Category: Photography

Meet Gigi de Manio, one of the country's pre-eminent wedding photographers. Since forming Genevieve de Manio Photography (www.demaniophotograpy.com) in 1997, she's photographed more than 475 weddings and was there when Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent and John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox all said their "I do's." Gigi's work has been featured in dozens of wedding magazines and newspapers, including Modern Bride, Boston Weddings as well as a profile in the New York Times Sunday Styles section. For Gigi, her work is truly a labor of love.

You'll want to meet and get to know Special Education teacher Dena Grushkin, who recently retired after 35 years in the classroom. However, a 2004 trip to Nigeria turned out to be a seminal moment in her life, opening her eyes to the reality of children living and attending school under the most challenging circumstances. She managed to raise $5,000 from friends, colleagues and strangers for books and other supplies. That visit prompted Dena to create the Nigerian School Project, a nonprofit educational organization that supports teachers and students. In 2009 her organization built a junior secondary school; 5 years later a senior secondary was completed, both on the river community of Tomaro Island. This June marked the first graduation class. This is a conversation you can't afford to miss!

Andrea Thome is yet another creative woman. Sports and hard news were her beat as a broadcast journalist. In fact, that's how she met her husband, Jim Thome. The Cleveland Indians third baseman was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year. Andrea interviewed him on opening day of baseball's 1995 season - they were married 3 years later. Andrea also happens to be a writer. The recently released novel, "House of Belonging" is the 3rd and final book in her Hesse Creek Series. Andrea's an accomplished photographer...and a warm, friendly and engaging conversationalist!

SHE DIDN’T RUN into a door. She didn’t get punched by a stranger in the street. Someone who claimed to love her did this. The nurses and doctors in the ER know it. The cops know it. The neighbors know it. The children know it. But no one really wants to…

Sophie Brooks got her Bachelor of Fine Arts in film and television from New York University in 2012. And not quite 5 years later, has made her feature writing and directing debut with "The Boy Downstairs." The romantic comedy stars Zosia Mamet (she played Shoshanna Shapiro in the HBO hit "Girls"), who, after a few years living abroad, moves back to New York City. Unbeknownst to her, she rents an apartment in her former boyfriend's building. Sophie talks about her motivation as well as the challenges she faced in making her first commercial film.