice most about Maria is how vibrant she is, always on the move and living life to the fullest. Did I mention she speaks five languages fluently?

Please find join my discussion with Maria on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE #LittleItalyPodcast and the #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast on all video and audio platforms.
Please invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.