While hindsight is 20/20, I wouldn’t trade it for the 32/50 vision I’ve enjoyed as a contributor to SHOOT’s coverage of the industry for 32 of the past 50 years. This publication continues to be a great perch from which to view an evolving community both in terms of art and commerce.
SHOOT helped put much of this change into perspective over the years, most recently with its “Then, Now and Looking Ahead” series. I’ve been privileged to author these pieces and they have honed my 32/50 vision with the realization that education is an ongoing process. Personally the process of educating myself about the business began when I joined SHOOT as a reporter. I recall two of my mentors being Mike Koelker and Frank Tuttle. Koelker was creative director at Foote, Cone & Belding San Francisco. He served as the lead creative on the Levi’s business during the late 1970s and remained so until his death in the mid-1990s.
Mike freely provided me with insights into the creative process, the agency side of the business and relationships with production companies. His classic Levi’s 501 Blues campaign was often imitated but never equaled.
I met Frank Tuttle when he headed The Film Tree as its exec producer; he later served as national AICP president. Tuttle, who passed away in ’94, was a big believer in the AICP and its role in opening up meaningful dialogue with agencies and advertisers. He was a unifying force within the production house community. Frank extended this inclusiveness to me and assorted others. On and off the record, he would share information about and insights into the inner workings of the business. His frankness with me was rooted in the belief that an informed press would ultimately help the industry cause. I have always appreciated–and with the benefit of hindsight today, value even more today–his forthrightness and caring about the business and its people.
Both Frank and Mike have left us a lasting legacy, which arguably provides a more crystal clear view of the future than any current visionary can offer. The qualities that Frank and Mike embodied–taste, creativity, integrity, caring, effectively communicating, valuing the talent of the artist enough to give that person creative latitude to do what he or she does best–are what’s integral to future success, whatever the form of content be it traditional or nonconventional.
We owe Mike, Frank and so many others who are remembered in this special edition of SHOOT a tremendous debt of gratitude.
Happy Anniversary.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More