Podcasts about wolkoff

We're off this week, so we're re-releasing a conversation that we loved... Tasha and Josh break down the mother/daughter story in Pixar's BRAVE with special guest Michele Wolkoff (EP, Pigeon Tunnel and Rook). They discuss what works, what doesn't (and why), and analyze how a directorial overhaul 18 months prior to release affected the story and underlying themes.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist    

This week, Ted welcomes co-host Samantha Wolkoff back onto the podcast to read and discuss the latest edition of the American Israelite.

This week, Ted welcomes co-hosts Pam Geller and Samantha Wolkoff back onto the podcast to read and discuss the latest edition of the American Israelite.

This week, Ted welcomes co-host Samantha Wolkoff back onto the podcast to read and discuss the latest edition of the American Israelite.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, former senior advisor to Melania Trump, steps into the spotlight in our latest episode, revealing the intricate web of high fashion, politics, and personal tribulations she navigated during her time in the White House. From orchestrating the Met Gala to being thrust into legal battles post-administration, Stephanie's tale in "Melania and Me" is a rare window into the cloistered world of a First Lady. Her reflections on Melania's strategic sartorial communication and the broader implications of her choices, including that infamous jacket, offer an unfiltered glimpse into the consequences of silent messaging.Our conversation charts the emotional landscape of working within the Trump administration, opening up about the fear and bravery intertwined in the daily machinations of power. Stephanie doesn't hold back as she discusses the transactional nature of the Trumps' marriage, the cult-like loyalty demanded in their orbit, and the bracing reality of her own experiences—from legal confrontations to personal sacrifices. This episode isn't just a narrative; it's a wake-up call about the influence of authenticity and the vital role of the First Lady in shaping our nation's values.As Stephanie shares her poignant insights, we're compelled to contemplate the future of American politics. The prospect of a former president's return looms, stirring discussions of legacy, beliefs, and the importance of integrity in leadership roles. We examine the potential impact of Melania's re-emergence on the political stage, questioning whether another term could reshape her influence or cement her previous approach. This episode goes beyond the headlines, pressing on the heart of democracy and the courage required to stand by one's convictions amidst the tumult of political storms.Support the Show.

This week, Ted welcomes co-hosts Pam Geller and Samantha Wolkoff back onto the podcast to read and discuss the latest edition of the American Israelite.

On today's episode, Josh and Corey sit down with writer and supervising producer Bill Wolkoff to discuss season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Join them as the chat about the season, the Gorn, musicals, what makes SNW so different, crossovers, Josh and Cory wanting to be red shirts, and much more.   Watch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" on Paramount+ today!   Follow Bill on: Twitter @flying_lobster Instagram @billwearsties   Follow Cory Instagram @coryjphillips7 Twitter @coryjphillips and his other media links HERE   Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase!    Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE.   Background audio by Lofi Girl   If you enjoy the show, please rate and review! Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast   Follow Josh @JoshLCain Follow Luke @tatted_triceratops   Tags:  podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, anime, star trek, star wars, strange new worlds, lower decks, musical, gorn, kirk, pike, spock, enterprise, space, scifi science fiction, interview

This week, Ted welcomes co-host Pam Geller back onto the podcast and they are joined by new co-host Samantha Wolkoff to read and discuss the latest edition of the American Israelite.

Former friend and aide to Melania Trump, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, joins Anthony Davis to expose the Trump family dynamic during this politically turbulent period as Donald becomes even more extreme in light of his legal troubles and as the country grapples with the threat of dictatorship - only on The Weekend Show. DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS! LOMI: Head to https://Lomi.com/WEEKEND and use the promo code WEEKEND to get $50 off your Lomi! MOINK: Sign up at https://MoinkBox.com/WEEKEND and get FREE ground beef for a YEAR! HUMANN: Support your heart health with SuperBeets Heart Chews. Get a free thirty-day supply of SuperBeets Heart Chews and a free full-sized bag of turmeric chews valued at $25 by going to http://weekendbeets.com SUPPORT THE SHOW! Subscribe to Five Minute News on Patreon for exclusive members only videos, live Q&A and more: http://www.patreon.com/fiveminutenews Visit Five Minute News online and subscribe at http://www.fiveminute.news Follow Five Minute News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fiveminnews Follow Five Minute News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/fiveminnews Subscribe to Five Minute News on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/fiveminutenews Five Minute News with Anthony Davis is an Evergreen Podcast, covering politics, inequality, health and climate - delivering independent, unbiased and essential world news, daily. Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meida... Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-p... The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-i... Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-c... The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-w... Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-... Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/major... Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/polit... Lights On with Jessica Denson: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/light... On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-de... Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Breakdown is live w/ guest Stephanie Winston Wolkoff!Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is the author of NYT bestseller “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady" and founder of SWW Creative. Her close working relationship with former First Lady Melania Trump gave her unique insight into East Wing operations. She joins us live on The Breakdown with hosts Tara Setmayer and Rick Wilson. Don't miss a moment – watch now, share on social media, and follow The Lincoln Project below! Join the fight at LincolnProject.us.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEStephanie Winston Wolkoff's book: “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady" – https://amzn.to/3gvsPlz FOLLOW Stephanie Winston Wolkoff@SWinstonWolkoffFOLLOW LINCOLN PROJECTTWITTER: https://bit.ly/3zwZFva INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/31yyrHR FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3zCBHhT PODCAST: https://apple.co/3G7zr4L

Veteran OPN guest and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds writer Bill Wolkoff returns from a successful strike to talk Season 2 of Strange New Worlds and how he gave Spock the creepiest smile ever! Send your voice hail to OPNSign up for the OPN NewsletterVisit our new website OpenPike.comPlease Check out our MerchSupport us on PatreonFollow @openpike on TwitterFollow OpenPike on InstagramFollow Openpike on Youtube

Tasha and Josh break down the mother/daughter story in Pixar's BRAVE with special guest Michele Wolkoff (EP, Pigeon Tunnel and Rook). They discuss what works, what doesn't (and why), and analyze how a directorial overhaul 18 months prior to release affected the story and underlying themes.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

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Shocker! Melania Trump is a vacuous c***All the Qanon people believe Trump's alibi! TRUMP IS Q! He created qanon, his little way of becoming the victim even though he is the one perpetrating human & child s3x trafficking etc IF I WERE PRESIDENT @JOEBIDEN I WOULD CALL FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO BE DESIGNATED T3RRORIST ORGANIZATION AND SUSPENDED AGREE/DISAGREE? Calling on that decrepit old fart Moscow Mitch McConnell step down

Freshly streamed! Enjoy All the Qanon people believe Trump's alibi! TRUMP IS Q! He created qanon, his little way of becoming the victim even though he is the one perpetrating human & child s3x trafficking etc IF I WERE PRESIDENT @JOEBIDEN I WOULD CALL FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO BE DESIGNATED T3RRORIST ORGANIZATION AND SUSPENDED AGREE/DISAGREE? Calling on that decrepit old fart Moscow Mitch McConnell step down

Call The AMPTP! - 818-995-3600Welcome to Open Pike Night!  Join your hosts John T Bolds, Cameron, Jesse  in the studio to discuss the ongoing 2023 WGA Strike with returning guest Bill Wolkoff!  Thank you to all our amazing callers for lending their voices to the discussion and supporting Open Pike Night!Send your voice hail to OPNSign up for the OPN NewsletterVisit our new website OpenPike.comPlease Check out our MerchSupport us on PatreonFollow @openpike on TwitterFollow OpenPike on InstagramFollow Openpike on YoutubeIf you have something you want to share on the Open Pike Night Stage please record an audio clip, 90 seconds or less, and send it to Openpike@gmail.comCome take your place on the Open Pike Night Stage!Most importantly, be sure to share the episode with your friends and please, leave us a review on Apple podcasts and Spotify! 

Jill Nicolini Interviews Roger Wolkoff Founder of All About Authenticity -- www.rogerwolkoff.comhttps://onlineradiobox.com/search?cs=us.pbnnetwork1&q=podcast%20business%20news%20network&c=ushttps://mytuner-radio.com/search/?q=business+news+networkhttps://streema.com/radios/search/?q=podcast+business+news+network

Jill Nicolini Interviews Roger Wolkoff Founder of All About Authenticity -- www.rogerwolkoff.comhttps://onlineradiobox.com/search?cs=us.pbnnetwork1&q=podcast%20business%20news%20network&c=ushttps://mytuner-radio.com/search/?q=business+news+networkhttps://streema.com/radios/search/?q=podcast+business+news+network

Jill Nicolini Interviews Roger Wolkoff Founder of All About Authenticity -- www.rogerwolkoff.comhttps://onlineradiobox.com/search?cs=us.pbnnetwork1&q=podcast%20business%20news%20network&c=ushttps://mytuner-radio.com/search/?q=business+news+networkhttps://streema.com/radios/search/?q=podcast+business+news+network

