Acknowledgments

For Power Presentations, Ltd.:

Jim Welch is technically the CPA of my company, but he is much more than that. His invaluable acumen helps me to run the business and frees me to deliver the programs that form the basis for this book. Jim is also a wise counsel in matters human and spiritual. As if all of that were not enough, Jim, who attained the Do rank of 4.0 Kyu in Shotokan Karate, validated the martial arts analogies. In fact, Jim is a Black Belt Master in life.

Nichole Nears and Jennifer Turcotte also help me operate the company, but their contributions to this book went far beyond the call of duty. Together, they performed as a research engine that out-Googled Google. Nichole also generated all the line art with the precision of an architect, tracked down the permissions with the due diligence of an attorney, managed the manuscript with the authority of a drill sergeant, and still had time to be our Web Master. Jennifer handled the source videotapes with the thoroughness of a producer and pre-screened them with the eye of a director. Surely, Ben Affleck will star her first film.

Cousin Joel Goldberg, an image-maker par excellence, lent his images and talents generously.

For the source videos:

Kenn Rabin of Fulcrum Media Services went to the ends of the earth to find and, in some cases, unearth the many video and film clip examples that support my concepts. Kenn did his searching with the patience of a monk and the knowledge of a Talmudic scholar.

Brian Fulford, the Senior Licensing Agent of CNN, provided the bulk of the source videos and was a repository of camera angles himself.

Ed Rudolph and Bob Johns, the editors who helped me grab the still frames for the book, are artists-in-residence at Video Arts, San Francisco, a superb production house managed by Kim Salyer and David Weissman. David is no relative, but I wish he were.

Rich Hall contributed mightily to the evolution of the source videos.

For the book:

Bill Immerman, my attorney, who produced the superb film, Ray, during the writing of this book, still found time to provide his astute counsel.

Arthur Klebanoff, a rare agent who understands ink-stained wretches because he is one himself.

Paula Sinnott, my new editor at Pearson, found new values in material that took me nearly two decades to develop.

Lori Lyons, the Pearson project editor, guided the manuscript through the complex shoals of the production process with the steady assurance of harbor pilot.

Chuck Elliot plastered many green Post-its throughout an early version of the manuscript, all of which helped me to move it to a more mature version with the blazing speed of a Curt Schilling fastball…much faster than Pedro Martinez ever could.

Quentin Hardy, whose PDA and mind are filled with valuable information from Beowulf to Burlingame and beyond.

Bruce LeBoss introduced me to the classic Bob Newhart episode.

Eric Nielsen, Senior Director, Rights and Permissions, The Gallup Organization, always exercised his attention to detail, a most suitable trait for a statistician.

Warren Drabek tracked permissions relentlessly.

For their inspiration:

Mike Wallace, Senior Correspondent for CBS Sixty Minutes. Heaven did help me.

Babette Cohen did not blow my cover.

Melvin Van Peebles, an entire B.E.T. unto himself, was a reality check at every step along the way, as always.

The late Kelsey Selander Phipps pointed me to the platform. The late Harry Miles Muheim, American, my first speech teacher and a superb writer, taught me to “Keep going,” and became the ultimate mentor for the whole shooting match.

As a teacher on my own, I am always mindful of the Rogers and Hammerstein song from The King and I, in which a teacher sings of being taught by her students. Many of my student-clients have challenged me, queried me, tested me, disagreed and agreed with me, but they have all taught me to look at my own material more scrupulously and to make improvements constantly. I am particularly grateful to Vani Kola, the CEO of Certus, a company that helps other companies in the line of fire of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Vani’s astute perceptions during her Q&A session with me added dimension to both the program and the book.

I am also grateful for the stimulating input…and continuing support…from the many people at Cisco Systems, among them Sue Bostrom, James Richardson, Peter Alexander, Toby Burton, Kaan Terzioglu, Corinne Marsolier, Mary Gorges, and Joe Ammirato; and from the many people at Microsoft Corporation, among them Jeff Raikes, Mike Nash, Kai Fu Lee, Yuval Neeman, Pascal Martin, Vince Mendillo, Sara Williams, Ilya Bukshteyn, Dave Mendlen, Kristin Buzun, and Paul Sausville.

I am equally grateful to Microsoft alumni: Jon Bromberg, the Max Bialystock of video; Paul Gross straightened the long and winding road from Scotts Valley; Rich Tong, the champion of champions; John Zagula, who recently went through his own initiation into the literary fraternity, still found the time to give me the right sequence, the right title and, as he always does, the metaview; and Jonathan Lazarus, both a CBS and a Microsoft Emeritus and an ongoing trusted advisor, whose most memorable contribution was a Redmond-to-New York-to-Las Vegas parlay that rivaled Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance.

In a category all by himself is the man who bridges both the Cisco and Microsoft worlds from his lofty perch as a patron saint, Jim LeValley.

In Show Business, the closing act is reserved for the star of the show. For this Road show, that position goes to the Impresario who, with the panache of a Sol Hurok, started it all, Benji Rosen.