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Aaron Calafato
Award-winning storyteller Aaron Calafato uses 7-minute story vignettes to share his memories, explore his psyche and attempt to make sense of the world.
S3 E13: So God Made a Farmer
In this episode, Aaron pays tribute to his late cousin with the retelling of this popular speech.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
12:0201/12/2022
S3 E12: Sunday Mass
Aaron races to Sunday Mass to meet his grandmother, and as usual, gets more than he bargained for.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
09:4424/11/2022
S3 E11: The Violinist
In this 7 Minutes, Aaron tells the tale of how he became the Milli Vanilli of his youth orchestra.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
10:0817/11/2022
S3 E10: The Heartbeat
In this 7 Minute Story, Aaron tells the story about how his future wife Cori captured his heart...
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
09:2110/11/2022
S3 E9: Disclosure
Aaron explores the making of a miraculous film called Disclosure - A student film that turned Aaron and his high school friends into movie stars. Okay, maybe not movie stars, but what they did learn was life-changing.
*Today's story reference Jay Ellison, Aaron's longtime friend, and current film industry professional. Learn more about Jay and his company at https://shadowcastpictures.com/
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
09:4203/11/2022
S3 E8: Something's Wrong with this Haunted House
Cori and Aaron talk about Halloween and a haunted house that's gone too far.
Story Created & Performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music & Sound Design: thomas j. duke
09:3027/10/2022
S3 E7: The Four Seasons: Autumn
In this first of a four-part series: Aaron, Thomas J. Duke, and the 7MS team create a Rockwellian guide for you to enjoy the changing of each season. This episode: Autumn!
Story Created & Performed by: Aaron Calafato
Original Music & Sound Design: thomas j. duke
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
10:3620/10/2022
S3 E6: The Story That Got 1 Million Views
Aaron tells a story that gets millions on YouTube & is proven wrong about something in the process.
Follow Aaron on YouTube Shorts
https://bit.ly/3fRBCBd
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Music: thomas j. duke
09:0213/10/2022
S3 E5: The Chinese Restaurant
Aaron learns a lot more than he expected when he gets a job as a cook at a Chinese Restaurant owned by an Iraqi-American family.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Music: thomas j. duke
09:5506/10/2022
S3 E4: Living the Dream
The sound of wind chimes sends Aaron on a surreal journey through a profound dream and a mind-bending bike ride.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Sarah Drago
Music: thomas j. duke
10:2329/09/2022
S3 E3: Take your space
Find out how Aaron unwillingly became a pawn in an office takeover.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Music: thomas j. duke
10:1322/09/2022
S3 E2: The Wave
What will Aaron do when he comes face to face with The Wave? Join us for a tale of survival and growing up too fast.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Music: thomas j. duke
09:4115/09/2022
S3 E1: Take your shirt off!
Welcome to the Season 3 premiere of 7 Minute Stories! In this episode, Aaron tests the limits of how far he will go for fame...
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Art: Pete Whitehead
Music: thomas j. duke
09:5008/09/2022
S2 E40: Season 3 Preview
Aaron couldn't wait until September 8th for the 7MS Season 3 premiere. So, he jumped into the recording closet to say hello and preview the upcoming season.
08:3311/08/2022
S2 E39: Season Finale: The Prayer
At some point in most of our lives, we have this conversation with the unknown.
Talk to you in September for Season 3 of 7 Minute Stories!
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
09:3209/06/2022
S2 E38: Prejudice Against Italians?
An unexpected visitor came to my house on a Sunday afternoon and you won't believe what he said.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
09:5202/06/2022
S2 E37: Say Anything w/ Cori Birce
This week, my fiance Cori Birce gives her take on the classic movie Say Anything.
Episode Direction by: Aaron Calafato & Rob Montague
Special Guest: Cori Birce
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Music: thomas j. duke
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
More on Cori Birce and her voiceover work
https://www.coribirce.com/
10:3826/05/2022
S2 E36: The Toxic Decades w/ Rob Montague
A continuation of last week's story. This week, filmmaker Rob Montague talks about the toxic elements of 80s and 90s pop culture.
Here's a clip supplemental clip from the movie "Sixteen Candles" to give more context to Rob's take in this episode.
https://youtu.be/Oxo7F75kd6w
Episode Direction by: Aaron Calafato & Rob Montague
Special Guest: Rob Montague
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
11:0519/05/2022
S2 E35: She looked like Alicia Keys
I've always considered myself a romantic but how much of this quality is truly my own? And/or how much of it is just a product of watching 80s & 90s rom coms and high school dramas? In today's episode, I'll tell you a story about one of these "romantic gestures" and I’ll let you be the judge.
