- Tonight on WPBS Weekly.

Inside the stories screenwriter, Marc Isaac stops by our studio to share his path from journalism to filmmaking.

And a thrift shop where hope sits on every shelf, where second chances are celebrated and where community grows in the most unexpected ways.

Also, Laura Tiberiu is back a review of the book "Crying in H Mart: A Memoir" by Michelle Zauner might just convince you it's your next read, your Stories, your region coming up right now on WPBS Weekly Inside The Stories.

- WPBS Weekly Inside The Stories is brought to you by: - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

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With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country.

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Find out how we keep the north country strong, at claxtonhepburn.org today.

- Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide community Regrant program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York state legislator administered by the St.

Lawrence County Arts Council.

- Good Tuesday evening everyone, and welcome to this edition of WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories.

I'm Michael Riecke.

From Northern New York to Buffalo.

Marc Isaacs is a writer and filmmaker whose work is rooted in real life.

After starting out in journalism, he took that eye for truth and turned it towards screenwriting, focusing on stories that might otherwise go untold.

For more, we head to producer Luke Smith in the studio.

- Thank you Michael.

And you know, when we're usually in these settings, it's to usually highlight a famous storyteller or a famous author.

Today is no different.

We are sitting down today with Marc Isaacs.

Marc is an actor, he's a journalist, he's a producer.

And you recently started taking a focus in screenwriting.

Is that correct?

- Well, it's been a number of years I've been doing that.

I've been dabbling.

I started with short films and I was in an acting class in LA where you could bring outside material, like Hollywood material or you could write your own.

And so I just started writing my own and then I developed that from short films into pilots and, and screenplays, feature films.

- So you're really like a jack of all trades pretty much.

- And a master of none, as they say.

- That's that's what we like to hear.

Well, thank you for coming out here and talking with us today.

I know Buffalo is not a quick trip.

True.

But you know, that's, that's not something you're uncommon to because you've traveled all over the country, you've done stuff in Houston, you've done stuff in Los Angeles.

And I wanna know, where did that journey begin for you?

- I moved outta New York State two days after 911 and I went to Houston and it was like going to outer space.

I never thought I would leave New York State.

I never thought I'd be somewhere else.

And I suddenly found myself in Houston working and taking on a whole different career, several careers there, ended up in Wisconsin, went to LA back to Texas, and then now back in New York State.

So I mean, I've definitely traveled a lot, but New York State is always home to me.

- I've been to Houston, I gotta know, what did you think of Houston from the television environment?

- I worked at a talk show and so oh my God, it was, it was, yeah, it was really cool.

'cause it was a talk show that, that ABC ran and ABC owned by Disney had put money into this show and was developing it as a national show.

When I came on board, it was the final year of the show before it got canceled.

So I got this, this great peek at what producing a potentially national property would look like.

And that meant flying in guests from everywhere.

I could fly in guests from LA, I could fly guests from New York, I would meet people like Destiny's Child.

Fashion designers, actors, that kind of thing.

And I was producing one of the five episodes every week.

And so I was working as a a full-time talk show producer, which I never would've guessed when I was doing news back in local stations in New York.

I never thought of myself as an entertainment or a talk show producer, but it was amazing.

- And you've been in TV stations like ABC, CNN, CBS, all the letters.

and it all, like I said earlier, it all begins here in the North Country.

You've even worked with WWNY, you started at, if I'm not mistaken, FSR in Ogdensburg.

And you've even done some stuff with Z-93.

So tell me a little bit about those experiences.

- I loved radio.

I mean, I grew up listening to the radio.

I grew up calling into the stations winning contests.

I won so many contests in high school that they, limited at that point, you couldn't win more than one every 30 days.

And my boss in at FSR got a job in 1996 at Channel 7 doing weather.

And I'm like, I wanna do what he's doing.

And so that became my transition into doing radio and TV.

But the real pivot was when they started the expanded morning show and they asked me if I wanted to produce.

I hadn't been a news producer, I hadn't done anything really with news, but I was a good writer and I knew how to learn TV writing.

