Lisa Derderian (l), Justin Chapman (r)
Pasadena Media’s award-winning local TV talk show “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman” returns this Friday with guest Lisa Derderian, the City of Pasadena’s Public Information Officer.
Derderian has served as PIO and Emergency Manager since 2018. Previously, she worked for the Pasadena Fire Department for 16 years as the City Emergency Manager/Fire Public Information Officer.
She is responsible for Community Emergency Response Team training and disaster preparedness for residents and businesses. She also trains City employees in their respective disaster roles, updates the City emergency operations plans and works with the media on a daily basis to disseminate public safety information and respond to their inquiries on behalf of the City. Before her tenure with Pasadena, Derderian was the Director of Communications and Marketing for the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.
There, she led statewide efforts in response to the September 11 tragedy and organized numerous fundraisers in coordination with local public safety and other organizations.
Earlier this year, Chapman won a 3rd place journalism award in the Talk/Public Affairs category of the LA Press Club’s 66th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards, for hosting “Pasadena Monthly.”
Also, “Pasadena Monthly” won a 1st place award in the Talk Show category at the Alliance for Community Media West’s WAVE (Western Access Video Excellence) Awards.
“Pasadena Monthly” airs at 5 p.m. PT on the fourth Friday of every month on Pasadena Media’s Arroyo Channel and streaming apps, available on channel 99 on AT&T U-verse, channel 32 on Charter Spectrum, YouTube, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku.
The show is written, hosted and produced by Chapman, directed and edited by Jeffrey Stanfill, supervised by producer Jasiri Jenkins-Glenn, executive produced by Chris Miller and chief executive produced by George Falardeau, CEO and executive director of Pasadena Media.
“This is must-watch television each month for everyone who cares about this City,” Falardeau said.
Guests on “Pasadena Monthly” (and its previous iteration, “NewsRap Local”) have included Congressmember Judy Chu; Congressmember Adam Schiff; Assemblymember Chris Holden; Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo; Pasadena City Manager Miguel Márquez; Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; JPL director Dr. Laurie Leshin; and many others.
Chapman was the youngest elected official in Los Angeles County when he served on the Altadena Town Council at age 19. He has served on a number of local boards and wrote hundreds of articles for dozens of print and digital publications, including KPCC/LAist, Alta Journal, Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Irish Post, Berkeley Political Review, Pasadena Weekly, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena Now and many others.
He has won a dozen LA Press Club journalism awards.
He is the author of Saturnalia and Paradise Springs. He was a professional child actor who starred in dozens of movies, TV shows, commercials and plays.
He previously served as Communications Officer for USC’s Pacific Council on International Policy and currently serves as the District 6 Council Liaison/Field Representative to Pasadena Vice Mayor Steve Madison.
Learn more at justindouglaschapman.com and pasadenamedia.org.