David Arata

David Arata is an American screenwriter and producer. He received national acclaim for his adaptive screenplay "Children of Men" in 2007, garnering an Academy Award nomination and multiple other industry awards. Arata's other screenwriting credits include "Spy Game, Brokedown Palace", and most recently, "The Angel".
Early life.
Arata was raised in the San Francisco suburbs and attended UC Santa Cruz, where he studied painting, theater and film. He subsequently attended The American Film Institute Conservatory to focus on film directing.
Career.
Arata made his screenwriting debut in 1999 with Fox 2000's "Brokedown Palace", followed by the film "Spy Game" in 2001. He was widely recognized for his role in "Children of Men", which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2007 and won the USC Scripter Award, Austin Film Critics Award, and Online Film Critics Award.
Arata's work encompasses a variety of genres, including thriller, drama, and fantasy. He has collaborated with many influential directors, including Peter Weir on "Pattern Recognition", Alfonso Cuarón on "Children of Men," and Tony Scott on "Spy Game". His screenplays have attracted the participation of Hollywood stars, including Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Clive Owen, and Julianne Moore.
Arata's additional writing credits include the sci-fi picture, "Inversion" "and" the fantasy-comedy teleplay "Frog" (1987). His most recent work, "The Angel," debuted as a Netflix original film in 2018.
More recently, David has broadened his focus to include serialized television, adapting Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s graphic novel, "From Hell", to produce for FX, and "Dreamland (AKA Nightrise)" created for Spike TV. He is also slated to produce a film based on Adam Penenberg’s nonfiction book "Tragic Indifference: One Man's Battle with the Auto Industry" alongside Michael Douglas.
Personal life.
Arata has worked to mentor young screenwriters in his role as a creative advisor to the Sundance Screenwriter Lab and as a moderator in a screenwriting master class presented by the Latino Mediafest. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kathy.


Michael Nathanson (film executive)

Michael Nathanson (born 1955/1956) is an American film industry executive who served as head of MGM Pictures.
Early life and education.
Nathanson was raised in New York City, the son of Edith (née Landesman) and Ted Nathanson. His father was a director at NBC including the original "Tonight Show" and the "Today Show" and later the coordinating producer for numerous national sporting events for NBC Sports. His mother was a producer at ABC who worked on the "The Perry Como Show". His paternal grandfather, Benedict Gimbel Jr., founded one of the first radio stations in Philadelphia (his father was born Benedict Gimbel III but changed his surname to that of his mother). His great-great grandfather was Adam Gimbel, the founder of Gimbel Brothers department store. He has two sisters who are also in the industry, Laura Nathanson Knobloch, a vice president at Fox Television, and Carla Nathanson Hoffman, who worked on the "David Letterman Show".
Career.
Nathanson began his career at NBC Sports in New York City and then moved to Los Angeles in 1975 where he worked as a production assistant on the 1977 films, "The Deep" and "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger". From 1980 to 1984, he worked at United Artists. In 1987, he went to work for Columbia Pictures and in 1989, was named as senior production executive and later president of worldwide production where he oversaw the production of such films as "Awakenings", "The Prince of Tides", "Boyz N the Hood", and "A River Runs Through It". In 1994, he was named as Chairman and chief executive of Arnon Milchan's New Regency Productions where he oversaw such films as "A Time to Kill", "Tin Cup", "Natural Born Killers", "Heat", "Free Willy", ', and "Copycat". In February 1997, Frank Mancuso hired him to serve as president of MGM Pictures replacing Mike Marcus. At MGM, he oversaw the production of "Windtalkers", "Bandits", "Rollerball", "Killing Me Softly", and "Hart's War". He stayed at MGM for seven years and the took a position as CEO of production at ONC Entertainment where he oversaw such films as "L.A. Confidential", ', and "Yours, Mine & Ours". In 2012, Nathanson was named along with Bill Lischak as co-presidents of OddLot Entertainment by its CEO and founder, Gigi Pritzker.
Personal life.
In 1990, he married Diana Victoria Lands.


Reb Foster

James Dennis Bruton (March 18, 1936 – August 25, 2019), known as Reb Foster and earlier in his career as Dennis James, was an American radio DJ and band manager.
He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and after his parents (Harry Bruton, father) split up was raised by his mother (Imotene Hanby) in Amarillo. From the mid-1950s, he worked on radio stations in Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Denver and Portland, where he was known as Dennis James (eventually forced to change due to the nationally-known game show host who also used the pseudonym). After working at KYA in San Francisco, he moved to KRLA in Los Angeles in 1962, and was involved in the Beatles' arrival in the city in August 1964. He had a regular afternoon show, featuring character voices including "Maude Skidmore", and owned the Revelaire Club in Redondo Beach. He worked at KRLA between 1962 and 1969 (with a break between 1965 and 1967, spent at rival KFWB), and again for spells in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1970s, he also managed bands including The Turtles, Three Dog Night, Everpresent Fullness, and Steppenwolf. Legend has it that the 1964 surf rock instrumental "Mr. Rebel" by Eddie & The Showmen was a tribute to Foster.
He left Los Angeles in 1987 and returned to live in Amarillo. He died on August 25, 2019, aged 83.


Joel Hamilton

Joel Hamilton (born 1980) is an American Brooklyn-based record producer, audio engineer and musician. Hamilton performs as a musician for the band Book of Knots. He is also a producer and engineer at Studio G in Brooklyn, New York.
In the summer of 2014, Hamilton appeared as the host of a web series produced by Spotify and Bose named "Art of Sound", which focuses on the connection between the physical, technical and emotional sides of music and sound. He hosted many musicians and sound engineers to conduct experiments on a wide variety of sound-related topics.
Hamilton has been a guest speaker and panelist at:
Nordic Music Week, Norway (2012 and 2013),
Pot Luck Con., Tucson (2012),
AES Latin America (2011, 2019), and
Tape Op Con., Tucson (2006).
Credits.
Hamilton has produced and mixed three studio albums for alternative rock band Highly Suspect. The band’s debut album "Mister Asylum" was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards, and the song “Lydia” was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. From their second album "The Boy Who Died Wolf", the song “My Name Is Human” was nominated for Best Rock Song at the subsequent award ceremony. Highly Suspect's third album "MCID" (2019) includes:
He produced and mixed Turkish mega-pop star Sertab Erner's rock band Oceans of Noise's self-titled debut EP in 2017.
He produced and mixed Brkn Love's debut album for Universal Music, including the single "Shot Down”, which spent 10 weeks on the Billboard charts (peaking at #21 on September 21, 2019).
He produced and mixed Norwegian band Violet Road's album "Lines Across Light".
He produced, engineered, and mixed the song "Og sangen kom fra havet” for artist Ingvild Koksvik, who won the Arts Council of Norway's work grant for songwriters in 2018.
Hamilton engineered and mixed Aaron Neville's album "Apache", released on Tell It/Kobalt in 2016; the album peaked on the Billboard chart at #38.
Hamilton's work also includes:
Hamilton has also mixed the film "Charlie Victor Romeo", which premiered as the official selection of the New Frontiers installation at The Sundance Film Festival in 2013.


Bruce Beresford-Redman

Bruce Beresford-Redman (born April 20, 1971) is the co-creator and executive producer of MTV's "Pimp My Ride" and a former producer of "Survivor". In 2015, he was convicted in Mexico of the murder of his wife, Mónica.
Early life.
The son of David and Juanita Beresford-Redman, he grew up in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, and attended Pascack Hills High School, with show co-creator Rick Hurvitz. He graduated from New College of Florida in Sarasota, Florida.
Career.
Beresford-Redman was a reality TV producer and a producer of the television franchise "Survivor". He was also involved in producing "Pimp My Ride", a popular car makeover show on MTV.
His career has since been eclipsed by an investigation surrounding his asserted involvement into his wife's death early in 2010, when the naked body of his wife was found near their hotel while holidaying in Mexico.
Personal life.
Beresford-Redman married a Brazilian national, Mónica Burgos, on April 8, 1999 in Rio de Janeiro; the couple had two children, who now live with their paternal grandparents.
Murder of Mónica Beresford-Redman.
On April 8, 2010, Beresford-Redman's wife Mónica was found dead while they were on holiday in Cancun, Mexico. Mónica had been strangled and her body dumped in a sewer nearby the Moon Palace resort where the family had been staying.
Later on the day of the murder, Beresford-Redman was detained and questioned by police as a person of interest in his wife's death. He was released by police during the early morning hours of April 8 on condition that he not leave Mexico while the investigation into his wife's death remained ongoing.
Two young British tourists staying at the hotel reported that they heard the couple arguing in their room on April 4. Beresford-Redman was also reportedly seen with scratches on his hands and the back of his neck.
Mónica's cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. Since his passport had been retained by the Mexican government when he was arrested, Beresford-Redman illegally left Mexico by crossing the border using his driver's license as identification and taking a train to Los Angeles.
On May 31, 2010, Mexico issued an arrest warrant for Beresford-Redman in connection with the murder of his wife while Mexican prosecutors initiated extradition proceedings to return Beresford-Redman back to Mexico to be tried.
Arrest.
On November 16, 2010, CNN reported that Beresford-Redman had been arrested by U.S. marshals in Los Angeles using a warrant from Mexico. On November 29, 2010, a Los Angeles federal judge denied Beresford-Redman's request for bail.
Extradition.
On July 12, 2011, US magistrate Jacqueline Chooljian determined that Beresford-Redman should be sent to Mexico because there was enough circumstantial evidence to show probable cause he might have murdered his wife. US prosecutors had reviewed the case made by Mexican authorities and deemed sufficient evidence to show possible motives for Beresford-Redman to have killed his wife including: collecting insurance money; getting sole custody of their children; and continuing an extramarital affair.
Beresford-Redman waived further appeals and was extradited to Mexico on February 8, 2012. A judge found sufficient evidence that Beresford-Redman murdered his wife and on February 15 2012 ordered that he remain in custody pending adjudication.
Conviction.
On March 12 2015, Beresford-Redman was convicted of murdering his wife, and sentenced to 12 years in prison by Judge Víctor Manuel Echeverría Tun. Beresford-Redman has appealed. The prosecution considered the sentence to be unduly lenient, and left open the possibility of also appealing.
From November 2014, Beresford-Redman was incarcerated in a jail in Cancún before and after sentencing. Other witnesses either did not appear or supported the defense.
In a video diary made during his confinement, Beresford-Redman had claimed that much of the evidence against him was reportedly contaminated in police custody, and minute amounts of blood in the hotel room where the family stayed did not belong to Mónica Beresford-Redman per DNA testing.
As of September 2015, he has not seen his children in almost four years.
Release.
Beresford-Redman was released from prison in September 2019 after serving 4 years out of 12.
Media.
The then on-going investigation of Beresford-Redman by the Mexican authorities was covered in an episode of the television series "48 Hours" - Fatal Episode: The Producer's Story - Season 25, Episode 17.


Kurt Deutsch

Kurt Deutsch is an actor, director, record producer and film producer. He is the Senior Vice President for Theatrical & Catalog Development for Warner/Chappell Music, and President of Sh-K-Boom Records, a division of Warner Arts Music.
Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.
In 2000, Deutsch founded Sh-K-Boom Records, an independent record label that aimed to bridge the gap between pop/rock and theater. In 2004, a new musical theater subsidiary of Sh-K-Boom, Ghostlight Records, was created to focus on more traditional scores and cast recordings. As of 2015, the label has over 150 albums in its catalog, including The Book of Mormon (musical), In the Heights, the Original Cast Recording, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and New Off-Broadway Cast Recordings of The Last Five Years, , A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Something Rotten!, The Bridges of Madison County (musical), Disney’s Newsies (musical), the 2013 revival of Pippin (musical), Cinderella (2013 Broadway production), Next to Normal, the 2009 revival of Hair (musical), Legally Blonde (musical), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Everyday Rapture, Passing Strange, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (musical), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Drowsy Chaperone and many more Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, under Deutsch's leadership, have produced and released the debut solo albums of Broadway stars such as Adam Pascal, Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, Alice Ripley, Melissa Errico, Billy Porter, Ben Vereen, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Judy Kuhn, Christine Ebersole, Julia Murney, Ashley Brown, Linda Lavin, Lea Delaria, Anastasia Barzee and Klea Blackhurst.
Under the name Sh-K-Boom Entertainment, Deutsch was the driving force for and a producer of the 2014 film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years (film), written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.
As of 2017, Deutsch joined Warner Music Group as a Senior Vice President for Warner/Chappell Publishing, and executive for Warner Arts on the label side.
Awards and honors.
As producer, Deutsch received his first Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2009 for The Original Broadway Cast Album In The Heights along with fellow producers Alex Lacamoire, Andrés Levin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Moss & Bill Sherman. He has since received two more Grammy Awards for Best Musical Show Album for and .
A full list of Grammy Award wins and nominations for Sh-K-Boom/ Ghostlight Records are as follows:
2003
2005
2006
2008
2009
2011
2014
Sh-K-Boom and Ghostlight were awarded a special 2006 Drama Desk Award for dedication to the preservation of musical theatre through original cast albums.
Acting.
As an actor Deutsch appeared on Broadway in "Broadway Bound", "A Few Good Men" and has appeared Off-Broadway and in regional theaters around the country. He was a series regular on the television series "The Human Factor" and "Winnetka Road", and he guest starred on "Sex and the City", "Law & Order", "Quantum Leap", "Matlock", and "Models Inc". His film roles included "The Eye of the Storm", "The First To Go," and "Labor Pains" . Deutsch also had an uncredited cameo appearance alongside wife Sherie Renee Scott in the film version of "The Last Five Years" in a casting session scene. (Scott originated the role of Cathy, played in the film by Anna Kendrick, in the original 2001 off-Broadway cast.)


Terry Benedict

Terry Benedict is an American film producer. He is the founder and CEO of The Shae Foundation.
Terry is most well known for co-producing "Hacksaw Ridge", nominated for six Academy Awards. "Hacksaw Ridge" is based on Benedict's documentary, "The Conscientious Objector"; a film about Medal of Honor winner Desmond Doss, who refused to carry a weapon in World War Two. Doss is the first conscientious objector to ever receive a Medal of Honor.
Personal life.
Benedict is a graduate of Pepperdine University, where he received a full scholarship. He is a member of the WGAw. Benedict is a Seventh-day Adventist.
Career.
1984-2004.
Benedict began his career in Hollywood supervising chase scenes, notably for "The Terminator" and "Marked For Death". He has worked with Academy Award-winning cinematographers Conrad Hall and Haskell Wexler to create commercials for Honda, Blue Cross, Nissan and others. He has produced commercials for Japanese brands: Mitsubishi, Seagram's, and TDK Tapes - working with Madonna, Stevie Wonder, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Terry went on to write and directing the film "Painted Hero" with Dwight Yoakam and Peter Fonda.
2004-Present.
After "Painted Hero" Benedict became the Director of Photography for the documentary, "Where I Stand: The Hank Greenspun Story" narrated by Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins and directed by Emmy winner Scott Goldstein. He produced and directed the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary film, "The Conscientious Objector". The film garnered several dozen awards in multiple categories during a two-year run on the international festival circuit including many "“audience favorite”" awards, a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival and from Boston, a Humanitarian Award. The film played on the International Documentary Association’s "InFACT Documentary" tour qualifying it for Academy Award consideration. Benedict scripted the first draft of the theatrical narrative project based on the documentary and joined the producing team of "Hacksaw Ridge", directed by Mel Gibson.
Currently, Benedict has several film projects in development including a new medical drama series and an international series focusing on Hope Extreme. He is also developing the film "The Death of Reasonable Doubt", which follows the U.S. Supreme Court death-row case of Troy Davis in Savannah, Georgia.
Humanitarian work.
Over the last few years, Terry has spent months filming in India and Nepal focusing on social justice issues - orphans, human trafficking and women’s health issues. He created "Hope In Motion"; an award winning television broadcast series of shorts for the NGO Asian Aid. In 2010 form "SHAE", a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission of "“creating message media for global change,”" in an effort to make a positive difference in the global community with art and media from a Creator-based perspective. Currently, Terry is filming two documentary feature films about poverty and the sex trafficking business. He endeavors to pursue his art by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “If a man hasn’t discovered something worth dying for, he isn’t fit to live.”
Awards and honors.
In his documentary work, Terry has been featured in numerous magazines for his work on the forefront of HD technology development and working hand-in-hand with manufacturers:


Travis Beacham

Travis Beacham (born 1980) is an American screenwriter.
Career.
Just prior to graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2005 after studying screenwriting, Beacham contributed to the independent feature "Dog Days of Summer" directed by fellow alum Mark Freiburger.
Beacham's first spec script "A Killing on Carnival Row" was picked up by New Line Cinema in 2005. Characterized as "a dark neo-noir fantasy thriller," the project was in development for years with directors Guillermo del Toro and Neil Jordan. However in May 2017 it was announced that Amazon Studios had ordered an eight-episode television series based on the script, "Carnival Row".
In May 2006, Beacham was hired to write an early draft of the Warner Bros. remake of the 1981 mythology epic "Clash of the Titans".
His second spec script, an "otherworldly fantasy" titled "The Tanglewood", was picked up by "Carnival Row" producers Arnold Kopelson and Anne Kopelson in 2007.
In 2009, Beacham was reported to be working on the screenplay for the Disney remake of "The Black Hole". Plot details of Beacham's script have been kept under wraps, but the new film is said to be more grounded in science.
In 2010, Beacham's treatment for the science fiction film "Pacific Rim" was acquired by Legendary Pictures. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, features giant robots defending the world from an onslaught of giant monsters. Prior to the film's release in 2013, Beacham authored a graphic novel prequel titled "Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero", with art by Sean Chen, Yvel Guichet, Pericles Junior and Alex Ross.
Cable network AMC announced in April 2013 a science fiction crime drama called "Ballistic City". Developed as a potential companion for "The Walking Dead", the new series depicts "a former cop thrust into the criminal underworld of a city housed in a generational spaceship." Beacham is set to write the script and executive produce alongside director Joseph Kosinski. Beacham was also a creative voice behind the TV series "Hieroglyph" which got cancelled before the first episode aired.
In 2016 he made his directorial debut with the science fiction short "The Curiosity", starring Caroline Ford, Danial Wolfe, and Andrew Novell. The next year, it was announced that he would write an episode of the Channel 4/Amazon Video series "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams".


Irving Asher

Irving Asher (1903–1985) was an American film producer. Born in San Francisco in September 1903, he began his film production career in Hollywood in 1919. After joining the staff of Warner Brothers he was sent over to England as the managing director of their subsidiary Teddington Studios in Middlesex in the mid 1930s (where he is credited for discovering and seeing the potential of Errol Flynn when he was a young unknown actor who was hanging around Teddington Studios at the time looking for a way into the movies). Flynn played his first significant part as the lead in the now-lost "Murder at Monte Carlo" (1935), which was produced by Asher.
Asher went on to join Alexander Korda's London Film Productions where he worked on the epic "The Four Feathers" (1939). Subsequently he returned to Hollywood to work as a producer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he earned his only Academy Award nomination for the 1941 Greer Garson film "Blossoms in the Dust".
Later in his career, he was head of production for 20th Century Fox Television.
He married the actress Laura La Plante in 1934.
Asher died in California in March 1985.


Kevin Biegel

Kevin Biegel is a television writer/producer, the co-creator of "Cougar Town" and creator of "Enlisted". In April 2017, it was announced that Biegel would serve as showrunner for the live-action "New Warriors" television series, which will be based on the Marvel Comics superhero team with the same name. The show was not picked however after production languished for over a year.
"Scrubs".
Biegel got his first staff writing job on "Scrubs", in its fifth season. In that season he wrote the episode "My Missed Perception" as well co-wrote the season finale "My Transition." In the sixth season he was promoted to story editor. In that season he wrote "My Fishbowl" and co-wrote "My Rabbit." In the seventh season he was promoted to executive story editor, he wrote the only unaired episode of "Scrubs" entitled "My Commitment." The episode was not completely filmed due to the writers strike, material from the episode was later used in an episode of season eight. For the eighth season he became a co-producer and wrote two episodes. They were, "My Nah Nah Nah", which had story lifted from the incomplete seventh season episode, and "My Cuz." The show would go on to a ninth season, but Biegel moved on to work on his new show "Cougar Town."
"Cougar Town".
While working on the eighth season of "Scrubs" in which Courteney Cox guest starred, she asked Bill Lawrence to come up with a show for her. After coming up with the initial concept he asked Biegel to write the pilot with him. Lawrence directed the pilot and the series was picked up for 13 episodes.
After airing on ABC's new "Wednesday Night Comedy Lineup" to mixed reviews the show was picked up for nine more episodes, bringing season one's episode total to 24. Other than the pilot Biegel has written the third episode "Don't Do Me Like That," and has gotten the story credit for the tenth episode "Mystery Man." Biegel acts as co-executive producer and co-head writer, along with Lawrence.
The first three seasons aired on ABC, with the series moving to TBS for the final three seasons.
Other work.
Before getting the writing job on "Scrubs," Biegel worked as a writers' assistant for many years.
Between the seventh and eighth season of "Scrubs" Biegel worked as a consultant on "South Park".