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Story co-creator & additional vocals: Rob Montague
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: thomas j. duke
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
If you like stories, you most likely enjoy reading. If that's the case, I want to recommend a podcast called Professional Book Nerds. Check them out wherever you get your pods: https://professionalbooknerds.com/
11:5312/05/2022
S2 E34: Halley's Comet
In 1986, a famous comet became the steward of one of my most precious memories.
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
http://joinfishbowl.com/7ms
10:1405/05/2022
S2 E33: The Blue Plastic Bag
The terrifying but meaningful journey of a blue plastic grocery bag.
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
http://joinfishbowl.com/7ms
10:1728/04/2022
S2 E32: Vince Carter featuring Joe Leo
What do you do when you have a chance to meet your hero? My friend Joe Leo faced that exact situation when he found himself on the same basketball court as NBA All-Star Vince Carter.
Episode and Story Direction by: Aaron Calafato
Special Guest: Joe Leo
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
https://fishbowlapp.com/7ms
11:2221/04/2022
S2 E31: The CM Punk Difference w/ Chris Maffei
Chris Maffei, Podcast Production Manager for Hatch.fm, shares the reason why he wanted to be CM Punk growing up.
Episode Direction by: Aaron Calafato
Special Guest: Chris Maffei
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
https://joinfishbowl.com/7MS
09:1114/04/2022
S2 E30: Wrestling is a Love Story
My love letter to professional wrestling...
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/7ms
10:1107/04/2022
S2 E29: 7 Minutes of Contemplation
Things would be better if we were less reactive and more contemplative.
7MS Created by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Music: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
09:4831/03/2022
S2 E28: Stand-up
Every journey is made up of a million little moments, but there's usually one domino moment that makes the whole thing possible.
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Season 2 of 7MS is made possible by Fishbowl
http://joinfishbowl.com/7ms
10:0224/03/2022
S2 E27: Room Service
Sometimes if you have big dreams, you have to do weird jobs. Today, I’ll take you inside the star-studded world of doing room service at a Holiday Inn off the Jersey Parkway.
Season 2 of 7 Minute Stories is made possible by Fishbowl
http://joinfishbowl.com/7ms
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
10:3017/03/2022
S2 E26: Emails to the Other Side
Ten years after my grandfather passed away, I decided to send him an email on the other side...
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
11:2410/03/2022
S2 E25: The Address Book
There is a place where faded memories and forgotten people live forever. In this episode, we examine an ancient text called: The Address Book.
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
This episode is brought to you by Fishbowl
http://joinfishbowl.com/7ms
Merch & more at
https://www.7minutestoriespod.com/merch
10:2803/03/2022
S2 E24: VR Storytelling with Elijah Allan-Blitz
In this special guest episode, award-winning director Elijah Allan Blitz talks about the transformative power of Virtual Reality storytelling.
Special Guest: Elijah Allan Blitz
Story Direction: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Vocals and Coordination: Cori Birce
Photo: Michael Muller
08:5524/02/2022
S2 E23: The Bed & Breakfast Redux
Last year Cori & Aaron booked a stay at a bed & breakfast, but they didn't count on it being haunted. In this special episode, we present both Part 1 & 2 of this story together.
Story Direction: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Music: Nature Camp
Vocals and Coordination: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
16:0217/02/2022
S2 E22: Dr. Mann
I didn't think I could relate to an astronaut stranded on a foreign planet in another galaxy. However, it ends up we may have more in common than I thought. In this episode, we explore the intergalactic adventures of Dr. Mann.
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Additional Vocals: Cori Birce
Story Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:0710/02/2022
S2 E21: Warheads
Some wars never seem to end. This one has been going on for nearly 30 years...
09:3703/02/2022
S2 E20: Mrs. Brown
A story for all the elementary teachers out there, and one in particular, who literally helped shape the direction of my life.
From Jan-27 thru Feb-27 - One hundred percent of proceeds from 7MS Merch go to benefit Ella Canavan Elementary PTO in honor of Mrs. Brown.
https://www.7minutestoriespod.com/merch
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Original Music Composition & Performance: thomas j. duke
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:2727/01/2022
S2 E19: The Date
George is on his way to the most important date of his life with Marie. The only problem is, no matter how long he drives, he can never seem to get there…
This week on a new 7 Minute Stories our team presents our first-ever audio drama. It’s titled “The Date”.
