Outlaw Radio’s Celebrity Cult Following

(This article originally appeared in the July 9th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

By Michael Douglas Carlin

The news that George Burns had passed away was just breaking when the original denizens assembled for the premiere episode of Outlaw Radio. Magic Matt Alan was hosting with Ronnie Schell, Jack Riley and Sam Denoff as the guests. The concept of the show is about as Americana as it gets - people sitting on the front porch drinking, smoking and talking, having a conversation about life. That day each guest remembered an encounter with George Burns who was known as a cigar smoker. Jack Riley said on live radio, “We drink, We smoke, We interrupt.” And the Outlaw Radio motto has lasted to this day.

Lori Downey Jr. produces the Outlaw Radio show, maintaining the same charm that was originally envisioned, bringing “down home” conversation to the airwaves. The guests are a steady stream of the who’s who of politics, show business, and people plucked from newspaper headlines. The show isn’t politically driven but it doesn’t skirt political issues either. It has become the radio show with a celebrity cult following with listeners tuning in from their various gigs around the world.

Matt is currently on Sirius Radio doing the Morning Drive in both Los Angeles and New York - the two biggest markets in the country. The Saturday show, Outlaw Radio, gives him a break from the normal routine. Recently, he took a few days off to star in the Burt Reynolds movie, Category Five, about five families weathering a hurricane.

Lori is the widow of the late Morton Downey Jr. Matt recalls meeting her, expecting to find a gold digger. Instead, he found a hard working, accomplished performer, who was totally in love with her late husband. They immediately became friends, then an item seven years ago when their friendship blossomed. The two are inseparable – they often complete each other’s sentences. Most men would be intimidated by the shadow of Morton Downey Jr. but Matt pays daily homage to the icon. Matt’s political views line up exactly, as does his sense of story when every day he creates what is great radio.

Radio was pronounced dead when television was born in 1956, but radio could not be more alive with today’s technological advances that have brought us Satellite and Internet broadcasts. Magic Matt and Lori are poised to benefit from the merging of all platforms. There will undoubtedly be opportunities in television soon as each of their shows is ripe for a visual outlet to augment the existing audio outlet.

“We drink, We smoke, We interrupt” has led to some great radio moments. One recent guest was Billy Vera, who wrote the quintessential break-up song, At This Moment. On that show there was a very public breakup happening that was totally unscripted. It sounds like a set-up but it wasn’t. Henry Hill was a guest on the show, and presented a painting he did of a rat. Pierre Salinger came on the show and told the story about being sent to Cuba to purchase 500 boxes of cigars for President Kennedy. When Salinger arrived back in Washington he reported to Kennedy that he acquired the cigars and watched Kennedy sign into law the Cuban embargo just moments later.

Meatloaf, Anna Nicole Smith, Rudy Giuliani, Dan Haggerty, Milton Berle, Ryan Stiles, Chuck McCann, Elliott Gould, Dom Deluise, and literally hundreds of other celebrities have appeared on the show. There have been arguments and reconciliations. Ten thousand cigars have been smoked and thousands of gallons of alcohol consumed but the laughter has never faded. Each of the current guests are funny and we are always only six days away from a new Outlaw Radio show that will make us laugh.

I ask about the influence of Morton Downey Jr. on the show and touch a nerve, but not for the reasons you might think. Recently a film has been released as a “so called” documentary on the life of this icon. Lori begins by telling me about the heart of Morton Downey Jr. who helped the homeless, gave people jobs and made their careers and championed freedom in America - none of which made it into this film. Opportunists (filmmakers) used unauthorized footage to sensationalize the life of Morton. The filmmakers interviewed disgruntled former employees and people with an ax to grind and didn’t really capture the essence of who this man was. Clearly he created a persona for television much like what Stephen Colbert and Jerry Springer have done. When the show was over he walked off the set as a real person. Lori is animated when she discusses her late husband and Matt looks on with admiration. We see that she loves Morton even now - we also see that Matt loves her. When the conversation turns back to the radio show Lori looks at Matt the same way… The secret ingredient in Outlaw Radio is love. Love for each other, the guests, and America. Outlaw Radio is Americana.

Garcetti To Lead L.A.’s Upswing

(This article originally appeared in the May 28th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

By Michael Douglas Carlin

This was perhaps the best election in the history of Los Angeles because we had two very capable politicians. We typically feel compromised with the “lesser of two evils” choice. We typically have no good candidate and must decide who will harm us less as the criteria for selection. I have felt this for years during almost every election at the local, state and federal levels.

But we all know both Wendy and Eric from their many visits to Century City over the years. We have grown to respect them both as public servants and we know that they both love this city. Many people were in a quandary about which of them to back for mayor. I remained officially neutral during the primary even though I was personally leaning toward Eric.

There we were with two weeks to go and the most recent poll was that Wendy was up by one point. The previous polls had showed Eric up by seven points. Wendy announced that Eric’s election campaign was “in free-fall.” It looked grim at that moment for his chances of winning. Wendy was being declared the winner without a single vote having been certified.

That is when I actually decided to not just support Eric but to volunteer my time. Both would be good for Los Angeles but I knew that one of them would be better. I reckoned that Eric had not received the support of the unions largely because he had stared them down during tough negotiations. That for me was the deciding factor. Eric will do it with poise and a smile on his face but he is going to be able to renegotiate with special interests -- all special interests -- including unions to get our budget back on track. Eric was the clear choice for mayor and the perception was that his campaign was crumbling.

But Eric wasn’t nervous -- at least he wasn’t showing it. I got invited to four Eric Garcetti events in a single week. He was out campaigning and raising money. When big endorsements like Bill Clinton and Barbara Boxer were coming to Wendy, Eric was connecting with the people. When big money was pouring into the Greuel Campaign, Eric was going to dinners, lunches, and breakfasts to raise a little money at each. He was on the phone making calls and he was texting. He was personally answering his emails. He was working non-stop to turn the momentum his way.

One political analyst told me that Wendy would have the edge in voter turnout because the unions have a machine to get out the vote. Polls showing her losing by a couple of points would easily be made up by voter turnout. But Eric had a machine of his own. I volunteered on the Saturday before Election Day in Sylmar at a motion picture catering company to make calls to get out the vote. We worked in a boiler room calling from printed sheets of registered voters. We were canvassing Los Angeles to ask voters to turn out on Election Day. I found out later that this was just one of many rooms making calls.

Eric had assembled his machine to turn out the vote. I arrived in Studio City at 9am on Election Day to make more calls. We worked until about three in the afternoon but some were planning to stay on the phones until 8pm. Each of us probably only made a few hundred calls. But when you multiply that by the number of volunteers across the city I am certain that this had an impact. Was it a game changer? We will never know.

Later that election day we arrived at the Hollywood Palladium and early returns had Wendy up by almost two points. There were lots of nervous stares in that room but as the evening wore on Wendy’s lead was in free-fall. Eric went on to win the election. He is the right person for the job and he has a vision for Los Angeles that is good for the people of this city. As Dan Schnur, Director of the USC Institute of Politics, pointed out Eric Garcetti gets to sit across the table from the unions clear of any debts- he gets to say, “Not only did you not support me but you pulled out all the stops to oppose me so we sit here today with me owing you nothing. We can work out a deal now or wait for Richard Riordan’s Ballot Initiative for Pension Reform that could be much less favorable.”

That is the mayor we need right now in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is headed for an upswing and Mayor Garcetti will lead the way. We can all work with him to bring his vision from words into deeds – from theory to reality. We can all get on board the Eric Garcetti train to a more prosperous, human rights respecting, cleaner, greener, smarter self-sufficient Los Angeles. He needs us all to get on board. There is money to be made and a legacy to honor as well as a city that constantly reinvents itself for the better.

July 1st we can all sleep well knowing that Mayor Eric Garcetti is on the job.

Citizen of the Year

(This article originally appeared in the May 13th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

by Michael Douglas Carlin

A year and a half I have sat next to Carl Schlossberg who has recently been named Citizen of the Year by the Century City Chamber of Commerce. I have sat next to him at the Art Council and the Sculpture Committee meetings and I have been his student. I have listened to his eloquent talks about the importance of art. I have learned to appreciate so much more the expressions of artists that enrich our lives. I was there that very first day when he presented his vision for the very first curated public art show along Avenue of the Stars. He bridged the gap for all of us newbies to public art by showing us how it would look. He spoon fed us until his vision became our vision. He spoon fed the building managers, city officials, board of the Chamber, sponsors, landscaping experts, building inspectors, and publicity people. We all had the experience of a lifetime as we walked the project through from inception to fruition. We all learned from his skilled hand and benefitted from knowledge he spent his lifetime acquiring.

We grew from the experience. We were all touched by his passion for the arts. We all borrowed his tremendous stature in the world of art and it is time to recognize the heft he has brought to Century City to match the heft that is all around us within this “one of a kind” community.

The previous Citizens of the Year have all been worthy recipients but honoring Carl Schlossberg has a special sweetness as he has giving us the gift of art to appreciate in Century City.

2013 CENTURY CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR EVENT HONORS
CARL SCHLOSBERG AND
ROBINS, KAPLAN, MILLER & CIRESI L.L.P.


