My First Season

Pointy Polygons and Pixelated Personas

This episode is dedicated to my ENGL 255 course in English Literature for Fall 2023 at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, entitled “Video Games and/as Literature”, under the guidance of Dr. Kelsey Blair. The culmination of this creative final project involves three distinct interviews that delve into the ongoing debate between ludology and narratology and the exploration of the theme of identity in video games. Our diverse panel of guests includes Sarah Loubiri, a full-time employee and part-time Art History student at Concordia University, who has been an avid gamer since 1990. Also joining us is “Krasnog”, a native of Seattle, Washington, and a Twitch streamer with a gaming journey dating back to 1999. Notably, Krasnog is also a Marine veteran, adding a unique perspective to our discussion about identity. Rounding out our trio is Dr. Pippin Barr, a distinguished figure in video games. He serves as an educator, critic, and associate professor, and is currently the Chair of the Department of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University. Dr. Barr’s extensive contributions to the world of video games include the creation of over 80 games since 2011. His collaborative podcast with David Wolinksi, titled Game Thing, explores video games through an audiobook club format. Additionally, his recent book with the MIT Press, The Stuff Games Are Made Of, offers a comprehensive breakdown of game design, exploring aspects such as computation, graphics, cinema, time, and more. Tune in as we engage in insightful conversations with these remarkable guests! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. 

Please visit Dr. Pippin Barr's website at:

https://pippinbarr.com/

Please check out Krasnog's Twitch stream and give him a follow!:

https://www.twitch.tv/krasnog

 

 

 

 

Joseph Ramsey

I had the pleasure of working with my guest today during the 2004/2005 dream-team season with Hendel Duplessy in Club Med Cancun and he is the 11^th guest from that season to be on the podcast. His first season was in Club Med Cancun in 2003 as a Snorkeling, Sailing, and Windsurfing G.O. He is from Virginia but has been living in beautiful Australia since 2006. Before Club Med, he went to the University of Colorado and studied Linguistics & French. He speaks twelve languages and also attended the University of Melbourne for Primary Education and is now a teacher. Please help me give a very warm welcome to Joseph Ramsey!! Joseph visited Club Med Eleuthera at the age of nine, and later, at thirteen, he became a teen club member during his vacation at Club Med Cancun. Joseph grew up sailing at Smith Mountain Lake, in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. He worked for Club Med from 2003 to 2005 in Cancun, Ixtapa and Sandpiper. We of course reminisce about our time working together in Club Med Cancun during the 2004/2005 season and all the fun we had at the beach. I ask Joseph what it’s like being a teacher and teaching 5-13-year-olds and also if he fully understands the Aussie language now (after seventeen years there, he is still discovering new words!). Please enjoy this interview with a very entertaining young man! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts. 

Shehime Arshad

My guest today worked for CM from 1994 to 2006. Her first season was in Club Med Sandpiper as an Excursion G.O. She held other positions such as Reception, Ski Instructor, IGO Trainer, and Recruitment and Affectations. My trilingual guest grew up in Florence, Italy, and has a bachelor’s degree in Italian Renaissance Art History from Harvard University. She now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and she is here to regale us with her many CM stories. Who is this Renaissance woman? Well, it is the one and only, Shehime Arshad! Shehime worked in the Club Med villages of Sandpiper, Copper Mountain (5x), Paradise Island, and Crested Butte (4x). I hope you like funny stories because Shehime has them! Some of the stories are duct-taping Eric Goldberg to the entrance of restaurant (with a ferret no less!) in Copper, being stranded her first season on the road with eleven French lawyers, epic prank wars with the Four Horsemen of Paradise Island in 2002, to quite possibly being the only woman ever to turn down five-time Olympic medalist Alberto “Tomba la Bomba” Tomba when she was at Copper Mountain in 1996. Trust me, you need to listen to this interview! Shehime worked with CDVs Howard McCarley, Jean-Pierre Grand, Aureo Stern, Angie Boucher, and Ryan Leach, to name a few. Shehime also talks a little about her move to the offices in Miami when she was in Recruitment and Affectations in 2005. If you were an early 90s G.O., you will love this episode with Shehime! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts. 

