October 2010 | David Alpert '97
David Alpert '97 (Executive Producer, THE WALKING DEAD)
By Dayna Wilkinson
"I knew there was this place called Hollywood where people made a living in film and television, but I had very little understanding of what that meant and how I could get there from Harvard,” muses David Alpert ’97, partner at prominent management-production company Circle of Confusion, and Executive Producer of the highly-anticipated AMC series THE WALKING DEAD.
September 2010 | Ken Kragan HBS '60
Ken Kragan HBS '60 (Manager, Producer, & Former President of the Country Music Association)
By Dayna Wilkinson
Question: What do Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Burt Reynolds, the Smothers Brothers, Olivia Newton-John and the BeeGees have in common?
Answer: Ken Kragen MBA '60 was their manager.
The winner of multiple "Manager of the Year" awards, Ken has been the president of the Country Music Association and received two MTV Awards, an American Music Award, an NAACP Image Award and a United Nations Peace Medal, among other accolades. He’s probably best known as principal organizer of the original "We Are The World” and Hands Across America, the landmark charitable events.
Read moreJuly 2010 | Gregg Hurwitz '95
Gregg Hurwitz '95 (Author)
By Dayna Wilkinson
Gregg Hurwitz’s tenth novel will be released on July 6th. "I’m really excited about this one,” he says, "in some ways I’m more excited about this than any of my other books. It’s an homage to the suspense and paranoia of REAR WINDOW where you realize someone’s watching all the time.” The film rights to this novel, THEY’RE WATCHING, have already been snapped up.
Anyone who knew Gregg Hurwitz as a child wouldn’t be surprised that he grew up to be a writer. "When I was young I wasn’t allowed to watch TV so I read all the time. All I ever wanted to be was a writer. I wrote mysteries that I illustrated with crayons and put together with cardboard covers. I still have some of them on my shelf.”
Read moreMarch 2010 | Todd A. Kessler '94 & Glenn Kessler '92
Todd A. Kessler '94 & Glenn Kessler '92 (TV Writers & Producers)
By Dayna Wilkinson
Todd Kessler: "It’s a rare moment in one’s career when you get to work with people you’ve known your whole life and do a show that’s inspiring with great actors…We really try to not take it for granted.”
Glenn Kessler: "To be able to work with people you’ve enjoyed for so long and you’ve been interested in collaborating with is certainly a dream come true.”
Phrases like "Inherent trust,” "rare opportunity,” and "long-time friends” are often heard when the topic is Damages, the character-driven legal thriller starring Glenn Close, now in its third season on FX. Todd Kessler ’94, Glenn Kessler ‘92 and Daniel Zelman ’90 are the show’s co-creators and executive producers. On the Damages set the three men are referred to simply as KZK—also the name of their production company.
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