The Century City Chamber of Commerce announced its Citizen of the Year honorees for 2013: Carl Schlosberg, Fine Arts Dealer and Curator, and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P, a litigation-focused law firm that has gained national recognition for its pro bono representations. An awards luncheon will take place at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on Thursday, May 23, 2013. For more than 30 years, the Century City Chamber of Commerce has selected an individual and company who exemplify excellence in corporate and community relations to bestow its highest civic recognition award, Citizen of the Year. Keynote Speaker, Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC, will address the audience at this annual event that attracts more than 200 civic leaders and business professionals from the greater Los Angeles area. As an expert in political strategy, campaign communication and government reform, Dan will share insight on the race results for Los Angeles’ Mayor, City Controller and City Attorney, which are held two days prior to the awards luncheon.

Carl Schlosberg, the 2013 Individual Citizen of the Year, has been a fine arts dealer for more than 40 years. He has exhibited sculpture in the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills to the fields and parks of Malibu. Carl’s most recent project was as curator of the one-mile outdoor exhibition, “Gwynn Murrill on Avenue of the Stars.”

Carl has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles magazine, Daily News and other notable publications. Carl has been Chairman of the Sculpture Garden Committee of the University of Judaism; has led private tours of major sculpture gardens in the Northeast; and is a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Skirball Cultural Center. He currently chairs the Sculpture Committee of the Century City Chamber of Commerce Arts Council.


The 2013 Corporate Citizen of the Year, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., is a litigation firm with clients from Fortune 500 corporations and emerging markets to entrepreneurs and individuals as both plaintiffs and defendants. The firm, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary and has more than 240 lawyers located in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Naples, FL, has long been recognized for its pro bono work.

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. has received The National Law Journal’s 2011 Pro Bono Award and was selected as a Pro Bono Firm of 2010 by Law360. The American Lawyer ranked the firm eighth in the country in the 2011 Pro Bono Survey, and twice named the firm to the A-List (2007 and 2004). The firm has also regularly received a top ranking for litigation from Chambers USA and was chosen as a “Go-To Law Firm” by Corporate Counsel. Its Century City office is comprised of approximately 40 attorneys and is the recipient of the Citizen of the Year award.

“We are thrilled to name Carl Schlosberg and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi as our Individual and Corporate Citizens of the Year,” says Susan Bursk, President and CEO of the Century City Chamber of Commerce. “They are dedicated to serving the needs of those in the local community and beyond, making them very deserving of the award.”

Sponsors include Century Park, Watt Plaza, Fox Studios, Williams Data Management, Westfield, The Plaza, Constellation Place, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, L.L.P., and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. The 2013 Citizen of the Year Awards Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. To reserve your seat or company table, please visit the Chamber’s website at: www.centurycitycc.com or call the office at 310-553-2222.

The Century City Chamber of Commerce is a vibrant and dynamic organization, and one of Los Angeles’ most active, involved and relationship-driven chambers. The Chamber places special emphasis on its members working together through its councils to build better relationships and create effective programs and events that help businesses expand their reach into the marketplace. For more information on the Chamber, visit our website or contact our office.

6 Easy Steps to a Great Presentation

(This article originally appeared in the Feb 8th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

by David Ackert

We’re advisors. We have advice to share. But if no one knows that, our intellectual capital sits in our heads collecting cobwebs.

Typically we demonstrate our expertise during a “free consultation” where we pitch our capabilities in an effort to dazzle a prospective client. But this kind of forum doesn’t provide much leverage. Presentations, on the other hand, are a great way for us to share our message with a large number of people, brand ourselves as experts, and generate new business prospects.

The introverts among us often shrink away from this strategy. Perhaps you feel that you don’t have the polish or the stage presence or the courage to stand in front of a group and put on a show. Fear not. Your next great presentation can be as simple as a free consultation in a group setting. Here are 6 easy steps that will unleash your wallflower power:

1. Introduce yourself
2. Pose a problem or challenge to the room that falls inside your area of expertise
3. Ask the audience to take a minute to write about a similar situation they’ve seen or experienced
4. Tell them to turn to the person next to them and share details about this problem
5. Call on one or two of your audience members to share what they just discussed with the person next to them
6. Finally, give your perspective on the problem

In just a few minutes, you’ve shown the audience what it’s like to work with you, while also branding yourself as an authority on a relevant topic. Now that they’ve seen you in action, they’re much more likely to come up to you after the meeting with a request for your help (with the problem they just identified in your presentation). The best part is, they did most of the work. All you had to do was do what you do best: advise.

MOVIES IN MEXICO

(This article originally appeared in the February 5th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

Editorial by Mick Merivel

While working on a few particular tasks involving my own current film projects it dawned on me that filming in Mexico had been completely taken off the table with regard to production. I asked some fellow friends and colleagues in the vast land of filmmaking and was surprised to hear that I’d be crazy to film in Mexico at this time. I put my thoughts on the back burner and focused on other tasks I had on hand, but in the back of my mind I wondered why the shift had taken place from a favorite country to film in to a country to never film in…What had happened?

