The Arts transformed my life

Welcome to our podcast, The Rise, an in-depth look into the Arts Community of Central Florida. I’m Ray Fournier, and I am one of the hosts of this arts and culture adventure, along with the fabulous Andrea Canny. This podcast is an opportunity to share the incredible creative talent from Central Florida with the world. We are unique as our community has evolved through the years, utilizing the amazing talent brought here to work for Walt Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, and other creative attractions in Central Florida. We are currently the largest tourist destination in the country, with nearly 75 million visitors each year. A lot of our local talent initially congregated from around the world to work for the parks. After almost 50 years since the Walt Disney Company arrived, our arts community has transformed into a cultural hotspot and a place we call home.

You may be asking, why do you want to start a podcast? The answer is because the arts transformed my life! I would not be where I am today without my incredible arts education. I want to share my experience with the world and help others see the power that the Arts has on our lives and communities. The transformative economic impact the Garden Theatre in the small town of Winter Garden, FL, has had on the local community is something I have witnessed first-hand. I also think it’s important that we open up a conversation with other arts communities worldwide. We are better together! Now more than ever, as the arts community deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to join forces and have a national/international dialogue about the future of arts in our lives. Why it is vital to our communities and how it can help transform lives! We will rise again; let’s do it together.