Lawrence Cohn

Lawrence Cohn is best known as one of the creators of Legacy Recordings, a branch of Sony Music Entertainment and as the originator and producer of the Roots 'N' Blues series.
Cohn was educated as a lawyer and became Vice-President of CBS/Epic Records and later head of Playboy Records and Music. One of his responsibilities at CBS was to co-supervise the Country Music Division. He was also COO & minor partner in the short-lived CBS Records-Bob Dylan generated label, "Accomplice Records." [1980-82] He has continued his career as a producer, writer and critic. He wrote "Movietone Presents the Twentieth Century" (New York : Saint Martin's Press, 1976) and edited "Nothing But The Blues : The Music and the Musicians" (New York : Abbeville Press, 1993).
He has eight Grammy Award nominations and won Grammy Award for Best Historical Album in 1991 for the "Robert Johnson : The Complete Recordings" project. In the same year he also received the W. C. Handy Award for his work on Robert Johnson and was honored with a Special Distinction Award by the Blues Foundation for his "Contribution to the Blues." Moreover, Sony Music provided him with their first President's Award, for his work on Robert Johnson. He was also selected as one of the "100 Most Important People In The Music Business." [BAM, 1991[
During his tenure at both CBS & Playboy, he was responsible in various ways for the Discovery/Signing/Producing/Career Decisions of many artists including but not limited to: Billy Joel [as "Attila"], Willie Nelson, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick [as "Fuse"], Edgar Winter, White Trash, Johnny Winter, Fleetwood Mac [Peter Green version], Shuggie Otis, Johnny Otis, Sugarcane Harris, The Johnny Otis Show, Ivory Joe Hunter, ABBA [as "Bjorn & Benny"], Jo Ann Kelly, Brenda Patterson, Sam Phillips [productions], Wayne Cochran & the CC Riders, Lead Belly [first live concert], Otis Blackwell, Gene Austin, Rufus [pre-Chaka Khan], Max Weinberg ["Blackstone"], Poco, Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich, Jim & Jesse, Bob Luman, David Houston, Jim Messina, Terry Reid, Mashmakhan [Canadian super group], Gary Busey ["Carp"], Redbone, CHASE. Santana, Neil Diamond, Taj Mahal, Clancy Bros. & Tommy Makem, Gene Autry, Pete Seeger, Bill Monroe.
Cohn spent several years in Paris, France as the head of a Magazine & Book Publishing Company. He is a "three category" Blues Foundation winner [Hall of Fame; Vintage Historical Reissue; Career: Historical Preservation] as well as being a vernacular music collector of note and a founding member of the near-legendary "Blues Mafia," a group considered by many as a major impetus regarding the renewed interest in Traditional American Music!
His book, "Nothing But The Blues: The Music and the Musicians," received numerous awards. Amongst them, the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award, BMI-Ralph Gleason Award and the Blues Foundations's "Hall of Fame" designation. He has received numerous awards and citations for his work, including France's "Academie Charles Gross: Grand Prix Du Disque." [1992] He is the recipient of the President's Life Achievement Award, given by his undergraduate alma mater, City College of New York [CUNY]. [2016]; "Living Blues Magazine Awards." [1] Producer of the Year [2] Best Historical Project: Pre-War. [2018].


Bob Geddins

Robert L. "Bob" Geddins (February 6, 1913 – February 16, 1991) was an American San Francisco Bay Area blues and rhythm and blues musician and record producer.
Geddins was born in Highbank, Texas, United States, a town ten miles south of Marlin, who came to Oakland, California during World War II, and worked there until his
death of liver cancer in 1991, ten days after his 78th birthday.
Record labels and artists produced.
From 1948 onwards, he founded and owned numerous small independent record labels, including Art-Tone, Big Town, Cavatone, Down Town, Irma, Plaid, Rhythm, and Veltone. He also leased his recordings to Los Angeles based labels such as Swing Time, Aladdin, Modern, Imperial, and Fantasy, and also to the Chicago operated Checker label. Geddins produced acts including Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Johnny Fuller, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Etta James. A 4-CD box set of 107 selected recordings has been issued by JSP Records under the title "The Bob Geddins Blues Legacy".
Compositions.
Many tunes often mistakenly attributed to other artists were either written or co-written by Geddins, e.g. "Tin Pan Alley". "Mercury Blues", and "My Time After A While".
Geddins best-known tune is possibly "Haunted House" (originally produced by Geddins, sung by Johnny Fuller, released in 1958 on Specialty 655) which later became a 1964 US number 11 hit for Jumpin' Gene Simmons and, subsequently, many other well-known artists.


C-Bo

Shawn Thomas, also known by his stage name C-Bo, is an American Gangsta rapper.
Career.
C-Bo, notoriously known for his relationship with law enforcement, was one of the first rappers to be jailed due to his lyrical content, a scathing critique of political officials and police on his track "Deadly Game," and unsuccessfully argued for appeal three times, while gaining nationwide attention for arguably his most successful mainstream album. He was arrested in California in 1998, under the suspicion that his violent rap lyrics violated his parole. He then, in Ohio, rapped his court statement to the presiding judge, who gave C-Bo probation on the condition that he also rap in a Public Service Announcement.


Deborah Cooper

Deborah Cooper is an American professional dancer, musician, singer, award-winning composer and entertainer, with several number one and top charting dance music and house music hits.
Biography.
Early career.
Cooper started as a female vocalist for the Fatback Band. Her first song with them was "Double Dutch" and the last one was "Wild Sugar". After she left she was replaced by Linda Blakely, who had been a lead female vocalist and member of disco/R&B band Change (1981–1985) with whom she had several hits. In 1991 Cooper featured as guest vocalist on Clivillés and Cole's hit single A Deeper Love.
Subsequently, in the 1990s, she was part of the C+C Music Factory as both a lead and back up vocalist resulting in several # 1 hits, including "Deeper Love", "Pride" and "Keep It Comin" (Dance Till You Can't Dance) both rap and No. 1 charting dance versions of the theme from the cult film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The film featured a version of "Keep It Comin" with Rapper Q-Unique, while the Dance club version was solely Deborah Cooper vocals. The music video had clips and actors from the film. Cooper continues to lend her vocals to house music tracks by a number of record producers, while she has also continued to release her own solo tracks.
TV appearances.
While appearing on TV's Saturday Night Live with C+C Music Factory, which was hosted by Susan Dey on February 8, 1992, Deborah Cooper was featured in a solo performance, singing "Deeper Love", known as "Pride" from the repeated lyric tag. This appearance boosted sales of the song. "Deeper love" was actually the "B" side, while the "A" side was a house version of U2's "Pride", known by the tag " In the Name of Love", which was another club hit for Cooper.
Backup, session, commercial work.
As a backup and session singer she has worked with Jessica Simpson, Lisa Lisa (which was during her C&C Music Factory days), and Natalie Cole. She vocalized Budget Gourmet's "Things That Make You Go MMMM" Campaign, which was a take off of the C + C Music Factory song on which Cooper provided vocals.
For several years Deborah was a featured singer for Mariah Carey in both recording sessions, as well as during international live performances. Cooper can also be seen in Mariah Carey's "behind the scene" documentary feature for "Butterfly".
In 2004, a commercial for American Express features comedian Ellen DeGeneres dancing around, while Deborah Cooper belts out the famous C + C Music Factory tag line "Everybody Dance Now" from the track "Gonna Make You Sweat".
In 2008 Cooper started writing a book about her life in the music industry, while she also continued composing new dance music.
Writing and composition work.
In 2003 Deborah collaborated with DJ Producer Tony Moran. She wrote "Real Love", which was released publicly by Emerge Records in 2003. In early 2007 Cooper began working on her memoirs, focusing on her history in music as an R & B diva, disco, and dance belter, while including stories about being on the road as a performer. An international tour was being planned for summer 2007 in support of her book.
Live performance.
Cooper appears and performs live at clubs, casinos, circuit parties, as well as corporate and special events. Due to the popularity and longevity of the song "Deeper Love", known as "Pride", she frequently appears at LGBT events, Pride Events, and fundraisers. One of these events was Alegria Pride in NYC.
In the late 1990s Ms. Cooper's Personal Appearance Manager, Scott Sherman of the Atlantic Entertainment Group, specifically developed a new concept for Cooper for non-live music appearances, known as "track" shows, typically utilized in smaller venues and "one night" limited runs.
With a team consisting of her Personal Appearance Manager, choreographer Luis Villabon, Sound engineer Henry "Butch" Jackson, and AMS Services for lighting and effects, the track show evolved into a portable production show, fitting both smaller and larger venues. Her costumes included those from designer Gianni Versace and Marc Baur.
In collaboration with dancer and choreographer, Luis Villabon, Cooper and manager Scott Sherman, a retired professional dancer himself, purposely cast experienced, Broadway trained dancers, rather than the customary hip hop dancers. By combining classically trained Jazz, Ballet and "show" dancers, with "street" and hip hop movement, and adding professional staging and meticulous choreography, her new look and style was established. This started a trend among similar acts.
Collaborations.
Robert Clivilles of C+C Music Factory asked Deborah Cooper to vocalize the song "Reach" for his RobiRob's Clubworld CD. This was his first post C+C project since the passing of his business partner, David Cole. This project was unique as it included the late David Cole's final performance on keyboards.
In 2001 for Producer DJ Victor Calderone Deborah recorded " Are You Satisfied" which was a number 1 dance music hit. Prior to this collaboration, they both had worked with Peter Rauhofer, who was the world's first dance music category Grammy Award Winner to add her unique vocal stylings to "Do It Properly". The live performance was premiered at the annual Winter Music Conference and in 2003 she won an ASCAP award for her writing and composition on the project.
In 2004 Cooper introduced a popular remix of the "Real Love" collaboration by Rosabel, a house music duo consisting of Producer / DJs Ralphi Rosario from Chicago, Illinois and DJ Abel from Miami, Florida. The new version premiered live when she appeared at the sold-out 2004 Chicago annual Fireball event.
In 2005 with DJ Producer Tony Moran she recorded "Live You All Over" which quickly rose up the charts to number 2. This track was released as a CD single and on Moran's "Tour De Beats" compilation.
In January 2007, she began a world tour with longtime friend and personal appearance manager Scott Sherman, which included domestic and international dates. Cooper was also working on a book project.
In 2009, Deborah's deep and rich vocals appear on "Erick Morillo feat Deborah Cooper – I Get Lifted".
In 2013, Deborah Cooper reunited with Tony Moran to do vocals for the song "Heartbeat" and it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.
Discography.
Many of these releases are further remixed, modified and re-released by professional DJs and Producers at later dates.


