Robert Mankoff: Cartoonist, Author

Bob Mankoff graduated from The High School of Music and Art in New York City, then Syracuse University.  When he told his parents he wanted to be a cartoonist, they were not exactly supportive.

He submitted over 500 of his cartoons to The New Yorker magazine before they published one. He was hoping they would hire him.

In the meantime, Bob founded The Cartoon Bank, a licensing platform for The New Yorker cartoons and art.

Eventually, he was hired as a cartoonist and Cartoon Editor for The New Yorker, the positions he holds today.

To fully appreciate Bob, visit BobMankoff.com and scroll down to the CBS 60-Minutes interview he did in March of 2014, and the Pete Holmes Show interview. You may also read this article in The Washington Post.

While visiting his website, you may order his newest book, How About Never, Is Never Good For You? - My Life in Cartoons (Henry Holt and Co. publishing). It is a New York Times Best Seller.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Ballerinas

Ballerinas, Friends

Rachel Coats, Jill Marlow Krutzkamp, Alisha Brach.

Kansas City Ballet
Kansas City Dance Festival

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Dell Godbold - Illustrator, Designer, Painter

Illustrator and designer
Dell Godbold is founder of Godbold, Inc., a communications, marketing and graphic design company.

His clients are major forces in their respective industries: Anheuser-Busch, R. J. Reynolds, ABC Television Network, Sprint, Hallmark, Miller Brewing Company, Belize Legacy Resort, to name a few.

Dell studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, Scottsdale Artists' School, and Plein-Air Painters of Bennington, Vermont.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Lauren LaPointe - Competitive Pro/Am Ballroom Dancer

I have photographed competitive dancer Lauren LaPointe many times, and this is my favorite.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Noreen C. Thompson, RN, MSN, APRN-BC: Advanced Practice Nurse, Researcher

Noreen C. Thompson is Clinical Nurse Specialist at The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City. Preceding this, she was Assistant Professor of Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  

Noreen has authored and co-authored numerous published journal articles, participated in clinical research studies, and is a member of the Hospital Ethics Committee and Critical Incident Response Team.

Of many awards received, two were the Expert Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence by The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing Science) in 2012, and the 2013 March of Dimes Future of Nursing Award.

Noreen also wrote and played the principal role in the short video, "Let's Be Honest", and a consultant for the video biography, "From the Bottom."

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Jennifer Holliday - The Original Dreamgirl

#WomenYouShouldKnow

Jennifer Holliday earned a Drama Desk nomination for her role in the Broadway show Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, and a Grammy Award for her version of, "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going."

You also saw her in television shows Touched By An Angel, Hangtime, and she was a recurring guest star on Ally McBeal.

Behind the scenes, Jennifer's life was very different. She would sing to packed theaters on Broadway, then go home depressed. Her weight soared to nearly 400 pounds, and on her 30th birthday, she hit the lowest point of her life. 

Additionally, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which caused temporary loss of sight, paralysis and more depression.

I admire people who come back from adversity, and Jennifer certainly has. As you can see in this photograph, she is strong and happy. Her multiple sclerosis is in remission, and her voice magnificent.

In the time separating our two appointments, she visited a retail store to see how her new CD was being displayed. A shopper recognized Jennifer and gushed that her mother loved Jennifer's music. The young lady telephoned her mother, and Jennifer sang to her over the telephone. That is a class-act.

After living in New York City for three decades, Jennifer resides in Atlanta.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Holly Starr - Television Personality

Viewers in Las Vegas and Kansas City love fashionably-elegant television personality, spokesperson, model and actress Holly Starr. 

She is a classy lady who made me laugh.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Jeffrey Owen Hanson: Painter, Philanthropist -- Includes Updates

Artist Jeffrey Owen Hanson is legally blind. 

On his 19th birthday, he set a goal to reach a million dollars in charitable donations of his artwork by the time he was twenty years old, and he made it with two months to spare.

Jeffrey's paintings are in the homes of Sir Elton John, Warren Buffet, Susan Sarandon, Billy Joel, Bill Gates, the late Harold Ramis, Olivia Wilde, and many others.

