Gary Kaskel

Gary Kaskel

Gary Kaskel was born and raised in Manhattan where he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts as a teenager. He has been writing and making films since he was in grade school. His diverse career includes working as a camera salesman, stand-up comedian, journalist, technology consultant, charity executive, actor, screenwriter, director, cameraman and editor. Since graduating from the CalArts film school, where he studied screen writing and directing under Alexander Mackendrick ("The Man in the White Suit," "The Ladykillers," "The Sweet Smell of Success"), Gary has worked in film and television as a writer, producer, director and cameraman for news, entertainment and documentary projects. From 1980 to 1982 he was associate producer for television legend Milton Berle's production company. After a move back to New York City, he became a freelance director/cameraman for broadcasters and advertising agencies, where he worked for a variety of programs including "Entertainment Tonight" and "Inside Edition" and went on to co-produce and direct a one hour documentary, "A Museum of Broadcasting Tribute-Milton Berle: Mr. Television," for Public Television in 1984. With the rise of desktop computing in the 1980s and 90s, Kaskel began consulting with broadcasters and publishers on computer generated graphics. For more than twenty years, Gary Kaskel has had a strong interest in animal protection and other social justice issues. He was president of United Action for Animals in NYC (2003-2007). His intimate knowledge of the spectrum of animal advocacy led him to make "Animal People - the humane movement in America," a feature documentary in 2006. From 2008 to 2011 he was a producer of the annual Genesis Awards for the Hollywood office of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) responsible for editing the clips and montage packages, as well as producing a variety of Los Angeles-based celebrity public service videos for HSUS. Gary Kaskel has also written for newspapers, magazines, the stage, television and movies. He was a member of International Photographers (IATSE) Local 644 (NY) for seven years, and is a member of SAG-AFTRA and the Producers Guild of America (PGA). Presently, Gary Kaskel is CEO of Carriage Trade Media, a production company focusing on developing socially-conscious comedy, drama and historical film and television projects. After several years of researching the life of ASPCA-founder Henry Bergh, he wrote an historical novel based on his life entitled "Monsters and Miracles." He is presently working on an autobiography titled, "I Could Have Been a Pawnbroker." Date Recorded: 12/3/2013 Podcast of the interview Download: