Gayle Kirschenbaum & Chelsea
|
No dog should have to endure a bad haircut, least of all a Shih Tzu. So several years ago when WOOF Patrol's Pomo was still a puppy and we spotted a similar breed that was well-groomed, we asked the owner to share her shearer's name with us. The pup's name was Chelsea and her mom turned out to be Emmy Award Winning filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum. Gayle advised us that among her Hollywood adventures and accomplishments, she was working on a documentary about dogs, people and love entitled "A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary."
Mother and dog-ter completed the film in 2005 and it was released to positive reviews. Newsday called it, "Poignant bordering on profound." L.A. Weekly said, "Strangely clever!" And, filmmaker Bill Cote stated, "Gayle Kirschenbaum is a female Woody Allen." WOOF Patrol finds it resonating and impacting. And it smartly avoids the awe-too-cute factor associated with dog-flicks.
( REVIEW: A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary)
It's not surprising that one of the founders of "Direct Cinema" or "Cinema Verite" would sign-on as Director of Photography for Kirschenbaum's dogamentary. Albert Maysles, a preeminent documentary filmmaker shares a similar philosophy with Gayle: First, know everything there is to know about the people, places and emotions of your story. Next, allow humanity the biggest starring role in your film. Finally, sign petitions making all movie houses pet-friendly. Okay, pet-friendly movie houses, is a WOOF Patrol pipe dream, but Kirschenbaum would be the first to put her signature on the page with Chelsea quickly adding a paw print.
Gayle's appeal is her openness, independence and quick wit. To Chelsea, Gayle is dog-mom. As single women with issues and needs, mom and dog share a mutual respect.
Gayle Kirschenbaum: I was born with an inclination for the arts. I was always good visually. At five I wanted to be a movie star but mom wanted me to be a teacher. So, I choose a college without an education department: SUNY Binghampton.
Kirschenbaum went off to college early, graduating at 20 with a BA in Fine Arts. She soon became a graphic designer. Early success in advertising and promotion led her to form her own company, Kirschenbaum Productions where she regularly worked on national television commercials for clients such as Pepsi, General Foods, Pampers, Mattel and others. She left advertising to pursue a career in television. And, she wrote, directed and produced for Lifetime's Intimate Portraits, Fox TV's America's Most Wanted, Court TV, A&E, Power Profiles (FNN) as well as for other network and syndicated shows. Yet, for Gayle, it wasn't enough. Something was missing.
G.K.: I knew in my heart that I was a frustrated story teller. As a kid I was constantly drawing and writing journal entries. As I got older I turned to photography. All the work I did, even my early doodles, were done in sequential order. Story was the driving force within my artwork.
WOOF Patrol: Communicating is important you, isn't it.
G.K.: Communicating yes, but more importantly feeling that I have something to communicate.
W.P.: Chelsea seems to have opened up the fourth wall that's getting your voice heard by others.
G.K.: She has a very special spirit. When she barks, I listen. When I talk, she wags her tail and cocks her head. We have a nurturing relationship.
Chelsea's ability to take on celebrity status without becoming a diva separates her from the pack of wanna-be pooches seeking only fame. In fact, for years Gayle had pitched her about doing a book and corroborated with her in compiling a composite sheet for acting in film. Gayle even produced a pilot demo for a TV show starring Chelsea called Dog's Eye View.
Chelsea indulged dog-mom by swapping tales of intrigue and even by playing up to the camera. All the while though, this canine with what Albert Maysles referred to as "extraordinary intelligence," wanted to do more with her life.
G.K.: Our film began as a "Sex and the City" meets "Best in Show". But on September 11, 2001, Chelsea and I were downtown filming.
Cut To: A Dog's Life
The movie appears to shift gears on 9/11. But it didn't. Chelsea had been behind the scenes with a keen eye on content. After all this was her big break. But 9/11 served as a poignant way of letting Gayle realize that Chelsea's true and passionate ambition was about becoming a therapy dog, not a star.