Former friend and advisor to Melania Trump, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, details the mindset of the Trump family and why indictments will come as a surprise to the disgraced former President. Subscribe to Five Minute News on Patreon for exclusive members only videos, live Q&A and more: http://www.patreon.com/fiveminutenews THE WEEKEND SHOW - Episode 54 Visit Five Minute News online and subscribe at http://www.fiveminute.news Follow Five Minute News on Twitter http://twitter.com/fiveminnews Follow Five Minute News on Instagram http://instagram.com/fiveminnews Five Minute News with Anthony Davis is an Evergreen Podcast, covering politics, inequality, health and climate - delivering independent, unbiased and essential world news, daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warner Bros Television Group chairman Channing Dungey on her hopes for a Harry Potter drama series and concerns over a US writers' strike; and The Ink Factory's Michele Wolkoff, Waterside Studios' Jeff Norton, Banijay's James Townley, Nevis's Anni Fernandez and OUTtv's Philip Webb on the trends shaping the industry next year, all live from Content London 2022.

Imagine the results when you can calm an angry person in 90 seconds - or less Anger is a normal emotion and you can manage those angry people in your life Episode 117 (Doug is based in California) In this conversation with Doug Noll, we explore: That angry is simply one part of our emotional personality How to quickly sooth the angry soul Anger is an indication of a boundary violation What is emotional invalidation and how does it harm Mistakes to avoid with facing angry people Why anger is not necessarily bad How to manage your own anger and recognize the triggers Why ranting is not a helpful solution About Doug Noll Doug Noll is a lawyer-turned-peacemaker. In addition to his law degree, he has a Masters Degree in Peacemaking and Conflict Studies.  In 2000, he left a successful law practice as a civil trial lawyer to help people resolve conflicts without litigation or conflict. Doug was born nearly blind, partially deaf, and with two clubbed feet. His disabilities were challenging to overcome….and he did He's a second-degree black belt and tai chi master, a certified ski instructor, an airplane and helicopter pilot, a white-water river rafter, and a jazz violinist. Doug teaches people how to de-escalate angry people in 90 seconds or less. His fourth book, an Amazon bestseller, is called De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less. Doug has online video courses and provides workshops and coaching to individuals and organizations desiring to increase their emotional competency. As a listener of Your Intended Message you are entitled to receive a free book, How to Listen Others into Existence. Take advantage of this offer here www.DougNoll.co/intended-message ----- Excerpts from this conversation with Doug Noll: 03:04 Well, it's very interesting. There are at least 12 Different kinds of anger. And we don't have time to go into all the different kinds of anger there are, but there are at least 12 Different kinds of anger. And at its root, of course, Anger is an emotion. And there are many levels and intensities of anger. So you can be frustrated, which is an anger, emotion, you can be annoyed, you can be enraged, you can be irritated, you can be you can have hatred, so many, many different levels. The key to all of these emotions are that when we get triggered into an angry emotion, the emotional centres of our brain take over. And they shut down the thinking part of our brain. And we've all had this experience when we've seen it, you get angry, you can't think what some really interesting brain scanning studies show is that when the listener labels the anger to the angry person, the speaker, the anchor goes away in about 90 seconds. And all I would say is something like this, Hey, George, you are really pissed off, you're angry, you're frustrated, you feel completely disrespected and ignored. You don't feel appreciated. You feel a little bit of anxiety and worry about all of this. And you're sad because you feel betrayed. And the whole thing is just really frustrating to you. If you were really angry by me saying those words in that way to you, your brain would literally calm itself down. What's effectively happening is that because your prefrontal cortex is offline when you're angry, when I tell you what you're feeling, it allows your prefrontal cortex to grab a hold and figure things out and all of a sudden calm itself down. And it's how every human brain is hardwired. And it happens in less 90 seconds. It's how it works,   05:04 Doug, if if we did nothing else in this conversation today that that phrase that you just did, you just delivered there is enough to provide tremendous value. Because what I'm noticing is one when you said that you were not responding, anger to anger, which is the typical response, well, you're angry, I'll be even angrier. Yes, I can be a bigger jerk than you no problem. That's the typical response. And then we wonder why he was so unproductive. And we both go away feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. But when you said that, and even though I mimicked anger before, I wasn't angry, but I could imagine if you were saying that to me, and I was angry, it's like, oh, you get me? You understand me?   05:50 Exactly. That's exactly right. And here's what's happening. angry people need to be listened to, they're angry because they're not being heard at a deep emotional level. And when you can fulfil that need by validating their emotional experience, when I call listening another person into existence, anger goes away instantly. And it happens every single time without failure. And I have had 12 years of field experience teaching murderers and maximum security prisons, how to become peacemakers and mediators to stop prison violence. And I've taught over 20,000 inmates these skills, and every single one of them has had success with it in many cases. We started in 2010, my colleague Wolkoff and I started in 2010, in the largest, most violent women's prison in the world. Valley State Prison for Women and Chowchilla, California. Two years into the program, we trained 800 women out of a population of 3600. We got an unsolicited letter from the warden saying the prisoner quieted down because of prisoner peace. It works. ----- Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by improving your communication skills. We'll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self. In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.   Your host is George Torok George is a specialist in executive communication skills. That includes conversation and presentation. He's fascinated by way we communicate and influence behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.   Connect with George www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/ https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/   For weekly tips to improve your presentations visit https://toroktips.com/   ----more----    