Sam Antonioli


Jeremiah Scott

Jeremiah Scott is the rhythm guitarist for the Christian metalcore band Demon Hunter and bassist for thrash metal act Destroy Destroy Destroy as well as a rock and metal producer based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History.
Scott started his musical career with the death metal band, Destroy Destroy Destroy. He was on their first two albums, "Devour the Power" and "Battle Sluts". It is unclear of their current status, given "Battle Sluts" was released in 2009.
Before joining The Showdown, he produced their third album, "Back Breaker". He joined as bassist/songwriter/producer for the album "Blood in the Gears", which also featured Demon Hunter's Patrick Judge (guitar) and Timothy "Yogi" Watts (drums).
In 2012, Scott was announced as the replacement for guitarist Ryan Helm in Demon Hunter. He also served as primary producer/engineer on the Demon Hunter albums "True Defiance" , "Extremist" , and "Outlive" along with Aaron Sprinkle.
Scott's likeness was used in the video game "Killing Floor 2" for the character Oisten Jagerhorn.
Bands.
Current
On Hiatus


April Blair

April Blair is an American writer and producer of film and television. Blair has written scripts for the films, "Christmas Caper", "", "Lemonade Mouth". She also co-wrote with director Tom Bezucha, the film "Monte Carlo" starring Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy. Blair is also the creator and executive producer of the 2012 Freeform (formerly ABC Family until 2016) series "Jane by Design".


Virgil L. Davis Jr.

Virgil L. Davis Jr. (born September 18, 1960) is an American record producer / songwriter / musician based in Los Angeles. He recorded albums with DJ U-Neek for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, earning a Grammy Award for his musician work on the group's hit song, "Tha Crossroads", also the 4x platinum album "The Art Of War", the multi platinum album "BTNHResurrection","Thug World Order" and "Thug Stories", "Strength & Loyalty", and " and ". He also was a writer / produced and performed on DJ U-Neek's solo album, "Ghetto Street Pharmacist".
He was also signed as a songwriter for Kingpin Records founder DJ U-Neek, where he wrote songs for Arista Records recording artist Angie Stone "Black Diamond" album along with other Kingpin Records artist.
He later went on to record with Capitol Records recording artist "Tracie Spencer".
References.
Discogs. "Discography: Virgil Davis Jr". Discogs.
 "Discography: Funktagious". Discogs.
AllMusic. "Credits: Virgil Davis Jr". AllMusic.


Alex Anfanger

Alex Anfanger is an American television writer, actor, and producer known for his roles in "Burning Love", "Cake", and "Big Time in Hollywood, FL".


Luke Barnett

Luke Barnett (born February 13, 1983) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his comedic acting and writing on "Funny or Die" films.
Early life.
Barnett was born in 1983 in Clinton, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Having pursued acting since 2000, and with an interest in promoting social change, he moved to Los Angeles by 2005. His father is a pastor.
Career.
In Los Angeles, Barnett landed a role in a play about homeless youth called "The Playground". According to Barnett, the production opened doors for him both as an actor and as an advocate for social justice. By 2007, he began to get credited screen roles, including three episodes of "MANswers". In 2011 he was in three television series and six films, including "Sedona", "Coffin", and "The Amityville Haunting". In 2012 he appeared in "Static". Barnett's films also include a 2013 short called "The Newest Testament" (a Biblical parody which he produced, co-wrote, and stars in as Jesus), "The Scribbler" (2014), and "The Treehouse" (2015).
For his theatre work, in 2011 Barnett was praised by "Backstage" for his "facile array of increasingly outrageous cameo roles" in "Bayside High School Musical", a musical parody of the 1990s teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell". In the musical, Barnett played 10 different characters, and was credited as "Everyone Else" in the playbill.
"Funny or Die".
Barnett's "Funny or Die" films have garnered national and international attention. In his first major project for "Funny or Die", Barnett starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced "Growing Up With Gosling" (2012), in which Barnett plays the childhood best friend of actor Ryan Gosling, who has tried to cast him as his co-star in all of his movies, including "The Notebook", "Ides of March", "Crazy, Stupid, Love", "Lars and the Real Girl", and "Drive". Barnett always gets replaced at the last minute by the studio, which nearly always wants a female co-star. The short screened at several festivals including the LA Comedy Festival, the Los Angeles Film, Television and New Media Festival, the Playhouse West Film Festival, and the Laugh Track Comedy Festival. It won the Best Comedy Short award at the 2012 Los Angeles Film, Television and New Media Festival.
Barnett next starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced "Kickstarter to help Luke & Tanner do COOL STUFF!", which premiered in April 2013. The film spoofs several Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns by already successful, wealthy celebrities to finance new projects such as the "Veronica Mars" film and the "Garden State" sequel. Barnett and Tanner Thomason appeal to celebrities to donate money to regular folks like them, so they can watch the celebrities' films and do other cool stuff – in exchange for rewards like "verbal confirmation, to a stranger, of how rad the "Veronica Mars" movie was". In reviewing the spoof, "Mashable" noted that "... Hollywood stars have recently come under fire for using Kickstarter because, as the argument goes, they may deflect attention from lesser-known filmmakers who rely solely on crowdfunding to support their projects." Barnett was interviewed by "Mashable" regarding the Kickstarter spoof, and he and Thomason were interviewed about it on Southern California Public Radio. The film was also featured on news sites including "News Hour 24" and "France 24" and other political and international sites.
In September 2013 Barnett co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in "A Message to Aaron Sorkin", which spoofs the opening scene of Sorkin's show "The Newsroom". Barnett plays the lead character, Will McAvoy, played in the series by Jeff Daniels. Of the "Newsroom" spoof, "Huffington Post" said it "nails everything that's wrong with Aaron Sorkin's show". "Entertainment Weekly" noted that "Mirroring the opening scene of the series nearly shot-for-shot, ... "Funny or Die" seamlessly parodies the show by asking bizarro Will McAvoy, 'Can you say why "The Newsroom" is the greatest show on television?'" Perez Hilton opined that "As smart as the show tries to be, a new parody video from "Funny or Die" may be even SMARTER!" The spoof was also featured on ESPN's "Grantland", "The New York Observer", and international sites such as "56.com".


J Boogie

Justin Boland, also known as J Boogie is a DJ, music producer, radio host, music director and music curator from San Francisco with over 25 years of experience in the music industry.
He is the Head of Hip-Hop and R&B Programming at Pandora Media. As a curator, he's responsible for the Hip-Hop and R&B libraries, editorial curation and programming Pandora's genre stations and Project Management for Pandora's programming team. J Boogie’s experience in radio, clubs and the recording studio have provided opportunities for him to work at Beats Music, Pulselocker, Spinner.com/AOL Music, Amoeba Music, KUSF and more.
He is signed to the Om Records label, and has three full-length albums as well as several DJ mix CDs. He has also been featured on several compilations and remix projects.
His style includes a mixture of downtempo, hip-hop, funk, dub, soul, afrobeats, Latin, dancehall, and electronic.
He was the co-creator of the radio show "Beatsauce", along with DJs Raw B, and Wisdom on KUSF, which was awarded "Best hip-hop show" by citysearch.com, the "SF Bay Guardian", and the "SF Weekly". He was also one of the long time residents at Dub Mission, a weekly reggae/roots party in San Francisco at the Elbo Room.
J Boogie's Dubtronic Science.
His band J Boogie's Dubtronic Science, features himself DJing with FX and drum machines, plus a few other frequent contributors. They play a mix of styles and feature members of Jazz Mafia on horns, an Afro Latin percussion percussionist, Aima the Dreamer, Deuce Eclipse and Rich Armstrong on vocals, and sometimes special guests such as Zion I or Lyrics Born. Although Dubtronic Science uses production techniques popularized in dub music, the album does not fall under that genre.
DJ work.
J Boogie has been DJing since 1991. He started on the radio in college radio at KUSF. When DJing, he integrates various techniques and musical genres including dub, soul, hip–hop, reggae, funk, Latin, afrobeats, bhangra, dancehall, disco, electro and house.
J Boogie DJs around the world at places like APT, Turntables on the Hudson, Deep Space NYC, 18th Street Lounge, Halo, Temple Bar, Afro Funke, Root Down, Firecracker, The Do Over and Deep LA. He has also been on tour with Widespread Panic, Bassnectar and Spearhead, and has opened for George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Mark Farina, Louie Vega, DJ Krush, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Breakestra, RJD2, PPP, and Nickodemus.
He has also performed at the music festivals Bumbershoot, Bonnaroo, SXSW, WMC, Harmony Fest, Earthdance, High Sierra, Power to the Peaceful and Burning Man.
J Boogie's self-titled debut album was released in 2003, featuring artists like Goapele, Gina Rene, People Under The Stairs, Capital A and Tony Moses. His next release on Om Records, "Live in the Mix", was a mix CD featuring two new original songs, "You're a Murdera" featuring Deuce Eclipse and Zion I, and "Purple Perpendicular Phonics", featuring P.E.A.C.E. and Raashan Ahmad.
His third release on Om, "Soul Vibrations", features The Rebirth, Rich Medina, Lyrics Born, Ohmega Watts, Zion I, Crown City Rockers, Jennifer Johns, Deuce Eclipse, Capitol A, The Mamaz, Jazz Mafia, Lunar Heights, Jrod Indigo, Tony Moses and more.
J Boogie has also released several mixtapes and remixes. His has remixed DJ Vadim, Alice Russell, Miguel Migs, Karsh Kale, The Rebirth, Zeph & Azeem, Mark Farina, Zion I, Goapele and Soulstice. His mix CDs are "Leftism 1 & 2" with Sake One, "In the Mood I & II", "Universal B Breaks", "Electro Soul", "Live in the Bedroom", and "Live on the Dancefloor". He has been featured on compilations like Mark Farina’s "Mushroom Jazz 5 & 6", the "Om Lounge" series, and Ubiquity compilations and remix projects.
He has remixed/dubbed:
He has been remixed/dubbed by:
He has collaborated with / featured:
Discography.
12" singles:
Albums:


List of Paramount Pictures executives

The following is a list of Paramount Pictures executives.


William H. Oakes

W. H. Oakes (died 1890) was a music publisher in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts. He published compositions by Daniel Auber, Henry Russell and others.
History.
Although details of his life remain scarce, ample evidence exists to show that William Oakes engraved and published many works of music throughout the 1840s. He usually employed outside printers, and distributed his publications through other vendors. Oakes seems to have borne responsibility for selecting the musical work, securing copyright permissions, hiring artists to create cover images, and arranging other logistics. Oakes himself engraved the musical notations.
In 1840 Oakes and Samuel Swan formed a publishing company, Oakes & Swan. The short-lived firm published musical works such as "The Lament of the Irish Emigrant" by William R. Dempster, and "The Land of the Blest" by J.P. Knight. Swan left the partnership by January, 1841.
For several years Oakes maintained an office on Tremont Street. Oakes served in 1841 as a trustee of the Music Institute. In 1844, the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association selected three examples of Oakes' music engravings to exhibit at Quincy Hall.


