This post presents the second half of the chapter list for Outside The Spotlights, written in third person. Each section includes a brief description of the chapter – who or what it’s about and how I knew them.
You can find the book on Amazon here:
Content List Part 2:
The contents for part 2 of the memoir picks up with Part 4, after Elaine decided to leave LA and her job with the Universal TV Group to move to Portland, Oregon.
Part 4: A Break From L.A. in Portland, Oregon, and New York City
In 1990, Elaine relocated to Portland, Oregon, and started the new media consulting company EMS and Associates, Inc. Her company was hired for multiple projects at the studios in L.A. and at start-up ventures in Portland and New York City. It was during these years that she met people with eclectic entertainment careers outside of Hollywood. She led the launch team for the Compuserve-funded first Internet entertainment magazine, eDrive. In 1998, she joined Hollywood Entertainment and led the team responsible for Reel.com, the online presence for the Hollywood Video stores.
Chapter 16 Steve Gehlen: I Wanted a Job at Nike That Didn’t Exist Yet
New media executive, online marketing expert, bluegrass musician and screenwriter, with a successful entertainment career outside Hollywood
Hired Elaine for her first contract in Portland
First Producer for Nike.com
Board Member and Chairman of the Portland Creative Conference (Cre8con)
Chapter 17 Kellyn Beeck: My Interest Is the Story of the Game Rather Than the Technology
Game designer, producer and technology company executive
Creator of the game Defender of the Crown and Producer for The Seventh Guest and its sequel The Eleventh Hour
Currently a technology security expert, consulting for Accenture
Chapter 18 Jeffrey King: I Assumed the Best Title Ever—Chief Strategy Officer
Co-founder of Entertainment Drive, originally a Compuserve site and then an Internet site called eDrive, which innovated online film and TV promotion
Business development executive for multiple Internet startup companies
Focused now on management consulting for sustainable energy companies
Chapter 19 Rosie McGee: Turn Off Your Cell Phone and Smoke a Big Doobie
Backstage logistics manager for live music productions, musicians’ office manager, photographer and writer
Grateful Dead expert and historian for current fans of the group
Author of the memoir Dancing With the Dead
Chapter 20 Franny French: Everything You Need Is Right Beside You
Writer, editor and co-author of the unpublished crime novel The Time It Takes To Drown
Lead Content Writer for Reel.com, the website for the Hollywood Video stores
Currently on the interactive marketing team for the Hypothes.is line of education annotation software products
PART 5: Dream Job at 20th Century Fox—Again
Elaine moved back to L.A. in 2004 to take a job as a Producer for Disney.com. In the middle of 2005, she changed positions and went back to 20th Century Fox to work with an executive she’d known for decades as someone whose style matched her own. This led to a position as Director of the industry-changing FoxFast team. She retired in 2016.
Chapter 21 Tom Tralongo: I’d Rather Be on the Front of the Wave Than the Back
Entertainment IT Executive with an expertise in worldwide distribution
People-focused leader with a collaborative, encouraging management style
Executive responsible for hiring the original FoxFast team
Chapter 22 Sheila Liao: A Career Forged by Amazing Mentors
Fox IT Business Analyst with expertise in international contract systems
An example of the collaborative spirit Elaine found when she returned to Fox
Chapter 23 Alison Lyons: If You’re Not Having Fun on the Job, Something’s Not Right
Fox IT Project Manager who managed customer services as they became FoxFast
Admired as an inclusive, supportive and superb leader
Chapter 24 Scott Gregg: I’m Really Good at Business Class With a Cocktail
Fox International Television Distribution EVP
Sales Operations expert and IT SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Chapter 25 Mark Morrison: Reinventing Myself in China
Fox International Distribution Servicing Director
FoxFast business liaison for distribution customer service
Left Fox to become an English-language professor at a Chinese university
Chapter 26 Mark Kaner: It’s All About the People
President of Fox International TV Distribution
FoxFast champion and respected executive with unmatched motivation skills
Led his team by example with a fair and supportive style backed by high standards for all
Chapter 27 John Koscheka: The Glamour of Cleaning Out George Carlin’s Garage
EVP of Fox Digital Manufacturing and Distribution
FoxFast visionary and launch champion who made technological innovation exciting
Chapter 28 Mike Bessolo: Where Creatives With Discipline Go in Business
SVP of Fox International TV Marketing
FoxFast champion
Brought years of experience marketing major Disney titles to his job at Fox
Chapter 29 Justin Primo: My Creativity Was Required
Fox Marketing VP, responsible for customization of marketing and promotion for international licensees
FoxFast SME for online marketing features
Chapter 30 Ligaya Lange: Leading Our Digital Minglers
FoxFast Customer Liaison for the initial launch
Executive responsible for coordinating inter-departmental projects for International Television Distribution, including introducing FoxFast enhancements to customers
The FoxFast Team
The remaining chapters in Part 5 present the stories of people on the FoxFast team. Elaine managed this team, which became a strong, technically innovative and collaborative group that built a website with never-before-attempted technical customer services. Each member of the team exhibited the highest standards of expertise, people skills and determination to excel.
Chapter 31 Ashish Bhatt: I Believe I Was One of the First Binge Watchers
IT Business Analyst
Joined the team in India, moved to L.A., then moved back to India
Chapter 32 Koundinya Gadamsetty: They Listened And Wanted Our Feedback
QA (quality assurance) expert on the FoxFast team
Believes testing is the key to system success
Chapter 33 Umesh Mandadapu: They Hired 15 Out of 400 Applicants—I Was One of Them
Database architect
Technical expert and liaison to internal Fox IT teams
Chapter 34 Ramesh Gurram: Anyone With a Problem Is Made to Feel Heard
FoxFast Technical Project Manager
Director of FoxFast Worldwide Site Operations
Chapter 35 Larry Owens: Never Think of What You Do As Unimportant
User experience expert and Business Analyst at Universal, Dreamworks and Fox
Uncanny content proofreader the whole team relies on
Chapter 36 Ken Mihara: I Want to Join Tech in Entertainment
IT Business analyst who joined FoxFast after its launch
FoFast team Director
Chapter 37 Nag Mantena: We Didn’t Expect to Study Computers
First FoxFast team technical lead and Director after Elaine’s retirement
Currently VP Technology West Coast for Fox Corp, the portion of Fox not purchased by Disney
PART 6: Name Dropping Essay—Hi, I’m Carol [Burnett]
The final section of the book is a collection of anecdotes about the famous people Elaine encountered because she worked for the studios in Hollywood. The people mentioned include Carol Burnett, Tom Selleck, Meryl Streep, Steve Buscemi, Bebe Neuwirth, Kiefer Sutherland, figure skater Kurt Browning and Jonathan Winters. Also included are thoughts about the year she attended the Emmys. These encounters were exciting, yes, but they also serve to emphasize the fact that when you work in Hollywood, famous people are a fun part of the equation.