Thursday, February 12, 2015

Clever, Funny, Creative, Knowledgeable, Insightful, Experienced and other superlatives...

No, not talking about me.

No...the funniest guy in the room - is also the smartest one - the brain you want to tap into - is my Brother...Jeff.

His memories of our childhood, he would argue, is different than mine. He was the golden child - literally - golden hair, golden skin, bright green eyes with long golden lashes. A golden orb glowing from within. The kid with the straight A's. He grew so fast during junior high, if he stood still you could watch his pants grow shorter. We fought like cats and dogs, nearly to the death, at times. In some ways I was jealous of how smart he [was] is.

He was going to go places. And he did - he was a huge fan of Bruce Lee, so he became one of his teacher's students. Jeff earned a black belt in Jeet Kune Do [a system of fighting - Kung Fu-ey] and studied Mandarin. That meant college in Seatlle. College at Cornell, in Arizona...  law school in NYC and Los Angeles. The kid my parents thought was the one and only hope for the American Dream [of refugees] was on track  -- but secretly  unhappy and frustrated. A family of creative types spawned another generation of unabashed creative types.

A Psychocybernetics workshop conducted by our old family friend Shirley unearthed an unspoken dream...which was confirmed by my good friend Joyce, an astrolger... [I got Jeff a reading as a gift] Jeff's real talent, and future would lie in his ability to write.

So, the Doctor of Jurisprudence moved to the City of Angels and thus began a 30+ year multi-dimensional career that included writing for Television...Movies...Stand-Up Comedians and more.

Jeff has produced more than #1 rated Radio show and has an been an active member of the Writers Guild. He's been clever, nimble, intelligent, funny...and more. He's worked with more celebrities than I could name... from writing their jokes to screenplays...[movies that actually got MADE]. He even pitched our Mom's story to a movie studio - which got optioned by none other than Steven Spielberg!


Many people in the industry, not just newbies, turned to Jeff for advice. He gave it freely... and was spot on. A lot of people would concur. Me? I admire him from afar. During one hiatus, Jeff developed a workshop in response to a writer's group in Phoenix. He flew over, put a bunch of people in a room and after 2 days they walked out with their brains bursting - full of know-how, and a healthy dose of reality. We all know that you have to take your Hollywood ambition with a hefty grain of salt.

I've been bugging my brother to bring his "workshop" to my neck of the woods, and he is. Maybe you just need your script punched up, maybe you want to ask questions about pitching your idea for a TV show, maybe you're thinking of buying a typewriter...He is one cool dude, he will not only tell you everything he knows, he'll also tell you what not to do, in a smart and affordable way.

So if you've EVER thought of writing for Television or Movies... or jokes, or other projects, this is the time to sign up - if you live in Baltimore, or Washington, or are willing to drive there for a weekend... if you live in or near New Orleans...or Phoenix... and if not - contact Jeff and maybe he'll bring a workshop your way. He's the funniest guy in the room, and he's got the chops to teach you a thing or two.

I still admire my brother, I think you will, too. Click on the link above to see what he's up to -- Maximum Screenwriting - and if you have a writer's group, contact him - and if you, just you have always wanted to write? This is the guy to know. He's not so blonde anymore...but he's still golden - and glowing, as far as I'm concerned!