When I photographed Jeffrey, he showed me his 30" x 30" acrylic painting on heavily-textured canvas titled, "One Night in Nice."

His loss of sight is attributed to an optic tumor, neurofibromatosis, which was diagnosed when he was 12 years old.

* Update 2015: CBS Sunday Morning included a segment about Jeffrey in late March, 2015. 

* Update 2021: Jeff was diagnosed with a newly-found brain tumor in October, 2020. He passed on December 20, 2020. He raised millions of dollars for charity by donating his award-winning artwork. You will be missed, Jeffrey.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Eduardo Sanchez - Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Eduardo Sanchez was born in Cuba. His family eventually came to the United States, settling in Maryland.

With a degree from film school, Eduardo and Daniel Myrick wrote and shot a movie about three student filmmakers who disappeared in the Black Hills of Maryland. 

They named their movie The Blair Witch Project. It grossed over $248 million worldwide.

Eduardo still lives in Maryland, and is working on television and movie projects with completion dates of 2014 and 2015.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Ethnic Beauty

Rich, warm skin-tones and darker hair and eyes are exceptionally stylish. 

The trend in fashion is to move away from the Kate Moss-look as demographics change within the United States.

The beauty industry is promoting and capitalizing on the look of ethnic women, like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, whom they say have individual, exotic appeal.

Perhaps this change indicates we are more culturally-aware, and open to diversity.

Model: L.P.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

DC-3 Airliner

This majestic Douglas DC-3 sits atop The Roasterie in Kansas City, Missouri.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Laura Katherine Hunt

Laura Katherine Hunt embarked on her ballet career at Montgomery Ballet in Montgomery, Alabama, then furthered her training at Alabama Dance Theatre. 

She received scholarships and attended Joffrey Ballet School, Ballet Academy East, School of American Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

Laura dances as Alice in, "Alice (in Wonderland)", and she celebrates her seventh season with Kansas City Ballet. 

This photograph is not an "Alice" production image; we were just having fun while she modeled her grandmother's veil.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bill Plympton - Cartoonist, Illustrator

Academy Award nominee Bill Plympton's cartoons and illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and National Lampoon, as well as computer games, and numerous movies and television shows.

Three of the opening-sequence couch gags on The Simpsons were done by Bill.

With regard to music, Bill animated the music video for Kanye West's, "Heard 'Em Say", and created the music video for "Wierd Al" Yankovic's, "Don't Download This Song".

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson - SAG / AFTRA. All rights reserved.

Gerardo I. Lopez

Cuban-born Gerardo I. Lopez is CEO of AMC Theaters. 

With degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, his career is stellar as a business authority. 

Hispanic Business Magazine recognized him as one of the Top 100 Hispanic Business Leaders.

Prior to his move to AMC, Mr. Lopez was Vice-President of Starbucks Coffee, and President of Seattle's Best Coffee.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Greg Orman

Greg Orman worked his way through Princeton University, became an entrepreneur, and is an Independent candidate in Kansas running for a seat in the United States Senate.

When actress Debbie Reynolds and her son Todd Fisher planned a museum of Reynolds' Hollywood memorabilia in Tennessee, Greg loaned them money. 

His campaign has drawn national attention. Orman is expecting scrutiny, and says he is ready for it.

Pictured is Greg with his wife Sybil.


Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Ger Duany - Actor, Model

Ger Duany is an actor and model who was born in South Sudan.

In the early 1980's, he was recruited against his will to be a soldier in the Sudanese Civil War. When he was 14 years old, he fled to Ethiopia, then Kenya.

A humanitarian effort brought 3600 lost boys and girls to the United States. At 16, Ger was one of those boys; one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

The Good Lie is the story of an American woman, played by Reese Witherspoon, welcoming Sudanese refugees to the United States, and one of them into her home. The movie is produced by Ron Howard.
 
Ger stars as Jeremiah.

I saw the movie at an advance-screening, and highly recommend you see it. 

