Managed E-Mail Blasts, Press Releases, & Personal Appearances

Social Networking, Online and Off, to Publicize Talk Shows

These are some of the ways by which Barry Gordon and I built awareness of and a loyal following for the talk shows we produced.

Talk Show E-Mail Blasts

Adobe PDF icon  Download a Sample Talk Show E-Mail.

As producer of Barry Gordon’s talk shows, I regularly helped write and send out e-mails to thousands of political activists and other “Left Fielders” nationwide. Typically, each e-mail would summarize the topics and guests for that week’s show; as webmaster, I archived these summaries with audio of the radio shows in BarryTalk.com and Flash videos of the TV shows in NewsRapArchives.com.

Also, please note that for the e-mail header, as above, I shot the photo of Barry in the studio and edited it to blend in seamlessly with the logo he had commissioned earlier, from 5D Spectrum.

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Press Releases

Adobe PDF icon  Download a sample Press Release.

For our 2008 Presidential Election TV Special, with Congresswoman Linda Sánchez and other notable guests, and for its repeated cablecasts on stations in Pasadena and surrounding communities, I e-mailed a press release to the editors of the largest local newspaper.

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Barry Gordon as Emcee at CSEA “Health Care for All” Event

CSEA Health Care Event

A couple months before also becoming a participant in the CaliforniaSpeaks event, Barry Gordon — longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, former candidate for Congress, and host of the talk shows I produced — was asked to be master of ceremonies at an event held in San Bernardino, California, by the California School Employees Association, in support of “single payer” legislation then pending in the state legislature, to guarantee health care for all Californians.

After giving a stirring speech, and with cameras rolling, Barry was first to sign a petition going to the lawmakers.

After receiving a call from the organizers, I had coordinated Barry’s appearance and accompanied him to the event; afterwards, I posted photos on his Web site and sent out e-mail to his list with a link to sign the petition online.

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Barry Gordon as Emcee at HPS “Farewell Event”

HPS Farewell Event

Later in 2007, I received a call from the organizer of another event, to which I also accompanied Barry: a “farewell event” at the previous site of the Hollywood Professional School — then-demolished, the lot ready to be redeveloped.

HPS was a most remarkable school, whose students included a stellar list of child actors and other performers, many of whom would go on to be household names (or faces): Peggy Fleming, Betty Grable, Melanie Griffith, Jill St. John, Tommy Kirk, Piper Laurie, Brenda Lee, Donald O’Connor, Ryan O’Neal, Debra Paget, Tuesday Weld, and our own Barry Gordon.

Barry and Paul Petersen

At the event, covered for cable TV in major cities nationwide by Hollywood’s omnipresent and inimitable Skip E. Lowe, Barry regaled the audience with some happy and poignant, shared memories and re-connected with many old friends, including his fellow SAG activist Paul Petersen, best known as the son on the classic sitcom The Donna Reed Show.

Barry and Call Ballantine

Also at the event was the irrepressible Carl Ballantine, perhaps best known to the public as “Gruber” on McHale’s Navy but even better known to show business insiders as having one of the best comic-magician acts of all time.

As in any good “wake,” there were tears of joy mixed with those of sadness at the passing of HPS.

I posted my photos from the event on Barry’s Web site, with accompanying text.

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