From 1979 to 2003 I was blessed by a highly profitable and prolific 24 year span of virtually unbroken success. But no successful person is an island. And I had several great mentors and two synergistic real estate brokerage stars, one male and one female, who I trained from pups, that turbo-boosted my career.
During these salad days, I completed over a billion dollars in transactions for dozens of giant corporations like AT&T and Chase Bank, while leasing 4 downtown skyscrapers. In 1987, I won the prestigious Chicago Sun-Times award as the Commercial Real Estate Broker of the Year. And in 1991, I again won the Sun-Times award, this time as Rehab Developer of the Year for the $28 million Harpo Studios project for the great Oprah Winfrey.But 1991, was also when Sears vacated the tower that carried their namesake. Causing a skyscraper I was managing partner for to go into default with the lender.
Rather than rebuild a real estate career from the rubble of the wave of foreclosures that eventually took down nearly every property owner in the Chicago loop, I chose to pursue an entirely new career as a filmmaker. I followed my bliss, as philosopher Joseph Campbell inspired me, and I’ve never been sorry I left real estate. Though at times I do miss the economic stability of real estate versus filmmaking. This portfolio site is the first time in all the 26 years of my modestly successful film career that most of my work has been joined into one place by my amazing wife Elizabeth England. Thank You Elizabeth! Enjoy your visit.