And so they trained me to take over producing the, the morning news.

And I loved it.

It was very different than being on the air.

It's very different to be the person that's shaping the story, shaping the experience for viewers.

And that's what got me into doing news full time.

And you've - Gotta have some fun stories from the news that you are allowed to share on the air.

Are there any that you can share with us - From, well, actually my freelancing, there's a great story.

I was freelancing in Houston and this is the 60 minutes two piece.

I was there on site and I wasn't doing a story.

I was literally watching, overnight, watching a woman who was gonna be interviewed by Dan Rather in New York the next day.

So basically I show up at her house and I'm out there in my vehicle and her son is doing something in the garage.

And so I go up and say, "Hey, it looks kind of weird that I'm sitting out here.

I just wanna let you know I'm here with 60 Minutes too."

They invite me in, I stay inside the whole night and I'm talking to him, I'm talking to his mother the next day she flies out to New York and she's interviewed by Dan Rather for 60 minutes too.

Oh God.

Like it's that kind of weirdness that when you go into a job as a producer, you never know what you're gonna get.

You never know what environment you're gonna be in, what kind of people you're gonna be in touch with.

And it's kind of that excitement of, you know, the unknown.

You just jump in the deep end of the pool and go for it.

It's what makes this job so much fun.

Yeah, And - It's not just news you've done because I see you've, like, as you mentioned, you've been a weatherman, you were also a traffic reporter, but now you're starting to delve into a world of short films and if I'm not mistaken, documentaries.

Can you talk a little bit about that?

- Well, I started writing comedy shorts more than a decade ago, and I love writing comedy and I thought that would be something I would write a lot of.

I did write a comedy called First Timers, a short film that at Last Tech it's gotten 55 million views on YouTube.

I thought that was gonna be my avenue, but what I'm really drawn to are true stories.

And that comes from my news background is telling true stories.

And so as somebody who grew up in the North Country, I always thought like, what's kind of overlooked?

People don't know that we're here, they know of New York City, but they don't know about the North Country.

They don't know who we are.

So I started looking, even when I was in LA about how can I write about New York State people?

How can I write about people who are not famous, but have like this national or international story appeal?

And so I started writing stories about America's first supermodel who was institutionalized in Ogdensburg.

I started writing about pro football's first soccer style kicker who went to Ogdensburg Free Academy before joining the Bills.

So I started writing about people that, that are New York state products that were unheard of.

And that's really where I focus now - is it a true story?

Is it a person that's, that's set in New York state and it's something that people just don't know about.

- And there was something else I noticed on your IMDB regarding your family history.

You have First Nations relation, is that correct?

- Yeah, yeah.

So my, my biological father is Mohawk, so all of my Isaac's family is Mohawk from Canada.

In fact, my grandparents Cora and Willard were at the residential school, the Mohawk Institute often called the Mush Hole.

They were there.

And I'm currently trying to get their school records from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada.

So yeah, it's not like a, 10 generations back thing.

It's very immediate.

And I'm enrolled at Tyendinaga in Deseronto Ontario.

And can we expect to - Hear any of that family history and some upcoming projects you're working on?

- Most definitely.

I'm working on one one right now that's really highly personal with more of a biographical type of story about discovering who my family is and what they're connected to.

I've been doing a lot of research about it.

I'm gonna be going to both Six Nations and Tyendinaga later this year to talk to some people who are connected to my family or know, knew my family.

That one will be more of a documentary style.

I don't see necessarily turning that into a narrative film, a short film or a feature I wanna make that the documentary that is really close to my heart.

- I'm certainly looking forward to seeing that.

But there's also something else I wanted to highlight.

Something that I came across while I was looking you up was your background.

And there was something that stuck out to me.

You did a summer job as a drama counselor in Camp Loyaltown.

I see that smile on your face.

Yeah.

Because you mentioned that was, and I'm the single greatest job you've ever done.

Yeah.

And - Why is that?

I was in college studying theater and it in theater in college.