Chelsea: There are three types of working dogs: Search and Rescue, Service and Therapy. Years ago I applied to become a search and rescue canine, but at 12 pounds, I was told I couldn't pull my weight. Then I went on active duty as a service dog, but nobody would take me seriously. So I became a therapy dog. This involves certification with a participating partner and willingness to master and test for basic K-9 skills. Sit, stay, come, leave-it and other commands are essential knowledge and must be performed to pass the test. However, to become a therapy dog, temperament is the real determining factor.
In the film you see the smoke cloud and you know it's the World Trade Center. Gayle is there and she reacts by turning to an unidentified fireman asking: "Do you know if there's a place to volunteer?" Kirschenbaum's production of A Dog's Life was placed on hold for several months and Chelsea became a certified therapy dog working with victims of 9/11.
Chelsea: From September to January of 2001, we worked at Pier 94 with the Family Assistance Center. Then we moved onto St. Vincent's Hospital and Cabrini Hospice in New York.
G.K.: It was at the hospital where I saw Chelsea's true talents. She took a woman out of a coma. It was a touch by a miracle story. This is the work she is cut out do. She's is just being who she is. And, she's providing people with her love.
John Riccobono & Chelsea
|
Chelsea has found her true calling and Gayle is finding hers as a communicator.
G.K.: I need to make a big leap. I want to reach many more people. There are times in life when people realize they have a gift. How we handle that gift matters. When I first moved out to Los Angeles it was culture shock. I was thrilled to have the space and even a real closet to hang clothes but I didn't like the feeling of segregation. Where I was living in L.A. it was very white. My New York roots were all about diversity. I quickly joined a mentoring program called the Fulfillment Fund. They partnered me with Rosa Gonzalez, a 13 year-old inner-city teen that had friends who were killed in gang activity, a brother shot in the leg during a drive-by and other challenging experiences. Our relationship factored deeply into my consciousness. The organization asked if we would speak at their annual fundraiser benefit luncheon that year.
Public speaking to a group of people is something I've always been comfortable with but this was over thousand people. The crowd included Hollywood's A-list folks including Sidney Poitier, Quincy Jones, Jackson Browne and Mike Ovitz. I was ready to tell the Fulfillment Fund no but how could I. I was a mentor and how would that look. When we got on the stage I noticed the lights were blinding and I couldn't see the audience at all. The first thing I commented on was how I could be afraid, I couldn't see them. The audience laughed. Then something came into me: a confidence. My prepared words were strung together without pretense. The emotions surfaced in a way that moved the audience to a standing ovation. I had an adrenaline rush I had never had before. When I left the stage I spotted Sidney Poitier sitting and looking up at me as I headed in his direction on my way back to my table. I bent down and gave him a hug and told him I was such a fun yours and he responded, "I'm a fan of yours."
W.P: Were you surprised the next day when the media was replaying your speech over and over.
G.K.: The next day I went to a café with my computer and was doing what I most love doing: writing. I heard a disc jockey mention Jackson Browne's name and an event she was dragged to. She went onto saying that it had turned into an amazing luncheon, and then mentioned my name and repeated what I said about being a mentor. The DJ then announced she had become a mentor for the Fulfillment Fund because she was inspired by my words. That was quite rewarding. The organization had an exceptional number of new mentors sign on.
Currently, Gayle is serving on board for a brand new foundation called Bon Ami. They're nonprofit foundation matching cancer survivors with stray animals that have been rescued, trained and in need of loving home. There is no other organization out there combining causes and saving two lives in the process.
Kirschenbaum is exploring her horizons and taking on more projects that incorporate the expanding new media world. A Dog's Life premiered on HBO/Cinemax, followed by My Nose, which continues her evolution into her 'what's-next' chapter as a filmmaker and communicator. She's already produced two Emmy award-winning films: Doumeni House and Octavia Butler. Hestia House, a film about a homeless woman, procured her an award at the Chicago Film Festival. There really is no telling to what Gayle will do next. I understand a feature and TV series is in the works. Whatever it is, at her side, will always be Chelsea.
Photo credits: All photos © Kirschenbaum Productions
|
|
Send this article to a friend
