Don Klugman

CURRENT CAREER:

Business Media- Corporations use films, video programs, multi-image shows and music/comedy stage productions to introduce products and whip up the enthusiasm of employees, customers, investors and the business press.  My partners and I supply them.  We’re producers, writers, directors, actors, musicians and video technicians.  Since our projects don’t appear in theatres or on TV, our parents and friends seldom see them.

FIRST “REAL-WORLD” JOB:

Gofer!  The job title was “Assistant Producer”, but long hours, hard work and low pay revealed the truth.  Slogging through Chicago slush, searching out props for a daily live children’s TV show (yes, “live”, like the news), you learn to appreciate the warmth of an office and that weekends and evenings are your own.

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Theatrical shorts are rare these days, but in the 1970s and 80s a theater that showed foreign features would often add a 5-10 minute short to the program.  My group made some popular ones that won awards at Cannes, Cork, Edinburgh, Sydney, Mannheaim, and at U.S. film festivals.

WHAT DRIVES YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER

My admiration of European directors, I aped the styles of British and French filmmakers. As I continued to work, my own style solidified.

ADVICE OR HELP FOR STUDENTS

Mimic those you admire.  Be critical of your progress.  Gain confidence in your methods.  Then take off on your own!  No idea is sacred.  If a theme or treatment doesn’t work, try another.  Don’t waste time and energy defending ideas that refuse to fly.  Because you’re creative and you know your product and client, you’ll soon produce a winner.