Nikyra McCann, Producer and Host of “Still Standing”

This month’s Producer Spotlight shines on Nikyra McCann. Her program “Still Standing” is produced in Fitchburg, Wisconsin at the FACT TV studios in the Fitchburg City Hall. She interviews people from a variety of backgrounds, with the goal to motivate her audience to have the courage to stand no matter what challenges one faces in life.

Nikyra started her TV show to inspire others and to motivate others to reach their full potential. She wanted a way to connect to the world and make people smile. Nikyra gives props to Mr. Yarbrough at FACT TV, who’s always exceptional in his commitment to making sure that her TV show is solid both technically and aesthetically.

At the age of 20, Nikyra was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which causes extreme mood swings. She remembers being in isolation for 18 hours in a mental institution, strapped to a table for some of that time. Her walk with bipolar disorder brings some traumatizing days, but she is learning to take each day as it comes and she focuses on being positive and spreading joy. She has been on the path to recovery for four years now and has a lot to share about her experience.

Nikyra’s story has been featured in many media outlets, including Psychology Today & Good Morning America. She was even featured as the cover story by The Opportunity News, a digital newspaper that is distributed in print in Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Zambia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. For all these appearances she is humbled and extremely honored.

Nikyra was brought up in the church and she points to her faith as the guiding force behind the strong foundation on which she stands. Nikyra said “When it comes to my TV show, I want to show love and empathy to others. We may all have many different walks in this life, but our differences can also unite us.” Nikyra believes her show is important because it talks about the issues that we are facing in our world. “There are so many who have my same story, who feel alone. I believe that not only can I bring comfort but also resources and knowledge to help our community grow together.”

— Will Nimmow

Nikyra interviews author Theron Wallace. Theron was a psychology student, a member of the USCA Admission Ambassadors, and a member of the US Air Force Reserves. The Theron Wallace Memorial Scholarship helps psychology majors who maintain a 2.5 GPA and are exemplary students at USC Aiken, like Theron was.

In one of Ed’s earlier interviews he talks with John Holland from the Oshkosh Fire Department about fire safety for people with disabilities.

When Ed Kastern decided three years ago that he wanted to do a show with Oshkosh Media, he was a little nervous about approaching them. He wanted to make a long-term commitment to do the show, but he wasn’t sure how it would go. Ed has cerebral palsey, which has put him in a wheelchair. “At UW-Oshkosh I majored in Theater and minored in Radio/TV, so this was a dream of mine and I really had to get my nerve up to ask,” said Ed. Thirty shows later, it’s clear Making It Happen has carved out a niche in the talk show genre. His shows have a frank directness that brings out the same in his guests. The show’s name, "Making It Happen," surely reflects his own approach to life and the lives of those he routinely interviews.

He talks to a variety of people, but all of them in some way have been "making it happen." American Idol contestant Franki Moscato shared her latest music video, talked about her efforts to combat online bullying, and sang a little for Ed. Pam Schedivy, the Exalted Ruler of Oshkosh 292 Elks Club, talked about leading the club as a woman and what it’s like to be legally blind. In another episode, his guest Tanner talked about what its like living with schizophrenia. During the pandemic, Ed couldn’t do the show from the Oshkosh Media studio, so he did it from home on Zoom. One of his guests during that time was Oshkosh bar owner Mark Schultz, who was hospitalized with COVID and documented his experience with a series of videos.

The first guest Ed had on his first show was Joe Sosinski, his Special Olympics coach. Ed has been participating in Special Olympics for 33 years, so it was a natural choice. Ed knows his way around Special Olympics, having competed in bowling, basketball, track and field, gymnastics, and power lifting. He’s about to begin a part-time position with Special Olympics as part of the Unified Leadership Task Force, teaching classes online and soon in-person. Jeanne Hrovat, Ed’s supervisor at Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI), said of Ed’s new position, “SOWI is thrilled to have Edward Kastern on staff sharing his unique perspective on inclusion through his role on the Unified Leadership Task Force. As Edward’s supervisor and colleague, I am constantly learning from him and I am certain that he makes me a better employee and citizen. For almost 50 years, SOWI has been leading the way for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) to be included on the sports field and in their communities. Edward’s leadership, both within the SOWI community and the greater Oshkosh community, is a perfect example of what our athletes are capable of when inclusion is the name of the game. We couldn’t be more proud of Edward for being highlighted as WCM’s Producer of the Month.”

Jake Timm, Operations Coordinator at Oshkosh Media, who has worked with Ed over the last several years said of the show, “Making it Happen is a great title for Ed’s show, because he is someone who makes things happen in this community and in life. He and his crew work hard on the show and Oshkosh Media is very proud of community producers like Ed who highlight the good that is going on in our city.”

It was inevitable that during the interview for this article, Ed turned the tables and started interviewing me, but since he was almost to his destination – he was headed to Wisconsin Dells for a dance competition – he was only able to get a few questions in!

Ed Kastern interviews Olympic speed skater Brian Hansen, who won a silver medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics.