Ken Goldstein

Ken Goldstein
Born (1969-06-24) June 24, 1969
Chicago, Illinois
Residence Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Other names Kene G, Jack Dempsey
Education MFA
Alma mater Syracuse University
Occupation Chief Marketing Officer
Years active 1985–present
Employer The Six Shooter Company
Known for (book series) The Way of the Nerd
Notable work (book) The Way of the Nerd: Practical Advice for Impractical People
Home town Chicago, Illinois
Website www.thewayofthenerd.com

Ken Goldstein, also known as Kene G and Jack Dempsey, born June 1969, is an American film and television writer, producer, director and occasional actor.[1][2] He is a co-founder of Planet illogica[3] and CEO of The Six Shooter Company[4][5][6] and the author of the book series, The Way of the Nerd.[7][8][9] Goldstein is an active speaker at conferences and festivals, universities and private and public institutions. He has been a featured and Keynote speaker in Brazil, Australia, France and Germany.[10][11][12][13] He is also a songwriter, guitar player, performer and recording artist who performs under the stage name Jack Dempsey.[14][15][16] In 2014 Ken Goldstein completed his first solo album as Jack Dempsey at Capitol Records. The album was produced and engineered by Niko Bolas.[17][18][19]

Early life and education

Goldstein with actress Felicia Day of The Guild

Goldstein grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, the town formerly called, Shermerville, Illinois,[20] which is the setting for several of the classic films of the late director, John Hughes, who attended Northbrook's Glenbrook North High School (the setting of the town and High School in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles and Breakfast Club).[21] Goldstein can be briefly seen in the film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles, as all of the classic Hughes' films were shot during the years he attended Glenbrook North High School and utilized students as featured extras. A chance encounter with John Hughes in 1987, during which Goldstein and Hughes performed the song, "Good Love", in front of a gymnasium filled with students, foreshadowed his employment as Hughes' personal and creative assistant during the pre-production of Home Alone 2 and throughout the production of the film.[22]

As a teen he attended the London School of Dramatic Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago before graduating from Syracuse University in 1990.

He is the grandson of Cecilia Dubin, the Russian concert pianist.

Media career

Goldstein was a photojournalist for the New York New Times in the late 1980s, a writer for the Chicago Tribune in the early 1990s, and a television news commentator and field reporter for FOX News and NBC, including the on-air host of Too Much Information, a television news magazine for Fox News in Chicago.[23] He also wrote, directed and produced television for A&E Network, The History Channel, BET, TF-1, BBC, PBS, Fox Broadcasting Company and NBC.[24][25][26][27][28] Goldstein co-produced, directed and edited the several documentary specials including The Angel of Bergen-Belsen and "Copycat Crimes", which were released by A&E Network,[29][30][31] and received an Emmy from the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his production of the children’s television program There’s No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein, in 1995.[32]

In 2011, he became the bureau chief for Wizard Magazine's "Games, Girls, Gadgets and Gear" and Wizard World Comic Cons. His column, "State of the Game", appears weekly in Wizard World magazine.[33] On April 29 he celebrated the launch of the speaking tour for his book, "The Way of the Nerd: Practical Advice for Impractical People," at the 2011 Anaheim Comic Con [34][35]

The Way of the Nerd series and other books

Ken Goldstein has said that the first book in his ten part series The Way of the Nerd: Practical Advice for Impractical People[36] has been in the works for twenty years but took only twenty hours to write.[37][38] The book was completed in the Spring of 2011. An early draft of the book leaked onto the internet in July 2011[38] and became a popular internet download. The book, which is available in retail stores as well as on-line vendors,[39][40][41] is also the subject of Goldstein's lecture series, The Day of the Nerd.[42]

Goldstein is currently writing the second book in the series, The Way of the Nerd: Actually I am Going to Tell You What to do with Your Life,[38] which is set to be released in hard back and ebook formats in October 2012.

Though all of the books in this series are based on the writings of Lao Tzu and his titular work Tao Te Ching each book incorporates a wide variety of spiritual teachings from Kabbalah, Catholicism, Judaism, Sufism and Muslim.[43][44]

In July 2012 Huqua Press released The Oprah Effect which features a foreword by Ken Goldstein.[45]

Planet illogica

Stephen Nemeth, Ken Goldstein, Tonny Sorensen and Bob Johnson (the principals of Planet illogica) at the Taschen Vanity Fair-Planet illogica kick-off, December 2009

Ken Goldstein co-founded Planet illogica, an agency and an online creative community for artists and art organizations. The site launched in beta July 2009[46] with the help of the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab.[47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] During his tenure with Planet illogica Goldstein was the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and oversaw all marketing, promotion and branding efforts.[58][59]

