Nicole Avant

Nicole A. Avant (born March 6, 1968) is a former United States Ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009 to 2011.
Biography.
Early career.
Nicole Avant is the daughter of Clarence Avant, "The Black Godfather" and chairman of Motown Records. During her childhood, Jimmy Carter, Tom Bradley, Gray Davis, and Jerry Brown were frequent visitors to the family's estate in Hollywood.
Nicole Avant graduated in 1984 from the California State University, Northridge with a B.A. in communications. She started her career working for the promotion division of A&M Records in Los Angeles. In 1988, she was named vice president of Interior Music Publishing, her father's music company.
In 2006, Nicole Avant helped launch the Culture Cabinet, and organized fundraising events for Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee before becoming the Southern California finance co-chairwoman for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign (along with Charles Rivkin), while her dad was fundraising for Hillary Clinton.
US Ambassador to the Bahamas.
Avant was appointed United States Ambassador to the Bahamas by President Barack Obama on June 16, 2009, and was sworn in on October 22, 2009 and served until November 21, 2011. At 41, she was the first black woman and the youngest US Ambassador to the Bahamas ever. During her term, Ambassador Avant was nominated for the State Department's Sue M. Cobb Award for exemplary diplomatic service and she is remembered as one of the more popular Ambassadors to have served the U.S. in the Island nation.
Nicole Avant has worked with local advocacy groups for people with disabilities. She hosted Eunice and Francesca Shriver to raise awareness for Special Olympics-Bahamas. She also brought Magic Johnson to the Bahamas Chamber of commerce to advise on trade with the US.
A State Department inspector general's report on the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas praised the Ambassador and the embassy noting that "The large and diverse law enforcement community in Mission Bahamas works well
together, under the Ambassador’s leadership, to counter threats to U.S. national security." the report also noted that the Ambassador and the new deputy chief of mission, whom she had hired, were "emerging strongly from a
period of dysfunctional leadership and management." The inspector general found Nicole Avant was frequently away from the embassy often traveling to and from her home in Los Angeles. When she was in the Bahamas, she often worked from her office at the residence rather than working at the embassy. Nicole Avant "was absent from [her] post for 276 days during a 670-day period from November 19, 2009, to September 19, 2011—an average of 12 days per month. The 276 days include...102 personal leave days. [She] also traveled to the United States for 77 work days on what she identified as business, with 23 days on what appear to have been official travel orders." The report found she "had not had frequent policy-level interaction with the [State] Department or other Washington agencies... She relied unduly on her [deputy chief of mission] to attend to day-to-day contacts with the [State] Department." The report offered praise for the service levels from the consular section, noted an "invigorated" public affairs section and reported that "she (Avant) and her staff have improved the embassy’s reputation
among Bahamians. This, in turn, has fostered a close bilateral environment that is conducive to
excellent law enforcement cooperation."
In response, Avant said that she had inherited a dysfunctional embassy, and the new executive team she appointed had improved things.
Nicole Avant resigned in November 2011 and informally worked on Barack Obama's 2012 re-election efforts, including fundraising.
Post-politics activities.
In 2019, she produced the Netflix-distributed movie "The Black Godfather".<ref name="vanityfair 2019/05"></ref>
Personal life.
Nicole Avant is married to Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix.
In 2010, the couple purchased a Hollywood residence for $5.4 million from Max Azria, and sold it in 2017 for $8.825 million. In 2010, the couple also purchased a beachfront house in Malibu from David Spade for $10.2 million.


Henry Colman

Henry Cohen (September 9, 1923 - November 7, 2012) was an American producer and screenwriter.
Early life.
Colman was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania to Canadian-Russian parents Abe, a businessman, and Jenny, a homemaker. He had a older brother and sister. Colman attended and graduated from Altoona Area High School. He later attended to University of Michigan in September 1941, he left in 1943 and served in the army air corps service. In September 1946, Colman was discharged and went to Columbia University in New York and graduated, in 1949.
Career.
Colman started his career, as assisting the lighting director in different colleges, when he graduated from Columbia University. As he became the new lightning director and acted. In 1949, Colman auditioned in a Los Angeles theatre, but got the job as stage manager, as working on three plays.
Later in his career, Colman worked as a reporter in a Weekly Trade Paper, as he went around to television networks for new programs and the stars. He also worked on NBC Studios, as being hired and working as a production coordinator. Colman worked with 4 other production coordinators and were all assigned to cogging sets from television shows.
In 1950s-1970s, Colman worked on "Kraft Television Theatre" in NBC as a production coordinator. He later worked on "Dr. Kildare" as a associate producer on six episodes. In 1965, Colman worked on the American prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" on 89 episodes, from 1965.
In 1970s-1980s, Colman worked on television films, including the two "Love Boat" television films. In 1977, he worked as a producer on The Love Boat for the first seven seasons. He left to produce for the television series "Hotel" in the second season.
In 1980s-1993, Colman worked on television films, for a few years, including, "The Rape of Doctors Wills", "In the Shadows, Someone's Watching" and "Nightmare in the Daylight". He retired his career, in 1993.
Death.
Colman died in November 2012 at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 89.


Kerry McCluggage

Kerry McCluggage (born 29 November 1954) is the owner and president of Craftsman Films, an independent production company developing motion picture and television content. He was Chairman of Paramount Television Group and President of Universal Television for more than ten years each. He was a co-founder of United Paramount Network (UPN). At Paramount Television, he oversaw programs such as "Cheers ", its spinoff "Frasier " , the "Star Trek " franchise, "Entertainment Tonight " , "The Arsenio Hall Show " , "Judge Judy ", "Judge Joe Brown " and "Judge Mills Lane ". and grew the operation from $700 million to $3.2 billion, making it one of the leading television production companies. From mid-2018 until the end of 2018, McCluggage was CEO of IDW Media Holdings (Idea and Design Works), a subdivision of IDW Publishing.
Education.
At the University of Southern California, McCluggage studied broadcasting and film and became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He later gained his MBA at the Harvard Business School, graduating in 1978. He currently serves on the Sigma Chi Foundation Board of Governors.
Filmography.
McCluggage has developed and supervised many television series including: "The A-Team", "Coach", "Deadwood", "The Equalizer", "Frasier", "JAG", "Northern Exposure", "Law & Order", "Miami Vice", "Murder She Wrote", "Knight Rider", "Quantum Leap", "Cheers", and "Entertainment Tonight".
While an executive at Universal Pictures, he also worked on "The Breakfast Club", "Out of Africa" and "Cocktail".


Don Warden

Don Warden (March 27, 1929 – March 11, 2017) was an American country steel guitarist and manager best known for his years on "The Porter Wagoner Show" and as the manager of Wagoner and Dolly Parton.
Biography.
Early life.
Born to Reverend and Mrs. Charles Warden in Mt. Grove, Missouri, Warden grew up singing in church. A self-taught player, he was influenced by Leon McAuliffe with Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. Warden formed his own band during high school, The Rhythm Rangers, playing steel guitar and singing. He also had an afternoon radio show on KWPM-AM in West Plains, Missouri. The band gained popularity, moving on to Kennett, Missouri's KBOA-AM and KHWN-AM in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and gigs in East Texas honky tonks; eventually leading to "Louisiana Hayride", backing The Wilburn Brothers and Red Sovine. Warden left the show in 1951 for a two-year stint with the US Army.
Returning to the "Hayride" after the Army, the Rhythm Rangers continued to back Red Sovine until Sovine left to join the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, leaving his band behind. Warden moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he attended flight school and played local clubs in his spare time.
With Porter Wagoner.
While visiting his parents in West Plains, Warden met Porter Wagoner at KWTO-AM in Springfield, Missouri. With Speedy Haworth, they formed the Porter Wagoner Trio and were regulars on ABC television's "Ozark Jubilee" broadcast from Springfield. In 1957, Warden joined the Grand Ole Opry with Wagoner, and in 1960 began a 14-year television run on the syndicated program, "The Porter Wagoner Show".
In 1966, singer Dolly Parton joined the show and Wagoner and Parton, backed by the Wagonmasters, became one of country music's most popular duos. Parton left the show in 1974 to pursue a solo career, and Warden joined her as her full-time manager, a job he held until his death.
Warden was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2008.
Warden had been in failing health and died on March 11, 2017, sixteen days before his 88th birthday.


Michelle Manning

Michelle Manning is an American film director, television director, and producer best known for producing "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club". She served as the President of Production for Paramount Pictures from 1997 to 2005. Since 2017, she has been an executive producer on the groundbreaking Disney Channel series "Andi Mack".
Career.
She began her career with Zoetrope Studios, where she was production supervisor of Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish". Manning worked as an executive for Ned Tanen’s Channel Productions, where she produced "The Breakfast Club" and was associate producer of "Sixteen Candles". Manning made her feature directorial debut in 1986 with "Blue City" for producers Walter Hill and William Hayward as well as musical sequences for Hill's "Another 48 Hrs." In television, Manning directed episodes of "Miami Vice" and Paramount's "".
Manning was Vice President of Production at Orion Pictures in the early 1990s, where she served as a production executive on Academy Award-winning Best Pictures "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Dances with Wolves" as well as "Little Man Tate", and "The Addams Family", which was then distributed by Paramount.
In 1991, Manning began working for Paramount Pictures as Senior Vice President of Production. In 1994 she was promoted to Executive Vice President of Production and was promoted again in 1997 to President of Production replacing John Goldwyn. As President, she oversaw all aspects of the studio's film development and production in addition to supervising the group's production executives. During her time at Paramount, she was involved in over 20 Paramount classic films such as "Forrest Gump" which won six Academy Awards including Best Picture; "The Hours", which was nominated for nine Oscars; as well as "Titanic", "The Firm", "Nobody’s Fool", "Clueless", "The Talented Mr. Ripley", "Braveheart", and "Saving Private Ryan", among many others.
After leaving Paramount Pictures, Manning launched the production company MM Productions in 2005.
Manning went on to produce Cruise/Wagner Productions' "The Eye" starring Jessica Alba and Chloë Grace Moretz, and Mary Agnes Donoghue’s "Jenny's Wedding", starring Katherine Heigl and Tom Wilkinson. She also executive produced "Prosecuting Casey Anthony" starring Rob Lowe for Lifetime, as well as both "Teen Beach 2" and "Adventures In Babysitting" for the Disney Channel.
Since 2017, Manning has been an Executive Producer on the groundbreaking Disney Channel series "Andi Mack". The show is produced by her production company, MM Productions. Manning has directed eight episodes between its second and third seasons. It is the Disney Channel’s first serialized show, its first series centered around an Asian-American family, and its first to feature an LGBTQ character who spoke the words "I'm gay." "Andi Mack" was nominated for a Peabody Award and won both the inaugural GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming and the Television Academy Honor which recognizes programming that educates and enlightens audiences.
In 2019, Manning executive produced Netflix’s "The Dirt" as well as "Come Away", starring Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo.
Personal life.
Manning attended USC Film School.


Oliver Brownson

Oliver Brownson (born 13 May 1746 in Bolton, Connecticut — died 20 Oct 1815 in Smithfield, New York) was an American composer and music editor, who lived in Connecticut for much of his life. In 1775 he married Sarah Merrels, and they had at least one child. Oliver Brownson was a singing master in Connecticut during the last quarter of the 18th Century.
Among his most well-known tunes are: "Colchester" ("Great God, the heav'ns well-ordered frame"); "Norfolk" ("Alas, the brittle clay"); "Salisbury" ("God of my salvation, hear"); and "Virginia" ("Thy words the raging wind control").


Tyler Bensinger

Tyler Bensinger is an American film and television writer, producer and film director.
Career.
Bensinger grew up in Los Angeles and attended the Webb School of California. He earned his B.A. as an English Major at Yale before attending UCLA Film School where he received his MFA. He began his career writing features and wrote and directed the film "Just Looking". Bensinger moved from features to TV in the late nineties and has written on numerous shows including "The Cape (1996)", "The Pretender", "Beverly Hills 90210", "Titans", "Going to California", "Dragnet", "Cold Case", "Justice", "Viva Laughlin", "Harper's Island", "Parenthood", "Prime Suspect", "Masters of Sex", "Nashville", "The Good Wife", "Notorious" and "This Is Us". He has been nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award () and an Emmy Award ("This Is Us").
Bensinger is also an award winning photographer. His monograph "There and Away" won first place in the International Photography Awards/Lucie Foundation competition in 2018. Bensinger had a 20 page spread of his photographs in the Human Rights Issue of "Lens Magazine" in June 2020 (issue #69).


Luis Almonte

Luis Almonte (born January 19, 1963) is a Dominican record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His production, songwriting, and mixing credits include Miguelito, single, which won the 2008 Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Latin Urban Album.
Early life.
Almonte was born and raised in En Villa Fundacion, Bani Provincia Peravia in Dominican Republic.


Mike Amato

 Mike Amato is an American music tour manager, best known for working with Slipknot, Arcade Fire, Green Day, KISS, Linkin Park, Mötley Crüe, System of a Down, Cinderella, AC/DC, Skid Row, Marilyn Manson, Soundgarden, Kid Rock, Daughtry, Daniel Powter, and Godsmack, among others. He also was the interim manager for Type O Negative while serving as their Tour Manager.
A friendship with Vince Neil Mötley Crüe helped Amato break into the business, and the band's manager Doc McGhee offered him a job.
Amato’s first on-the-road experience came in 1987 as assistant tour manager for Mötley Crüe followed by a five-year trek as their tour/road manager from 1989-94. From 1994-95 he was out with Type O Negative as their tour manager and accountant, and then with Skid Row in 1995 in the same capacity. His career stays current and active today.
Bands tour managed.
SLIPKNOT, Jan 2019 - Apr 2020 (Interrupted by COVID-19 hiatus)
ARCADE FIRE, Jan 2018 - Sep 2018
GREEN DAY, Aug 2016 - Nov 2017
SLIPKNOT, Sep 2014 - Aug 2016
SOUNDGARDEN, Mar 2014 - Sep 2014
GREEN DAY, July 2012 - Mar 2014
DAUGHTRY, Mar 2012 – June 2012
SYSTEM OF A DOWN, Dec 2010 – Mar 2012
rage against the machine, L.A. Rising, July 2011
Brian Setzer Orchestra, April 2011
NIGHT RANGER, Mar 2011
GODSMACK, Sept 2010 – Nov 10
CREED, May 2010 – Sept 10
TOOL, Tool Touring, Inc., Burbank, CA
Tour Accountant: May 2010 – July 10
KISS, Mar 2009 – Dec 09
DANIEL POWTER, Feb 2008, Nov – Dec 2008, Nov – Dec 2006
STAIND, Jan — Feb 2008
LINKIN PARK, July 2006 – Oct 08, Jan 2003 – Sep 04
ANDREW “DICE” CLAY, Tour Consultant: Dec 2006
ROB THOMAS, May – Jul 2006
KID ROCK, Jan – May 2006, Dec 2001 – Nov 02
SYSTEM OF A DOWN, Oct 2004 – Nov 05
MARILYN MANSON, Sep 2000 – Oct 01, May 1998 – Aug 99
CINDERELLA, Jun – Sep 2000, Jan – Apr 1998
TYPE O NEGATIVE, Jan 2000 – April 00, Sep – Dec 1999,
COAL CHAMBER, Jan 2000 – April 00, 1996 – 97, 1994 – 95
TYPE O NEGATIVE, Dec 1999 – April 2000, Nov 1996 – Mar 97
SKID ROW, 1995
MOTLEY CRUE, 1991 – 94, Assistant Tour Manager: 1987-91
AC/DC, 1991


Ethel Gabriel

Ethel Nagy Gabriel (November 16, 1921 – March 23, 2021) was an American record producer and record executive with a four-decade career at RCA Victor. She produced over 2,500 music albums including 15 RIAA Certified Gold Records and hits by Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Al Hirt, Henry Mancini, and Roger Whittaker among others.
She was the first female record producer for a major label and the first female A&R producer in the industry. Gabriel was the winner of a Grammy Award in 1982 and also produced six Grammy-winning albums.
Personal life.
Gabriel was born in November 1921, and grew up in a Philadelphia suburb. She was the youngest of five daughters born to Hungarian parents. She played trombone and started her own dance band at the age of 13. They played Glenn Miller arrangements. Her band played for troops at USO functions during off-duty hours. Gabriel was a trombonist in the Philadelphia Women's Symphony Orchestra from 1939-40. She studied with Donald Reinhardt in Philadelphia and New York.
Gabriel graduated in 1943 from Temple University, where she studied music education. Gabriel began her employment at RCA Victor while still in school to help pay tuition and living expenses. She also took some music and conducting courses at Columbia University between 1945 and 1948.
She spent most of her career based in New York City but traveled the world through her work with RCA. She was the wife of Gus Gabriel, President of Dunhill Publishing Company (New York City). When Gus Gabriel was hospitalized, Frank Sinatra sent autographed photos to all of the nurses to make sure he got the best care.
Gabriel previously resided in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania in a home she designed herself before moving to Rochester, New York to be closer to family, as she had no children.
She died in Rochester, New York in March 2021 at the age of 99.
Career at RCA Victor.
In 1940, a relative helped Gabriel gain employment at the RCA Victor plant in Camden, New Jersey. She began as a "finisher" working evenings. Her tasks were to affix labels to records, pack records for shipment and various secretarial duties. She was then promoted to record tester. Her job was to listen to one out of every 500 records for quality, check the label was correct and that it had no scratches. She learned a lot about hit records, having had to listen to so many different styles and types of music.
The recording studio at RCA Victor was nearby so Gabriel brought her trombone to work. She would watch recording sessions and play between sessions when she could. Gabriel became secretary to Herman Diaz Jr., manager of RCA Victor's A&R department. She "practically lived at the sound studios" where she learned by listening and watching others work.
Record producer.
Around 1959, Gabriel became head of the RCA Camden budget reissue label which was in danger of folding. Gabriel suspected that her boss, who was not in favor of women in the record industry, put her in charge of the moribund Camden label as a way to possibly force her out of RCA Victor. Gabriel went on to rejuvenate the Camden label and transform it within just a few years, into a multimillion dollar label.
Gabriel was transferred from Camden, New Jersey to New York City to work for RCA Victor's educational and international record department. She commented she learned everything on her own because her boss enjoyed going out on the road and left the work to her.
Gabriel convinced RCA Victor's vice-president, Manie Sacks, to sign Perez Prado to RCA Victor in the U.S. (most of Prado's earlier records were recorded in Mexico City for RCA Victor's International division) and she produced Prado's biggest hit record "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White." The tune topped the charts for 10 weeks in 1955 and helped fire the Mambo craze in the United States.
Living Series.
In 1959, Gabriel created the RCA Camden "Living Strings" series of albums, which were easy listening instrumental string versions of popular tunes, earning a Grammy Award in 1968. Living Strings proved to be a popular series and enjoyed a 22 year run. Their popularity spawned other "Living" ventures, such as the Living Jazz, Living Voices, Living Guitars, and Living Brass. Gabriel was also involved with the production of George Melachrino's "Music for Moods" series that yielded the titles "Music for Dining", "Music for Daydreaming", "Music for Faith and Inner Calm", and "Music to Stop Smoking By".
A&R representative.
Gabriel served as the A&R representative for several popular RCA Victor recording artists such as Perry Como, Cleo Laine, and Roger Whittaker. Under her direction, RCA issued recordings by Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, Henry Mancini, Harry Belafonte, Perez Prado, the Ames Brothers, Eddie Fisher, Jaye P. Morgan, Hugo Winterhalter, Henri René, The Three Suns, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, Peter Nero, Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka, Norma Jean, The Limeliters, Wilf "Montana Slim" Carter, John Gary, and several others, achieving top record sales for several of these artists.
Gabriel became vice-president in 1982 of Pop Contemporary A&R. She was the first woman at RCA Records to achieve a vice-president title.
Accomplishments.
At RCA Victor, Gabriel was on the ground floor of the creation of the company's famous Nashville studios. She was a leader in the experiments and methods of electronically improving and influencing the sound of music, such as simulating the first stereo sounds (by shifting sound between speakers) and experimenting with the use of an echo chamber. She supervised the first stereo recording with Bing Crosby.
Gabriel was involved with RCA's earliest disco record release, The Brothers "Disco-Soul" in 1975. During the 1970s, Gabriel was the producer of the popular RCA "Pure Gold" and "A Legendary Performer" reissue series of albums. She was also executive producer of the first digitally-remastered album, Enrico Caruso's "A Legendary Performer," issued on the RCA Red Seal label in 1976, which was also the first acoustic recording to utilize the computer restoration process developed by Thomas Stockham of Soundstream.
In 1983, Gabriel in an interview with the New York Times, said that the role of a record producer had changed. When she began her career, producers could propose who they wanted to record, the concept and the record. By the end of her career, those had become corporate decisions. The producer was responsible for the budget, selection (determined with the artist), and details such as the album cover.
Gabriel retired from RCA Records in 1984, after 44 years with the label.
Career after RCA.
In the late 1980s and 90s, Gabriel was president of JazzMania records, Vice President of Jade Panther Productions, and President of Aurora Records. She co-produced off-Broadway plays such as "The Aunts" in 1989 and "A Cast of Hawks".
Victim of retirement fraud.
In 1984, Gabriel gave her entire RCA retirement ($251,485.92) to a friend, former United States Treasury Secretary Robert B. Anderson, to form a new recording company. In 1987, Anderson was sent to prison for bank fraud. Having lost her entire life's savings, Gabriel's memorabilia from her career with RCA Victor was put up for auction in Pennsylvania in 2007. She later discovered her Gold Record Awards had unintentionally been auctioned (including those with Sinatra and Presley). Her nephew, Ed Mauro, managed to have some of her Gold Record awards recreated.
Awards and accolades.
Gabriel was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1967 and won a 1983 Grammy Award in the Best Historical Album category for "The Tommy Dorsey/Frank Sinatra Sessions - Vols. 1, 2 & 3."
Grammy-nominated albums.
Gabriel was on the Governor's Board of the Recording Academy's New York Chapter 1983-1986.
Gold records.
Gabriel produced fifteen gold records out of over twenty-five hundred releases to her credit. Eleven reissues in the RCA "Pure Gold" series received gold records as well as two platinum. Her Gold Record Awards for RCA included:
In 1997, she was honored by Women in Music Inc. at their Touchstone Awards in New York. She was awarded for being "First A&R Producer in the Industry" and for making a difference in the music industry.
In 2014, she was named to the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.


Mark Doyon

Mark W. Doyon (born October 4, 1962) is an American author, recording artist, and creative director. He has led the indie rock bands Arms of Kismet, Wampeters and Waterslide, and produced tribute albums to Jonathan Richman, Lou Reed and Warren Zevon. He is the founder and principal of the record label and media company Wampus Multimedia.
Life and career.
He was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in northern Virginia. He began recording himself using double tracking by the age of 14, and formed high school bands playing the music of British bands such as the Beatles, the Who and the Clash.
He studied American literature at The College of William & Mary, graduating in 1985, before forming the rock band Wampeters, with Eamon Loftus and Scott Goodrick, in 1987. The band took its name from a fictional religious concept in the Kurt Vonnegut novel "Cat's Cradle", and released seven albums between 1987 and 1999. He then set up Arms of Kismet as a solo project. Described as "indie guitar rock with a slight psychedelic side," Arms of Kismet has released five albums -- "Eponymous" (2004), "Cutting Room Rug" (2005), and "Play for Affection" (2010), all recorded with engineer Jon Astley, and "The Helium Age" (2016) and "Ballast and Bromides" (2018). "Cutting Room Rug" was described at Allmusic.com as "not recommended for bipolar people." "Play for Affection" won the title of Independent Album Of The Year at the "Daily Vault" review site, where it was described as "playful, literate, melodic, idiosyncratic, exotically memorable and memorably exotic." The album featured vocals, piano, organ, loops, guitar and bass by Doyon, with Evan Pollack on drums and percussion.
In 1989 he launched a literary magazine, "Friction Quasi-Quarterly", which published 18 issues until 1994. A collection of his own short stories, "Bonneville Stories", was published by Pocol Press in 2001.
In 2002 he founded the independent media company Wampus Multimedia, which has published the rock and folk recordings of his own bands and other artists, including tvfordogs, Amateur God, Cafebar 401, and Kowtow Popof. Doyon has also produced three various artists tribute albums: "If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman" (2001), "After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed" (2003), and "Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon" (2005). In 2005, Wampus established the reissue imprint Foldback Records. Doyon has also produced records for folk songwriters Casey Abrams, Alice Despard and Johnny J. Blair, and for other artists using the pseudonym "Mitch Renault."
Between 1989 and 2002 he worked as a communications and marketing director for the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (NARF), and the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA). In 2008 he was named a Vice President of BoardSource, an organization that supports non-profit organizations. He received a master's degree in arts administration from Shenandoah University in 2009.


Frank Harding

Frank Harding was a Tin Pan Alley music publisher, who was credited with creating the method of selling music called plugging. Harding paid singers to sing his published songs in shops and beer halls to get them known and attract customers. He was active from the 1880s through the 1920s.
While the Tin Pan Alley group of publishers was characterized as a group of "brash young men" who entered the music publishing business in the 1880s, Harding took over his father's "serious" music business and turned it toward popular music for Tony Pastor's shows. He published music that he wrote and also bought it from other songwriters. Stories about him say that he traded beer for songs and that he won songs in games of poker.
Another of his business practices was to charge performers to have their portrait printed on sheet music. Then he gave them the sheet music to hand out as they wished, and made money from selling advertisements on the back cover page.
He sold his business to salesman Edward B. Marks, who became a major figure in Tin Pan Alley publishers. E. B. Marks is now an imprint of Carlin America.


Bob Cavallo

Bob Cavallo is an American entertainment manager, producer, and business owner. Cavallo worked for Walt Disney Studios from 1998 through 2011, during which time he reorganized the company's recorded music, music publishing and concert operations into one centralized business entity named the Disney Music Group. Cavallo was chairman of the Disney Music Group, which distributes Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels and manages artists Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Grace Potter, Breaking Benjamin, Miley Cyrus and Plain White T's.
Career.
Music management.
Cavallo’s career began as a nightclub owner and event producer before becoming a music manager. While attending Georgetown University, Cavallo promoted several ventures, including the first Intercollegiate Jazz Festival at Georgetown University in 1960. Cavallo also booked musicians Dave Brubeck and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1961, Cavallo and business partner Frank Weis invested in The Shadows, which became a successful night club featuring folk singing entertainment in Washington D.C. Cavallo was an entertainment manager for 35 years managing acts such as The Mugwumps, The Lovin' Spoonful, Weather Report, Little Feat, Prince, and Earth Wind & Fire.
Cavallo founded Third Rail, a management firm which had a client list that included Green Day, Seal, the Goo Goo Dolls, Weezer, Savage Garden and Alanis Morissette. Third Rail earned more than 10 gold and platinum albums and several Grammy Awards.
Film producer.
Cavallo produced the films "Purple Rain" in 1983 and later "Under the Cherry Moon" in 1985 both starring Prince. Cavallo along with business partner Charles Roven produced the films "City of Angels", "12 Monkeys" and "Fallen". Cavallo and Danny Bramson produced the music soundtrack for "City of Angels" featuring the hits "Iris" by Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls and "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette.
Walt Disney Company.
Cavallo worked with Atlas Entertainment from 1988 through 1998. In 1998, he became chairman of the Buena Vista Music Group overseeing Walt Disney Company's recorded music and music publishing operations. During his time with Walt Disney Company's, Cavallo renovated Disney’s music group by reversing the decade-long decline of Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records by building upon the Disney Channel's youthful stars such as Hilary Duff, star of Lizzie McGuire, who released two soundtracks and five solo albums that sold more than 10 million copies since 2002. Disney Music Group success also included Miley Cyrus in "Hannah Montana", Raven-Symoné, Jesse McCartney, and Disney Channel movie soundtracks such as "High School Musical," "Camp Rock", and "Lemonade Mouth". In 2012, Bob Cavallo retired from Disney Music Group.


Leo Jaffe

Leo Jaffe (April 23, 1909 in New York City, New York – August 20, 1997 in New York City, New York) was an American film executive. He was chairman of the board of Columbia Pictures from 1973 until his retirement in 1981. He is the father of film producer Stanley R. Jaffe and film agent Andrea Jaffe.
Career.
The son of Lithuanian immigrants, Jaffe began working in a glue factory in the Bronx to put himself through college. While still a graduate at New York University, he began working in the mailroom at Columbia in the summer of 1930, spending his entire career there and working his way to the top. He became a travelling auditor and worked his way up the finance department, becoming treasurer and member of the board in 1956 and executive vice president in 1962. He ran the studio during the 1960s and 1970s becoming president in 1967 and chairman in August 1973. In 1979, Jaffe received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Jean Hersholt Award. In 1981 he retired after 51 years with the company and became chairman emeritus.
Personal life.
In 1968, Jaffe received the Bronze Medallion, New York City's highest civilian honor. In 1994, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.
He was married three times and had three sons, Howard, Ira and Stanley and two daughters, Marie and Andrea. He is the father to producer and director Stanley R. Jaffe known for the movie Krammer Vs. Krammer. Stanley went on to have two children Robert and Elizabeth Jaffe


Tom McGrath (media executive)