I decided to look into what had changed in Mexico and I’ve been astonished by the information I discovered. Without getting anyone in trouble and deciding not to name names or point fingers let’s just cover the main points. Mexico is in trouble. It is currently being run by a known corrupt government, and the drug trade and kidnapping, not to mention the violence just upon their own people has escalated to new highs. Filming in Mexico is simply out of the question at this time. And personally to me I find that very sad. Thinking of a number of amazing and fun films that I’ve seen probably just like you that were filmed there a number of years ago, it is a tragedy that we cant take the quick jaunt to Mexico any longer and that a huge number of projects are and have been filming to a neighbor in the north, Canada.

I’m not tarnishing the people of Mexico. On the contrary, they are some of the best people in the world and as we all know some of the hardest working and happiest. I guess my ramblings of thought are really just being sent out to all of you out there in the film community and beyond, that with our power and influence let us focus on our nearest neighbor to the south a bit more than we have been. Let us all tell our congressmen and women and Senators that we care about our neighboring country and any assistance we can contribute to them to help end the violence and bloodshed there and bring Mexico back into the fold of our amazingly fun and influential business the better for both our countries.

Mick recently produced the film "American Federale" that can be seen on iTunes, Amazon, and GooglePlay.

Bet On Berg

(This article originally appeared in the February 5th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

By Michael Douglas Carlin

There is a wind blowing through the industry… the wind of change. The landscape of the entertainment industry will be vastly different from 2012 and all of those changes are yet to be discovered. The industry itself doesn’t really know what it wants to be when it grows up… and with so many egos in the industry there is little fear the industry will ever grow up. One thing is clear there are going to be winners and losers in 2013 and everybody is prognosticating their picks to align themselves with the winning side.

One of the winds blowing through the industry is in every agency. When Jeff Berg left ICM and announced he would be starting another agency there were shivers down the spines of all entrenched in the agency business. Business affairs personnel were deployed to review contracts and shore up any vulnerabilities that might exist as Berg was anticipated to soon begin recruiting revenue streams. Now that Berg has landed squarely on his feet, he and his team are doing just that… building a mega agency from scratch with a war chest of two hundred million dollars.

But from scratch doesn’t really paint the picture. Berg and his crew have relationships spanning three decades into the farthest reaches of entertainment. At a time when overheads are being slashed throughout all of America I would not bet against the upstart that comes with virtually no overhead. Building an agency from the ground up allows them to cherry pick from the many revenue streams to select only the most desirable. They have the ability to recruit the dream team of agents in this changing landscape.

As all agency business affairs teams have ramped up the non-compete language in their contracts overheads have been going up at rival agencies as they seek to keep their revenue streams intact. Resolution arrives, lean and mean and ready to embrace the changes within the industry. Many agents out there must be thinking more long-term and really evaluating their positions. They must be thinking that a move is in their best interests and they are, no doubt, taking meetings with Berg and his team to make the move to the future.

The stranglehold once held by a handful of companies over the industry is crumbling and independents are emerging with content that consumers demand. Berg is a pipeline to get that content to the market. Celebrities will want to be on this train, filmmakers will want to be on this train, and investors wanting to tap into entertainment will want to be on this train.

I coined a phrase, “Writing with a calculator.” Every survivor in entertainment must begin writing with a calculator to match the resources they have with the budget level they can justify. Writing with a calculator will mitigate the risk in entertainment and I believe Jeff Berg’s Resolution is at the forefront of the new sensible budget format that will drive entertainment.


THE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Resolution Forms in Century City

Jeffrey Berg has announced the formation of Resolution, a new full-service talent and literary agency, which has opened in Los Angeles and New York. Mr. Berg, who served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ICM for 27 years, will be the Chairman of Resolution. Entertainment entrepreneur, film and television producer and music agent Jeff Franklin, will serve as Chief Operating Officer.

“As a founding shareholder, I am delighted to partner with Najafi Companies, a strategic private investment firm in the media industry, and Jeff Franklin, a recognized agent and builder in the music business, to launch Resolution. I look forward to working with an exceptional and diverse team of talents to provide our clients with the highest level of advisory and transactional services.” Mr. Najafi will serve on Resolution’s Board of Directors along with Mr. Berg and Mr. Franklin. Jahm Najafi, CEO of Najafi Companies added, “There is no smarter, strategic and knowledgeable agent than Jeff Berg. We look forward to sharing and building this progressive agency in an evolving entertainment marketplace.”

“We are fortunate to have Jahm and his team as our financial partners,” Mr. Berg said. “They are respected and experienced investors who share our passion for the worldwide entertainment community and bring deep critical industrial insights to our company.”
Mr. Franklin added, “With new office space secured and construction completed, our focus is to now expand the recruitment of agents to create a new enduring institution in our industry. Resolution will be active in all of the critical entertainment areas: film, television, theater, music, literary publishing, digital media, and marketing consultation.”

