When Chip Flaherty co-founded Walden Media, he just liked the idea of producing family movies based on books. But he soon touched on a market not genuinely thought of as a group encouraging audiences into multiplexes—teachers. After making feature film versions of such books as Holes, Flaherty found the film was frequently being included in school curricula. “It’s so hard to compete for kids’ time with all the media out there,” Flaherty said, relating what educators told him. “To have a book they teach and have a movie made out of it, it immediately gave some credibility and some touchstones.”

Flaherty, in Sarasota this week to help launch a Creative Writing discipline at Ringling College of Art and Design, spoke with SRQ about the success of Walden, which has been a part of bringing Bones, The Chronicles of Narnia, Because of Winn Dixie and other books to screen. The company has since launched a publishing arm, Walden Pond Press, creating new books that may some day be made into films themselves. The company also wants to go into television, a growing medium for literary quality story-telling. “That’s great for these kids who are at Ringling because there is a whole other viable venue for their creativity,” he said.

The Creative Writing curriculum kicks off in earnest in Fall 2016, according to Creative Writing coordinator Ryan G. Van Cleave.

Flaherty also said the students studying filmmaking in Sarasota are as prepared as those studying in any school in the country. “Noone is better positioned than a Ringling College graduate to make something happen in the motion film industry,” he said. He cited that Ringing has quickly made it onto lists like Variety’s Top Film Schools rankings. “To be mentioned in the echelon, in the top 10 or 15 schools in the country, is incredible,” he said. “These kids are prepared.” 

Photo by Rich Schineller: Chip Flaherty speaks with SRQ Daily during a visit to Ringling College of Art and Design

I love Fall in Sarasota: the weather is, ever so briefly, perfect and instead of changing leaves we’re treated to changing menus. I can’t wait to try the new additions at Made and Roast, but on Monday I met some girlfriends for The Table Creekside’s notoriously tasty and budget-friendly Happy Hour. After taking a look at the new menu, we ended up staying for dinner. There are many intriguing new items that I can wait to get into in the next couple of months, such as the Porqueta Stack with polenta cakes, peppercorn foie gras reduction, and apple shallot confit, and the Roasted Suckling Pig with Caribbean root vegetable mash, and fall legume confit. But as my friends will tell you, I’m a sucker for grilled octopus, so the siren song of the Napa Grilled Octopus was impossible to resist. Chunks of tender yet firm grilled octopus are presented on a bed of chorizo fingerling potato hash and salsa verde. I love that the chorizo hash didn’t fall into the overly greasy trap of the majority of chorizo dishes while still retaining the rich flavor of the sausage, which balances beautifully with the grilled octopus and the vibrant salsa verde.  

The Table Creekside, 5365 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-921-9465

Architecture and Design Month is in full swing and the popular Building A Day program is again proving to be a highlight of the celebration.  Each day of the month a different building representing the best in architecture and design is featured on the websites and social media outlets for AIA Gulf Coast Chapter and CFAS and via email by request. Last week Toshiko Mori was in town to lecture and lead a house tour of the breathtaking Burkhardt/Cohen Paul Rudolph-designed house that she enhanced with two additional buildings.  Her exhibit, Dialogue in Details, remains on view in the Gallery through December 15. This unique exhibit highlights work she was asked to design alongside the architecture of Paul Rudolph, Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, and Mies van der Rohe. 

The final event of the month is an Atelier Talk with Jake Brady, Concrete By Design, on October 28, 5:30-7:30 pm in his studio at 614 Florida Avenue.  Jake will take you through his process as he creates and installs creative and elegant concrete surfaces and objects that are hand-crafted functional art for both inside and outside the home or business.  

For more information and to register (encouraged, space is limited), please see CFASRQ.ORG or call 941.350-5430. The Center is located at 265 S. Orange Avenue.

The Center for Architecture Sarasota is a 2015 SRQ Story Project partner and the featured non-profit organization this October. To learn more about the mission of CFAS and their growing outreach, educational programs and produced events, visit them online at CFASRQ.ORG.  

JMX Brands hired Paul Brasacchio to be store manager of its Sarasota retail store opening in December. After more than 10 years selling Amish made furniture online, Sarasota-based JMX Brands is opening its first DutchCrafters retail store on Lockwood Ridge Road. Brasacchio has served as store or sales manager at Matters Brothers Furniture, Florida Leather Gallery, Baer’s Furniture and Robb and Stucky. In his role at JMX Brands, Brasacchio will manage merchandising, sales and staff supervision for the store. 

JMX Brands

Halfacre Construction recently finished construction on the first new office buildings in Palmer Ranch in over 15 years.The $1.8-million-plus construction project, which began in March 2015, included the buildout of two single-story office buildings for Palmer Ranch Holdings. The project consisted of doing the site work and landscaping as well as assembling the building from block, wood trusses and applying the metal roof. 

Halfacre Construction

The Venice Golf and Country Club announced the Community Showcase Golf Event to celebrate the grand re-opening of its newly renovated, award-winning golf course scheduled for this Sunday. This summer concluded an extensive, $2.5-million golf course and community improvement project involving a number of significant enhancements. These include a state-of-the-art irrigation system, new Celebration Bermuda grass on all fairways and tees and Bermuda Tif Eagle grass on greens, and new practice areas with two putting greens, an expanded driving range and a new short-game practice area. 

The Venice Golf and Country Club