Tom McGrath (born 1956) is an American media executive. He is the CEO and chairman of Crossroads Live, a production company which invests in live and location-based entertainment on a global scale. He was formerly the CEO of STX Entertainment; chairman of Key Brand Entertainment, a producer and distributor of live theatre in the United States and parent company of Broadway.com; President and COO of Act III Communications; Executive Vice President and COO of Viacom Entertainment Group; and Senior Managing Director of Crossroads Media, Inc. He is a seven-time Tony Award-winning producer, member of the National Recording Academy, and board member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He also serves as trustee of New England Conservatory of Music and American Repertory Theater at Harvard.
Early life and education.
McGrath was born and raised in Washington, DC. He received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1976, where he was music director for Hasty Pudding Theatricals and conductor for the Harvard University Band. He earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1980. While at business school, he wrote a thesis on the potential of home video distribution for film distribution.
Career.
Columbia.
McGrath began his career in entertainment at Columbia Pictures Industries in 1980. While at Columbia, McGrath established RCA Columbia Home Video and served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Coca-Cola, following its acquisition of Columbia in 1982. McGrath also engineered the creation of TriStar Pictures through the conglomeration of Columbia, HBO and CBS. He led the acquisitions of Embassy Communications from TV producer Norman Lear and Merv Griffin Productions, producers of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!".
Act III.
After serving two years as Senior Vice President, McGrath was named President and COO of Norman Lear's entertainment company Act III Communications in December 1987. He filled that role until 1990. While at Act III, McGrath expanded its broadcast, publishing, and exhibition operations, worked on television station acquisitions, and financed multiple films, including "Stand By Me", "The Princess Bride", and "Fried Green Tomatoes".
Time Warner.
In the 1990s, McGrath was named President International of Time Warner International Broadcasting. At Time Warner, he created Classic FM, a national radio network in the UK; n-tv, a German-language national cable news channel; and VIVA, a national German music video channel.
Viacom.
McGrath led Viacom's acquisition of Paramount Pictures in the 1990s. He joined Viacom in 1994 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Viacom Entertainment Group, where he served until 2004. While at Viacom, McGrath was involved in several musical adaptations of Paramount films, including "White Christmas", "Footloose" and "Saturday Night Fever". In February 2002, McGrath was named President of Paramount Enterprises, Viacom's division for non-studio entertainment properties, including Paramount Parks, Canadian cinema chain Famous Players, and United Cinemas International.
Key Brand Entertainment.
From 2008 to 2013, McGrath served as chairman of Key Brand Entertainment, later renamed The John Gore Organization. McGrath led the company's acquisition of Live Nation's theater division in 2008, which included Broadway.com, its group ticket sales division Theatre Direct, and its promotional branch Broadway Across America. Through Broadway Across America, McGrath produced several Broadway shows, including the revivals of "Promises, Promises" (2009), "Hair" (2009), and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (2011). In 2013, McGrath joined with Broadway producer Kevin McCollum and film producer John Davis on a development deal with 20th Century Fox, in which they would choose Fox film properties from its library to be adapted into theater productions. Initial projects include "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "The Devil Wears Prada". McGrath has received seven Tony Awards.
Crossroads Media.
McGrath served as the Chief Executive Officer and chairman of Crossroads Media, a private equity firm that acquires music publishing catalogues. Working with Spectrum Equity Investors, he led the acquisitions of independent music publishing companies, including Bug Music in 2006 and Windswept Holdings in 2007. McGrath served as chairman of Bug Music through its sale to BMG in 2011.
STX Entertainment.
McGrath was the Chief Operating Officer of media company STX Entertainment from its formation in 2014 until May 2019. The company specializes in financing, developing, producing, and distributing midtier-budget star-driven films. STX has produced and distributed such films as "The Gift", "Bad Moms", "The Edge of Seventeen", "The Foreigner", and "Molly's Game".
In April 2018, STX filed for an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This was originally reported in 2017 with an estimated market value as high as $3.5bn±.
Crossroads Live.
McGrath is currently the CEO of Crossroads Live, which produces and tours Broadway musicals in international markets. Crossroads Live invests in multiple live entertainment ventures, including festivals, immersive attractions, musical theatre production and touring, and financial transactions with live entertainment companies and assets. The company also spans across film, television, music, and theme park industries. In 2019, Crossroads Live acquired David Ian Productions, and, in December 2020, the company also acquired the Gordon Frost Organization. Most recently, Crossroads Live has produced "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Company".


Moses Asch

Moses Asch (December 2, 1905 – October 19, 1986), often known as Moe Asch, was a Polish-American recording engineer and record executive. He founded Asch Records, which then changed its name to Folkways Records when the label transitioned from 78 RPM recordings to LP records. Asch ran the Folkways label from 1948 until his death in 1986. Folkways was very influential in bringing folk music into the American cultural mainstream. Some of America's greatest folk songs were originally recorded for Asch, including "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie and "Goodnight Irene" by Lead Belly. Asch sold many commercial recordings to Verve Records; after his death, Asch's archive of ethnic recordings was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, and released as Smithsonian Folkways Records.
Life and work.
Moses Asch was born in Warsaw, Poland, the son of Yiddish language novelist and dramatist Sholem Asch, and the younger brother of novelist Nathan Asch.
In 1912, the Asch family left Poland, on account of antisemitism, and settled in a suburb of Paris. In 1915, as war engulfed France, the family emigrated to New York. After the war, Asch studied electronics at a technical Hochschule in Koblenz, Germany. He returned to New York to commence work as an audio engineer.
In 1938, his father's employer, "The Jewish Daily Forward", commissioned the firm where Asch worked to build a transmitter for its Yiddish-language radio station, WEVD. Asch thereafter explored the market for recorded Yiddish music, both sacred and secular. In 1940, Asch established Asch Recordings, and concentrated on publishing and selling phonograph records. Asch overextended his operations and went bankrupt in 1948.
Asch was able to resurrect his recording career in 1948 by having his secretary, Marian Distler, initiate a new record company, Folkways Records, in her name. Harold Courlander worked for Asch as editor at the time and is credited with coming up with the name "Folkways" for the label. Although in theory a "consultant" to Folkways in its early years, Asch ran the company from its formation until his death. He recorded and published LP records by such famous folk and blues singers as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, and Ella Jenkins. Asch published American, African, Asian and European folk music, such as the LPs "Religious Folk Music of India", "Sounds and Dances of Haiti", "Folk Music of Ethiopia", "The Old Folksongs of Vermont", and "The Folk Music of France". Asch also issued Negro slave spirituals, such as the "Negro Folk Music of Alabama", originally collected in 1952 by Harold Courlander who was an associate of Asch, and "Negro Folk Songs" redone by the Folk Masters, an African American band in 1952, as well "Mormon Folk Songs" and Yiddish, Ladino, and Hebrew-Aramaic, Cantorial synagogue music from the 1940s, including a rare pre-Holocaust liturgy from Moshe Koussevitzky.
In 1952, filmmaker and ethnomusicologist Harry Smith compiled for Asch the "Anthology of American Folk Music", a collection of indigenous southern and mid-western US folk songs, which was the first record to conscientiously not differentiate between black and white folk singers upon Smith's request. Smith said of Asch in an interview on the WBAI radio's "The Sing Out! Radio Show", and repeated the story in an interview with John Cohen in "Sing Out!" magazine, that he had shipped the most precious records in his collection from San Francisco to Asch in New York. Asch initially refused to pay the COD charges for the package. Only after days of cajoling, did Asch pay the COD charges. As it turned out, the Anthology became "the most important collection of its type", according to Asch.
Asch had a significant recording relationship with James P. Johnson, described as the Father of Stride Piano. Johnson made a significant series of recordings for several labels controlled by Asch, including Asch, Stinson, Disc, and Folkways. On the Stinson album, New York Jazz, Johnson recorded five numbers which he stated could be heard in New York in the 1910s, in addition to the first recorded piano solo of Scott Joplin's, Euphonic Sounds. This established the link between the stride piano of Johnson, and the ragtime of Joplin, from which stride is descended.
One principle behind Asch's direction of the Folkways label was that he never deleted a single title from the Folkways catalogue. Asch said, "Just because the letter J is less popular than the letter S, you don't take it out of the dictionary." After his death, the Folkways recordings were acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, and Asch stipulated in his will that no titles were to be deleted, and that unreleased master tapes in the Folkways archive should be explored. The Smithsonian acquisition of the Folkways archive was, in part, funded by the release of the album "", which featured contributions by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and other artists.
Folk Singer Dave Van Ronk said: "Moe Asch could be an exasperating man, and he would never pay you ten cents if he could get away with five, but he really loved the music." Neil Alan Marks wrote in "The New York Times" in 1980: "Folkways Records was for folklorists and musicians the talmudic source for much primary material. Its founder, Moses Asch, may have more to do with the preservation of folk music than any single person in this country."
In the film "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013) by the Coen Brothers, which is set in the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961, the character of record label manager Mel Novikoff is based on Moses Asch.
Anthropologist Michael Asch is his son.


Kahane Cooperman

Kahane Cooperman is an American documentary filmmaker and television director and producer, whose 2016 documentary "Joe's Violin" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Early life.
Cooperman was born Kahane Rachel Corn, the daughter of Beatrice and Dr. David Corn. She is a graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland.
Education.
Cooperman graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Chicago and later a Masters of Fine Arts in film from Columbia University.
Career.
Her film "Joe's Violin" received a nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 2017 Academy Awards. After its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and screenings worldwide, "Joe's Violin" had its broadcast premiere on the PBS series POV in July 2017, and can be seen online at NewYorker.com. Kahane has been directing and producing a feature documentary about kindness and decency in America at Radical Media. Prior, she executive produced seven short documentaries about autism, directing two of them, for Jon Stewart's Emmy-nominated "Night of Too Many Stars" on HBO. That same year, Kahane was the showrunner, executive producer, and a director of the four-hour non-fiction series "Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders" with Joe Berlinger and Radical Media. The series had its broadcast premiere on SundanceTV in November 2017. Kahane was also the executive producer and showrunner of The New Yorker Presents, a series for Amazon with Alex Gibney's Jigsaw Productions, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. From 1996 to 2015, she was on the staff of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", where she was originally hired as a field producer in 1996 and rose through the ranks to become Co-Executive Producer from 2005 to 2015. For her work at "The Daily Show", she received eleven Primetime Emmy awards and three Peabody awards. Kahane was honored in 2017 by Variety as a Woman of Impact.
Kahane began her documentary career at the Maysles Films studios in New York City. Prior to "Joe's Violin", she directed and produced several other documentaries including "Cool Water", which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and "Making Dazed", about Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused", which was broadcast on AMC and acquired by the Criterion Collection. She also produced the feature documentary "", directed by Nick Broomfield.
Personal life.
In 1999, she married Jeffrey Cooperman at the Pratt Mansion in New York.
She has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey.


Tony E. Valenzuela

Tony Edvard Valenzuela (born June 3, 1972) is an American director, producer and writer widely known for creating BlackBoxTV, a YouTube channel dedicated to short horror films and series. He also directed "The Axe Murders of Villisca" (2017), for IFC and "Fight of the Living Dead".
Career.
In 2008, Valenzuela wrote and directed "2009: A True Story", a thirteen-episode dystopian web series that was nominated for Best Dramatic Web Series at the first-annual Streamy Awards and was featured by director Wes Craven during his Halloween 2008 YouTube Takeover. In 2009, Valenzuela directed "Harper's Globe", a thirteen-episode web series companion to the CBS television drama, "Harper's Island" and the mixed reality series "Green Eyed World" for Sprite, which won the Webby Award for Best Use of Social Media in 2010.
Valenzuela is the creator of "BlackBoxTV Presents", a horror anthology series that debuted on YouTube on August 17, 2010 and is the longest-running online drama, according to "Variety." The first season, which featured a cast of YouTube creators including Philip DeFranco, iJustine and Shane Dawson, was financed by Valenzuela. In 2012, Valenzuela created, co-produced and directed "Silverwood" and collaborated with "CSI" creator Anthony E. Zuiker to create "Anthony E. Zuiker Presents" as part of Google's YouTube Original Channel Initiative. For "BlackBoxTV Presents", Valenzuela has won Streamy Awards for Best Writing: Drama and Best Drama Series.
In 2014, Valenzuela directed and co-wrote "Versions of Elloise" in collaboration with Legendary Entertainment as part of “YouTube Space House of Horrors: A Legendary Halloween” and was selected as one of ten finalists by Guillermo del Toro.
In 2015, Valenzuela directed the pilot episode of the reality competition "Fight of the Living Dead", which he executive produced and distributed through BlackBoxTV from 2015-2016 for YouTube Red. Also in 2015, Valenzuela was recruited by New Form - the digital studio co-founded by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, to create, write and direct "The Fourth Door," a supernatural good versus evil drama series starring Joey Graceffa and Monique Coleman from "High School Musical". "The Fourth Door" debuted on October 27, 2015 on go90 and received honors at Marseille Web Fest and Raindance Film Festival. Beginning in 2016, Valenzuela directed nine episodes of the virtual reality series "BlackBoxTV Presents: 360\Horror" and won the Best Immersive Storyteller Streamy Award in 2017 for excellence in VR and 360 filmmaking.
Valenzuela's feature-length directorial debut, "The Axe Murders of Villisca" premiered at the LA Film Festival on June 7, 2016. In his December 7, 2016 review, "Austin Chronicle" critic Richard Whittaker wrote, ""Villisca" has heart and horror, creating an elegant melding of teen angst and supernatural horror that is as much "The Breakfast Club" as "Sometimes They Come Back".”