I just want the Latino community to know as a whole, including businesses, including civil rights and advocacy organizations, let it be known that I am in your pocket! I am your number one ally! I demand piece at the border and humane treatment of all new American immigrants. My your best interest is my best interest the Latino Community, and indigenous communities are two of the jewels in Arizona's crown! When I get into public office - - I'm running for senate in 2024 against Kirsten Cinema - -I will be doing the people's bidding, not these self-serving, self-interested crooks that we have ruining our country these days! Better days are ahead, for sure! Everybody please write me in, I am an official write in candidate for Arizona State mine inspector! If you hadn't noticed there is an empty blank where a Democratic candidate should be on your ballots! So write me in if you want to see a blue wave!

Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek Deep Space Nine) and Ryan T. Husk review Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 1, episode 6, "Lift Us Up Where Suffering Cannot Reach." With Writer/Supervising Producer Bill Wolkoff!Produced by Ryan T. Husk.Audio Remastered by Scott Jensen.Executive Producer:Dr. Susan V. GrunerAssociate Producers:Homer Frizzell Dr. Ann Marie Segal Eve England Yvette Blackmon-Tom Carmen aka Skillet Timothy Baum TJ Jackson-BeyBill Victor Arucan Titus MohlerDarlena Marie Blander John Mann Dr. Mohamed Noor Tierney C. Dieckmann Anna Post Rex A. Wood Anil O. Polat Joe Balsarotti Erika StroemMike GuNeal AkasakaDequeueStephanie BakerJustine Norton-KertsonSpecial Thanks to Malissa LongoRecorded 06/09/22Every week, we watch an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and review it. Join us! Watch every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you!If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review.Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRuleWatch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRuleSocial media:https://twitter.com/7thRulehttps://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRuleGet cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/Cirroc's sister, Merone, makes amazing East-African inspired clothing and items for sale at:https://www.abyssiniankiosk.com/Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at:https://www.walkingartmadebymalissa.com/We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

Welcome to Open Pike Night!  Join your hosts John T Bolds, Cameron, and Jesse as we welcome Star Trek's Bill Wolkoff for his first interview on the OPN Stage!Tonight we have an amazing special guest joining Open Pike night for the first time,  A man who has helped guide us through space long ago ina galaxy far far away and journey through our own galaxy a few centuries from now.   A writer who makes worlds with his words, be they among the stars and black holes or hidden between the chips and boards of our digital life. A man who has brought our fairy tales to life, and showed us what happens when hope surfaces in a desperate world The man who wrote “Ghosts of Illyria” and “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” in season 1 of Strange New WorldsThank you to all those who joined us on the OPN Stage this week!@antipodal@ontherock81@petertrek1@plattym3@lesbianchapel@jester_nene@gayestfesh@thehereticalsayyadina@abbymsommerNow that the Season is over, we're spending some time between the worlds and we'll be putting out the call! If you have something you want to share on the Open Pike Night Stage please record an audio clip, 90 seconds or less, and send it to Openpike@gmail.com  Come take your place on the Open Pike Night Stage!Be sure to follow @openpike on Twitter and subscribe to a weekly reminder newsletter, the button is just below the bio.When you subscribe, check your junk mail or promotion folders, it seems like some of the newsletters are ending up there.Most importantly, be sure to share the episode with your friends and please, leave us a review on Apple podcasts and Spotify! 

