Sharon Preston-Folta has spent a thirty-plus-year career in advertising sales and marketing, predominantly as an account executive in radio. She's worked with such companies as Fairchild Publications and WLNY TV in Long Island, and ABC/Disney and CBS Radio and Emmis Communications in New York City. She is currently Sr. Account Executive with WUSF Public Media in Tampa, FL. Sharon became a published author with her memoir "Living in The Shadow of my Father, Louis Daniel Armstrong" in 2012, which made public the private family life of Louis

Armstrong, Lucille 'Sweets' Preston, his mistress for 21 years and their child, Sharon.

In addition to her AA from Westchester Community College and BA in Communication Arts from Iona

College, Sharon’s love of cooking led her to attend the Institute of Culinary Education nights and weekends, where she earned two professional degrees; Culinary in 1999 and culinary Management in 2005. Sharon

believes in giving back to the community and has used her cooking skills as a Chef Instructor in the Cooking Matters program. She's currently a Volunteer Programmer at WSLR 96.5 LP FM in Sarasota, Florida where she resides with her husband, Howard, a musician. 

 John Alexander is an Emmy-winning director and editor who graduated at the top of his class at Harvard University, where he was awarded the McCord Arts Prize. He co-owns and operates the production company and post-production house Crook & Nanny Productions with JC Guest. Crook & Nanny offers full production and post-production services for narrative, documentary, commercial and industrial projects, both short form and feature length, and specialize in seeing high-quality independent films to completion, with an emphasis on framing unique voices in a timely landscape. After graduating from Harvard, Alexander and Guest's feature debut, "Bender," a thriller on America's first serial killing family, won a Golden Strands award for Outstanding Cast before being distributed in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe to cult status. As an encore, their documentary, "This Is Love," winner of the Raindance Spirit Award and Best International Documentary in Rome, broke attendance records screening at 50 international film festivals, where it won numerous top prizes, including recognition of service from various cities, counties, states and countries around the world. His commercial resume includes commercial work for Verizon, BioHaven Pharmaceuticals, Topshop/Zalando with Cara Delevigne, Bobbi Brown makeup with Kate Upton, Get Organized with Peter Walsh, and the city of Orlando FL. His award-winning directing and editing work has been seen on Hulu, Epix, Sundance Channel, Amazon Prime, NFL Network, and Paramount+, in addition to on television and in theaters worldwide. 

This New Orleans' native lends his signature voice as narrator to Little Satchmo.

Here is a clip of his bio, but to truly know him, please go see him live and in person! 

In his early career, he opened shows for the likes of Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Rosemary Clooney and, most recently, Herbie Hancock. In recent times he has recorded three CD's. Through the Eyes of A Child , Scotch and Soda, and the remarkable Jambalaya, recorded for Bose. Yet another CD entitled Gospel United, a concert recording arranged in Denmark, contains his remarkable solo arrangement of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", which has achieved Gold Record status in several European markets.

Sometimes you can hear him singing, sometimes whistling, or sometimes you can hear him faintly from the street as he sits at his piano singing a Korean lullaby. John's job is to sing -- to sing jazz, to sing it with such style and grace that no one ever mistakes him for anything other than a master. John is one of those remarkable cases where the art arises from the true heart. To know John is to hold onto the coattails of a butterfly. To hear him sing is to feel a brief touch of the wing.

Lea Umberger has been working in Stage and Film for more than 20 years. After graduating NYU Tisch School of the Art with an MFA in set and costume design she set out to build a design career that covers Theater, Film, Television in Production Design, Set Design and

Costume Design.

Lea has also worked for the past 14 years as a production designer/art director for film with two features, 17 short films and eight years as the Managing Art Director at HSN, where she created and managed set designs for network events, partnerships and brands including Disney, Universal, Dreamworks, Ford, Toyota, Lancome, Sofia Vergara, Michael Bolton, Rod Stewart, Keith Urban, Randy Jackson, Queen Latifah, Nate Berkus, Vern Yip and more.

Lea is the Programmer for Listen Up Film Series and works with Daddy Kool Records to present a free monthly film series that encourages independent spirit by bringing the rich and raucous world of music and art house films to the Tampa Bay area.

Lea also serves as as Art Project Manager with Creative Pinellas.

JC is a writer and producer whose work includes award winning features This Is Love and Bender. With John Alexander, she founded Crook & Nanny Productions, where she has recently supervised post-production of features including Open Field and Stoke and numerous commercial projects.

She worked with veteran production advisor David Alper through post-production of Robert Redford’s A Walk In The Woods as well as pre-production of Equals, starring Kristen Stewart. In 2012, she coordinated the Venice Art Walk, a prominent Los Angeles art show benefiting Venice Family Clinic, the largest free medical clinic in the United States, and her non-profit work includes designing video and written curriculum for award-winning teen safe driving program In One Instant. In addition to helming the financing, production, and securing of distribution for multiple independent feature films, her background includes holding a Series 65 license and managing the day-to-day operations of private equity funds. JC graduated cum laude from Harvard in 2011 majoring in English with a minor in Visual Studies.