Sarah Megan Thomas

Sarah Megan Thomas is an American actress, writer, director, and producer who has established herself as a filmmaker by creating original and prestigious fare, featuring complex roles for women. Sarah created the concept, co-wrote the story, produced, and starred in the critically acclaimed Sony Pictures Classics film Equity, which premiered at Sundance and was a New York Times Critic's Pick when released theatrically nationwide.
In 2020 Sarah released the critically acclaimed feature film, "A Call to Spy", which she wrote, produced, and starred in as the legendary American spy, Virginia Hall. The film was well received, providing "fuel to the specialty box office” in a pandemic landscape. It was awarded the 2020 Anti-Defamation League "Stand Up" Award as part of the film's premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. IndieWire praised the film, noting her performance in particular by saying "Sarah Megan Thomas is the standout." In 2017, Fortune selected Sarah for their "Most Powerful Women, Next Generation" list, featuring her as a panelist in their annual summit.
Early life and education.
From Haverford, Pennsylvania on the Philadelphia Main Line, Thomas participated in theater at the Shipley School, and was a keen participant in sports such as cross-country, basketball, and rowing. Sarah was the first athlete at her high school to score over 1000 points in basketball. As an undergraduate at Williams College acting became her primary focus and she completed studies overseas at Drama Studio London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. A move to New York to pursue on-screen and off-Broadway jobs followed.
Career.
Theater.
Classically trained, Sarah starred Off- Broadway as Berowne(a) in the gender- reversed "Loves Labour's Lost" reviewed by The New York Times as: “Once you hear Berowne(a)’s (Sarah Megan Thomas’) immortal cry of longing ‘Oh my little heart!’ spoken by a woman, you may wonder why Shakespeare didn’t think of that." She starred as Eva Braun in the Off-Broadway hit, "Summit Conference", extended due to popular demand.
Film and Television.
Thomas wrote, produced, and starred in the 2012 film "Backwards", a rowing-centered romance with James Van Der Beek in which Thomas plays an Olympic hopeful who fails to make it to compete in the Rowing at the Summer Olympics and returns home instead to coach on the Schuylkill River. The film used footage from the actual The Stotesbury Regatta, the worlds oldest high school rowing competition. When she was a competing rower herself Thomas and her high school boat competed at the Henley Royal Regatta.
For 2016’s "Equity", Thomas again had story and producer credits in addition to co-starring alongside Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn. "Equity" was the first female driven Wall Street feature, and was praised for its assertive, female-first take on the traditionally man-heavy financial sector. The 2016 Sundance Film Festival selection was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Equity was bought by ABC to develop into a pilot with Sarah Executive Producing alongside Amy Pascal.
Thomas started researching the secret British World War II organization the Special Operations Executive (SOE), and the female agents they employed, whilst she on the press tour for "Equity" in 2016, before talking to living relatives of the agents and analyzing the spy files of the agents. The resulting 2019 film, "A Call to Spy", follows these Special Operations Executive agents who aided in the French Resistance against the Nazi regime and includes real life characters such as Virginia Hall, Vera Atkins, Noor Inayat Khan and Maurice Buckmaster. Written, produced and starring Thomas as Virginia Hall, "A Call to Spy" was directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher. "The Guardian" described a ‘meticulous depiction of female war-time agents’ as Thomas portrays Hall’s rise through the spy ranks to being parachuted into the hub of the French resistance in Lyon in Vichy France. "A Call To Spy" was released by IFC Films domestically, and praised by the CIA for its technical accuracy. Internationally, Amazon acquired the film as an "Amazon Original" in India.
Sarah has appeared in various television shows throughout her career, including ""
Personal life.
Her parents, Regina O’Brien Thomas and Frank M. Thomas Jr., are both lawyers. Her father has his own practice in Haverford. Her mother is a partner at a firm in Philadelphia. Sarah Megan Thomas was married to Jason Steven Donehue in May 31, 2008 at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Philadelphia).


Greg Hampton

Greg Hampton is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter, who has worked on such albums as Alice Cooper's "Along Came a Spider," Tommy Bolin's "Whips and Roses," Lita Ford's "Wicked Wonderland", and Eli Cook‘s "Primitive Son". Hampton has also appeared as the member of several groups over the years, including Science Faxtion (with Bootsy Collins and Buckethead), the New Czars (with Adrian Belew), and Razorball (with Reeves Gabrels). In 2011, it was announced that Hampton had formed a new project, 9 Chambers, with ex-Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell, Gov't Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson, and ex-Black Sabbath/Dio/Heaven & Hell drummer Vinny Appice.
Hampton's guitar set-up consists of Fender Stratocasters, Fender Telecasters, Fernanedes Ravelles, Gibson Les Pauls, a Gibson 335, a Gibson Firebird VII, a Dan Electro Baritone, and a Roland/Fernandes Guitar Synthesizer. Hampton owns 45 guitars altogether, ten of which are equipped with Fernandes Sustainers, and also uses a Line 6 Spider/Bogner 100 Head, along with various pedals.
Hampton continues to be very involved in overseeing the legacy of Bolin's recordings. In addition to being interviewed for the Bolin biography "Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story" by author Greg Prato, Hampton has produced two volumes of the aforementioned "Whips and Roses" releases, as well as 2011's "Teaser Deluxe". In 2012, Hampton co-produced (with Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes) a Tommy Bolin tribute album, "", which includes performances by Toto's Steve Lukather, Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy, Wilco's Nels Cline, the Allman Brothers' Derek Trucks, and Bolin's former Deep Purple bandmate, Glenn Hughes, among others.


Adriana Gaviria

Adriana Gaviria is an American actor, producer, director, writer, and advocate. She is a founding member and artistic producer of The Sol Project, a national initiative to support Latinx theater, and the founder and producing artistic director for North Star Projects, an arts initiative that supports independent artists and theaters. Her advocacy also includes leadership roles with the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL).
Early life and education.
Adriana Gaviria was born in New York City and raised in Miami, Florida. She graduated from Florida International University (FIU) and pursued her acting career at the Yale School of Drama. She received a BFA from FIU and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Gaviria is a former recipient of the Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC)/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Artistic Leaders Fellowship. After applying for an artistic leadership fellowship in LA, Gaviria was inspired to create change in New York City, including by advocating and producing for the Latinx theatre community.
Career.
Theatre.
Gaviria has performed in classical and contemporary works in many theaters across the nation, including the Yale Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Arizona Theatre Company, Pasadena Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. As a theater producer, her work includes "Amparo the Experience", "Frankie and Johnny In The Claire De Lune", and a virtual reading of "Borrowed", with fellow producers William Fernandez and George Cabrera, as well as a virtual reading of "Jenna and the Whale" produced with Fernandez, Jim Kierstead, and Conor Bagley. She has also worked as the Virtual Technical Director for online productions of "Two Sisters and a Piano" and "Jericho".
Film.
Gaviria played the lead role of Myra in the 2006 short film, "Sueños". The film, directed by Rio Puertollano, was produced by Dreamriver Productions and tells the story of two addicts struggling to survive in the New York City district of Washington Heights. Gaviria later played the lead of Camilla, a young Brazilian mother, in the short, "You and I, Always" (2019), directed by Ellen Marmol.
Gaviria was the assistant director for the short films, "Tamarind" (2008) and "Broken Wings" (2011). She was a producer for "Broken Wings" and an associate producer for the web series "Doin' Great". Gaviria has also worked in the makeup and hairstyling departments for "Tamarind" and "The Bakery" (2004).
Television.
In 2009, Gaviria saw her television breakout with her co-star role as Lucy Valdez in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent". She would later co-star on CBS's "Person of Interest" as Christina Rojas in 2011.
Advocacy.
Gaviria is the founder and producing artistic director for North Star Projects, an arts initiative that partners with artists, cultural leaders, organizations, and theaters around the country to help support independent artists and theater organizations. In 2020, Gaviria was a producer of a virtual reading of "Jenna and the Whale" that was also a fundraising activity for North Star Projects and the Sol Project.
She is also a founding member, artistic producer, and SolFest producer for The Sol Project, a national theater initiative launched in 2016 to support Latinx theater. The Sol Project operates out of New York City and works with Off-Broadway companies to stage productions for Latinx playwrights at various points in their careers. In 2016, Sol Project artistic director Jacob Padrón told "The New York Times" that the long-term goal of the Sol Project is to "create a new canon" of Latinx theater.
Gaviria has also worked on the advisory board and steering committee for the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL), which is "a national community, resource hub, and solutions generator for individuals with caregiver responsibilities and institutions who strive to support them," and a video of her 2019 PAAL summit session on December 6, 2019 is featured as an anti-racism resource. Gaviria's work with PAAL has included frequent participation in events, including conferences and forums, and essay writing to promote parent-artist advocacy. She is a member of the PAAL Executive Team and PAAL Board.
Gaviria was a 2018 National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Advocacy Leadership Institute (ALI) fellow and traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby lawmakers for NALAC priorities.
She is currently on the Steering Committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons, a movement made up of diverse artists, scholars, and administrators that seek to raise awareness of Latinx theatre.
Critical reception.
In 2009, "San Francisco Chronicle" theater critic Robert Hurwitt described Gaviria's performance as the title role in "Lydia" as "Beautiful and focused," writing that "Gaviria embodies the charisma with which Lydia galvanizes the household, awakening Ceci and enchanting David Pintado's smart, attentive, poetic, adolescent younger brother, Misha." Philip Kolin of the "Shakespeare Bulletin" reviewed "Romeo and Juliet", presented by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in 2008, and wrote, "While Avery Clark’s Romeo and Adriana Gaviria’s Juliet did not speak with Hispanic accents, they nonetheless powerfully captured the passion and horror of a high-tech Miami of the mind." Terry Teachout writes for "The Wall Street Journal", "I was especially impressed with Adriana Gaviria, who plays Juliet as a "very" young-looking maiden, thereby increasing the dramatic charge of her pubescent attraction to Avery Clark's regular-guy Romeo." In a 2005 review of "Anna in the Tropics" at The Pasadena Playhouse, Laura Hitchcock writes for "CurtainUp" magazine that "Gaviria's interpretation of an effervescent teenager is too contemporary but Gaviria shows her range in the tragic closing scenes." In 2013, Michael Mulhern of "BroadwayWorld" described Gaviria's performance as Yadira in "Just Like Us" (written by Karen Zacarías, based on the book by Helen Thorpe) as "outstanding," while Lisa Kennedy of "The Denver Post" described Gaviria as part of a "gifted group."


