Don Brunning and Ray Grimard - Co-Creator/Exec. Prod.

Don Brunning and Ray Grimard have been friends and co-workers in the education field for 15 years.  It was their common interest in writing and producing original music and similar backgrounds in the entertainment business and the desire to create innovative learning platforms for young children that drew them together as the creative team for "Enviropals!"  Don is in his 18th year as a high school teacher and the importance of education in his “artistic” career seen in the numerous awards he has received for creative approaches to education. Don's credits include being a former songwriter and producer for both BMI and ASCAP.  He's produced for national artists like the "Golden Boys of Bandstand" and worked with various organizations from the Teen Miss USA Pageant to the Smithsonian Institution.   Don has been producing environmentally-themed outreach programs for education since he first penned the theme song for the Central Florida Manatee Festival entitled "Natives" back in 1986.
 
Like Don, Ray has a very diverse background in the performing arts. In addition to being a professional educator in his 16th year in the classroom, Ray is the former owner of Shooting Star Recording Studio in Manchester, New Hampshire and a current co-owner of Earwaves Digital Recording which is one of the largest commercial recording studios in Central Florida. He has worked with such regional and national acts such as WXXK, Spyro Gyra, Britney Fox, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Beverly Rush, Livingston Taylor, the Clancy Brothers, Buena Vista/ Disney Corp, NESN, CNN, PBS, MTV and was the head sound engineer for the National tours of A Chorus Line, and Evita. He has also produced live children’s shows for Simon Properties, General Growth Properties, CBL Properties and Forest City Management and, Daytona Beach Cubs baseball and the Daytona Beach Thunder Arena football teams.
Together they make a very creative and innovative team.

The opportunity to create a meaningful body of work that can educate the youth of today about the environment lies at the heart of everything that became the “Enviropals.”

Karen Wardle: Production Manager/Production Still Photographer

Karen is the glue that keeps the “Enviropals” production together. She is responsible for interfacing with members of the production and directs all activities from the central office. Karen’s organizational and managerial skills not only keep the administrative duties up to date, but makes sure that the “Enviropals” team has everything they need to produce quality programming.  In addition to managing the project, Karen is also the Production/ Promotional Photographer for the “Enviropals.” If you like the leaf chairs or the mushroom tables, well…Karen made those as well.

April Brunning: Children’s Director

Like Don and Ray, April has a diverse background in the performing arts.She has worked on several film and television shows such as “Sea Quest,” “Rosewood.” “Our Son the Matchmaker,” “The First of May,” and “Live at Looney’s.”  April has also been teaching children’s theater/video classes at the Museum of Arts and Science’s summer program in Daytona Beach with her friend and partner Don Brunning for several years. Not only did April direct the children she made them all feel like the superstars they are.