John S. Carter

John S. Carter, Jr. (June 14, 1945 – May 10, 2011), better known as simply Carter, was an American music producer, writer, arranger, instrumentalist, and A&R man.
Carter was born the son of an oil wildcatter in East St. Louis, Illinois. His music career began in 1967 when he co-wrote "That Acapulco Gold" (a #70 hit on the "Billboard Hot" 100 chart) with Tim Gilbert of the Rainy Daze. Also with Gilbert, he co-wrote the lyrics to "Incense and Peppermints," a "Billboard" #1 hit by the Strawberry Alarm Clock.
He first worked for Atlantic Records and was recruited to the A&R department of Capitol Records. There he worked with Bob Seger (fostering his hit album "Night Moves") and the Steve Miller Band during the periods of their commercial breakthroughs. He also signed Sammy Hagar, Bob Welch and The Motels to Capitol, and co-wrote and produced some of their early output.
Carter is credited with relaunching the career of Tina Turner in the 1980s. In 1983, despite opposition from within Capitol, Carter signed Turner and supported her throughout the recording of her first Capitol album, "Private Dancer"—an album that ultimately involved eight different producers. Though many producers contributed to the album, it was Carter who produced the title song. The album went on to sell more than 20 million copies and made Turner a global superstar.
He died of cancer on May 10, 2011 in Palm Springs, California.
Carter had a daughter in 1980 with his wife Jeannie named Crosby Carter. She followed in his footsteps and became an artist manager.


Carl Bonafede

Carl Bonafede was born in the Little Italy Chicago community on October 16, 1940. He appeared as a young boy on local television on "Morris B. Sach's Amateur Hour" singing and playing the accordion. He appeared on an interview show, Ernie Simon's "Curbstone Cut-up". He sang his hit record "Were Wolf" on disc-jockey Jim Lounsbury's TV show in Chicago. He went on to promote local bands with his weekly dances at local ballrooms including the Aragon Ballroom, Madura's Danceland and The Holiday Ballroom with owner and collaborator Dan Belloc of big band fame (Billy May Orchestra). He recorded and produced over 200 records with various recording artists. He fronted a local group, The Gem-tones, whose saxophone player, Harry Manfredini, became a movie musical score arranger for the "Friday the 13th" movies. He then turned to managing and promoting local teen bands (garage-bands in the early 60s). His most famous clients were The Buckinghams and the all-girl group The Daughters of Eve. He also managed Thee Prophets, from Wisconsin and Mickey & Larry and the Exciters from Boston. He managed The Delights, in Chicago. He worked for the Willard Alexander Booking Agency with agent Herb Gronauer, who now promotes celebrities in Palm Springs, California. He also worked for the CASK Attractions agency.
As a young band manager Bonafede promoted many young teens in a new phenomenon – the garage band. One of these groups included The Fabulous Centuries. The Centuries consisted of Nick Fortuna, Curtis Bachman, Carl Giammarese and Jerry Elarde. Carl Bonafede first crossed paths with Phil Orsi in 1964 when Phil was fronting Phil Orsi and the Little Kings at the Vogue Ballroom in Chicago. Another group with great vocal harmonies was known as The Pulsations. John Poulos, Dennis Miccolis, George LeGros and Dennis Tufano were members of The Pulsations. These two groups merged to form The Buckinghams. One day, Sheldon Cooper, an executive at WGN-TV, witnessed a promotion of Carl's outside Lane Tech High School across the street from WGN-TV's studios. Carl's discussion with Cooper led to The Pulsations entering and winning a competition to appear for 13 weeks on The All-Time Hits, Chicago's first locally produced TV program broadcast in color, featuring a variety of musical guests. By the end of the 13-week run, the Pulsations/Fabulous Centuries became The Buckinghams. He was on hand at the Chess Records studios in Chicago, Illinois to record "Kind of a Drag" with the Buckinghams co-producer 'Dan Belloc and arranger Frank Tesinsky. Jim Holvay of the local Chicago group The Mob was the composer of "Kind of a Drag".
Present day.
As of 2017, Carl Bonafede aka "The Screaming Wildman" (a nickname given to him by a priest who witnessed Carl running a local parish teenage dance) still lives and works in Chicago in the Lincoln Park area, close to the lakefront.
Discography.
The Daughters of Eve.
USA 1779, 1966.
USA 891, 1967.
Spectra Sound 920, 1967.
Cadet 5600, 1968.


Clara H. Scott

Clara H. Scott (December 3, 1841 – June 21, 1897), née Fiske, was an American composer, hymnwriter and publisher. She was the first woman to publish a volume of anthems, the "Royal Anthem Book", in 1882. Scott was also well known for her hymn, "Open My Eyes, That I May See", written in 1895. The hymn was inspired by Psalm 119, verse 18. She died in 1897 after being thrown from her carriage by a spooked horse.
A selection of her hymn texts and music can be found at .


Yaba Angelosi

Angelo Maku better known by his stage name Yaba Angelosi is a South Sudanese American singer, songwriter, sound producer, film director, and entertainer.
Biography.
He is founder of Assida Records and Assida Films. He is popular in Africa and in South Sudanese diaspora in United States, Canada and Europe.
Yaba Angelosi, was the eldest child in the family of eight. He was born in a small town near Juba, South Sudan. His family immigrated to the United States in 2000 and ever since, Yaba has been working to improve his skills. In addition to vocals, he plays guitar, bass, piano and drums.
Angelosi's music mixes catchy African traditional sounds with Western dance music using modern instrumentation and arrangements. He has performed internationally including at The White House, during Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) celebrations in District of Columbia and many more. He supported the independence referendum in 2011 with a collective work "Time to Vote (Referendum)" in English and many local languages and in cooperation with a number of South Sudanese artists and personalities. A music video was launched directed by Yaba Angelosi and produced by his production company Assida Productions. Also in 2011, he released the 18-track album "Survivor" that included "Time to Vote" In 2012, he campaigned against bleaching trend in some African communities releasing his single "Black Is Beautiful".
Assida Records / Assida Films / Assida Productions.
Assida Productions, an independent production company was co-founded by Yaba Angelosi and DJ Masta-J aka Morris in 2008. Later on a record label was also developed as Assida Records starting 2011. Now the company has the following divisions: Assida Productions, Assida Films, Assida Promotions, Assida Graphics and Assida TV.
Assida Productions have produced music for many artists: produced for a number of artists including Meve Alange, Baf Jay, Slick Nick, OB MrRight, Mista D, O-Kays, Refugee Muziq, Ono-Lyrics, Habib Musica, Zaquan Sam, Sway, Tina Jibi, Adaway, John Taban, Amanie Illfated and others.
Assida Records label currently signed artist Yaba Angelosi, Baf Jay and Josephine Sebit. Previously signed artist such Meve Alange, Slick Nick, and Flow Youngin.
Assida Films have worked on many independent film projects as well as music videos for many artists: Meve Alange, Baf Jay, Slick Nick, Adaway, Sykologist, Tina Jibi, OB MrRight, V-Vesta, Lohan, and many more.


Hans Beimler (screenwriter)

Hans Anthony Beimler (born July 10, 1953) is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on "". He has collaborated frequently with producer Richard Manning.
Early life.
Beimler was born in Mexico City, Mexico. His father, a German immigrant, was a commercial director and cameraman and his mother, an American, was an author and painter. He is the grandson of the historical political figure Hans Beimler. He attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 1977 with a degree in film production.
It was eight years before Beimler sold his first script, during which time he earned a living as a documentary cameraman – the same type of work that his father was involved in. He went on to become an assistant director for several televisions shows such as "Eye to Eye", but also worked on feature films including "The Falcon and the Snowman, Splash" and "Cocoon".
Screenwriting.
Beimler gained a position on the staff of television series "Fame" as a screenwriter, and went on to work for shows such as "Knightwatch" before gaining a staff position on "".
Beimler wrote multiple episodes of, and worked as a story editor and co-producer for, "The Next Generation" from 1988 to 1990. During this period he frequently collaborated with Richard Manning. He was then co-executive producer, director, and writer for the short-lived series "TekWar", before working on " from 1995 to 1999. He had an uncredited appearance as a holodeck character in the series' final episode, ".
In 2005, Beimler and fellow former "DS9" screenwriter Robert Hewitt Wolfe developed the pilot for a series called "Scarlett". It was about an author living in New Orleans who believes that her characters are coming to life. The pilot was developed by Cheyenne Productions, owned by Bruce Willis.


Antoni Corone

Antoni Corone is an American actor and producer who lives in Hollywood, Florida.
Early life.
Corone was raised in Willoughby and Wickliffe, Ohio.
Career.
Antoni Corone launched his career in the mid-1980s, usually cast as rugged, slightly imposing and domineering types - including club bouncers, security personnel, military men, and officers of the law.
In 1986 he played in telemovie "Charley Hannah" and starred in the British sitcom "Only Fools and Horses" in the episode "Miami Twice" playing Rico Ochetti, a mafia don's son. The episode originally aired on the BBC One network in the United Kingdom on December 25, 1991.
In 1997, he recorded a participation in "Kenan & Kel" as the movie star Buck Savage
Corone's film work includes bit parts in A-list features such as "Blood and Wine", "Striptease", "Bad Boys II", and "Out of Time". Corone had a larger supporting role in the crime saga "We Own the Night".
Corone's other work includes, Italian mobster Frank Urbano in the HBO series Oz, "Reservation Road", 2008's "Recount", the war drama "Green Zone", the 2014 TV series "The Red Road" and Jack Ruby in "11.22.63".


Skip Gilbert

Francis "Skip" Gilbert is a retired U.S. soccer player. He was a two-time NCAA Division I First-Team All-American goalkeeper and played one season in the North American Soccer League. His business career includes roles in executive management, sales and sales management, marketing and event operations. He held these roles with companies such as the United States Tennis Association, USA Triathlon, USA Swimming, US Soccer, the Arena Football League and the Sporting News.
Soccer.
Gilbert attended the University of Vermont where he played on the men's soccer team from 1979 to 1982. He was selected as a first team NCAA Division 1 All American goalkeeper in 1982 and 1983. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science and was inducted in the Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. On August 31, 1983, he played one game for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North American Soccer League, losing 5-0 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
He played for the US Olympic Development Team in the 1983 Korea Cup tournament in South Korea.
Sports Executive.
After retiring from playing, Gilbert worked in the publishing and sports marketing career fields. He was an account executive at Tennis Magazine, ADWEEK and Ziff-Davis before spending nine years in sales at Sporting News, part of that as the National Sales Manager. On July 24, 1997, he moved to the United States Soccer Federation where he was the Vice President of Sales. In June 1998, he became the Chief Marketing Officer at USA Swimming. In July 2001, Gilbert became the Vice President-Sponsorship Sales for the Arena Football League. In July 2003, he was hired as the New York Sales Manager for Outside Magazine. On March 4, 2005, he became the CEO of USA Triathlon, the U.S. national governing body for the sport. On August 30, 2010 USA Triathlon announced Skip's departure as CEO. After leaving USAT, Gilbert consulted for Times-7 Sport, a New Zealand-based sport timing company. In June 2011, Gilbert was hired as Chief Business Officer at PSA, an events firm in Reston, VA. In July 2012, he joined the United States Tennis Association as Managing Director, Professional Tennis Operations & US Open Tournament Manager.