Resolution will focus on the core functions of talent representation but will also provide a wide range of financial and advisory services including the sale of libraries and catalogues, financial transactions for media companies, raising capital for independent and studio films, providing restructuring advice and the sale and licensing of independently financed films and television series to the domestic and international markets.

“After a long run at my former company, I want to re-engage in a new business again as an owner-operator, and Jahm and Jeff became my logical partners,” Mr. Berg stated. “Resolution has a business plan that allows for internal growth, and it also has the committed capital for outside strategic acquisitions.”

The executive team will include former WME Vice President of Finance and Controller Laura Li who will become Resolution’s Chief Financial Officer; former Universal Pictures and MGM senior international marketing and distribution executive Randy Greenberg who will serve as Co-Head of Operations and Business Development; and former Universal Pictures Executive-Vice President of Business Affairs and former CEO of Intermedia Pictures Jon Gumpert will act as General Counsel and Head of Business Affairs.

Jeffrey Berg began his career in 1969 as a literary and film agent at Creative Management Associates (CMA). Following CMA’s merger with IFA, which created ICM, Berg ran the literary and motion picture department. In 1980, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer, and in 1985, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In 1988, Berg was part of a management team that took ICM private in a leveraged buyout financed by Chase Manhattan Bank and subsequently City National Bank. In 2005, Rizvi Traverse acquired ICM in a deal that brought in the first private equity investors to the agency business. In 2012, Mr. Berg and Rizvi Traverse sold their interest to the present ICM management group. Mr. Berg served as Co-Chairman of the California Information Technology Council. He has been a Director of Oracle Corp., since February 1997. He serves on the Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors of The Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles at UCLA. He served as a Member of the California Entertainment Commission and the President of the Executive Board of the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He has also lectured on Management and Finance in the arts at The London School of Economics where he was a member of its Court of Governors. Mr. Berg has been involved in the production financing and sale of over 500 films. In 1991, he was awarded the Cavaliere Ufficiale of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy. Mr. Berg holds a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Southern California.

Jeff Franklin is an entertainment industry entrepreneur, film and television producer, and one of the foremost music agents in the entertainment industry. Jeff Franklin and his Agency ATI represented some of the recording industry’s most successful and honored rock and rhythm and blues artists including Neil Young, Bob Seger, ACDC, KISS, Rod Stewart, Black Sabbath, Marvin Gaye, Deep Purple, Ozzie Osborn, Yes, Beach Boys, Guns and Roses and The Eagles just to name a few. His experience extends beyond these sectors into publishing, branded entertainment, new media and music publishing. Mr. Franklin was a partner in Casablanca Records and Film Works and Mr. Franklin is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ATI, where he has served since 1970. In 1980, he sold his music business to International Creative Management (ICM), where he remained a consultant at the agency for five years following the merger. Through the formation of ATI Video, Mr. Franklin enjoyed a further successful television career, essentially creating music television with “Night Flight,” which ran on USA Network for sixteen hours a week for nine years, and an additional three years in syndication. ATI produced over 5,000 hours of the show. Mr. Franklin is considered an expert in international co-financing of filmed entertainment content.

Najafi Companies is an international private investment firm based in Phoenix, Arizona, with offices in New York, Paris, Toronto and holdings in sectors including consumer, media, technology, industrial, energy and real estate across seven countries including Columbia House, SkyMall, Direct Brands and Cinram. The Najafi Companies make highly-selective investments in companies with strong management teams across a variety of industries, often in areas undergoing rapid technological transformation. The firm takes a long-term view on its investments and focuses its efforts to create value through growth and superior performance. Najafi Companies funds its investments with internally generated capital, not through a fund. Free from the restrictions of a fund, the firm is able to move quickly and decisively when investing, and with no requirements to return capital to outside partners, Najafi Companies is able to make investments that create maximum value for the long term.

Resolution is located at 1801 Century Park East, 23rd Floor, Los Angeles CA 90067 (424) 274-4200

Keith Chagall Plays Century City

(This article originally appeared in the Jan 15th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)
by Michael Douglas Carlin



I met Keith a number of years back at what I consider to be the magical summer of my time spent in Century City. There was an entire group that hung out on the patio at the Century Plaza Hotel where he would play during happy hour. He truly made our time there happy and this led to a friendship as I have followed him throughout the number of gigs where I have enjoyed his music.
My aunt is a Keith Chagall groupie. I got into her car the other day and on the CD Player was Keith’s new album, “She’s Incredible.” My aunt was singing along with Keith and she knew all of the lyrics to his
music. It brought a smile to my face that I was able to introduce music to her that is making her happy.

Now Keith plays at Westfield Century City on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 – 2pm. I like to end my week listening to his music and relaxing in the food court and grazing on all of the new food options available inside the mall. It is a great way to reward myself for every action packed week.