Story written by: Aaron Calafato
Characters
George: Aaron Calafato
Female Narrator: Cori Birce
Officer Sterling: Ken Wendt
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Music: Aaron Calafato
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
08:5420/01/2022
S2 E18: The Brick Walkway
I didn't know Doril Tetrick well, but I do know he was my grandfather and we built something together...
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
09:2513/01/2022
S2 E17: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas feat Frank Ivy
Merry Christmas! Enjoy this classic rendition by Frank Ivy.
Podcast Tile by Wunderul Design
09:0925/12/2021
S2 E16: The Man and the Birds, a Christmas Tradition
A 7MS Christmas Tradition. A story by an unnamed author titled The Man and the Birds.
08:1923/12/2021
S2 E15: Heroes Get Remembered But Legends Never Die
A film festival, The Sandlot, and the weekend we hung out with Art Lafleur.
*RIP Art Lafleur 1943-2021
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
Story Consultant: Jon Wagner
09:0916/12/2021
S2 E14: The Cult Leader
A fascination with cults and the dangerous road one must travel to become a cult leader.
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
09:4909/12/2021
S2 E13: Thanksgiving Sides!
We attempt to wrangle our kids in one room to ask them what they’re thankful for. Then, Cori and I have to decide what Thanksgiving sides will make the cut for our holiday meal.
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Luciana!
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:5125/11/2021
S2 E12: The Time Capsule (7MS Team Pick)
While cleaning my garage I discovered a box of essays that I wrote as a child. In this episode, I’ll recite a few of them for the first time in decades.
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:5318/11/2021
S2 E11: All Hornets Go to Heaven
This week: An intense rivalry with a hornet, a death chamber, and a quest for salvation.
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Orginal Music: Aaron Calafato
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:1211/11/2021
S2 E10: Door to Door Salesmen
A rivalry with a door-to-door salesperson ends in an embarrassing fashion.
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
09:5504/11/2021
S2 E9: Do you Believe in Ghosts?
A simple question to my future wife elicits an unexpected ghost story.
Happy Halloween!
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story produced by: Aaron Calafato
Featuring: Cori Birce
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
12:1828/10/2021
S2 E8: The Last Blockbuster
A chance viewing of a documentary triggers a vivid memory of renting movies at Blockbuster.
*This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:1821/10/2021
S2 E7: A 7 Minute Journey with Mark Metry
Mark Metry is an author, podcast host, and TEDx keynote speaker. But once upon a time, Mark suffered severely from social anxiety. In fact, he says at one point in his life he couldn't even make direct eye contact with people.
In this episode, Mark talks about what Social Anxiety feels like and describes one of the breakthrough moments that changed his life for the better.
Learn more about Mark at https://www.markmetry.com/
Story Production: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
11:2414/10/2021
S2 E6: SeaWorld
This week, a race against Shamu and insight into the world of a captive orca.
Ironically, this episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Get your 7MS Merch!
https://www.7minutestoriespod.com/merch
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
Production Assistant: Lennon Janovyak
09:5507/10/2021
S2 E5: Aaron's Movie Marathoners Appearance
Today's episode features a 7 Minute Segment from an appearance Aaron made on the Movie Marathoners Podcast. Marathoners is a fellow member of the Evergreen Podcast Network.
You can find full episodes of Movie Marathoners on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
We start this episode in the midst of Aaron and Marathoners host Matti reviewing the 90s classic Rookie of the Year, one of Aaron's favorites. Matti tells Aaron that movies like Rookie of the Year tend to be comfort films and do very little to make sense of their fairytale. Aaron, of course, takes this a little too seriously and tries to explain the deeper emotional impact of the film. He goes on to talk about the movie The Sandlot, The Great Babino, and Aaron's dream scenario as a professional baseball player.
Correction
At the beginning of the episode, Aaron mentioned an upcoming live talk he’s doing on Fishbowl. The correct date is October 4th @ 8 pm. Download the Fishbowl app today to rsvp and say hello!
This episode is made possible by Fishbowl. Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
10:0830/09/2021
S2 E4: Semi-Soulmates
Two unsuspecting people find themselves on a cosmic collision course.
This episode is made possible by Fishbowl.
Download the free professional networking app today!
https://www.fishbowlapp.com/
Story performed by: Aaron Calafato
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Music Contributor: thomas j. duke
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
Creative Consultant: Anthony Vorndran
11:0323/09/2021