Aaron Bay-Schuck

Aaron Bay-Schuck (born September 5, 1981) is an American music industry executive. The CEO and co-chairman of Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), he was previously the president of A&R at Interscope Geffen A&M and the senior vice president of A&R at Atlantic Records.
Early life and education.
Bay-Schuck was born in Los Angeles to actors Susan Bay and John Schuck. His parents divorced when he was a child, and in 1989 his mother married Leonard Nimoy.
Bay-Schuck attended Columbia University, where he majored in political science. He planned to attend law school and pursue a career in entertainment law. In his senior year, he met a video promotion executive from Capitol Records and had a conversation with her about how record companies operate. The next day he applied for an internship at Interscope Records. He was hired, and although he interned in the video promotion department, he became interested in A&R. He graduated from Columbia in 2003.
Career.
Bay-Schuck returned to Los Angeles following his college graduation. Knowing that jobs at record companies had become scarce as the music industry constricted in the post-Napster era, he registered at an employment agency that placed temps at labels. He was assigned a short-term job at Interscope, and was quickly hired as a full-time assistant to Martin Kierszenbaum, then the head of international marketing for the label. Determined to work in A&R, he left Interscope a year later to take a job as an A&R assistant at Atlantic. In 2006, he was promoted to a staff A&R position. His first hits in an A&R capacity were with the songs "Shawty" by Plies featuring T-Pain, and "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Kesha. Bay-Schuck co-wrote "Right Round," which went five times platinum in the US and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Over the course of his ten years at Atlantic, Bay-Schuck worked with Cee Lo Green, B.o.B., T.I., Trey Songz, Travie McCoy, and Trick Daddy, among others. Most notably, he discovered, signed and developed Bruno Mars, who has since sold more than 170 million singles and 26 million albums worldwide. Following his success with Mars, Bay-Schuck, who had originally focused on rap and R&B, worked with artists of all genres. He was appointed senior vice president of A&R for Atlantic in 2012.
In 2014, Bay-Schuck was named president of A&R at Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA). At IGA he worked with artists including Gwen Stefani, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, One Republic, and Selena Gomez.
In October 2017, it was announced that Bay-Schuck had been appointed CEO and co-chairman of Warner Records. He assumed the position in October 2018, when his contract with Interscope expired.
Bay-Schuck was included in the "Billboard" Power 100 in 2019 and 2020.


Pat Cassidy

Pat Cassidy (born August 28, 1985) is an American independent film producer and music manager based in Austin, Texas.
He began his career in the entertainment business in 2001, starting a small punk and ska record label in his hometown of Herndon, Virginia. He produced the 2009 short horror film, "Lullaby", striking a distribution deal with Fearnet. He produced the psychological horror-thriller film, "House Hunting", which premiered at the 2012 Virginia Film Festival. He produced" The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" inspired script "Butcher Boys" for writer-producer Kim Henkel, the film premiered at the 2012 Fantasia Festival in Montreal. In 2013 he produced the indie-thriller, "Two Step", for director Alex Johnson, the film premiered at the SXSW film festival to positive reviews from "Variety" and "Indiewire".
Cassidy currently manages the Austin, Texas-based Indie pop band Wild Child, as well as Whiskey Shivers, Ben Kweller, and Holiday Mountain. Cassidy is also a co-host of the daily news podcast, Hard Factor.
Cassidy's father was first cousin with David Cassidy making him his first cousin once removed. His great aunt is Shirley Jones.


Harry Beaumont

Harry Beaumont (February 10, 1888 – December 22, 1966) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He worked for a variety of production companies including Fox, Goldwyn, Metro, Warner Brothers, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Career.
Beaumont's greatest successes were during the silent film era, when he directed films including John Barrymore's "Beau Brummel" (1924) and the silent youth movie "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928), featuring Joan Crawford. He then directed MGM's first talkie musical, "The Broadway Melody" (1929). The latter film won the Best Picture Academy Award that year, and Beaumont was nominated for Best Director.
Personal life and death.
Beaumont was married to actress Hazel Daly. The couple had twin daughters Anne and Geraldine, born in 1922.
On December 22, 1966, Beaumont died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His gravesite is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.


Joseph S. Kutrzeba

Joseph S. Kutrzeba (born Arie Fajwiszys in Łódź, Poland, October 11, 1927 and died in New York City, January 24, 2013) was a Polish-American theater producer and director.
Family background: Israel Fajwiszys and Kutrzeba's early life.
Kutrzeba was the son of Israel Fajwiszys, a composer, and Malka (Hakman) Fajwiszys, both of whom perished in the Holocaust, along with their daughter, Kutrzeba's sister. Israel Fajwiszys was born in 1887 in Yampil, Ukraine. Having graduated from a music conservatoire, he led the choirs of the progressive synagogues in Brody and Tarnów. After studying in Vienna, he was also the leader of the Kraków Tempel Synagogue choir. He came to Łódź from Lviv in 1922 and he became a teacher in both girls' and boys' schools of the Jewish Secondary Schools Society. He was the co-organiser of a singing society "Szir". After the outbreak of World War II he moved to Warsaw, where he volunteered to help an underground military organisation. In the ghetto, with Kutrzeba, he organised a children's choir. Kutzreba's father Israel wrote the music to the poem "M'khol Masada" by Yitskhok Lamden. In 1937 Israel's girls' chorus won first prize in an all-Poland choral competition. Later in the Warsaw Ghetto, he would lead the children's choir in performances of the song recounting the Jewish resistance and sacrifice under Roman rule.
During the ghetto uprising he was caught and transported together with his daughter to the extermination camp in Poniatowa in the Lublin area, where he was murdered.
War and post-war life in Europe.
Kutrzeba was a member of a teenage resistance group in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. He escaped and met a priest, Reverend Stanisław Falkowski, who gave him the patriotic Polish name of Joseph Kutrzeba. He found him work as a cowherd with neighboring farmers and helped him get Catholic ID papers. In 1977 Falkowski was honored by Yad Vashem, the international Holocaust heroism remembrance authority. The story of Kutrzeba and Falkowski's fifty year friendship was told in the documentary "Messengers of Hope: The Hidden Children of the Holocaust", produced by Jeff Kamen, Jonathan L. Kessler and Joseph Kutrzeba.
Kutrzeba wrote in his memoir in May 1994: "During the first days of September 1942, at the age of 14, I jumped out of a moving train destined for Treblinka, through an opening (window) of a cattle car loaded to capacity with Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto. Wandering over fields, forests and villages, at first in the vicinity of Wołomin, and later of Zambrów, I found myself, in late November, in the area of Hodyszewo (near Łomża). Throughout my wandering, the peasants for the most part were amenable to put me up for the night and to feed me—some either suspecting my origins or pressing me to admit it."
He attended L.M. University in Munich, Germany (B.A. equivalent) and at age 19 was the winner of the top literary prize for a World War II short story sponsored by the Polish Combatant Association in London.
Emigration to the USA and later life.
Kutrzeba came to the United States in 1950 and served with the U.S. Army in the Korean War (5 decorations; 2 battle stars) and graduated from Yale Drama School in 1956 on 3 scholarships (M.F.A) and N.Y.U (Ph.D.) in 1974.
He was the founder and producer of Queens Playhouse at Flushing Meadow and produced 10 plays.
He was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for best producer of the rock opera "The Lieutenant". Kutrzeba remarked that the reason he decided to produce "The Lieujtenant" was "The show meant a lot to me on human values. I think the theme is one of cardinal importance to our times: The concept of obedience versus exercising one's own conscience." He won the Bronze Award in the International Film and TV Festival in New York for the documentary film "Children in the Holocaust" with Liv Ullmann, 1980 (English and Polish versions). He produced Helena: the Emigrant Queen, 1996 at La Mama and Kosciuszko Foundation. He is the author of the book "The Contract: A Life for a Life".
Kutrzeba was married twice, the first time to Valerie M. Hageman, from September 1955 to 1959, with one child, Karen Janina. He was married again on January 14, 1979 to Michaela Lacher.
He recorded his oral history on May 18, 1995 for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum


Bob Donnelly

Bob Donnelly is an entertainment lawyer who has represented clients including Esperanza Spalding, Bootsy Collins, the creators of Woodstock, and many more. Donnelly has been awarded 41 platinum albums. He has acted as in-house legal counsel for Leber-Krebs, who managed the careers of Aerosmith, AC/DC, and Def Leppard. In 2004 Donnelly and Dan Coleman launched Modern Works Music Publishing, an independent music publishing administration company whose initial clients were John Legend and his co-writers.
Modern Works' catalog includes evergreen classics such as Erroll Garner's 'Misty,' Bootsy Collins’ “Flashlight” and “I’d Rather Be with You,” Julie Gold’s “From a Distance” (made famous by Bette Midler and Nanci Griffith), Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” (co-written by Michael Beinhorn), Jonathan Edwards’ protest classic “Sunshine,” and Skee-Lo’s Top 10 rap “I Wish.” Modern Works is the publishing administrator for Second Floor Music, whose catalog contains standards such as “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk & Denzil Best, Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin'”, Clifford Brown’s “Joy Spring”.
Donnelly took a lead role in repealing the pro-record company/anti-artist "Works-for-Hire" bill, and also was given credit from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for bringing the "suspense account case" which resulted in the payment of $55 million in back-due royalties to artists. Donnelly was the first lawyer to do a superstar endorsement deal when he put Blondie's Deborah Harry into a pair of Murjani jeans. Other endorsement clients have included Sir Elton John, Reggie Jackson, and Michael Jackson.
His awards within the industry include two special recognition awards from the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and from St. John’s Law School Entertainment Law Society. Bob has repeatedly been included on Irish America Magazine’s Legal 100, one of the most distinguished lawyers in the United States of Irish American descent and he is listed in the WHO’S WHO IN ENTERTAINMENT.