Julius Dixson

Julius Edward Dixson (who also used the spelling Dixon) (May 20, 1913 – January 30, 2004) was an American songwriter and record company executive.
Life and work.
Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, he served in the Army during World War II in England and France. After the war Dixson re-enlisted, was assigned to Special Services, and hosted a live weekly radio broadcast, "Variety Jive" featuring new songwriters and musicians, for the forces in Germany and the Middle East. According to fellow songwriter Beverly Ross, he fathered several children while in Europe.
In 1949 he returned to the United States and moved to New York City to work as a professional songwriter. He had greatest success co-writing with Beverly Ross, a rare musical pairing of an African-American male and a white female in the 1950s. Their first major hit was "Dim, Dim The Lights", which Bill Haley recorded in 1954 as the follow-up to "Shake, Rattle and Roll". The song reached number 10 on the "Variety" chart and number 11 on the "Billboard" pop chart. "Dim, Dim The Lights" is of historic importance, as it was not only Haley's first crossover hit with the black R&B audience, reaching number 10 on the US "Billboard" R&B chart, but the first R&B or rock and roll song recorded by any white artist to cross over to the R&B chart. "Dim, Dim The Lights" was hailed by Alan Freed as "the grand daddy song of rock n’ roll".
Also with Ross, Dixson co-wrote "Lollipop" for the duo Ronald and Ruby, who were in reality the black teenager Ronald Gumps (or Gumm) and Ross herself. The recording was originally for the purpose of a demo to shop the song, but RCA got a hold of it and Dixson, who owned the master and had produced the demo, agreed to let RCA release it. Their version rose up the chart reaching number 20, but when it was learned that Ronald and Ruby were an inter-racial duo, television appearances that had been previously booked got cancelled and interest in the song waned. Thanks to the cover version by The Chordettes, Lollipop reached number 2 and number 3 on the pop and R&B chart, respectively. In the UK the song was successfully covered by The Mudlarks, and it became a worldwide hit reaching number 1 in many countries.
Dixson also co-wrote Annie Laurie's hit "It Hurts to Be in Love" with Rudy Toombs, "Begging, Begging" with Rudy Toombs for James Brown "Love, Life and Money" with Henry Glover for Little Willie John and Kitty Wells' "Three Ways (To Love You)" with Lee Morris, among others.
He also established the independent record label, Alton Records. In late 1959, their instrumental single release "The Clouds" by The Spacemen, also written and produced by Dixson, reached number 1 on the R&B chart. Another first for Dixson, "The Clouds" was the first number one on any chart released by an African-American owned independent record label, predating Motown's first number 1 by a year.
Dixson died in a hospital in Manhattan in 2004, at the age of 90. His family has claimed negligence by the hospital in his death and has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.


Paul Fox (record producer)

Paul Robert Fox (born 1954) is an American record producer, who is best known for producing such recording artists as Faker, The Green Children, Björk, Gene Loves Jezebel, 10,000 Maniacs, XTC, Phish, Texas, Sunfall Festival, Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, The Sugarcubes, Too Much Joy, They Might Be Giants, Edwin McCain, Semisonic, and Grant Lee Buffalo.
He also played as a session player with the Pointer Sisters, Rod Stewart, Patti LaBelle, Mötley Crüe, DeBarge, and Natalie Cole among others.


Dennis Murphy (sports entrepreneur)

Dennis Arthur Murphy (born September 4, 1926) is an American sports entrepreneur who helped co-found the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) (with Gary Davidson), the World Hockey Association (1972-1979), the original World Team Tennis (1973-1978), Roller Hockey International (1992-1999), and several other trend-setting amateur and professional sports concepts and events. Each of his innovations exhibited ground-breaking marketing and promotional tactics, new rules, and a style of play that forced the evolution of the entrenched incumbent. Among the many visionary rules and promotional concepts introduced by Murphy include the 3-point shot (ABA), the Slam-Dunk Contest (ABA), team cheerleaders (ABA), the first $1 million contract (WHA), and he paved the path for the ever-growing wave of European and Russian hockey players that now play in North America.
Murphy's WHA and the ABA competed directly with the entrenched National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association, respectively. Murphy and company enticed the game's best player, Bobby Hull, to flee the NHL to the WHA with an unprecedented $1 million contract, and “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe, soon followed. Murphy was the commissioner of the WHA for three years, and the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy was presented annually to the WHA's best defenseman. Both the WHA and ABA eventually merged teams into the more-entrenched leagues. [1]
“Dennis Arthur Murphy was a second baseman on the varsity team at University High School in West Los Angeles – notable alumni include Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Nancy and Frank Sinatra Jr., – but his love for sports and building new leagues greatly surpassed his own playing skills.” [2]
According to his 2013 autobiography, “Murph: The Sports Entrepreneur Man,” Murphy was born in Shanghai, China, on 4 September 1926, to a father who worked for Standard Oil and a housewife mother, Murphy and his family moved back to the United States a year before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. A staff sergeant in World War II, Murphy joined the reserves after the war and came out of the Korean War as a captain. Murphy attended the University of Southern California on the GI Bill majoring in economics. He was a one-term mayor of Buena Park in Orange County, California (April 15, 1958 to July 17, 1959), before becoming a marketing executive for one of California's biggest civil engineering firms, Voorheis, Trindle, and Nelson.
In 1958, Murphy was elected and began to serve as a one-term mayor of Buena Park, California; but his career path changed when he met Jim Hardy, a close friend of future Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. Hardy had also attended the University of Southern California with Murphy, and he asked for his fellow alum's help in pursuing a team for Anaheim's new stadium (set to house Gene Autry’s California Angels of Major League Baseball) for the new American Football League. Anaheim's proposed team was quashed in 1960 when Al Davis, as one of the conditions of accepting a merger between the National Football League and the AFL, agreed that no additional team would be permitted in the Los Angeles market alongside the L.A. Rams. [3]
Stung by this defeat, Murphy set his sights on pro basketball. In the 1960s, the National Basketball Association consisted of 12 teams, and had successfully fought off a challenge by Abe Saperstein's (Harlem Globetrotters) America Basketball League. Teaming up with attorney Gary Davidson, Murphy worked on creating a league, the American Basketball Association, that eventually merged several teams into the NBA. The ABA became famous for its three-point shot, slam dunk and red, white and blue basketball... not to mention players like "Dr. J." Julius Erving, Rick Barry, George Gervin, Connie Hawkins, and many others. In 1967, ABA Commissioner George Mikan presided over the league's 11 teams in the inaugural season: the Pittsburgh Pipers, Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, Kentucky Colonels, New Jersey Americans, New Orleans Buccaneers, Dallas Chaparrals, Denver Rockets, Houston Mavericks, Anaheim Amigos and Oakland Oaks. [4]
“Ultimately, four ABA teams were absorbed into the older league: the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs. Two other clubs, the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis were disbanded upon the merger. A third, the Virginia Squires, had folded less than a month earlier, missing out on the opportunities that a merger might have provided.” [5]
The ABA folded after its 1976 season, but Murphy had been working on two other professional sports leagues, the World Hockey Association and World Team Tennis. The WHA debuted in 1972 [6] and ran through 1979 and was the National Hockey League's first major competitor since the Western Hockey League in 1926. The WHA gave the more established league fits by cannibalizing NHL rosters, signing players under 20-years old directly from Major Junior (Wayne Gretzky), by placing teams in major cities that didn't host NHL teams, and by successfully challenging the reserve clause that bound players to their teams. This victory gave NHL players the opportunity to split to the upstart league, and Bobby Hull took full advantage. Hull signed a record 10-year, $2.75 million contract, and 66 NHL players followed Hull's lead in the NHL's first year.
As in most of Murphy's leagues, franchises appeared and disappeared like figures in Whack-a-Mole. The league finally disappeared in 1979, but not before four teams joined the NHL – the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets. On May 20, 1979, the Jets won their third AVCO World Trophy by defeating the Oilers in the final WHA game. [7]
Murphy co-founded World Team Tennis in 1973 with Larry King, Fred Barman and Jordan Kaiser, and league play began in 1974 with 16 teams, a four-color tennis court, and teams made up of two men and two women. This made WTT the first professional sports league to give equal weight to each man and woman competing for their teams. Elton John wrote the theme song Philadelphia Freedom for his favorite team. The first league ended play in 1978.
In 1988, Murphy moved on to try to create the International Basketball Association. As in all of his leagues, there were tweaks made to the traditional game. The IBA, which began with 12 teams in May, 1988, was limited to players 6′4″ and under.
Roller Hockey International (1992-1999) was Murphy's most recent professional sports league. In his autobiography, “MURPH, The Sports Entrepreneur Man and His Leagues: ABA, WHA, WTT, RHI, IFL, GHA, and Bobby Sox Softball,” self-published in 2002, Murphy wrote that one day in 1991, he saw some kids playing roller hockey, and he told his brother John what he had seen:
“He informed me that inline skating was a hot ticket and people everywhere of all ages and sizes were playing roller hockey in parks and playgrounds. This immediately appealed to me. Imagine hockey being played on concrete rather than ice. Imagine being able to play hockey anywhere in the world, rather than being limited to ice arenas. Wow! What a way to finish up my career.” [8]
Murphy, then 66 years old, was inspired to begin working to develop a new sport. He invited entrepreneur Alex Bellehumeur and Larry King to join him in developing roller hockey at a professional level. King, born in Ohio and raised in California, was an attorney by trade as well as a sports entrepreneur. In addition to helping create World Team Tennis and womenSports, which eventually became Women's Sports Magazine, King helped develop the Women's Sports Foundation and the Kauai-Loves-You Triathlon in Hawaii. King was once married to tennis star Billie Jean King. Bellehumeur had his hand in many inventions and was on the board of directors for the Port of Long Beach, California.
Murphy was named RHI's president, Bellehumeur was the chairman of the board, and King became the league's general counsel. Murphy, Bellehumeur and King converted Bellehumeur and Murphy's preexisting corporation, World Sports Management, Inc., into RHI, Inc., and the two men retained controlling interest in the new entity, with King as co-founder and part owner. “We were missing one thing – a high-profile hockey man,” Murphy wrote. [9]
Ralph Backstrom, who had won six Stanley Cup Championships with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, was hired as the new league's commissioner. Murphy had known Backstrom from his days as a player in the WHA following his NHL career. Then living in Denver, Colorado, Backstrom was the National Hockey League's Rookie of the Year for the Canadiens in 1959. Backstrom oversaw the league's rules and style of play.
General References
• Graham, Richard Neil (2011). Wheelers, Dealers, Pucks & Bucks: A Rocking History of Roller Hockey International. Inline Hockey Central.
• Willes, Ed (2004). The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association. McClelland & Stewart.
• Murphy, Dennis (2013). MURPH, The Sports Entrepreneur Man and His Leagues: ABA, WHA, WTT, RHI, IFL, GHA, and Bobby Sox Softball. Inline Hockey Central.
• Pluto, Terry (1007). Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association.
Honours.
From 1973 and 1979, the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy was presented to the best defenceman of the World Hockey Association.
In 2010, Murphy was part of the initial group of individuals elected to the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame.
The Roller Hockey International Championship trophy, The Murphy Cup, was named after Dennis as the leagues' guiding Founder.