To help South Sudanese children in crisis and Lost Boys and Girls' communities, you may donate to The Good Lie Fund.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Rob Benedict - Actor, Writer, Singer

Rob Benedict's degree in Performance Studies from Northwestern University paid off. 

You have seen Rob in House, Law & Order: LA, Felicity, Alias, Supernatural, The Mentalist, Franklin and Bash, 1600 Penn, Shameless, NCIS: Los Angeles and Cold Case, and this is a very small portion of his resume.

When he is not writing or starring in movies, commercials and television projects, Rob is front-man for Los Angeles-based rock band Louden Swain.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Edward Villella - Dancer

Edward Villella, recognized as the foremost male ballet dancer produced in America, changed the way men danced in America, and the way male dancers were perceived.

Edward entered School of American Ballet at age 10, however he discontinued his dance training to finish his academic studies. He lettered in baseball, earned a college degree and was a championship boxer. 

He returned to the School of American Ballet, and was soon invited to become a member of New York City Ballet where he was promoted to Soloist, then Principal Dancer. 

Edward received nearly every significant honor bestowed upon artists in the United States. He was appointed by President Johnson to the Presidents National Council of the Arts. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, and awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. The Dance Heritage Coalition named him one of the first 100 of America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures and later, he was granted a fellowship to the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds 11 honorary doctorate degrees.

Edward was the first American male dancer to perform with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the only American asked to dance an encore at Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. He danced for President Kennedy’s inauguration and for Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was Producer and Director for the PBS series, “Dance in America”, and won an Emmy Award for his CBS television production of, “Harlequinade.”

University of Pittsburgh Press has re-issued his autobiography, Prodigal Son: Dancing for Balanchine in a World of Pain and Magic, written with Larry Kaplan.
 
He resides in Manhattan, New York.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Larry the Cable Guy

Daniel Lawrence Whitney grew up on a farm in Nebraska. 

In college, he had roommates from southern states, and that is where his simulated thick, southern accent originated.

He dropped out of college to pursue comedy, utilizing "Larry" from his middle name.

Pawnee City, Nebraska named a street after him, and he has generously donated money to the high school there for theatrical equipment.

"Larry" and his wife live on a large farm near Lincoln, Nebraska. 

He has never worked for a cable television company in any capacity.

Photograph © 2009 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

Blake Robbins - Actor, Writer, Director

After graduating with a college degree, Blake Robbins followed his heart and attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

His extensive theater background includes Broadway, Odyssey Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, Black Dahlia Theater and more. For his performance in Placement, he was awarded the LA Weekly Award for "Best Solo Performance" of the year. 

You have seen Blake in dozens of prime-time and cable television shows including The Office, Private Practice, Medium, 24, The O.C., Oz, Firefly, and Cold Case. Plus, his movie credits are constantly growing.

Most recently, he wrote and directed The Sublime and Beautiful, which has garnered numerous awards, and is in high-demand at film festivals. 

Blake, James Burgess Cox and Baruch B. Kaufman are presently in pre-production for a new movie, Ctrl Alt Delete. Production is scheduled to begin January 2015.

If you would like to financially support, "Ctrl Alt Delete", I did, you may do so here: KickStarter.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Casey Twenter: Co-Writer, "Rudderless"

The world premiere of the movie, "Rudderless", was at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It stars Billy Crudup, Anton Welchin, Felicity Huffman, Selena Gomez, and Laurence Fishburne.

This is the directorial debut of William H. Macy, and was written by Casey Twenter, Jeff Robison and William H. Macy.

Here is the trailer. And, go here for one of the sound tracks (scroll down to the red "play" button).

Here is a scene with Selena Gomez.

Look for Rudderless in theaters October 17th.

Pictured is Co-Writer, Casey Twenter.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Michael Brandt - "Chicago Fire", "Chicago PD"

While studying at Baylor University, Michael Brandt met Derek Haas, and they began collaborating on screenplays.

Their first production, 2 Fast 2 Furious with Universal Pictures, made over $236 million. 

They went on to write the re-make of 3:10 To Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and the movie opened #1 at the box office in 2007.

Michael and Derek's adaptation of Wanted, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, grossed over $400 million.