David G. Johnson

David Johnson (born September 19, 1956) is a lawyer and producer who founded Act 4 Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based filmed entertainment, and new media content company focused on creating socially conscious content to inspire change. He was a founder of Agility Capital, LLC, a venture fund for early stage companies and is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); and serves as a member of the boards of the Public Counsel Law Center, Children Now, Dream Foundation Human Rights Watch (California) and Yale School of Drama.
Personal background.
Johnson grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and is a 1978 graduate of Yale College where he studied economics. While at Yale he was a leader in the Yale Political Union and Chairman on the constituent Independent Party. He graduated Harvard Law School in 1981. He is married to Suzanne Nora Johnson.
Professional background.
Johnson is founder of Act 4 Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based filmed entertainment and new media content company to inspire and motivate audiences toward social action. Act 4 is in development on approximately 20 feature film, television and new media projects, as well as a live stage musical production.
Johnson most recently produced the live stage musical version of "American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre in London". He executive produced "Angels in Exile", a feature-length documentary about street kids of Durban, South Africa narrated by Charlize Theron and executive produced "The People Speak", a feature-length documentary about America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights with Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, and Bruce Springsteen, among others. Johnson produced "The New York Times" "Critics Pick" "The Man Nobody Knew", a feature-length documentary about the career and family life of highly controversial CIA Director William Colby.
Act 4 past, current and future projects include but are not limited to:
Johnson is also a current (as of August 2012) board member and former chairperson of the Public Counsel Law Center, the nation's largest public interest pro bono law firm.
Johnson founded the Public Counsel Law Center's Impact Litigation Project, the first in the nation to recognize that the economic divide is also a legal issue and one that can be addressed in the courts. The Impact Litigation Project addresses economic justice through large-scale litigation—helping thousands and changing the law itself. In 2011 Public Counsel won Reed v. the State of California, a groundbreaking lawsuit preventing the disproportionate layoffs of teachers at the most economically challenged schools in Los Angeles, California.
Additionally, in the areas of social justice, Johnson serves on the boards of trustees as the Chair Emeritus for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA); Children Now, a national child policy and advocacy organization; the Dream Foundation, a wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults; and Human Rights Watch (California), one of the world's leading organizations dedicated to defending human rights.
Johnson is a member of the Los Angeles Economy and Jobs Committee.
In 2000, Johnson founded Agility Capital, LLC, a venture fund for early stage companies, and had previously served as senior executive vice president at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM). Prior to MGM, he was a partner of the international law firm White & Case.
Awards and recognition.
In 2012, Congressional Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) presented Johnson with Public Counsel Law Center's Founders Award for his commitment to the organization.


Angela Amato Velez

Angela Amato Velez is an American television writer and producer. She has also worked as a police officer, legal aid attorney and novelist. She has worked as a writer and producer on the police drama "Southland" and the legal drama "The Good Wife". She was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for best new series for "The Good Wife" in 2010.
Career.
Amato Velez began working in television in 2003 as a story consultant and writer for the NBC police drama "Third Watch". The series was produced by John Wells. She wrote the fifth-season episodes "A Ticket Grows in Brooklyn" and "In Plain View". She continued in the same role for the series sixth and final season in 2004. She wrote the episodes "Forever Blue" and "End of Tour".
Amato Velez joined Wells on his next police project, a drama entitled "Southland". She served as a consulting producer and writer on the series first season. Amato Velez co-wrote the episode "Sally in the Alley" with creator and executive producer Ann Biderman. She also co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Westside" with fellow consulting producer Dee Johnson based on a story by Biderman. She left the crew of "Southland" after the first season.
She became a consulting producer and writer for the first season of CBS legal drama "The Good Wife". She wrote the episode "Conjugal". Amato Velez and the writing staff were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for best new series for their work on the first season. She left the series when it completed its original thirteen episode order despite a further nine episodes being ordered.


Caroline Baron

Caroline Baron is a Golden Globe winning American film producer and philanthropist. She is best known for producing "Mozart in the Jungle" (2014), "Capote" (2005) and "Monsoon Wedding" (2001). Baron received an Academy Award nomination for producing "Capote" (2005) and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Caroline Baron founded FilmAid International in 1999, an organization dedicated to helping refugees and other communities around the world through the use of film.
Baron is an adjunct professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in the undergraduate film program.
Film career.
Caroline began her career as a production manager for the film "The Toxic Avenger" (1984). She was an associate producer on the television series "The Wonder Years" from 1988-1989.
Her producing work includes "The Santa Clause" (1994), "Monsoon Wedding" (2001), "Capote" (2005), "Being Flynn" (2012), "Admission" (2013), "A Master Builder" (2013), and the upcoming Amazon Studios original series "Mozart in the Jungle".
Baron founded her production company named A-Line Pictures in 2005 with her husband, screenwriter and director, Anthony Weintraub. A-Line was the co-production company for "Capote" (2005).
Yummico.
Caroline Baron currently supervises production for the children's media company Yummico. She founded the company with creators Anthony Weintraub, Bob Mowen, and Traci Paige Johnson who is best known for creating the television series "Blue's Clues".
FilmAid.
After hearing about the 1999 Kosovo War Caroline Baron founded FilmAid International. The organization started by assisting refugees in Macedonia through the use of educational films and entertainment.
“I learned very quickly that we could use the screens for more than entertainment,” Baron stated in a Vanity Fair article, “We could also communicate life-saving education. We were drawing huge crowds, and everyone wanted to see what was being projected.”
In 1999 Film Aid partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other global aid organizations to assist refugees in countries around the world including Guinea, Kenya, Afghanistan, Thailand, and Haiti.
Personal life.
Baron lives in New York City with her husband Anthony Weintraub, and her two kids Asher and Emmanuel. Anthony Weintraub is a writer and director best known for writing the animated film adaptation of "Tekkonkinkreet" (2006). Caroline Baron's son Asher is the creator of the Menurkey, a menorah shaped like a turkey for Thanksgivukkah.


Barney Balaban

Barney Balaban (June 8, 1887 – March 7, 1971) was an American film executive who was the president of Paramount Pictures from 1936 to 1964 and an innovator in the cinema industry.
Life and career.
Barney Balaban (formerly Birnbaum) was the eldest of the seven sons of Bessarabian Jewish immigrants Augusta "Gussie" (née Mendeburskey) and grocery store owner Israel Balaban. His siblings in order were A. J., Leah, Ida, John, Max, Dave, Harry and Elmer. Balaban worked as a messenger boy and a cold storage company employee until 1908, when he was persuaded, at age 21, to go into the cinema business. According to a 1945 article in "Forbes" magazine, his mother came home from her first picture show and commented, "The customers pay before they even see what they're paying for! There'll be money in that business."
Balaban and his younger brothers rented the 100-seat Kedzie Theater. From there, Balaban's innovations changed the industry. In 1910, Balaban built the Circle Theatre, the first cinema to have a balcony. After his sister Ida married Sam Katz, the two brothers-in-law made plans for a chain of cinemas in the Midwest, the Balaban and Katz Theatre Chain. Barney's brothers John, Dave, Abe (aka A. J.), and Max all worked for Balaban and Katz. Brothers Elmer and Harry owned their own theater concern called H & E Balaban.
The first link in the chain, the Central Park Theatre in Chicago, opened in 1917. Balaban and Katz set about to create the first air-conditioned movie theater. Their first theater cooling system combined a large fan blowing over cakes of ice in a washtub. Not only was the system noisy, it occasionally blew a shower of water onto the patrons. Balaban enlisted the aid of an engineer friend to create a workable system, and crowds began to go to the movies to escape the heat during the summer months, making motion picture exhibition a year-round business.
The Balaban and Katz chain (B & K) incorporated in 1923. A controlling interest was purchased in 1926 by Famous Players-Lasky Corp. in exchange for thirteen million dollars in stock. On July 2, 1936, Paramount's directors elected Balaban president of the studio, succeeding Adolph Zukor. As president, Balaban had the philosophy that Paramount had a responsibility "to explain America, its customs, and its people, to the world." Balaban, the son of Bessarabian emigrants who had lived the American Dream, purchased one of the 14 original copies of the Bill of Rights from A.S.W. Rosenbach and, in 1945, donated it to the Library of Congress "as an expression of gratitude for the freedom his parents found in this country."
Balaban continued as president of Paramount Pictures until 1964. He then became chairman until the 1966 takeover by Gulf and Western.
The Balaban and Katz trademark is the property of the Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation. He was the uncle of actor Bob Balaban.
Personal life.
In 1929, Balaban married Tillie Urkov; they had three children, film producer and director Burt Balaban (predeceased in 1965), actress and author Judith R. Balaban (who was married and divorced from Jay Kanter, Anthony Franciosa, and Don Quine) and American jazz tubist and sousaphonist Leonard "Red" Balaban. Balaban died, aged 83, on March 7, 1971, with funeral services held at Westchester Jewish Center, Mamaroneck, New York.
Depiction in Media.
Balban appears in the season 2 episode "Hollywoodland" of the NBC series "Timeless", portrayed by Josh Randall.
Barney Balaban was also a featured character in the movie "Hitchcock", about the life of Alfred Hitchcock and his struggle to get "Psycho" made.


Cliff Chenfeld

Cliff Chenfeld is an American music executive and was the co-founder and co-CEO of Razor & Tie and Kidz Bop.
Personal life.
Chenfeld grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University and earned his law degree from New York University where he met fellow student Craig Balsam. After practicing law for several years, Chenfeld and Balsam left their law jobs in 1990 and formed Razor & Tie, an independent record label.
Record label.
The label initially focused on compilation albums (Monster Ballads) and reissues and has since become one of the leading rock labels in the country with artists such as The Pretty Reckless, Starset, All That Remains, The Sword and Red Sun Rising. In recent years the company has added Washington Square, an alternative leaning imprint and a music publishing company. Razor & Tie Publishing is responsible for No. 1 hits including "Home" by Phillip Phillips, "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton, and "Whiskey In My Water" by Tyler Farr.
In 2001, Chenfeld and Balsam launched Kidz Bop, a series of audio releases of kids singing pop hits that are appropriate for children. The franchise has sold more than 16 million albums and become the leading kids' audio brand in the country. Kidz Bop has expanded significantly to include a national tour, merchandise, music videos and a channel on Sirius XM.
In 2015 Concord Bicycle acquired an undisclosed percentage of Razor & Tie. Concord fully acquired Razor & Tie on January 17, 2018.
Film production.
Chenfeld has also been the executive producer of a number of films including "Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound", "Serious Moonlight", "Concussion", "No Pay Nudity" and "Women Who Kill".
Live Business.
In 2019, Chenfeld became a partner in the WonderStruck and Wonderbus Music Festivals, based in Ohio.
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Mark Simo

Mark "Simo" Simonaitis (born October 1, 1959) is an American race car driver and entrepreneur. He is the twin brother of racer Brian Simo. Currently, he is the CEO of No Fear, and is a co-owner of No Fear Racing.
Simo has made two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, first in his self-owned #94 Mac Tools Ford F-150, and later in the #28 Federated Auto Parts Ford for Ernie Irvan. His best finish was sixth. As an owner, Simo fielded the #44 entry full-time from 1995 to 1998. Joe Ruttman drove the truck in its first season with sponsorship from Coca-Cola, Mac, and 1-800 COLLECT, winning twice. Bryan Reffner drove the next season and won Rookie of the Year, before Boris Said became the team's new driver with Federated sponsoring. In two years, Said won one race at Sears Point. Following the 1998 season, Simo fielded the #14 car part-time in the Winston Cup Series for Said and Randy LaJoie, and in the Busch Series for Irvan. He and Irvan planned to field a full-time Winston Cup entry in 2000, but were unable to find sponsorship and leased their equipment to Robby Gordon.