Like, it's very theoretical, even though you get to do plays, you get to act, you get to write things like that.

But to teach drama to kids and adults with special needs was so different.

And one of the most marvelous things I experienced was I would, I would have a class of, of teacher or teachers that were there with me and they were helping their students, you know, facilitate.

And there was one girl in the class that hadn't spoken all summer, hadn't said a word, completely nonverbal.

We didn't even know if she could speak at all.

And so in that particular class, we were singing songs, we were singing TV theme songs, and this is before the internet.

So we weren't like looking up on a phone, we were just remembering the songs.

And this one girl who was nonverbal all summer broke out and singing Popeye the Sailor Man.

And all of us just jaws drops.

And that's such a magical moment that you, that we created a point where her singing was accessible to her, her communicating something that she knew.

And that little bit of information just was so massive for us.

That's so heartwarming.

- Like coming from a background with special education, I know how big that can be.

And that's, that's super huge to hear and I can understand why that was the single greatest job you've ever worked.

So, you know, as we start to wrap up, I wanna ask you, you know, for people that are starting to get into this but don't really know where to start, what to expect, what's some advice you can give for young storytellers to - Get started?

Learn how to tell a story.

I mean, learn how people tell stories and then find ways, tell your own stories.

Because if you know how to tell your own stories, you can take them anywhere.

You can create a one person show, you can use it for an audition.

You can find material that, that resonates with you.

When I meet young actors, like I met some young actors last week at the Actors Expo in Buffalo, I gave them the same advice, like, learn who you are as a storyteller, what stories do you wanna bring to life?

What means something to you?

And follow your heart.

- And my last question for you today is, where can people expect to see you?

Now that we're in the 2026 year, happy New Year, where can people expect to see you this year?

- This year I'm gonna be hardcore pitching my feature scripts that are about New York state figures because I want those to be made into TV shows.

I want them to be made into feature films and I want them to be something that, that audiences not just in my home state of New York see, but audiences everywhere can see.

And where can people look for those?

Well, right now we've got a pilot that we're shooting or a proof of concept for a pilot that we're shooting and we're hoping to put that into some festivals.

So local festivals, local film festivals, ones around New York State and Ontario are probably the place that you're gonna see me show up with a lot of my material.

Well, Marc, I'm certainly - Looking forward to seeing that.

Folks be sure to check that out.

And Marc, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today.

We really appreciate it.

You're welcome.

It's a pleasure to be home.

Luke, - At first glance, Thrift Addicts Bargain Barn looks like the perfect place to find great deals.

A cozy secondhand shop filled with antiques, books and unexpected treasures.

But look a little closer and you'll see something deeper happening there.

Behind every item is a story of recovery, rebuilding, and the belief that nothing and no one is ever beyond repair.

Here's WPBS producer Gail Paquette with more.

- Before thrift addicts Bargain Barn became the community hub.

It is today.

Its story began with a major life shift, a leap away from the familiar and into the unknown From the start, it was a shared journey, built on recovery, trust, and a belief in second chances.

What emerged wasn't just a new way to make a living, but a new way of seeing value, seeing people and rebuilding with purpose.

That vision grew into a place where community compassion and hope truly lead the way - I've been working jobs that I can't stand for decades.

And I got to the point where I was dreading going to work like I was mentally drained and it was nothing against the job, it just didn't fit me.

So I decided to take the chance and quit.

Four years ago I decided to go into junk removal.

So junk removal's a blast in my opinion.

Like, it's not even the gross garbage that people think it is, it's fun stuff.

Like people literally throw out this stuff.

It's insane.

I would just sort through that stuff.

I'd do a few jobs a month and I would save the cool stuff.

I would sell it online, so I'd make a few dollars off the job and then make more money off the selling of it.

And then we got to the point where we didn't have the room for this stuff, so I was throwing out quality stuff was going to the dump, you know, perfect, great dishes, but I didn't have the time to sell a dollar item.

So unfortunately, boxes and bags of dollar items are going into the trash.

And I started thinking like, we should just save this.

