Up Close with Liza de Guia

        When I started to look for a correspondent and host for our upcoming TitanGreens, I had a rough vision of the kind of person I was looking for: Smart, engaged, with an equal passion for the environment and storytelling. If I was lucky, my imaginary candidate would also have a sense of fun. After all, the environment is about the world we live in, filled with beauty and awe.  Within five minutes of meeting Liza de Guia, I knew I had found my candidate. Liza is an adult who hasn’t lost her childlike sense of the world and how it works. She’s curious, committed, and has a great laugh. You’ll see the curiosity and the commitment part by going to our great new version of TitanTV.  Go to www.titantv.com and click on TitanTV Video. Then look for Liza’s picture and the Fresh Greens logo. It’s a pilot that we’re all really proud of.

        She popped into my office the other day, in between shoots, for a ‘Q and A.’ As soon as it was over, she bounded out, to get ready for her next story.

        Q. Why TitanTV and Why Fresh Greens?
        A.  I was eager to find a place where I could use my talents to the best of my ability and TitanTV seems like the organization that will support me in doing what I love to do: allowing my creative voice and vision to be heard, to shine through, and not be pigeonholed. I like the energy and the people and their belief in a vision for the future for television. And Fresh Greens, because I’ve learned through all the storytelling that there’s nothing that makes a storyteller happier than knowing your story can help make a difference. By supporting issues surrounding the environment and helping people understand that there are things we can do about it makes my job more fulfilling.

        Q.What kinds of environmental reporting have you done?
        A. For PLUM TV, I worked a lot with local farmers (on Long Island) to chronicle their struggles in an environment that doesn’t support the small farmer, and I was allowed to tell their stories in a light that made me see that their struggles are worth investing in and supporting. I also worked with local environmentalists to document the demise of the local horseshoe crab population, and its aftereffects on migrating birds.  I spent a week with local oyster farmers, showing how they’re working to cultivate and reintroduce oysters to the Long Island bays. I also worked with the local Surfrider foundation, a non-profit group of surfers dedicated to cleaning up the ocean by supporting environmental laws affecting the coastline.

        Q. What do you do for fun?
        A.  I love to go to comedy shows—I love a good laugh. There’s nothing I enjoy more than finding a new recipe and attempting to cook it.  I love to travel and understand new cultures.  I love going to the beach and sitting around and enjoying the waves and doing absolutely nothing!

        Q. What book is inside your briefcase?
        A. It’s called “The Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield. It’s about the Battle of Thermopylae. The movie “300” was loosely based on this battle.

        Q. What can we look forward to when Titan launches its green channel in January?
        A. We want to be a resource for people to begin to have open conversations about what’s happening to the environment, to be able to take ideas that are hard to understand and make them more approachable. We’ll have fun, because we’re not going to be gloom and doom; the environment is something to celebrate. Part of supporting the environment is enjoying it, and we’ll show people ways they can do that too. Most of all, we want to share with people that becoming an advocate for nature isn’t difficult, and can be easy. We’re going to show you exactly how to navigate through information that at first glance might appear overwhelming.

        Q. I know you’re going to write a blog. What’s going to be its focus?

        A. Wait and see!