This Town OKC

S2E15 Rhonda Hooper

Few women in This Town have had such a positive impact as Rhonda Hooper. As President and CEO of Jordan Associates, she has guided major advertising campaigns that have celebrated our state and city. We discovered in this interview a common, long-ago project on which we both worked, the anti-litter Don't Lay That Trash on Oklahoma campaign! But before she rose to her current position, she earned her seat at the table through hard work and perseverance. In fact, before MAPS transformed This Town, Rhonda and others created an initiative called Forward Oklahoma that ultimately led to that master plan. This Louisiana tomboy blossomed at Oklahoma State University where she continues to serve in the highest echelons. Her volunteer board work keeps her going to more meetings than there are days of the week.  Sponsored by Carpenter Theatre Post-production by Fred O. Bishop

S2E14 Daniel Lapham

Daniel Lapham wishes he didn't have his national EMMY Award. He's proud of the work he and the team did to earn it by spending a year in Uvalde, Texas following the horrific school shooting there, but nonetheless, he'd be satisfied with the regional EMMY he won while working at OETA.  A fifth-generation Oklahoman, his great-grandfather was William Couch, the first mayor of This Town, and Daniel has the receipts to prove it. He's also a former student of mine who found his calling to be a storyteller while attending OKC Community College. In this interview, he tells of his travels around the country working for television networks as a freelancer and about the year he spent documenting the lives of the people of Uvalde. Post-production by Fred O. Bishop  Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre

S2E13 Lyn Adams

She created Oklahoma Children's Theatre out of necessity. Having moved to Oklahoma from her native Australia in 1980 to attend OU, Lyn Adams was working at Stage Center where she had created a children's program when the place closed. She moved the program to OKC Community College and formed a nonprofit organization. Later Oklahoma Children's Theatre moved to Fair Park and eventually to Oklahoma City University where it remains today. Lyn retired in 2022 to travel and enjoy grandmotherhood.  After a wee bit of prompting, she recalls her favorite OCT production that coincidentally was written by your host. Post-production by Fred O. Bishop Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre

S2E12 Dan Mahoney

As the VP of Broadcasting for the OKC Thunder, Dan Mahoney oversees 70 major productions per year. His career took a circuitous route starting as the son of the DJ who introduced rock and roll to Philadelphia. So one might say that he was born into the business. Following a then-girlfriend to This Town in 1984, Dan continued his career in News at KEBC-FM. He returned to TV News at KWTV for several years before going to work in Gov. Keating's new office in February, 1995, just two months before the Murrah Building bombing. Dan coordinated worldwide media coverage of the Healing of the Heartland ceremony. He later followed Frank Keating to D.C. for a while before returning home to work remotely in 2004 way before that became a thing. He branched out and contracted with Brent Gooden to handle PR for clients that included both the New Orleans Hornets during their temporary relocation to This Town and also the Seattle Supersonics after Clay Bennett, et. al. purchased the team. Dan stayed on once that team made the move and has been with them since. Dan also tells of his world travels and his love for vintage stereo systems and drum kits. Post-production by Fred O. Bishop  Sponsored by Carpenter Square Theatre

S2E11 Sunny Cearly

Her career is Oklahoma City. Starting at the Journal Record, then moving to the OKC Chamber of Commerce and now running Allied Arts, Sunny Cearly promotes This Town. From her small town upbringing in Gresham, Texas (look it up), she learned the value of community service. The rabbit-hole story of how she chose OKC is quite the fascinating sidebar of her education that includes Baylor and the University of North Texas. But it's at Allied Arts OKC where she is making her most biggest impact, and she credits two important women in her life for showing her the way. Post-production by Fred O. Bishop Sponosred by Carpenter Square Theatre