great to know – universal positive

Great to know: Lisa Cleff Kurtz, Philanthropist, Education and Arts Activist, and Rainmaker

February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 by Roger Darnell

Editor’s note: Nearly two decades ago, my fate was forever altered due to a chance encounter with the then-San Francisco based creative industry rainmaker, Lisa Cleff. After several months of her mentoring me in the field of sales, I was hired by high-tech PR firm The Terpin Group, thanks almost entirely to her recommendation. When The Darnell Works Agency launched in 2000, not only was she a main client and collaborator, her referrals have resulted in more than a dozen vital DWA client relationships… including those at ATTIK, CBX, PLUS, PostWorks and Sid Lee, to name but a few. Naturally, shining a light on this phenomenal luminary is a great honor for me, especially since the interview itself was conducted by her daughter, Zoe Lindgren, a rising NYC creative in her own right. For your further enjoyment, I also highly recommend this great interview by Timothy Huang, who spoke with Lisa in 2016 about her career – and her role as a star board member of A.R.T. / New York.

How did you get your start in your career?

Read moreGreat to know: Lisa Cleff Kurtz, Philanthropist, Education and Arts Activist, and Rainmaker

Great to know: Filmmaker Jonathan Lim

May 10, 2024April 26, 2016 by Roger Darnell

I recently had the chance to meet filmmaker Jonathan Lim, whose dramatic feature film “Pali Road” is opening in theaters in 20 U.S. cities across America later this week. Jonathan wrote and directed the film, which was entirely shot on-location in Hawaii and is the first Hawaii-China co-production in history. While Jonathan describes it as a mystery and a romantic thriller, here’s how it’s introduced by the programmers of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, who have chosen the film to close the festival’s 32nd edition, this Thursday night, 28 April:

“…As stylish as it is mysterious, ‘Pali Road’ by Jonathan Lim echoes the most daring and challenging of classic Hollywood mysteries. If you look closely, you’ll find a hint of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 romantic mystery “Rebecca” starring Joan Fontaine; and maybe even espy a nod to George Cukor’s legendary “Gaslight” (1944) starring the great Ingrid Bergman…”

Read moreGreat to know: Filmmaker Jonathan Lim

Great to know: Lee Goldberg

May 10, 2024August 25, 2015 by Roger Darnell

Author and television producer Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar and Shamus Award nominee who has written and produced scores of highly successful TV series, as well as being the author of more than 40 novels and nonfiction books. An international TV consultant, Lee has advised networks and studios across North America, Europe and Asia on the creation, writing, and production of episodic series. While some references list him as an ex-Navy SEAL, freelance sexual surrogate and a professional impersonator of Pierce Brosnan, because I worked closely with Lee and his frequent writing partner William Rabkin during the production of “seaQuest 2032” at Universal Studios Florida back in 1996, I suspect those are just rumors (grin). My experience with him? He is a great guy… and that goes for Mr. Rabkin, too.

After seeing the video embedded here where Lee appears on-camera discussing the publishing success he’s achieving with Amazon KDP, I know it will be of major interest to established and aspiring authors. Here’s the introduction courtesy of Amazon: “Even with the success of Monk and Diagnosis: Murder, it wasn’t until author Lee Goldberg revived his backlist that he saw the potential in indie publishing.”

Great to know: Anson Williams

March 13, 2024December 16, 2014 by Roger Darnell

My relatively short career as a professional working in episodic television production took a giant leap forward in 1995, when I was hired to assist the Florida-based producers for NBC, Universal Television and Amblin Entertainment’s SeaQuest 2032. The year before, I had worked on a different series for Fox, BBK Productions and Columbia Pictures TV, where the many producers, directors and talents I met became inspirations for me. Nonetheless, I was very surprised to meet – and have lots of opportunities to work with and get to know – director Anson Williams as one of the many all-stars involved with SeaQuest.

Best known for his Golden Globe-nominated role as Potsie Weber on Happy Days – the single greatest TV series of my youth – Anson is also an award-winning television director, as well as being a writer, singer, producer and entrepreneur. By 2014, Anson has directed over 300 hours of television for scores of world-famous TV series, including Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, to name but a few.

Great to know: Allison Dollar

March 21, 2024August 11, 2014 by Roger Darnell

It’s safe to say that the illustrious Allison Dollar has had a huge impact on my professional career, beginning with assignments she gave me in 1993 and 1994 to write the annual Florida Regional Production Guides for the national film and television industry trade magazine “In Motion,” which was published by Phillips Business Information (PBI). Allison and I have kept in-touch over the years, and her unique expertise and first-hand knowledge of cutting-edge innovation across the media landscape is a constant reminder of how lucky I am to know her. Read on for more of Allison’s background, and to learn about a fascinating upcoming panel discussion she is co-hosting on 21 August through the Interactive Television Alliance (ITA), the non-profit she established in 2002 to represent the interests of companies that create, distribute and enable interactive programming.

Great to know: Steven Masur

March 21, 2024December 19, 2013 by Roger Darnell

Exactly twenty-two years ago, during my employment with Ivan Tors Entertainment, I was hunkered down writing my first screenplay, which was for “Flipper: The Movie.” Delivered early in January, 1992, that script helped the firm move forward in all of its development discussions, and I was given a small sum and a contract stating that the majority of my compensation as the screenwriter was contingent upon the film being made.

Great to know: Leviathan’s Jason White

May 8, 2024December 13, 2012 by Roger Darnell

Jason White, the executive creative director of design-focused production studio Leviathan, recently returned from a very successful trip to Australia, where he participated in events with Autodesk in Sydney as well as the Pause Digital Festival in Melbourne. At Pause, Jason presented “Moving Masses: The Art of Transformative Visual Experiences” as part of the PauseStage premiere conference event, and he hosted the world premiere of the dramatic short “Lilith,” Leviathan’s first original narrative film. The film was very well received, and so were Jason’s presentations. Here is some of the feedback.

Great to know: Libby DeLana

May 8, 2024October 25, 2012 by Roger Darnell

Libby DeLana is a founding partner and creative at the next-generation branding firm Mechanica. I had the very good fortune of meeting her when my clients at Shilo first collaborated with Libby, her partners and their clients at Saucony on the inspirational project featured above. Through our exchanges formulating a PR strategy to promote the Saucony “Find Your Strong” campaign, I was exposed to the deep strategic thinking Mechanica invests into its work, as well as many facets of Libby’s personal talents. At the time, her photographs from Shilo’s location shoot blew me away, and since that first introduction, everything I’ve seen and experienced has made me even more of a fan.

For a bit more background, check out this 2009 profile of Mechanica from northshore magazine.

Q: What one trait or habit got you to where you are today? A: “A sunny disposition, a fierce belief that just about anything is possible and a touch of discipline.”

Read moreGreat to know: Libby DeLana

Great to know: Ian Albinson

April 25, 2024July 25, 2011 by Roger Darnell

ArtoftheTitle.com Founder Ian Albinson is a leading global authority on the art and craft of film and television title design. At this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, Ian produced and presented the fascinating video embedded here, which is entitled “A Brief History of Title Design.” Of the production, Stephanie Murg of Mediabistro’s UnBeige and LiquidTreat.com writes:

“In less than three minutes, he takes viewers from the title card for D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916) to the Tokyo fever dream opening of Enter the Void (2009), pausing along the way to pay respects to the title sequences of everything from Singing in the Rain to Dexter.”

Read moreGreat to know: Ian Albinson