Examples of Planet illogica's marketing support of its artists in residence include their South by Southwest art exhibit of American contemporary artist Ron English’s Historic KISS art and other music-related prints,[60] its online sale and promotion of custom limited edition apparel from English’s Popaganda collection,[61][62] the brokering of Ron English art into the video game, inFamous on the PS3[63] and co-Producing Ron's 2010 retrospect, Status Factory.[64]

Another project was Infiltrate, an art installation touring the University of Utah, George Washington University, and the University of Florida, among other campuses.,[65][66][67] that Planet illogica produced for Disney Nature and Participant Media, as an educational and promotional vehicle for the film, Oceans.[68]

Planet illogica's roots were established in the Artists in Residence (AiR) program, also co-founded by Ken Goldstein and Tonny Sorensen, and incubated within the Von Dutch company. The inaugural AiR event was held at Von Dutch headquarters in Los Angeles, CA on September 27, 2007, and was a launch event for the mixed martial arts comic book JFH: Justice For Hire, created by the first AiR-sponsored artist, Jan Lucanus, who later became the first Planet illogica artist.[69] "Justice-For-Hire Presents Fight Night at the Von Dutch" drew a crowd of 1,100 spectators as they were presented with martial arts demonstrations and exhibition fights from Jan and his "JFH" fight team members, including champion fighters Maximillion Chen,[70] Ahmed Best, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master John Machado,[71] along with Jan's father, veteran comic book writer and Tai Chi Chuan Master Jan C. Childress.[72] Other performances included an Oprah Winfrey-sponsored choir[69] and acrobatics from Cirque du Soleil troop, REALIS.[73] Celebrities in attendance included Seth Green, Lea Thompson, as well as a slew of martial arts masters from across California.[74]

Planet illogica also developed and produced multi-media projects including movies, television shows, books and albums. Projects include, "First and Grand", the first classical organ record ever recorded at the Walt Disney Concern Hall in Los Angeles,[75][76] and Climate Refugees documentary film[77]

References

  1. ↑ "Watch Snake and Mongoose (2013) Now!". watchhotmovie.com.
  2. ↑ "Snake and Mongoose". imdb.com.
  3. ↑ "Programm". Sportswear International.
  4. ↑ "Christoph Bull Concert". Society News LA.
  5. ↑ "UNMASKED: THE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF PHOENIX JONES BY KEN GOLDSTEIN". Wizard World.
  6. ↑ "UNDERSTANDING THE ARTIST". thehygenic.com.
  7. ↑ "Tao Te Ching". sony.com.
  8. ↑ "The Way of the Nerd". chicagonow.com.
  9. ↑ "Ever wonder how to sell a project to the film, comic book, video game, toy, music or television industry?". wizardworld.com.
  10. ↑ "SWU and Nestlé present the Global Sustainability Symposium– Making a World of Difference". swu.com.br/en/global-sustainability-symposium/.
  11. ↑ "The Internationally Acclaimed Digital Media Think-Tank and Creative Workshop". xmedialab.com/mentor/ken-goldstein.
  12. ↑ "First E-Fashion Summit". conferencegroup.de/event_agenda/1-sportswear-international-e-fashion-summit-2010-170.html.
  13. ↑ "Social Media Summit 2011". conferencegroup.de/sms11.
  14. ↑ "Snakes on a Drag Strip! Get "Snake and Mongoo$e" New DVD". iharmonizingcompetition.com.
  15. ↑ "EPISODE - Guest: Kenny Goldstein aka Jack Dempsey". t25cl.com.
  16. ↑ "Saying Goodbye to a Dear Friend: A Tribute to PR Veteran Eddie Michaels". huffingtonpost.com.
  17. ↑ "Niko Bolas Credits". neeks.com.
  18. ↑ "Niko Bolas". musicme.com.
  19. ↑ "KILLING BIGFOOT featuring Jack Dempsey's How You Like Me Now". frequency.com.
  20. ↑ "Northbrook Historical Society and History Museum". northbrookhistory.org.
  21. ↑ "JOHN HUGHES SHOOTING LOCATIONS". geocities.com.
  22. ↑ "XMediaLab Sydney Opera House "Global Media Cultures"". xmedialab.com.
  23. ↑ "Profile of Ken Goldstein". Planet illogica. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  24. ↑ "Profile of Ken Goldstein, Co-Founder of Planet Illogica". X Media Lab. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  25. ↑ All That Jazz. VIBE Magazine.
  26. ↑ "PARK CITY 2001: Slamdance Movin’ On Up; Alternafests Form United Front". indiewire.com.
  27. ↑ "Sundance / Slamdance Overview". www.dga.org.
  28. ↑ "There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein- DVD". www.bestbuy.com.
  29. ↑ "Portland filmmakers find themselves drawn to story of Holocaust survivor". The Sunday Oregonian. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  30. ↑ "Copycat Crimes". www.inbaseline.com.
  31. ↑ "A&E supports Belsen survival documentary". The Chicago Production Weekly. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  32. ↑ "The 40th Annual Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards". Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  33. ↑ "Wizard World Digital". www.wizardworld.com.
  34. ↑ "Ever wonder how to sell a project to the film, comic book, video game, toy, music or television industry?". www.wizardworld.com.
  35. ↑ "Friday". www.conventionscene.com.
  36. ↑ "General World News". wn.com.
  37. ↑ "Film Freak 7-16-11". KLOS Radio.
  38. 1 2 3 "The Way of Ken Goldstein". technorati.com.
  39. ↑ "The Way of the Nerd: Practical Advice for Impractical People". sony.com.
  40. ↑ "The Way of the Nerd (Kindle Edition)". amazon.com.
  41. ↑ "Price Results for The Way of the Nerd". bestpriceprobe.com.
  42. ↑ "The Day of the Nerd Gathering in Idyllwild". americantowns.com.
  43. ↑ "Ken Goldstein, Interview #170". spiritualbookclub.com.
  44. ↑ "40 Things I've Learnt in 40 Years". thelifestylemaven.com.
  45. ↑ "The Oprah Effect Kindle Edition". amazon.com.
  46. ↑ "Openings: Planet Illogica Launch Party – San Diego Comic-Con 2009". www.arrestedmotion.com.
  47. ↑ "SWU and Nestlé present the Global Sustainability Symposium". Starts With U. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  48. ↑ "Speaker Biographies" (PDF). Australian Interactive Media Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  49. ↑ "Online collaboratives a new source for film distribution". Variety Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  50. ↑ "Oceans Infiltrate". Juxtapoz Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  51. ↑ "The People Will Look Up and Shout". Golgotron Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  52. ↑ [UNIQID "Global Media Cultures". Sydney Opera House. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  53. ↑ "Bagayan’s T-Shirts for Planet Illogica". Magnet Reps Artist Representatives. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  54. ↑ "Ken Goldstein Co-founder, Planet Illogica (Los Angeles)". www.xmedialab.com.
  55. ↑ Swart, Sharon (2010-02-24). "Creatives network on Net". Variety Magazine. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  56. ↑ "Feature:Planet illogica". Coco Eco Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  57. ↑ "Planet Illogica Artist in Residence Program". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  58. ↑ "Christoph Bull Rocks the Organ in New Album Launch at Historic Villa Aurora". www.societynewsla.com. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  59. ↑ "UNMASKED: THE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF PHOENIX JONES BY KEN GOLDSTEIN". wizardworld.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  60. ↑ "Rock & Roll According to Ron English". Juxtapoz Magazine. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  61. ↑ "Popaganda, The Art and Crimes of Ron English". Popaganda.com. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  62. ↑ "Ron English store". Planet illogica. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  63. ↑ "inFAMOUS". www.mobygames.com.
  64. ↑ "Status Factory - Art of Ron English Opening Reception Nov. 12". www.orangecoastcollege.edu.
  65. ↑ "Sea creatures "infiltrate" Kogan". The GW Hatchet. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  66. ↑ "Oceans Infiltrate at University of Florida". Juxtapoz Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  67. ↑ "Plastic Sea Creatures Infiltrate U. of U.". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  68. ↑ "Save My Oceans Tour". www.savemyoceans.com.
  69. 1 2 "JFH/Von Dutch Fight Night - A Bloggers Recap" (PDF). Darion Lowenstein. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  70. ↑ "Maximillion Chen vs. Mercer Boffey - JFH/Von Dutch event". Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  71. ↑ "John Machado BJJ demo JFH/Von Dutch". Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  72. ↑ "Tai Chi Demo with Beatbox - JFH/Von Dutch event". Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  73. ↑ "REALIS profile". gigsalad.com. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  74. ↑ "JFH/Von Dutch Fight Night Poster". Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  75. ↑ "Christoph Bull First & Grand: Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ Premier Recording". www.soundspotstudio.com.
  76. ↑ "Christoph Bull". www.cdbaby.com.
  77. ↑ "The human face of climate change". www.care-international.org.

External links

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