Keith also plays other luxury high-end venues such as the Fairmont, Huntley Penthouse, etc. where is tropical lifestyle music sound appeal have prospered all of his clients.



American Federale

(This article originally appeared in the Jan 8th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)
By Melody Johnson

The typical L.A. Story. Michael Carlin is sitting with a friend at a sushi bar and in walks Oliver Stone. It sounds like the set up to a joke but it is in reality a true story. Stone told Carlin to follow the story. And that advice brought us American Federale.

Twelve years ago this story began on a street corner in El Paso, Texas. A Suburban arrives and equipment is stowed in the back. A blindfold is placed over Carlin’s eyes and the adventure is afoot. The interview proved worth the risk as former Federale, Lobo, told his story that included torture, extortion, bribes, and over 22 gun battles during his time in the Chihuahua State Police as well as the Mexican Federal Police.

Lobo gives us insights into his many exploits and shows us a glimpse into the culture of corruption that exists in Mexico today. He tells us about working to protect Drug Lords and take them down when they fall out of favor. He was complicit only because going against the grain would have cost him his life. What began as a youth’s quest for excitement and a life of rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful transitioned into Lobo being tortured to within a breath of losing his life. How he escaped death is still unexplained and qualifies as a miracle. His life was often spared during his ten years by mere chance. He tells us that all of his friends from that era are now dead and they all died very violent deaths. Many of them with their entire families… “Capone Style.”

Carlin also takes us into Border Mexico as he risks his life to capture images that bring this story to life. His many trips into Juarez and Ojinaga bring us behind the scenes where we see Military, Federal Police, State Police and Municipal Police that are known to be on both sides of the law. The blurry lines we see in this documentary teach us that Anarchy truly isn’t the answer. We learn from the film that the blurring of lines that is happening in America today may lead us to bad places and we have the ability to make choices today to lead us to more defined lines and a more orderly and peaceful society.

What I learned from my interview with Carlin is that corruption touched his family during America’s own lawless period in the 20’s when his great grandfather worked for Al Capone. “My grandfather used to pick me up and put me on the counter when he would make me pancakes and tell me stories about his childhood. When he was young his father received a telephone call and went off to work for Capone and was never heard from again.” Carlin’s grandfather drowned his sorrows in alcohol and that dysfunction touched every generation of his family down to and including him.

The ramification of the violence in Mexico has led to a hundred thousand widows and orphans and the impact will never be fully comprehended. Fixing corruption may take many generations at a cost of billions of dollars. Is the quick money from the drug trade really worth the immediate gratification? The audience can draw their own conclusions.

This film is not for the weak willed or squeamish. It is a hard-edged film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Anyone wondering about Border Mexico, Immigration, Drug Policy, or lawlessness must add this film to his or her watch list. The film is set to be released in early 2013 and will be entered into the Cannes Film Festival.

The film is available on Amazon, iTunes, and GooglePlay.

Investing Your Wealth With Transparency & Simplicity

(This article originally appeared in the January 8th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

By Michael Douglas Carlin
When it comes to wealth planning strategies in and around Century City you don’t have to look too far to find many competing voices. But what do you do with a pile of money today? It seems very complicated. Preservation of capital has become a risky business in today’s climate. Do you invest in real estate? Spanish bonds? The stock market? Europe? China? Or stuff your money in your mattress? What was once so easy has become confusing. Developing a strategy to mitigate risk and earn a return on a portfolio of investments seems to be the common desire among the wealthy. How to achieve this?

Beverly Hills Wealth Management, Founded in early 2010, has answers to the tough questions today’s investors ask. Looking at BHWM as a startup can be misleading. The company was formed by Mag Black-Scott former Vice-Chairman of Morgan Stanley. I recently got a chance to sit with her for a few moments. Mag and the BHWM Investment Management team get it! They understand what is happening on the global landscape and the need for investors to employ a global strategy in their financial plan. Mag and her company facilitates and enhances this on every level. The three years for Mag has been a whirlwind of activity as she has navigated the complexity of investing to boil it down for her clients to make it simple and understandable. BHWM now has five locations including their flagship office on Beverly Drive just south of Wilshire. Now there are San Diego, Roseville, CA, Phoenix, and Jacksonville-Florida offices. Soon there may be New York, Chicago, and San Francisco offices.