Frank Cody

Francis R. Cody (born June 13, 1948) is an American record producer, A&R and radio executive. Described by the "R&R Magazine" and "The New York Times" as "Smooth Jazz's Leading Alchemist" and "The Father of Smooth Jazz",
Background.
Cody is widely known for the development of Los Angeles-based pioneer Smooth Jazz radio station KTWV (94.7 MHz) "The WAVE". At various times, Cody has served as an executive at NBC, ABC and been a co-founder/CEO of research/consulting firm Broadcast Architecture, later owned by Clear Channel. Along with music industry veteran Hyman Katz and multi Grammy-nominated RIAA Gold-certified recording artist Dave Koz, Cody has founded record label Rendezvous Entertainment, releasing records by Wayman Tisdale, Jonathan Butler, Philippe Saisse, Svoy, earning Grammy Awards for Patti Austin and Kirk Whalum.


Matthew Berkowitz

Matthew Berkowitz is an American film director, writer, producer and journalist. He has directed three movies ("Wild in Blue", "A Violent Man", "Inside Me").
Early life and career.
Berkowitz went to Pitzer College in Claremont, California, where he studied philosophy and film.
He started his career in the film industry and made his film-writing and directing debut in 2015, from his film "Wild in Blue". Later in 2017, he wrote and directed a thriller film "A Violent Man". It was premiered at the Oldenburg International Film Festival and Miami Film Festival, which starred Denise Richards, Thomas Q. Jones, Chuck Liddell, and Isaach de Bankolé.
He also wrote and directed a psychological thriller "Inside Me", currently in post-production starring Merrin Dungey, Devon Graye, Thomas Q. Jones, John Buffalo Mailer, and Anthony DeSando.
Berkowitz has also produced several films including "DieRy" and "The Queen of Hollywood Blvd".
Awards.
"Wild in Blue" won Best Director at Madrid International Film Festival. "A Violent Man" was nominated for the Best Feature Film award at Miami International Film Festival.


Jon Beckerman

Jon Beckerman is a producer, director and writer best known for his projects with Rob Burnett. He was born in 1969. He graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1987 and Harvard University in 1991.
Career.
Jon's biggest success has been working with Rob Burnett on Late Show with David Letterman and creating the hit dramedy "Ed", as well as the ABC comedy "The Knights of Prosperity".


Kenny Ortiz

Kenneth "Kenny O" Ortiz (born November 10) is an American Grammy Nominated record executive, A&R, manager, consultant, radio and street promotion. As the CEO of World Trade Entertainment his efforts have resulted in 175 million records sold. Hits and acts Ortiz has been a part of, have been instrumental in the
careers and successes of Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, SWV ("Human Nature Remix" and "Downtown"), Ne-Yo, Jazmine Sullivan, Missy Elliott, Timbaland. The 2019 Jordan Peele movie Us, features I Got 5 On It by The Luniz featuring Mike Marshall produced by Tone Capone whom he manages.
Widely known as the mastermind behind SWV, Ortiz is also known for discovering Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo also known as the Neptunes, whom Ortiz signed to EMI to their first production and writing deal. Ortiz would A&R the unreleased compilation album which featured Charlie Wilson and Kelis which subsequently led to Kelis's signing. It was Kenny Ortiz's idea to make Pharrell and Chad change their production name to the Neptunes.
Ortiz's innovative A&R and promotion skills through the 80's, 90's, 00's, and 2010's - have been instrumental in bringing numerous musical artists and figures across multiple genres to multi-platinum sales and legendary status, including but not limited to Mellow Man Ace (the first Spanish rapper ever signed to a major label and the first to go platinum launching 1980's House Music), Pharrell Williams, Neptunes, SWV, Destiny's Child, The Luniz, MC Hammer, Brian McKnight, Martha Wash, Anita Baker, Tracy Chapman, Keith Sweat, BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans, Ryan Toby of City High, Mantronix, Simply Red, The Cure, Ten Thousand Maniacs.
Ortiz is responsible for helping acts to get signed by major labels. Artists that benefited from Kenny's musical ear include: Jazmine Sullivan (whom Ortiz discovered on Showtime of The Apollo, brought her into the studio for the first time, and then introduced to her to her mentor Missy Elliott who would eventually produce her #1 singles nearly a decade later), Brian McKnight (whom Ortiz discovered utilizing his vocals for demos and eventually brought him in front of labels who signed him), "Joe" (also demo vocalist for Ortiz and was first to use him as a producer and writer as well as introduced him to the history of the r&b world, and nurtured his craft. Ortiz introduced him to Pharrell Williams). Ortiz also helped in the development of acts like: Shaffer Smith aka Ne-Yo (whom Ortiz A&R'd as a Senior Vice President at Columbia Records, Amerie (A&R’d her platinum album "All I Have"), Ryan Toby (helped him land his position in the movie "Sister Act 2"), Johnta Austin (discovered him, signed him to RCA Records and put him together with Pharrell Williams, and the Wu-Tang Clan received their first R&B record from Ortiz, who handpicked them to remix "Anything" by SWV which catapulted them from underground to household name.
Media.
Television:
SWV Reunited: Season 2 (filmed Apr 10, 2014 - releasing Fall 2014)
VH1's: Dreamgirls: The Making and Breaking of Girl Groups (2006)
TV One's: "Unsung" for SWV and Martha Wash
In Movies As Executive Producer of Soundtracks:
Tupac's Above the Rim
Micheal Jackson's Free Willy
Articles:
Rolling Stone magazine: Feb 20, 2014
Books:
"How They Made It: True Stories of How Music's Biggest Stars Went From Start To Stardom" by Dan Kimpel (2006 Hal Leonard).


Russ Gershon

Russ Gershon (born August 11, 1959) is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and founder of the Either/Orchestra in Massachusetts in 1985.
Career.
Gershon founded Accurate Records, which has released albums by Morphine, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Alloy Orchestra, Ghost Train Orchestra, the Either/Orchestra, Dominique Eade, and Garrison Fewell. He has been a member of rock bands the Decoders (1980–82), the Sex Execs (1982–84), Hypnosonics (1986–1999), Orchestra Morphine (2000–present) Bourbon Princess (2003–2008). He has worked as a studio musician and has performed in Boston.
In 1997, Gershon played arrangements of Ethiopian popular music with the Either/Orchestra. This drew the attention of Francis Falceto, who produced the "Éthiopiques" series of albums to document 20th century Ethiopian music. Through Falceto's connections, Gershon and his band were invited to Addis Ababa in 2004 and became the first American big band to perform in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington's in 1973. Their principal concert was released as the album "Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis" and led to working with Ethiopian musicians such as Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Getachew Mekurya, Alemayehu Eshete and Teshome Mitiku. In 2016 Gershon appeared with Ahmed's band at Carnegie Hall.
Awards and honors.
Grammy Award nomination, Best Original Arrangement of an Instrumental Composition, "Bennie Moten's Weird Nightmare"
Discography.
As leader.
With Either/Orchestra
As sideman.
With Morphine
With others


Jack J. Gross

Jack J. Gross (born July 29, 1902 in New York City, died March 12, 1964, age 61, London, England) was a motion picture and television producer.
Early years.
Jack Gross was the son of George and Pauline Gross, Jewish immigrants from Hungary and Romania, respectively. The oldest of three brothers, Jack Gross began working as an usher after school in New York City, as a projectionist in St. Joseph, Missouri, and as a theater manager in South Bend, Indiana, Eldorado, Kansas, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, before being appointed western division manager of RKO Theaters.
Producer.
In 1939, Gross became a producer at Universal Pictures, remaining there until 1943, when he was appointed executive producer at RKO. Gross joined Philip N. Krasne in 1952 to form Gross-Krasne, Inc, a pioneer American independent producer of television films. They produced, among other programs, the Big Town and Mayor of the Town. Gross-Krasne also acquired the rights to O. Henry's stories and filmed 39 half-hour O. Henry Playhouse television shows. In 1952, Gross-Krasne bought the California Studios (now the Raleigh Studios) where many of their productions were filmed.
Death.
In the Connaught Hotel, Gross died suddenly of basilar cerebral thrombosis while on a business trip to London. His remains were cremated and dispersed in the Garden of Rest Cemetery, London.


Chew Fu

Chew Fu is a New York-based electronic record producer, remixer and DJ, born in the Netherlands.
He is best known for his official refixes for pop artists including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Timbaland, Mariah Carey, Far East Movement and Robyn and his distinctive style of production which features a fusion of electro house and hip hop music.
Instead of using the term remix, Chew Fu coined the term "refix" because he says that his "remixes are like a completely new productions." When DJing Chew Fu only plays his own original productions and refixes.
On where his name came from, "My crew came up with it when I was producing tracks for Bad Boy Records to describe my production process and style. Chew Fu is the sound made during and after I’ve consumed a track and spit out a hot refix."
Early life.
Kardolus grew up in Almere, Netherlands. He graduated with honors from the saxophone at the Utrecht Conservatory with Piet Noordijk. He is a classically trained jazz musician who holds a master's degree in Music.
Career.
In the 1990s, he performed with Eboman and he played in Sound of Impact and worked in the 1990s as DJ Mac Attack and made two EPs under that name. He played in The Mindminders He then played with the band include at Lowlands, Pinkpop, Dynamo Open Air and the Drum Rhythm Festival. Published in 2000 album Breathe of Life by Ellen Helmus was produced by Kardolus and then he played saxophone and keyboards. With Helmus and The Mindminders he played in 2001 at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
He moved to Brooklyn in 2001 to get a start in music. He spread his music for free on weblogs. Chew Fu got his start in the industry working for Diddy and Quincy Jones's record label Qwest. as well as utilizing a worldwide network of dance music bloggers.
Chew Fu began "producing hip hop with house music back in 2005, because he wanted to play it in the clubs but no-one was making it." He switched to house music until it caught on in 2010 when he began to produce remixes for Lady Gaga, Timbaland, and Rihanna.
As a producer, Chew Fu has created original productions with Wiley, Beanie Man, Donna Summer, Kerli and Doug E Fresh, to be included on his debut album slated for release in July 2011.
In 2012 produced original songs for Breedlove, Perry Mystique, Steve Clisby, A-Clay, J-cast.
Discography.
Extended plays.
"*Stand By Me" (2006)