I've always wanted to do a store, a secondhand store for at least, you know, 10, 15 years because I personally don't like getting, I don't like throwing my stuff away and I feel that I could resell it.

- The impulse to rescue what others discard wasn't just about the stuff.

It mirrored a deeper journey in recovery.

You learn that even when something feels broken, it still has value, purpose, and a future.

The 12-step program teaches that healing comes through service, through helping others find their footing.

This idea of finding potential in the overlooked could be a way to give back.

- We knew in our heart that it would work in the long run.

Being a recovery addict, it helps me be more honest, helpful.

So the way that the 12-step programs work is you help the next person who's coming in and what I find is you, so, in the 12 step programs, you give your time to others in order to help them.

So it's like we brought that practice into the real world where we want to help our community as a whole.

We wanna help others, especially parents, elderly, anybody who really struggles.

You know, like we, I may we make a point to keep our, our kids stuff very cheap, kitchenware very cheap, you know, we got a fewer higher end things, but that are not necessities, but the necessities, you know, help people.

And what I find too is I get the most satisfaction out of helping others.

- And the helping goes far deeper than offering items at seriously low prices.

It's about connection, dignity, and showing up for people in ways that matter.

Because the real heartbeat of Thrift Addicts is the people who walk through the door, their stories, their struggles, and their moments of honesty and hope.

Creating a space where people feel seen, supported, and never alone.

- The most joy that both of us have gotten is when people come up and they, you know, share their story with us.

It, I think it just helps people like release or if they felt alone with it, right?

Like, you know, it's a, it's kind of like being an addict.

You feel so stigmatized, like if you've lost someone to suicide or to overdose or you're struggling yourself like you're alone.

So recovering out loud really breaks that stigma down and it, you know, helps reduce the shame and get people out of isolation.

- What Steve and Ashley have built has become more than a store.

It's a community, a place where neighbors stop in, not just to shop but to talk.

Where people who might otherwise feel alone can connect over shared experiences, shared recovery, or even a shared love of a good bargain.

It's a place where kindness is the currency and where second chances for both people and things are the foundation of everything.

- I love the community and you know, that was one of our main objectives was to build a sense of community.

I mean, this community is already great, but I think, I think we've really brought something to add here, especially in terms of like just showing up as you are, right?

If you need help, if you, you know, want to help.

I think the fact that, you know, we try to just recover out loud and to be open and inviting, like I think it's, it's very special - And she's right.

You can feel it in the way people arrive, settle in, share a moment and keep coming back.

The spirit of thrift addicts isn't just something Ashley and Steve create on their own.

It's something that grows to the people who lean on this place, support it, and help it thrive.

- We have to support each other everywhere.

We have to support each other, but especially in a community, a small community, it's important that we, we support each other and it goes both ways.

We support them, they support us, and it's just, it's a wonder wonderful situation.

- It is so friendly and warm and, and it's perfect for someone like me who loves to find the, the odd, the odd piece or something unique and different.

You never know what you're gonna see here.

You never know what you're gonna find - For WPBS Weekly.

I'm Gail Paquette.

- Finally tonight, discover your next read.

Avid reader, Laura Tiberiu shares her views on the book "crying in H Mart, A memoir" by Michelle Zauner.

Zauner is a member of the indie rock sensation known as Japanese Breakfast.

This is her unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American.

Here's Laura with more.

- Hello and welcome back.

I'm so happy you're here and I'm thrilled to be here talking about another book that I absolutely adore and think anyone on this planet would enjoy reading and get something out of whatever it is.

Now this book is incredibly relatable to most of the population because it deals with a love of food, it deals with grief and it also deals with having interesting relationships with our mothers.

And that book is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.

And this is a written memoir which starts off as it sets the tone because her mother unfortunately passed away from cancer.

But now that I've set the very brief scene, I promise it is not a depressing book.

It is not just chapter after chapter of sadness.

It's actually incredibly funny and witty.

And our author does such an incredible job of encapsulating what it feels like from the moment she found out her mother was sick.