Jay Baumgardner

Jay Baumgardner is an American record producer, engineer and mixer. He has worked on albums by Superheist, Ugly Kid Joe, Bush, Helmet, Sevendust, Papa Roach, Endwell, Coal Chamber, Drowning Pool, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, P.O.D., New Found Glory, Spineshank, Alien Ant Farm and Orgy.
His most recent work is producing the Superheist album "Ghosts of the Social Dead", which was released on October 28, 2016.


Benji Samit

Benjamin Adam Samit is an American film and television writer and producer who is most notable for writing "Detective Pikachu", which he wrote with his writing partner, Dan Hernandez (along with Rob Letterman, Derek Connolly and Nicole Perlman). On television, Samit and Hernandez have written for "One Day at a Time", "The Tick", "Super Fun Night" and "1600 Penn". They were named in Paste Magazine's list of the top 28 comedy writers of 2018. In 2019, Samit and Hernandez signed a long-term deal with 20th Century Fox Television to develop, write and produce live-action and animated series.


Merv Adelson

Mervyn Lee Adelson (October 23, 1929 – September 8, 2015) was an American real estate developer and television producer who co-founded Lorimar Television.
Early life.
Adelson was born to a Jewish family in Los Angeles on October 23, 1929 to Nathan and Pearl Adelson (née Swartz). His parents were the children of immigrants from Russia who had settled in Nebraska. He worked in a grocery store run by his family as a child.
Career.
In the 1950s Adelson established himself in Las Vegas where he first met Irwin Molasky and Moe Dalitz. The trio were responsible for building the Las Vegas Country Club as well as what became Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. Molasky and Adelson later opened Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in 1965. Adelson soon left the real estate industry and co-founded Lorimar Television with Molasky and Lee Rich in 1969.
Personal life and death.
Adelson was married and subsequently divorced five times. His first wife was Lori Kaufman with whom he had a daughter and two sons: Ellen Adelson Ross, Andrew Adelson, and Gary Adelson. His second wife was Gail Kenaston, adopted daughter of silent film star Billie Dove. His third wife was the television journalist Barbara Walters to whom he was married from 1981 until 1984. They remarried in 1986 and divorced for the second time in 1992. They met on a blind date. His fourth wife was Thea Nesis with whom he had adopted two daughters, Lexi and Ava Nesis. All his marriages ended in divorce.
Adelson died in Los Angeles on September 8, 2015 from cancer, aged 85.


Verna Gillis

Verna Gillis (born 1942) is an American freelance record producer, who has gained recognition for her work promoting and producing music from various cultural backgrounds. Gillis holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology. She was an assistant professor at Brooklyn College from 1974 to 1980 and at Carnegie Mellon University from 1988 to 1990.
Gillis has been the subject of a number of press articles, with "The New York Times" describing her as "the closest thing world music has to a doyenne".
Life and career.
From 1972 to 1978, Gillis recorded traditional music in Afghanistan, Iran, Kashmir, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Surinam, and Ghana. In 1979, she opened Soundscape, the first multi-cultural performance space in New York City, on west 52nd Street which she directed for the next five years. Gillis, Soundscape and the music played there is the subject of a web based project by WKCR Radio 89.9 NY.
From 1984, Gillis worked on career development with international musicians including Youssou N'dour from Senegal, Yomo Toro from Puerto Rico; Salif Keita form Mali, and Carlinhos Brown from Brazil.
In 1996, she was hired as a consultant by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to accompany musicians on a trip to Angola, Liberia, Kenya and South African, to witness first hand the results of ethnic cleansing. Gillis worked with the ICRC to produce a CD.
Twenty-five of Gillis' recordings have been released by Smithsonian Folkways and Lyrichord. As well, there have been nine releases on DIW of Live from Soundscape tapes, made during the years that the performance space which was located at 500 West 52nd Street was open.
In 2000, she was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Producer category for the "Archie Shepp/Roswell Rudd Quartet Live in New York", and again in 2001 for Roswell Rudd's "MALIcool".
She has performed "sit down comedy" – and has a One Older Woman show "Tales from Gerriassic Park - On the Verge of Extinction". She has published two books, "I Just Want to be Invited - I Promise Not to Come", and "I'll Never Know If I Would Have Gotten The Same Results if I'd Been Nice".
A later collaboration was with trombonist/composer Roswell Rudd. They formed a group they call The Olders.


Skip Hahn

Skip Hahn (born Gary Loren Hahn; born November 30, 1951) is an American record producer, musician, singer and songwriter. Hahn is known for work with the American band SSQ (1982-1988), on "Playback"; and, with SSQ backing Stacey Q on their "Better Than Heaven" and "Hard Machine" albums. On a side project during the months recording the "Better Than Heaven" album, Hahn collaborated with Jon St. James on James's album, "Fast Impressions", writing, performing and producing. Guest artists included guitarists Alan Holdsworth; Ray Gomez; and Scott Bowers. From 2005-2007, Hahn and St. James worked together as a duo named Echo Junkies, releasing the art-rock album, "Echo Junkies", in 2007. This time special guest artists included their SSQ bandmate/singer/songwriter, Stacey Q, Jason Freese (saxophone), Danny Mantel (not credited on the liner notes) on tabla.


