Xandra McMahon

Colorado Matters Producer

Xandra was a producer for Colorado Matters until 2021. She joined Colorado Public Radio in 2017 after receiving one of CPR’s year-long fellowships.

These Guys Made A Habit Of Finding The Weirdest VHS Tapes. Then They Started A Film Festival.

Tapes from a 1980s video dating service. McDonald’s corporate training videos. A workout video called “Skiercise.” They’re the kinds of VHS treasures Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett have found on thrift store shelves and in family crawlspaces. The New York-based comedy duo is behind the Found Footage Festival. They’ve been unearthing old VHS tapes since they were bored teenagers in Wisconsin. In 2004, they took the festival on the road for the first time.

Turning The Great Sand Dunes Into Music And Dance

It must have been quite a sight: Dancer Erica Prather bustin’ moves at The Great Sand Dunes. She was inspired by some of the park’s endangered species. Her partner Kevin Larkin, meanwhile, was trying to understand the sound of the sand. Prather and Larkin explain their artist residency, hosted by the park service.

Rock and Roll Photographer Captures Quieter Moments On Stage

Boulder photographer Lisa Siciliano has photographed some of the world’s most famous musicians: Tom Petty, B.B. King, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson, the list goes on. She’s one of the last remaining rock and roll art photographers. For years, she was the house photographer at Red Rocks and the Boulder Theater. Her annual “Rocking in a Winter Wonderland” art show is Thursday.
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What Happens To Your Digital Life When You Die?

What happens after you die? This isn’t a religious story. It’s about your digital afterlife like social media accounts, email and online banking. Jed Brubaker thinks a lot about this. He’s an assistant professor of information science at CU Boulder and has consulted for years with Facebook.

What’s Happening In The Teen Brain?

The brain has developed the same way it always has, even since ancient times. But the world that an adolescent brain develops in today is drastically different. Take screens, for instance. What’s happening in the brain when teens spend hours and hours every day looking at their phones or playing video games?