In 2011, Michael directed his and Derek’s screenplay of The Double starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace and Martin Sheen.

More recently, Michael and Derek are Creators, Writers, and Executive Producers of NBC's prime-time drama Chicago Fire, and now Chicago PD.

Update: Sadly, Molly Glynn, who had a recurring role on Chicago Fire, passed away in Chicago. My condolences.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Java Monster

I asked Josh if he could balance a can of Java Monster on his energized bicep.

Cans are not team players, and its cooperation was lacking. Although the can was falling in every shot, the photograph still worked fairly well.

Model: Josh Hall

Stunt Can: Java Monster Irish Blend Coffee Energy Drink

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Kristi Capps

Writing in Dance Magazine, Janet Light describes ballerina Kristi Capps as, "A Classic Beauty", and praises every turn in her career. 

Kristi trained at School of American Ballet, The Harid Conservatory and University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and was selected to study and perform with the Hungarian State Ballet School in Budapest, Hungary. Upon graduation, Kristi became a member of Atlanta Ballet for three seasons, then joined Cincinnati Ballet where she rose quickly to Principal.

She danced numerous lead roles, and as guest artist performed with ballet companies such as the International Ballet Festival of Miami, International Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado, and with Stars of American Ballet in Spain.

Kristi danced as Principal with Chautauqua Ballet Company in New York, performed at New York City’s Guggenheim Museum and performed the leading role with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Most recently she performed with the Morphoses dance company in Paris, France.

She is part of the faculties of Colorado Ballet Academy, Sweatshop Dance, Colorado Conservatory of Dance, a rehearsal coach for Ballet Ariel, and now Ballet Mistress for Kansas City Ballet.

I recommend clicking on this Dance Magazine link, as the article about Kristi is thorough and enjoyable.

Photograph and written content © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

"Rich Hill" - Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary

The 2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary went to Rich Hill, a feature documentary by directors Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo.

The crew spent a year with young friends Andrew, Harley and Appachey in a declining, rural-American town. The boys live with hope amid unfortunate and overwhelming circumstances, and limited resources.

It is uncommon to see a documentary in theaters, however Rich Hill, which has garnered additional recognition, opens in select theaters in August, and in Kansas City August 8th. 

Vanity Fair's Hollywood just listed Rich Hill as one of nine independent movies to see this summer. 

Since the movie's completion, Harley was diagnosed with a brain tumor and has undergone surgery. If you care to make a donation to help with his medical expenses, you may click here.

Pictured are Harley, and Tracy Droz Tragos.  


Photographs © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Michael F. Kelly - Ferrari Aficionado, Racing Instructor

Engineer Michael F. Kelly is a race track driving instructor for Ferrari Club of America, as well as for high-performance brands Porsche, BMW, Lotus, and Audi. He has driven on race tracks across the United States.

He is also Chapter President and Technical Advisor for Ferrari Club of America - Ohio, and Chair of Ferrari's 2016 International Meet.

In the movie Blue Sky, Michael was the track Technical Director, drove the camera truck, and even made it into a few scenes.

Michael has owned a Ferrari 308 and Ferrari 355, and presently owns a Ferrari Testarossa.

He resides in Cincinnati.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Patricia Underwood Hat

For more than 35 years, Patricia Underwood has made luxurious, custom-made, hand-finished hats. Numerous design awards have been granted her.

They are sold in specialty stores worldwide, and have been featured in Sex and the City, Down With Love, and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Tiffany & Co. commissioned Patricia to make this one-of-a-kind hat.


Model: CJ
Jewelry: Tiffany & Co.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Nadia Thompson

Nadia Thompson hails from Australia. She completed all examinations for Royal Academy of Dance, attaining her Solo Seal by age sixteen. She traveled to Royal Ballet School in London, where she secured a Bronze medal at the world-renowned Adeline Genee Awards.  

Nadia toured with Sadler's Wells Theatre, now Birmingham Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), in her graduate year of the Royal Ballet School, then joined Northern Ballet Theatre where she danced as Senior Soloist and performed all principal roles.

