Allen Zwerdling, the colorful co-founder and co-publisher of trade paper Back Stage–which started as a resource for actors, and diversified to become the leading publication chronicling TV commercial production (eventually spawning SHOOT)–died of natural causes on Jan. 12 at his home in Rosendale. He was 86.
In 1960, Zwerdling and Ira Eaker, who passed away in 2002, created Back Stage. Zwerdling served as editor and Eaker as advertising director. Enduring some growing pains, the paper evolved into being and continues to this day as a pre-eminent source for news and casting info serving the working performer in America,
As an actor in the Players Guild of Manhattan from 1936 to 1941, director of the CCNY Theatre Workshop while attending college, editor of a U.S. Army newspaper, and founder of the American Players of Switzerland, Zwerdling found the perfect fit for his talents in Back Stage.
Then when the TV commercial production industry began to expand in the 1960s, he and Eaker broadened Back Stage‘s coverage into that arena, giving it two prime entertainment market news beats. Back Stage opened a West Coast office in 1975 and eventually expanded its coverage to Chicago, New England, and Florida as TV commercial production began to grow in these areas.
In the early ’80s, with the understanding that Back Stage was now serving two distinctly different creative readerships, Zwerdling and Eaker decided to provide two papers in one, creating a theatre section that was inserted upside down in the center of the paper. In November of 1985, the co-publishers celebrated the paper’s silver anniversary with a black-tie gala in N.Y. attended by 1,400 business leaders and celebrities from all sectors of the entertainment industry. The event was a milestone in Zwerdling and Eaker’s careers.
A year later, in 1986, the publishing team sold Back Stage to Billboard Publications, thus ending a 26-year partnership. Zwerdling retired with his wife Shirley to their farm in upstate N.Y.
Later the commercial production component of Back Stage broke out on its own, establishing its standalone identity as SHOOT and is now published by entrepreneurial DCA Business Media. Roberta Griefer, publisher of SHOOT since September 1990 and DCA co-owner, recalled meeting Zwerdling in late 1990. “He gave me a hug and asked that I take good care of his baby,” said Griefer. “With eyes always pointed towards the future, with a respect for the past, this is something all of us at SHOOT work hard at every day.”
Zwerdling is survived by a daughter Sherry Zwerdling, of Key West, Fla., a daughter Jan Heyes of Topanga Canyon, Calif., a son Gary Zwerdling, also of Rosendale, NY, and a grandson Adam Heyes. Shirley, Allen’s wife of 62 years, passed away just four weeks prior to his death.
Because Allen Zwerdling was an avid tennis player as well as president of the New Paltz Tennis Club, the Zwerdling family suggests that donations for a bench to honor him at the club be sent to Camy Fischer, 173 Route 208, New Paltz, NY 12561.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More