Irving Mills

Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 16, 1894 – April 21, 1985) was an American music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz artist promoter. He sometimes used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose.
Personal.
Mills was born to a Jewish family in Odessa, Ukraine, although some biographies state that he was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. His father, Hyman Minsky (1868–1905), was a hat maker who had immigrated from Odessa to the United States with his wife Sofia "(née" Sophia Schifre; born 1869). His father, Hyman, died in 1905, forcing Irving and his brother, Jacob "(aka" "Jack"; 1891–1979), to work odd jobs including bussing at restaurants, selling wallpaper, and working in the garment industry. By 1910, Mills was listed as a telephone operator.
Mills married Beatrice ("Bessie") Wilensky (1896–1976) in 1911 and they subsequently moved to Philadelphia. By 1918 Mills was working for publisher Leo Feist. His brother, Jack, was working as a manager for McCarthy and Fisher, the music publishing firm of lyricist Joseph McCarthy (1883–1943) and songwriter Fred Fisher (1875–1942).
He died in Palm Springs, California in 1985 at age 91.
Mills Music publishing.
In July 1919, Irving Mills (vice-president), his brother, Jack (president), and Samuel Jesse Buzzell (secretary and counselor), founded Jack Mills, Inc., which was eventually renamed Mills Music, Inc. in 1928. Mills Music acquired the bankrupt Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Inc. in 1929. Buzzell's son, Loring Buzzell, briefly worked for the company from March 1949 to October 1950. Irving, Jack (1892–1979) and Samuel sold Mills Music February 25, 1965, to Utilities and Industries Corporation (a utility company based in New York). In 1969, Utilities and Industries Corporation merged Mills Music with Belwin, another music publisher, to form Belwin-Mills. Educational publisher Esquire Inc. (who had recently sold the magazine) announced its acquisition of Belwin-Mills in 1979. Gulf & Western acquired Esquire Inc. in 1983 and sold the Belwin-Mills print business to Columbia Pictures Publications in 1985.
The Mills Music Trust.
Utilities and Industries Corporation restructured Mills Music as The Mills Music Trust. At the time of the sale, the top 10 earning compositions were:
For the year ending 1963, 114 titles brought in 77 percent of the royalty income for five years. The total number of compositions, at the time of sale, were estimated to be in excess of 25,000, of which, 1,500 were still producing royalties. In 1964, Mills had royalties of $1.3 million (). The company encompassed 20 music publishing subsidiaries (some of which were acquired for $300), as well as publishing concerns in Britain, Brazil, Canada, France, then West Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Structure of the trust.
The Mills Music Trust traded in units OTC (over-the-counter) under the symbol MMTRS. The trust received payments from EMI Records based on a complex formula that changed in 2010, when the trust passed almost all of the funds to unit holders.
Selected discoveries.
Both Jack and Irving discovered a number of great songwriters, including Zez Confrey, Sammy Fain, Harry Barris, Gene Austin, Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy McHugh, and Dorothy Fields. He greatly advanced and even started a few of the careers of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ben Pollack, Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Will Hudson, Raymond Scott and many others.
Although he only sang a little, Irving decided to put together his own studio recording group. He started the group Irving Mills and his Hotsy Totsy Gang with Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Arnold Brillhardt (1904–1998) (clarinet, soprano and alto sax), Arthur Schutt, and Mannie Klein. Other variations of his bands featured Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Red Nichols (Mills gave Red Nichols the tag "and his Five Pennies.")
Duke Ellington.
One evening, around 1925, Mills went to a small club on West 49th Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway called the Club Kentucky, often referred to as the Kentucky Club, formerly the Hollywood Club. The owner had brought in a small band of six musicians from Washington, D.C., and wanted to know what Mills thought of them. Instead of going out and making the rounds, Mills stayed the rest of the evening listening to the band, Duke Ellington and his Kentucky Club Orchestra. According to lore, Mills signed Ellington the very next day. They made numerous records together, not only under the name of Duke Ellington, but using groups that incorporated Duke's sidemen, who were great instrumentalists in their own right.
Mills managed Ellington from 1926 to 1939. His contract with Ellington, by standards of any era from then and now, was a very favorable one. Mills owned 50% of Duke Ellington Inc. and thus got his name tag on quite a number of tunes that became popular standards: "Mood Indigo", "(In My) Solitude", "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "Sophisticated Lady", and many others now listed on the ASCAP website. He also pushed Ellington to record for Victor, Brunswick, Columbia, the "dime store labels" (Banner, Romeo, Perfect, Melotone, Cameo, Lincoln, and others) and even Hit of the Week. In spite of having a limited vocabulary, Mills was a deft lyricist. He sometimes used a ghost writer to complete his idea and sometimes built on the idea of the ghost writer. He was instrumental in getting Duke Ellington hired by the Cotton Club.
Mills was one of the first to record black and white musicians together, using twelve white musicians and the Duke Ellington Orchestra on a 12-inch 78 rpm record featuring "St. Louis Blues" on one side and a medley of songs called "Gems from Blackbirds of 1928" on the other side, Mills himself singing with the Ellington Orchestra. Victor Records – soon to become RCA Victor – initially hesitated to release the record, but when Mills threatened to take his artists off the roster, he won out.
Mills thought he should ensure that the Ellington Orchestra always had top musicians and protected himself by forming the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, using them as a relief band at the Cotton Club. Cab Calloway and his band went into the Cotton Club with a new song Irving co-wrote with Calloway and Clarence Gaskill called "Minnie the Moocher".
Innovations.
One of his most significant innovations was the "band within a band" concept, recording small groups to record hot small group sides for the various dime store labels. He started this in 1928 by arranging for members of Ben Pollack's band to make records under a bewildering array of pseudonyms on dime store labels — like Banner, Oriole, Cameo, Domino, and Perfect — while Pollack had an exclusive contract with Victor. Quite a number of these dime store small group records are considered major jazz classics by collectors. He printed "small orchestrations" transcribed off the record, so that non-professional musicians could see how great solos were constructed. This was later done by Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and several other bands.
Irving also formed Mills Artists Booking Company. It was in 1934 that he formed an all-female orchestra, headed by Ina Ray. He added the name Hutton and it became the popular Ina Ray Hutton and her Orchestra.
In 1934 as well, Mills Music began a publishing subsidiary, Exclusive Publications, Inc., specializing in orchestrations by the likes of Will Hudson (1908–1981) who co-wrote the song "Mr. Ghost Goes to Town" with Mills and Mitchell Parish in 1936.
In late 1936, with involvement by Herbert Yates of the American Record Corporation, Mills started the Master and Variety labels, which for their short life span were distributed by ARC through their Brunswick and Vocalion label sales staff. (Mills had previously A&R'ed for Columbia in 1934–36, after ARC purchased the failing label.) Irving signed Helen Oakley Dance to supervise the small group records for the Variety label (35 cents or 3 for $1.00). The Master label sold for 75 cents. From December 1936, through about September 1937, a large number of records were issued on these labels (40 were issued on Master and 170 on Variety). Master's best selling artists were Duke Ellington, Raymond Scott, as well as Hudson-De Lange Orchestra, Casper Reardon and Adrian Rollini. Variety's roster included Cab Calloway, Red Nichols, the small groups from Ellington's band led by Barney Bigard, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, and Johnny Hodges, as well as Noble Sissle, Frankie Newton, The Three Peppers, Chu Berry, Billy Kyle, and other major and minor jazz and pop performers around New York.
By late 1937 a number of problems caused the collapse of these labels. The Brunswick and Vocalion sales staff had problems of their own, with competition from Victor and Decca, and it wasn't easy to get this new venture off the ground. Mills tried to arrange for distribution overseas to get his music issued in Europe, but was unsuccessful. After the collapse of the labels, those titles that were still selling on Master were reissued on Brunswick and those still selling on Variety were reissued on Vocalion. Mills continued his M-100 recording series after the labels were taken over by ARC, and after cutting back recording to just the better selling artists, new recordings made from about January 1938 by Master were issued on Brunswick (and later Columbia) and Vocalion (later the revived Okeh) until May 7, 1940. Starting March 8, 1939, an Ellington session, the prefix "W" was added to matrices "(e.g.," WM-990 and WM-991). This matrix series was then used until WM-1150, the final being a session by the Adrian Rollini Trio performing "The Girl With the Light Blue Hair," Voc/Okeh 5979, May 7, 1940, New York City. There were 1,055 session in the series.
Mills was recording all the time and became the head of the American Recording Company, which is now Columbia Records. Once radio blossomed Mills was singing at six radio stations seven days a week plugging Mills tunes. Jimmy McHugh, Sammy Fain, and Gene Austin took turns being his pianist.
Filmography.
He produced one picture, "Stormy Weather", for 20th Century Fox in 1943, which starred Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Zutty Singleton, and Fats Waller and the dancers the Nicholas Brothers and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. He had a contract to do other movies but found it "too slow;" so he continued finding, recording, and plugging music.
Selected recording artists.
Among the artists Mills personally recorded were:
Notes and references.
Notes
General references
Inline citations


Santiago Pozo

Santiago Pozo is a Spanish-American film producer, writer, director, and marketing executive. In 1988, he founded Arenas Entertainment, LLC.
Life.
Pozo was born in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, La Rioja, Spain. He grew up in Madrid where his father was a baker. As a teenager, he became interested in filmmaking and eventually found a directing job with the producer Elias Querejeta.
Career.
Since the early 1980s, Pozo has been involved in the Marketing and distribution of films. His book "La Industria Cinematografica en España" was published by the University Of Barcelona 1984. In 1983, he moved to Los Angeles where he was working as a janitor cleaning buildings. He was then retained as an assistant by Jose Luis Borau, a Spanish filmmaker, in pre-production of the feature film "On The Line".
In 1984, having received a Fulbright scholarship from the Spanish-North American committee, Pozo enrolled in the Peter Stark producing program at The University of Southern California. In 1985, he took an internship at Universal Studios and with his enthusiasm for supplying the Hispanic market, was employed at the studios as director of special markets.
Arenas Group.
In 1987, Pozo resigned from Universal Studios and founded Arenas Group, a film marketing company By 1997, Pozo was using the '360' marketing method, where a brand is presented to the customer at all points of contact.
Arenas Entertainment.
In 2001, Pozo founded Arenas Entertainment, a studio to produce and distribute Latino films to the Hispanic market in the US. He received support from Marco Polo, a Spanish risk and capital management firm, and from Marc Shmuger, the vice chairman Universal Pictures. In 2002, Pozo's company was engaged to make the international distribution of Empire. In the same year, Pozo produced "Imagining Argentina". In 2004, Pozo distributed the film, Nicotina. Pozo's partnership with Universal Pictures finished but continued with Marco Polo.
Community.
In 2001, Pozo successfully lobbied the City of Los Angeles to add the Spanish language tilde (Ñ)
to street signs where required.


Amin Golestan

Amin Golestan (Born as Amin Golestan Parast, 5 June 1988 in Dubai, UAE) is a New York based DJ, record label owner, and music producer. He was voted the number one DJ in 2008 and 2009 in the Middle East and Asia, and was the featured artist on the 2010 DJ Magazine Middle East cover. Golestan also runs the label Relocate Records.
Biography.
Amin Golestan was born in Dubai after his family left Iran during the revolution. He grew up surrounded by international DJs on the Dubai music scene. After apprenticing for some of the world's preeminent talent, Amin began to DJ in Dubai.


James Algar

James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked for the Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California and died in Carmel, California.
Controversy.
Algar directed an Oscar-winning documentary "White Wilderness," which contains a scene that supposedly depicts a mass lemming migration, and ends with the lemmings leaping into the Arctic Ocean. In 1982, the CBC Television news magazine program "The Fifth Estate" broadcast a documentary about animal cruelty in Hollywood called "Cruel Camera", focusing on "White Wilderness", as well as the television program "Wild Kingdom". Bob McKeown, the host of the CBC program, discovered that the lemming scene was filmed at the Bow Rivernear downtown Calgary, and not in the Arctic Ocean as implied by the film. McKeown interviewed a lemming expert, who claimed that the particular species of lemming shown in the film is not known to migrate, much less commit mass suicide.


Roger Birnbaum

Roger Birnbaum (born November 14, 1950) is an American film producer who owns the company Spyglass Entertainment, and was co-CEO and co-chairman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His two greatest box office hits as producer have been "Rush Hour 2" and "The Tourist" which grossed US$347,325,802 and US$278,346,189 worldwide respectively. In 2016, he produced "The Magnificent Seven".
Early life.
Birnbaum was born to a Jewish family in Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of Arlene (née Steinlauf) and Norman Birnbaum. His father was a World War II veteran who went into the embroidery business with his father after the war, and used his profits in 1967 to build the Stonehenge, a residential building in New Jersey. Birnbaum graduated from Teaneck High School in 1968 and attended the University of Denver.
Career.
Birnbaum started out in the music industry at Arista Records working under Clive Davis. A&M Records brought him out to Hollywood becoming its West Coast A&R executive, where he switch over to film. He worked at United Artists, Guber-Peters Co. (president in 1989) then 20th Century Fox. He was president of production at 20th Century Fox by 1992.
Caravan Pictures was founded by Birnbaum and Joe Roth as a production company at Disney in 1992 to fill the Disney Studios' then-yearly 50 to 60 production and distribution slots. Birnbaum previously left Caravan at the prompting of then Disney studio chief Joe Roth as Disney was cutting its yearly production output and shutting down Caravan. In August 1998, Birnbaum with Gary Barber, former vice chairman and COO of Morgan Creek Productions founded Spyglass Entertainment.
On December 20, 2010 after the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had emerged from bankruptcy, Birnbaum and Barber became co-Chairs and co-CEOs of the studio. On October 3, 2012, Birnbaum announced his intention to exit his role as an MGM executive and return to "hands-on" producing. He will remain with the studio to produce films on "an exclusive basis".
He has since founded two production companies, Pin High Productions and Cave 76 Productions. By September 8, 2016, his exclusivity with MGM had ended.
Personal life.
His first wife was Pamela West; they had one daughter Claire Birnbaum Block (born 1987). He married then-restaurant guest relations manager Leslie Lopez in 2013.
He was previously in a seven-year relationship with actress Teri Garr.
Filmography.
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.