And even before that, when she was a child, growing up with a very strict analytical mother, always criticizing her to going through the journey of trying to strengthen their relationship and find common ground and love for each other, to finding out about her mom's diagnosis and dealing with the grief of knowing she's going to lose her one day and how to make the most of their time together and how food was really at the center of that beautiful relationship.

And for a bit more context, she is half Korean, half American, our main character, or I should say Michelle, the writer, author of this memoir.

So not quite a character since this is a real story and her actual experience.

And in reading this memoir, I laughed so many times because I related, there were moments where I was, it felt like it was talking about me when I was growing up.

And how mothers always want the best for us and even our parents in general, dads as well.

And they'll criticize you or you'll feel like you're being judged, but in their minds they're just telling you what their opinion is or how the best path forward is.

But we all know that when you're in that situation, you wanna do what you wanna do and you just wanna feel safe and supported and like you have something to fall back on and they'll be there for you.

And it's that funny battle when you're an adult looking back thinking, to be fair, my ideas weren't always great, but there was so much friction and conflict as you're growing up and going through puberty.

But there are still those moments where you always come back and share that love.

And for example, with my parents, it was anytime we would go to the bookstore and I got to just roam around or pick new books and they'd ask me about what I'm reading.

And even since I'm Romanian with our culture eating Romanian food and any celebrations, it felt like a moment where everyone got along and there was peace in the house and we came together.

And in her memoir they feel the exact same with food.

And before I keep talking about the book and convincing you that you have to read it, one of the most beautiful quotes, it's right in the first four pages of the book, she writes, food was how my mother expressed her love.

No matter how critical or cruel she could seem constantly pushing me to meet her intractable expectations, I could always still feel her affection radiating from lunches she packed and the meals she prepared for me just the way I liked them.

And that made me smile as I read it.

I, I read this on a flight bad idea because I did cry and the person next to me looked very concerned.

But like I said, you know, at the end we know what's going to happen to her mom.

But that quote just beautifully sums up that with the people we love and all of the relationships we have in our life, romantic or friendship, especially as we're growing up and there's so many changes, there's those little ways that we show people we care and that they show us that they care.

For example, my mom would always buy the snacks I loved.

She would pay attention to what I would eat the most of or liked.

And I would go to school and find this beautifully prepared lunch.

And I felt so lucky because some kids wouldn't have that.

And it felt me, it made me feel connected.

And this entire book, like I said, it's also hilarious at times because they'll scream at each other about like why her mom doesn't want her to dye her hair or wear a certain makeup brand and then it ends with them hugging and crying on the floor because they don't want her mom to die.

And the just the duality of being a human right and having these little things that upset you in the moment, this book really reminded me and I hope will do the same for you.

That with the bigger picture, it's all of those little moments of love that add up.

And if you can and you're fortunate enough to go hug your mom, hug your dad, hug your sibling, hug your best friend.

And while we're all here, just enjoy being in each other's presence and sharing love in the little ways.

And food is an incredible way to bond.

I'm always in a favor of that.

Going out to eat with my friends is probably my favorite way to share love and book recommendations.

But I truly a gorgeous book.

I think one of the best memoirs I've ever read and I highly recommend it reads like fiction.

It's so fast and poignant and to the point I think anyone could really get a lot out of it.

So I hope that you do and happy reading - That does it for this Tuesday night.

If you have a story idea you'd like us to explore, we would love to learn more.

All you need to do is send us an email at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for tonight.

Everyone join us next time for a fresh look inside the stories have a safe night.

We'll see you next time.

Take care.

- WPBS weekly inside the stories is brought to you by - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

A Carthage Walk-in clinic is here for you.

Located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us.

North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country we're protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the north country strong, at claxtonhepburn.org today.

- Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York state legislator administered by the St.

Lawrence County Arts Council.

- I hadn't been a news producer, I hadn't done anything really with news and, but I was a good writer and I knew how to learn TV writing and so they trained me to take over producing the the morning news and I loved it.

It was very different than being on the air.

It's very different to be the person that's shaping the story, shaping the experience for reviewers.