First, thank you to some special Livingston High Schoolers who made a Brooklyn kid feel like he belonged a little bit more. I guess that I was the new kid who saw things a little bit differently and appreciated those who were different too. I used to carry around my photo camera a lot. I loved photography. I spent time rummaging through books about photography in the library on the Circle. Pretty much anything from art books to Air Force manuals about how to photograph from the nose of an airplane – that actually came in handy a few times, who would have thunk?
I recognize most of the Yearbook photos because I took them, spending hours in my basement developing and printing in the dark of the night. I ended up going to NYU Film School. The film and TV industry was an exciting but rough business in New York during the 80’s but I had no interest in living on the West Coast, so I spent many years doing advertising, promotion, events and sales video, photography and multi-image presentations.
I wanted to make documentary films but during the 80’s and even into the early 90’s that industry wasn’t as developed (or accepted into the mainstream) as it is today. I was a member of the independent TV documentary movement. I was lucky to meet Bill Abrams of Housecalls, Inc. Bill pioneered Consumer Ethnographic Documentary. He is the author of the keystone book on the subject, “The Observational Research Handbook – Understanding How Consumers Live with Your Product.” I was along for the ride worked with him making ethnographic documentaries for the major ad agencies along with the top food and beverage, personal care, oil and gas, financial and retail companies from 1984 until 2011. Bill was a dear friend and Mentor.
I have worked in TV news for Public TV and European broadcasters, I have made video for the finance, PR and Pharma industries and I made a film for the NYU Tamiment Labor Archives at Bobst called, “They Were Not Silent: The Jewish Labor Movement and the Holocaust.”
I moved to Munich, Germany in 2005. Learning a new language, working within a new culture, and raising two little boys far from where I grew up was a challenge. For the faint of heart, I don’t recommend it.
I’m back in New Jersey, downtown Jersey City, where I have a small but international business doing corporate photography and video production for a variety of clients. I love spending time in the back yard planting potatoes, tomatoes, figs, basil, and squash – I’ve had success at small scale farming with dreams to go big. I like felling trees out in the country, splitting the wood, and learning new trades like plumbing and wood working. I love seeing my gym friends every day and feeling alive. Greetings to all my classmates!
Special thanks to a special Livingston High School buddy, Ron Klayman, who kept up with me and checked in to see if I was okay from 1977 all the way to 2024.
Some links:
www.brightscreenproductions.com
