OC World Wins Big + New Stories You Don’t Want to Miss

Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) introduced its collaborative “Giving Days” initiative following the success of a county-wide initiative that began in 2015, which has raised more than $30 million for local nonprofits thanks to the generosity of Orange County residents. The recent “Help Them Home” campaign for the homeless is the focus of an upcoming OC World program, airing 5 p.m. Monday 30 June and now available for an “exclusive” viewing.

He’s California’s top law enforcement officer — leading the charge in courtrooms, communities, and Capitol hallways. Attorney General Rob Bonta has positioned himself as a staunch defender of the “rule of law.” He says his work is guided by the Constitution, and committed to fairness, due process, and justice. But his time in office hasn’t been without conflict. Bonta now finds himself in high-stakes legal battles — suing cities over zoning laws, defending state election rules, and challenging federal decisions like the deployment of the National Guard under the Trump administration.

Nearly one in three residents struggle to make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck to buy food, stay housed or afford basic healthcare. In this upcoming episode of OC World, Guest Host Steve Churm examines the roots of this growing wealth disparity, and how the philanthropic and nonprofit communities are responding. Guests: Professor Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Associate Dean, UCI School of Humanities; Sue Parks, President, Orange County United Way; and Lindsey Spindle, President, Samueli Family Philanthropies. “People should reconcile themselves with the fact that there will be an unmet need,” says Spindle.

Laguna Beach resident Greg MacGillivray is a pioneering force in cinematography, especially for his innovative approaches to large-format filmmaking and specialized camera rigs. In his book Five Hundred Summer Stories: A Life of IMAX, MacGillivray writes about his life’s mission to give his audience an experience that transforms how they see the world and themselves. In this 90-second clip, he describes an early-career innovation of using one of the first IMAX cameras to film a train scene.

👍 Catch more in the Monday, June 9 edition of the Orange County Business Journal, part of OC World’s ongoing collaboration with the business publication.

Read the full article: 🔗 https://www.ocbj.com/leader-board/oc-leader-board-the-1-3b-story-behind-imax-documentaries/?oly_enc_id=7243H8867912H2L

For the second time in three years, OC World was honored by the OC Press Club with the coveted “Real O.C. Award” — this time for its documentary short “The Power and Awe of Music” about a viral video that had a great message on the power and awe of music, and philanthropy. The Real O.C. Award is given for the “story, review, feature, column, photo or broadcast video that best captures something special, surprising, telling, or essential about Orange County.”

OC World also swept the “Best Video” category with the following three programs: From Saigon to the OC in collaboration with Little Saigon TV, “Transforming the Irvine Ranch” (with Guest Host Rick Reiff), and “Breaking the Grand Silence” (with Guest Host Manuel Gomez). AND — more big news — at the LA Press Club’s 67th Southern California Journalism Awards, OC World earned two additional awards for its documentary shorts.

OC World also received a 2nd place award in the Best Use of Multimedia category for its onsite report from The Bowers Comic Expo (Guest Host Jackie Moe with the Orange County Business Journal.)

All three documentary shorts and in-studio & onsite interviews are the result of the collaborative efforts of the OC World team: Manuel Gomez, Rick Reiff, Ty Woodson, KLCS-PBS, Veronica Marquez, Scott Hays, and so many others. OC World would also like to thank its Sponsors, Advisory Committee Members, and those who have allowed us into their lives to tell their stories.

OC World Production Coordinator Brianna Marcial proudly accepts five awards at this year’s OC Press Club Gala!

A special shoutout to Mimi Ko Cruz of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology for taking home 1st place in Best Audio Storytelling/Podcast for her series “Red County, Blue Country, Orange County.”

📸 Pictured (left to right): Mimi Ko Cruz and Brianna Marcial

July 7, 2025 – Calif. Attorney General Rob Bonta
July 14, 2025 – A Tale of Two Counties
July 21, 2025 – Is Your City Going Broke
July 28, 2025 – Quang Pham

Don’t miss these programs airing on KLCS-PBS on Mondays at 5:00pm. Can’t tune in live? Be sure to set your DVR to record OC World.

The costs of city government keep going up, often faster than the money’s coming in. Does this lead to more tax and school bonds for residents to make up the difference? OC World Guest Host Rick Reiff interviews two individuals who have some answers: Former Orange County Treasurer – Tax Collector and former OC Board of Supervisor John Moorlach, and former Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry. What ultimately is the impact on taxpayers? What are some potential solutions?

Dia de Los Muertos is an ancient ceremony dating back to the Aztec Civilization to honor the dead. Today this tradition is vibrantly alive in the city of Santa Ana with Centro Cultural de Mexico’s Noche de Altares: Celebration honoring our ancestors.

OC World wishes to extend its appreciation to the visionaries behind The Village at 17th Street, which celebrated its 15-year anniversary since opening Orange County’s first multi-tenant shared workspace for the nonprofit community.

Visionary Bill Podlich and OC World co-founder / producer Manuel Gomez.

OC World production coordinator Mirza Habib, OC World co-founder / executive producer Scott Hays, and Jerry Hunter, Chancellor Emeritus North Orange County Community College District.

Shelley Hoss, president-CEO Orange County Community Foundation; The Village at 17th Street visionaries Bill Podlich and Warren Lortie, and Anne Olin, President-CEO Charitable Ventures.

Last week at the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s (MWDOC) Water Policy Forum at The Westin South Coast Plaza, keynote speaker Troy Edgar, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Homeland Security (DHS), discussed the new administration’s policies and their implications for California’s water future.

Pictured (l-r): Scott Hays, co-Founder / Executive Producer OC World; Brett R. Barbre, Director, Yorba Linda Water District Board; Troy Edgar, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Homeland Security (DHS); and former State Senator & former OC Treasurer-Tax Collector John Moorlach.

The Newport Beach tradition of Mr. Irrelevant ended its 50-year anniversary after a four-day long celebration of the last (257th) overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft by the New England Patriots of cornerback Kobee Minor from the University of Memphis. Activities included a sailing regatta, a VIP luncheon with past Mr. Irrelevants at the Balboa Bay Resort, surfing lessons at 30th Street, and a day at Disneyland. Founded by Paul Salata and now run by his daughter Melanie Salata-Fitch, the Mr. Irrelevant mission remains unchanged: “To champion the underdog and to do something nice for someone for no reason.” (Pictured: Kobee Minor and Scott Hays, co-Founder / Executive Producer OC World).

What sparked the dream? In this new clip Danny Kwock, discusses how he became inspired to become a professional surfer – the movie “Five Summer Stories” by Laguna Beach big-screen movie producer/director Greg MacGillivray, and the scene with surf legend Gerry Lopez. From the documentary The OC Effect: Orange County’s Surf-Skate Business Evolution, produced by OC World Founder / Executive Producer Scott Hays and OC Effect Co-Producer Terry Corwin.

Watch live on KCLS.org, or your local KLCS-PBS television station. Click here to find which channel carries KLCS-PBS in your area. Can’t make the broadcast? No problem. Subscribe to our YouTube channel where we will be publishing our episodes shortly after each broadcast.