Who needs work-life balance?

Ross McCray is a boss who does not believe in the concept of work-life balance. “There is no such thing,” says the 25-year old co-founder of VideoAmp, a digital platform based in Santa Monica, California, that allows advertisers and media owners to interact across different screens or devices. But is a work environment where there are no fixed hours and no fixed vacation days, good for employees? I spend a (long) day at VideoAmp to try to find out:

The Oscars are more diverse this year - but what about Hollywood?

This year's Oscars are being praised for their diversity - but are Native Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos fully represented on the big screen? I hosted a discussion at the Roosevelt hotel, the site of the very first Academy Awards, with a group of filmmakers.

Is California's drought over?

California’s drought, “for all practical purposes” is over, says Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and professor of earth system science at the University of California, Irvine. Two years ago Famiglietti warned that California had only one year of water remaining in its reservoirs. "We're not just up a creek without a paddle in California, we're losing the creek too,” he wrote in the Los Angeles Times. Now, after record levels of rainfall the picture has changed, although Famiglietti says his long term outlook for California’s and water remains pessimistic. "Scientifically we could say that the drought is over but we still won’t have enough water to do all the things that we want to in the state." I spoke with Prof. Famiglietti (together with Rhod Sharp) on BBC Radio 5 live.

Michael York, actor

As the world goes gaga over La La Land, the veteran British actor Michael York talks about the making of Bob Fosse’s Cabaret with Liza Minnelli. The groundbreaking and Oscar winning musical recently marked its 50th anniversary.

In a wide-ranging interview we chat (with Rhod Sharp on BBC Radio 5 Live) about York's hugely successful career, the upcoming Academy Awards, Hollywood life, and his recent struggles with a little-known medical condition called amyloidosis.

"It is my new role and probably the best role I've ever had, to raise awareness for this rare disease," he tells us.    

Photo credit: Neshan Naltchayan