Gooch

My guest today went to Club Med St. Lucia as a teenager and thought that G.O.’s had the coolest job of anyone and that was his first contact with Club Med. He studied at Ithaca College and got certified as an instructor at Pro Dive in Ft. Lauderdale. An EXGO told him about Club Med, and he applied. He had a phone interview with Club Med, and they gave him all of one hour to decide! I would have needed only 30 seconds to decide, but that’s me! His first season was in Club Med Columbus Isle in 1996 as a Scuba Instructor, and he might be the only EXGO that I know of, who arrived on Christmas Day! Yes, he arrived on December 25, 1996! He then worked in Club Med Turks & Caicos three times (1997/1998/1999). He of course met his future wife in Turks and suggested to her father that they take the resort course with him, and the rest is history. Please help me welcome, from the Sunshine State, Jordan “Gooch” Gross! Gooch worked in two of my favorite villages, so we had a lot to talk about. The CDVs for his three seasons at Turks were Kevin Batt, LouLou, and MoMo. We cover many stories from these three seasons, including the one where Gooch saw his future wife at an arrival in Turks. We end the interview with some shout-outs, the things he misses the most about Club Med, and uncovering what a “Scuba Alarm Clock” is. Please enjoy your time with Gooch! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts. 

Kevin Klein

My guest today is so far only the second Gestionnaire to appear on the My First Season podcast. He went to Club Med three times as a G.M. in the late 80s to Martinique, La Caravelle, and St. Lucia and that lit the spark for him to apply. He worked for Club Med from 1988 to 2000 and his first season was in Club Med Playa Blanca as a Cashier. He has a degree in Marketing from Fordham University, and he met his future wife in 1993 in Club Med Huatulco and has been married 27 years now. From New York, please help me welcome, Kevin Klein! Kevin worked in villages such as Sonora Bay, Moorea, Phuket, Zinal, and Bali, to name but a few. Despite his Marketing background, Kevin did not want to work in the office, but on the beach or doing Landsports! But alas, some do not get their first choice, so from cashier, he went to Aide Gestion, Gestion, and one season as a Personnel Manager. He worked with a wide array of Managers such as Denis Amsellem, Lefis, Arlette Gilles, and previous MFS guests, Mike Coltman, Howard McCarley, and Carlos Castro. Since I love a good “In Couple” story, Kevin shares the story of how he met his future wife, the very funny proposal story that comes with it, and caps it off by getting married in a three hundred and fifty-year-old Mexican church! During his first season in Playa Blanca in 1988, Kevin helped Bob Christians set up the trapeze rig! We end the interview with Kevin telling us who he enjoyed working with and the many, many recurring dreams he still has to this day about Club Med. Enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts. 

Rose Torelli

My guest today worked for Club Med in 1989 in St. Lucia and Cancun as an Excursions G.O. We do not get many Excursion G.O.s on this podcast, so I am thrilled she agreed to come on and share her story. When she was in college, she worked at an archeological Museum, which helped with the excursions to the Mayan ruins in Mexico. From the city of Brotherly Love, please help me welcome, Rose Torelli! Before Club Med, Rose learned French in high school and visited Quebec and France. In her second semester in her junior year of college, Rose spent that time abroad in Paris and stayed with a French family. Prior to Club Med, Rose worked in New York City in PR in the fashion industry for Pierre Cardin, when she applied to Club Med at twenty-three years old. Rose details the excursions that both St. Lucia and Cancun offered in 1989. As much as I enjoy it when things go as planned, I asked Rose if she ever had an excursion go awry and one did, while she was on a snorkeling trip to Cozumel. As an Excursion G.O., they are not often in the village, but rest assured, she still did her share of Crazy Signs and shows! Rose also lets us know why her favorite excursion was the one to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and she explains the meaning behind the G.O. t-shirt, “Cancun II- Better Than Never!”. Rose took what she learned in Club Med when she later worked for an International Marketing Manager in a French-owned company and handled relations with affiliates all over the world. Please enjoy this episode with Rose! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts. 

”Rapp”

My guest today worked for Club Med from 1996 to 2001. His first season was in Club Med Punta Cana in 1996 as a Set Designer. He just might be the only set designer in Club Med that I have encountered who actually has a degree in Set Design from the University of Arizona. Around 1999, he helped form “The A Team”, in which my guest and a few others would travel from village to village evaluating the entertainment teams. I was working in Asia when this was going on and never had heard of it before now, so I had a few questions about that. We will also talk about how he helped design Sharkie’s in Turks in 1997 and also helped design the Circus show, “Circus Nightmares & Children’s Dreams”. He is now a college professor and has been living a very nomadic life for the last 10 years. Please help me welcome, from around the world, the one and only, Rapp! Rapp wanted to work and travel so he bought a book about working abroad and applied to Club Med. He had a phone interview and was sent to Punta Cana which turned out to be Kevin Batt’s first season as CDV. Rapp also worked in the villages of Cherating and Ria Bintan in Asia. When he needed supplies for Bintan, he had to cross the Strait of Malacca in a tiny speedboat dodging tankers and waves just to get fabric! Rapp helped with the reopening of Punta Cana in 2000 and Crested Butte in 2001. He was at the opening of Club Med Varadero and tells us about that experience and what it was like buying black-market staples in Cuba! Please enjoy this episode with Rapp! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts. 