Later, she accepted a position with London City Ballet and performed as Leading Artist.

Nadia danced throughout Europe, and Singapore and Bangkok. 

She performed before Royalty, including HRH Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, The Duchess of York, Prince Edward, and Her Majesty the Queen at Royal Command Performance.

Nadia signed a Soloist contract with Boston Ballet where she danced numerous roles and taught, then proceeded to Milwaukee Ballet.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Dr. Jane Chu

Dr. Jane Chu is President Obama's nominee to head the National Endowment for the Arts.

Her mother was placed on a train as a teenager to escape Communist China, hoping for a better life in Hong Kong.

Jane's grandparents took significant risk putting their daughter on the train without travel papers, knowing if authorities checked for documents she would have been imprisoned. 

Jane's mother never saw her parents or siblings again.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Auburn Hair

"When red-headed people are above a certain social grade, their hair is auburn." – A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twain, 1889



Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Model: Jessi

On Their Way to The Cannes International Film Festival

Davis DeRock, Joe Carey and Chad Alan Crenshaw are leaving Monday for France to mingle with the most influential movie producers, directors and stars.  

Their short movie has been selected for the Cannes International Film Festival.  

What a wonderful opportunity, and acknowledgement of your storytelling prowess!

Photograph ©2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/05/07/5006444/fun-little-movie-turns-into-cannes.html#storylink=cpy

James Jordan, Ballet Master

In 1981, James Jordan became a Kansas City Ballet company member. 

In 1991, James was made Ballet Master where he has had a tremendous positive impact. 

He now has accepted the same post with Sarasota Ballet.

You will be greatly missed, James.

Photograph copyright Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

A Comment on Real Estate Photography

My price estimate was too high for a real estate sales person needing photographs of an upscale home.

He probably envisioned someone with a point-and-shoot camera walking through the house, and around the property, casually taking pictures. How long could that take, and the price could not possibly be very high, right?

A full-time professional photographer is going to spend ample time evaluating each point of interest and angles, and create magazine-like photographs. These can take hours to do properly, and the results are worth the time and expense.

I made this exterior image after location scouting a few days ahead, and much of the creative work was accomplished in-camera when I shot it.  At the request of my client, very little was done in post-production. 

Photograph copyright 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Eye Art is Big News

#WomenYouShouldKnow 

This eye artwork was created by my glamorous Korean model. 

Photograph copyright 2014 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

Rolls-Royce Publicity

My dynamic subject is currently working in the New York City and New Jersey area publicizing British automaker Rolls-Royce.

A perquisite of the job is driving one of the company's half-million-dollar convertibles while there.

Photograph copyright Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Aaron Paul Dworkin

President Obama's first nominee to the National Council on the Arts was Aaron Dworkin, founder and President of Sphinx Organization.

Aaron, a consummate violinist, is a member of the National Arts Policy Committee, a MacArthur Fellow, and named one of Newsweek magazine's 15 People Who Make America Great.

He is a Royal Philharmonic Society Honorary Member, a recipient of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Lifetime Achievement Award and holds The Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award at Harvard.

His mother is a White Irish Catholic; his father an African-American Jehovah's Witness. They were not married when he was born, and Aaron was given up for adoption at the age of two weeks. A kind and loving Jewish family adopted and raised him.

Thirty-two years later, he located his biological parents who had ultimately married, and they have a very close relationship.

Aaron describes himself as, "a Black, White, Jewish, Jehovah's Witness, Irish Catholic adoptee who plays the violin, writes poetry and creates artistic experiences."

Not surprisingly, in his lectures Aaron stresses diversity.

He, and his accomplished wife Afa, live in the Detroit area.

Here are books and CD's Aaron has authored.


Photograph copyright 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bret Iwan

Bret Iwan is the voice of Mickey Mouse®, and you hear him wherever Mickey is - on television, video games, Disney On Ice, Disney theme parks, and Disney Road Shows. 

Bret was cast in 2009, when Wayne Allwine passed after being Mickey's voice for 32 years.
 

Photograph copyright 2014 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.