None of these offices handles any cash. They partner with global, trusted custodians who transparently look after their client’s wealth with their global reach. The relationship between wealth management advisors and clients is a sacred trust. This trust is the cornerstone upon which BHWM is built. Simplicity comes from transparency and honoring this sacred trust. Though their approach is sophisticated nothing ever needs to be too complicated to understand. But all of that comes from the wealth of experience learned over decades in the financial services industry by each of their hand-picked investment advisors and the management of the company that includes Mag. Currently they are handling the investments of private investors, institutional investors, small and medium sized businesses, and public agency funds and all of their services are geared toward facilitating the largest of clients as well as the smaller investor with a growing portfolio of a few million dollars and everything in between. “Behind the construction of client portfolios is a clear and concise approach which speaks to the underlying philosophy and process…In line with client objectives, we create diversified, less volatile portfolios that offer the potential for higher returns with lower risk over time. Thoughtful Portfolio design, risk management and planning are of the utmost importance in optimizing the best outcomes for our clients.” ….says Mary Kusnic, BHWM Wealth Advisor

The company is about to unveil a new proprietary software application called Maestro. This will provide an entire array of products to investment managers that will level the playing field by providing them with all of the advantages of larger institutions. One of the features is that they can provide instant access to an entire range of products and services under a password single set of credentails. This application should be unveiled in the first quarter of 2013. Says Chief Information Officer, John Stuart, “Educating clients on the importance of business process, security, and governance at their wealth management relationship is not something that has been important in the past. Professionals with the ‘Maestro Federated Advisor’ designation will be offering an enterprise level of infrastructure , security and access to clients that demand an independent advisory relationship.”

Mag was previously officed in the Sun America Center from 2004 – 2008. Mary Kusnic is a longtime Century City resident and stakeholder that gives back to our community. I have included both of these amazing women’s bios here.

Mary Kusnic
Wealth Management Advisor
Mary Kusnic has over twenty years experience working with mid-market, emerging and growth-oriented companies, including private and public financing. She provided administrative and portfolio management services for Registered Investment Advisors, Business Managers, Non-profit Organizations, High Net Worth Individuals and Families, Family Offices and Corporate Clients.

As a consultant to Institutional and High Net Worth Clients and Families, her work includes retirement and estate planning, wealth and liquidity management, philanthropic and tax-advantaged strategies; and asset management for tax exempt asset pools including Foundations, Corporate and Private entities, Public Pension and Taft Hartley organizations.

Mary holds the 7, 22, 63 and 65 licenses and is a CFP candidate. Prior to joining Beverly Hills Wealth Management, LLC, Mary was a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Beverly Hills, CA. and Merrill Lynch’s Private Client Group in Century City, CA.

Margaret (Mag) Black-Scott is the founder of Beverly Hills Wealth Management LLC, a Registered Investment Advisory firm. Formerly she was a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley & Co. Mag has over 35 years of financial services industry experience.

Mag was born and educated in England receiving a diploma in Business Administration from Rotherham Technical College, England. She earned her MBA at Jacksonville University, FL. and completed post-graduate work at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard Business School.

She was adjunct Professor at Jacksonville University, teaching both credit and non-credit courses. She has given financial and estate planning seminars all over the country, and is a past recipient of the coveted “EVE” Award as Jacksonville’s Business Woman of the Year.

She presented a daily television program on financial affairs in Los Angeles, California for 2 years. In Jacksonville, she was Business Editor of Channel 7 (PBS) and made regular guest appearances with WJXT TV Channel 4, a CBS affiliate at that time.

BHWM History
Beverly Hills Wealth Management (BHWM) was formed by Mag Black-Scott, former Fortune 50 Vice Chairman, to meet the needs of High Net Worth clients, Trusts, and Institutions across an open environment with experienced advisors, offering advice that is appropriate, understandable, transparent and beneficial to clients. Each of our employees has an extensive history in the financial services business, and an impeccable professional and personal record.

Our Culture
“Ours is a culture of shared values, attitudes, and practices with the goal of helping clients achieve their stated objectives. We have a culture of mutual respect, of our colleagues, our clients and the source of their wealth plus the trust they place in us to manage that wealth to their own benefit. We strive to serve client needs well and promptly and to exceed their expectations – in short to conduct first class business in a first class way.”….Mag Black-Scott...

BHWM Private Trust
Beverly Hills Wealth Management (BHWM) Private Trust (CA domiciled) provides trust solutions for clients whose financial, family, or business needs require the services of a professional fiduciary through its association with National Advisors Trust Company, the largest federally chartered trust company created by registered investment advisors for the benefit of their clients. Beverly Hills Wealth Management, LLC is a shareholder of National Advisors Trust and intimately involved with their operations and Trust expertise, a true Trust partnership between Client, Trust Administration, investment management. BHWM Private Trust works with estate planning professionals on a local level to provide the consistent Trust services required by our multi-generational clients.
By working together, BHWM Private Trust, National Advisors Trust and the estate planning professional are able to build a strong foundation for the client by providing a solid trustee and investment management solution while helping clients protect their wealth and remain confident about the future of their estates. BHWM and BHWM Private Trust affords the opportunity for bi-furcation of the duties and responsibilities – trust administration & investment advisory.