Lance Weinhardt

My guest’s name has come up before on this podcast, so it’s nice to finally sit down and talk to him. He worked for Club Med from 2013 to April of 2023 and his first season was in Club Med Sandpiper as Teen Club Manager. Before Club Med, he was working for Disney Cruises and before that, he was a teacher! He was also a Sports and Animation Manager at Club Med and he helped create a new position in 2018 at Columbus Isle called “Chief Happiness Manager” and if you know me, you know that I need to know all about that! From St. Louis, please help me welcome, the one and only, Lance Weinhardt! Lance might be the only G.O. to do a Skype interview with Club Med while dressed in a white tuxedo aboard a Disney cruise ship and then showing up to his first season in Sandpiper wearing a suit (no more spoilers)! Lance also worked in the villages of Turks & Caicos, Sahoro, Club Med 2, and Kabira. He has a story from his first season that I found so incredible, that I am not even going to hint at it here, you will just have to listen and find out (Okay, one hint: The Miami Dolphins)! Trust me, he is the only G.O. that I know that ever did this! Lance worked five times with CDV Julien Lettraz and he also worked with Jenny Lee, Pierre Jean, Shira Ben-Sefer, and David Meyer. Please enjoy this episode with Lance! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts. 

Suzanne DiVasto

My guest today worked for Club Med from 1987 to 1989. Her first season was in Club Med Martinique in 1987 as an Assistant Choreographer. She worked in Copper Mountain with my first CDV, Jean-Pierre Grand, and Arziv and Roi Soleil in Switzerland. For the last 21 years, she has owned a dance studio called “Real Dance” and we talked about that as well. We have never met, but she came highly recommended by a former CDV of mine and a former guest on this podcast. It turns out, she went to Turks and Caicos as a G.M. in 1985 where she met two of my favorite people, Angie Boucher and Hansel Moss. Angie was having her first season as a Hostess and she suggested that my guest try it! After her first season, she became a Chief of Animation and Choreographer in all her subsequent seasons. She met her future husband (who was Chief of Mini Club) in Club Med Copper Mountain, and they have been married for 32 years now. Who is this mystery guest? From Brooklyn, New York, and now living in the Sunshine State, please help me welcome, Suzanne DiVasto Citere! Suzanne takes us through all four of her seasons and despite hating winter like yours truly, she still somehow wound up in two different ski villages! We talk about Suzanne’s love of dance and if she thinks the 2000 movie “Center Stage” is the best dance movie of all time (Spoiler alert, she does not)! Suzanne is quite the storyteller with a vivid memory, so you will not want to miss this one. She has a pretty big claim to fame concerning the LipSync Show that she shares with us. Please enjoy this episode with Suzanne! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts. 

Filippo Felloni

I had the pleasure of working with my guest today during an amazing time in Club Med Playa Blanca during the 1996/1997 season. I then followed him and a few others after that season to Club Med Otranto during the summer of 1997, where he was my Chief of Sports. His first season was in Club Med Cefalu in 1992 as a Tennis G.O. Altogether he worked for Club Med from 1992 to 2001 in such places as Paradise Island, La Plagne, Metaponto, Haiti, Hammamet, and Ibiza, just to name a few. Please help me welcome, from Florence, Italy, Filippo Felloni, AKA, "Pippo"! A family member was working as a nurse in Club Med and thought Filippo would be a perfect fit, and the rest is history. Filippo worked in about 14 different villages in countries such as Italy, the Bahamas, France, Haiti, Mexico, Switzerland, Tunisia, Spain, and Indonesia. Along the way, he worked for Chiefs of Village Danny Stabielli, Lionel Benzoni, Dario Tognelli, Rico Paoletti, LouLou, Eric Peyronnet, Jimmy Chicheportiche, and Thierry Buche. After he left Club Med, Filippo stayed in the hospitality and tourism industry and is currently the General Manager of the 4-star hotel, Lungarno Vespucci 50 in Florence, Italy. Because Filippo and I worked two seasons together back-to-back in Playa Blanca and then Otranto in 1997, we talk about our fond, shared memories of the two villages. Filippo worked in some big villages such as Metaponto and Kamarina and I asked him while he was in Metaponto in 1995/1996, if they were doing “Baby Solo” there at the time. They were, and no spoilers, but you will have to listen to this interview to find out what a “Baby Solo” was (yikes)!! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.