 Eddie founded Blue Rock Studio in 1970 in the then-obscure Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo, with Eddie as chief engineer then supervising engineer. Blue Rock gained a reputation as a private, secluded studio for creative exploration among artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, Bette Midler to Sun Ra, Barbara Streisand to The Kinks, and many, many more. Backed by Leon Russell and his band, Dylan recorded “Watching The River Flow” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece” at Blue Rock. Other notable recording sessions included Keith Richards and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You,” and the Joe Jackson platinum-selling album “Night And Day,” with the song “Steppin’ Out,” which was nominated for two Grammys. In addition to scoring film and commercial projects,

 Eddie won an Emmy Award for composing the episode “Hometown” of the documentary series “This Was America.” Other television compositions include shows for HBO, Cinemax, ABC, and PBS. Eddie has previously worked as both Music Supervisor and Assistant Director on David Sutherland’s award-winning “Jack Levine: A Feast Of Pure Reason.” 

Shawn Rhodes has produced and directed over 350 Television episodes, 5000 commercials, nominated for two Emmy Awards, 6 Billboard Music Video Awards including a win, and numerous KAB awards. He has worked for CBS, FOX Sports, ESPN, Univision as well as America’s Most Wanted (ABC), Snapped (Oxygen), and Vengeance (HLN). Producer of five films, His film “This is Love” was in 45 international film festivals including London, Rome, Madrid and Lisbon and won 15 international awards on the way to qualifying for the Academy Award competition. 

 Sierra Umberger is a student that is breaking into a film career as a jack of all trades. An interest in filmmaking lead to her obtaining a background in theater acting and production throughout her years in high school. While pursuing an Associates Degree, Sierra began working on film productions, both behind the scenes and on camera for multiple short films. She broke into videography and photography working with theater companies like Tampa Reperatory Theatre and local artist brand Sophia’s Imagination. Most recently she’s been an assistant to designer Lea Umberger on commercial shoots and with Lea Umberger Designs interior design. 

 In 2013 Nacari was introduced to doing makeup while working at Dillards in the cosmetics department. She was trained by working for the Million Dollar Estee Lauder counter, the Shiseido counter, and the Edge Beauty Department over her employment of three years. Two years later, Nacari Founded (Beauty By Cari.K.Inc). She was offered the opportunity from the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of doing makeup for Melba Moore starring in: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, amongst many other opportunities through the Theatre Troupe,  Nacari has also worked with Author: Daisy Saunders, and Actress: Davenia McFadden known for Double Jeopardy to name a few.  Nacari is in pursuit to spread her talents and gifts of makeup to as many as she can. Nacari also say's "Thank you for the opportunity to share her gift with the beautiful Daughter: Sharon Preston-Folta.

Award winning horn playing legend Wycliffe Gordon featured as the lead trombone line in Eddie Korvin's original composition "Song for Sharon".

Gordon has garnered Downbeat Magazine’s “Best Trombone” Award six times, the Jazz Journalist Association’s “Trombonist of the Year” thirteen times, in

addition to being the youngest member of the U.S. Statesmen of Jazz and recent

winner of the “Louie Award” presented by the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

Gordon cites Armstrong as a leading musical influence for his work, which has

encompassed definitive tribute recordings such as “Hello Pops!”, as well as acclaimed international touring, film, music, television, and radio work. Little

Satchmo marks the most recent addition to his feature filmography.

James Briggs is the Founder and Creative Director of Carroway + Rose, a creative arts agency committed to harnessing the dialogue found at the intersection of the business and artistic communities into positive social and creative change.

Prior to co-founding the agency, James designed communications strategies for award winning agencies in New York City, Chicago, Charleston and Santa Fe, where his experience extended across multiple business sectors including the arts, real estate, healthcare, travel & tourism, and financial services. He has been responsible for directing public relations and advertising programs for some of the country’s leading brands, including Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, GE, Duke University and The Bank of New York, as well as playing leading roles in progressing the communications aims for several art museums and foundations, including the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, The Art Institute of Chicago and dozens of local galleries across the country.

James graduated from the University of South Carolina with an MA in International Studies after earning a BA in Political Science from Clemson University. He continues to support several non-profit organizations in his home state including the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Spoleto Festival USA and has continued to support cultural organizations since his arrival in the St. Petersburg region by dedicating 11 percent of the Carroway + Rose’s profits to local arts and social justice groups.

Getting to know Sharon Preston-Folta, the only daughter of legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong, over the last few months via email, text, phone (she lives in Florida) and eventually meeting her in New York for lunch and an interview at my office was an incredibly memorable event for me. It's not every day you get to ramble about music (my favorite activity) with music royalty. Sharon is a wonderfully kind and creative music person.