Beverly Hills Wealth Management “Trust | Simplicity | Experience”

Powerful Countermeasures

(This article appeared in the Jan 8th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

By Michael Douglas Carlin

We are living in a climate of extreme manipulation. There are additives placed in our food to make it more addictive. Chemicals are put in our water. And marketing is flying at us to manipulate us at an unprecedented rate. Add to that the normal manipulation on the job or inside our family. When emotions take over logic and reason disappear. Take the emotion out of any situation and better decisions get made. Kenny Lindner gives us real tools to make better decisions from that little piece of candy to big career moves and decisions that will affect our families for many generations.

What would happen in our world if everyone took responsibility for every aspect of his or her lives? We all know how profound the world could instantly be impacted. This is a groundbreaking book based upon decades of empirical experience of managing some of the most talented performers and steering their careers. Back Mr. Lindner’s experience with behavioral science and you get a potent prescription we all need to change our lives and perhaps the world. It is just that simple! We are affected by all the consequences of the decisions we make big or small. Why not take responsibility for those decisions too? Reframing our decisions to understand those consequences is a great step toward taking responsibility.

Century City is filled with consultants and we all know the first rule of consulting is to sow seeds of doubt and then make yourself indispensible. Consultants are all taught to constantly sell their “expert” status and then reinforce how important they are. But the truth is that those who really are experts don’t need to sell that hard. They make careers. They map out strategies and are worth their pound of flesh. One of those who has achieved “guru” status is now sharing with us his secrets for success. He has guided the careers of some of the most notable celebrities and he now gives us insight into how he has achieved superstar status in the most competitive of businesses… that of agenting.

In the world of broadcast television he has eclipsed many of the larger agencies that have so much more going for them on paper. In spite of all of their structural synergies they bring into the realm of broadcast television, Lindner seems to land many of the big fish as an independent and relatively small agency. Why? Because the advice he gives truly is sage advice. In his book, “Your Killer Emotions” he maps out much of the advice he has given for all of us pedestrians, that are not represented by him. In the companion book, “Crunch Time,” he taught us the eight foolproof steps to achieve our goals. This book, “Your Killer Emotions,” is the only voice I have found that frames the conversation in a way that we can all improve our lives by boiling down our choices to really comprehend the ramifications of even the smallest of decisions upon our life.

What may seem like no big deal can turn into quite a big deal after years of having made even the simplest of choices. Consider the choice of eating fast food for every meal. “Supersize Me” was just about such a choice. You all remember the documentary film that opened our eyes to having three meals a day of fast food. The results were not pretty. So that tiny piece of candy we get from the bowl at the bank may not seem that harmful but when we make visits a number of times a day and numerous days throughout the week we are silently killing ourselves with something that seems so innocent. How about exposure to Radio Frequency? Or lawn chemicals? Or food additives? Or hormones? Or genetically modified foods? Or how about a toxic boss? A career choice? A marriage?

Ken Lindner teaches us how to use our negative emotions to reframe our decisions into positive choices as we attempt to understand the true consequences of what we are deciding to do every day of our lives. Ken teaches us what he has been teaching his clients for years… not to be manipulated into doing something harmful. A client may have a contract dispute and that may turn ugly in order to manipulate behavior. By the studio making a continuation difficult they can avoid paying money they are contractually bound to pay. Ken frames the true choice by taking all of the emotion out of the decision and framing it with logic and reason. When we look at the true facts and consequences the decision often becomes clear.

I recently watched a very good friend and literary agent go through brain cancer. Seeing his struggles for the past three years and having recently said my “goodbyes” just prior to him passing away I have come to understand that brain cancer is something I never want to experience personally. By using Ken Lindner’s model I am able to reframe my choices of not wanting to suffer and to have those around me suffer and fix some of what is wrong with my life today… for a brighter tomorrow. From this “negative experience” of not wanting to die a slow and miserable death I have commenced an exercise program and I have chosen much healthier salads over my normal fare of junk food.

I have become an advocate of Ken Lindner’s self help books because of the profound changes they have made to my own life. My son met Ken briefly during the release of “Crunch Time.” A conversation between Ken and my son led to an action plan and goals as he agreed to read the book. He applied the 8 steps to achieve his Degree and ROTC training leading to lasting changes in his life. My son achieved “Cadet of the Year” in 2011 for the State of California and is currently in Jet Fighter Pilot School for the United States Air Force and he credits much of his success to getting on the right track from having read “Crunch Time” as well as his guidance from Kenny.

“Your Killer Emotions” is in a category all by itself and I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to get more out of his or her time on the planet.

You can join Ken Lindner at Barnes and Noble for his book signing on January 17th at 7:00pm. Barnes and Noble, The Grove at Farmers Market, 189 The Grove Drive, Suite K30, Los Angeles, CA 90036