Matt Peiken
Journalism • Documentary Video • Media Strategy
You’ll find a broad range of articles and videos reflecting my work forWCPO.com. There, you’ll find my narrative feature about Cincinnati megachurch Crossroads and the phenomenon of its annual Christmas show, “Awaited.” Here’s an unsolicited tweet from the church’s founding pastor—no journalist could ask for a better reaction from a subject.
I spent six months following the dancers of the Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company as they worked to win jobs with the principal company. Watch my documentary and step inside the rarified world of professional dance. “The Apprentice: Dancing for Careers with the Cincinnati Ballet” went online April 30 at WCPO.com.
This past winter, I produced a four-part video series documenting the creative process of Cincinnati’s MamLuft & Company Dance. Those four parts, which premiered online over consecutive days, are now wrapped into this single video.
As Ohio inches inevitably toward marriage equality, I thought I might post this from two years ago, when I spent a fun afternoon in front of the Minnesotans for Marriage booth at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair, talking with people opposed to gay and lesbian couples from marrying. This organization pushed for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as solely between one man and one woman. That proposal went on to fail at the November ballot, when Democrats also swept the Minnesota House, Senate and governorship in that election. Enjoy!
James Brown was the jewel in the crown, but the throne of Cincinnati’s King Records always belonged to its irascible founder, Syd Nathan.
This is the 70th anniversary of the legendary record label and studio. It closed shop nearly 40 years ago, in a now long-neglected warehouse on the neighborhood border of Evanston and Walnut Hills, but its impact still reverberates across today’s music.
King Records was home to what was then called hillbilly music—the generational precursor to country music—while, at the same time, helping expose the nation to James Brown and some of the earliest R&B artists.
Insiders have launched a month of activities and events celebrating the anniversary, from performances to a reading of a play based on King Records. Here’s my short documentary looking back at an important piece of Cincinnati flavor and history.