It's a special wedding edition of the MeidasTouch Podcast! With Jordy preparing for his nuptials, Ben and Brett break down the latest news, focusing on the seismic momentum shift in favor of the Democrats that has changed the political landscape ahead of the upcoming midterms. The brothers discuss how the abortion vote in Kansas sent shockwaves across America as folks resoundingly rejected the fascist right's attempt to restrict our freedoms. Ben and Brett also cover the latest successes of the Democratic Congress, the lasting threat of Trumpism, and how radical extremists have planted their flag in Arizona. Ben and Brett welcome back to the show Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, former senior aide to Melania Trump and one of the chief whistleblowers early on during the Trump administration, who witnessed the criminality of the Trump family from day one as the family used the inauguration to line their pockets. As always, thank you for listening! Remember to subscribe, share this episode, and leave a five-star review! DEALS FROM OUR SPONSOR: Grove Collaborative: https://grove.com/meidastouch (Get up to a $50 gift set for FREE with your first order) SHOP MEIDAS MERCH: https://store.meidastouch.com GET INVOLVED: https://www.fieldteam6.org/volunteer-ops Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831 Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595 The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601 The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245 Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599 Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447 The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 The Tony Michaels Podcast: https://pod.link/1561049560 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon Studios was on the cusp of green-lighting a reality TV series centered around Donald J. Trump's inauguration; audio engineer Eric Rosas was hired for the production but was stiffed on payment — his signature forged on an NDA he never saw. Eric Rosas shares this historic audio with The Knows, recounting what he witnessed during the week leading up to the inauguration. A week that's still being dissected five years later in the form of ongoing federal investigations and countless scandals that continue to haunt many featured on the recordings, like Tom Barrack, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump Jr., Elliott Broidy, and many more.

Associates of Mark Burnett and Elizabeth Koch feverishly worked all sides of a deal for Amazon Studios to produce a reality series about Donald J. Trump's 2017 inauguration — one that evaporated as quickly as it appeared, leaving ominous questions to linger around F.T.C. oversight of Amazon's $8.5 billion MGM Studios acquisition and their knowledge of 20 hours of unaired footage reported for the first time exclusively by THE KNOWS.Read more at https://theknows.net/

What's up Fandom and Trek fans! On today's episode, Josh sits down with Bill Wolkoff to chat about "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" episode 3 'Ghosts of Illyria'. Join them as they discuss the plot, Illyrians, writing for Trek, Timothee Chalamet, and more. This episode does contain SPOILERS. Please watch episode 3 before listening. Thank you to Paramount+ for allowing us to check out the series early. Watch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" on Paramount+ today!   Follow Bill on: Twitter @flying_lobster Instagram @billwearsties   Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase!    Thanks to One Outta Ten for supplying the music for this episode.  Check them out on: Instagram @one_outta_ten Spotify at One Outta Ten   Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE. Be sure to head over to our website AnimationStationPodcast.com to check out both What's Up, Fandom & Animation Station Podcast episodes.  If you enjoy the show, please rate and review!   Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast   Follow Josh @JoshLCain     Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, animation, startrek, starwars, strangenewworlds, illyria, enterprise, interview

This is a special encore holiday episode of Mea Culpa with Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a special encore holiday episode of Mea Culpa with Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Go to Grover.com/meaculpa and subscribe to the latest tech including iPhones, drones, computers, gaming, audio equipment and more… Get 10% off your order every month when you checkout with promo code "meaculpa." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, we sit down with New York Times best selling author and former senior advisor to the first lady Melania Trump, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. During this interview, Stephanie reflects on her time in The White House, the sketchy behavior she was witnessing all around her, Donald Trump's incredibly close relationship with Rupert Murdoch and much more. If you enjoyed today's episode please be sure to rate, review and subscribe! As always, thank YOU for listening DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS: BETTER HELP: betterhelp.com/MEIDAS SOLE: yoursole.com/MEIDAS and use code MEIDAS ATHLETIC GREENS: athleticgreens.com/MEIDAS Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831 Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595 The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601 Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599 Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447 Zoomed In: https://pod.link/1580828633 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Allison talks with Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, producer of the 2016 Presidential Inaugural, former senior advisor to Melania Trump, and author of Melania and Me. Our Guest: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff https://twitter.com/SWinstonWolkoff https://amzn.to/3quTm76 Follow AG and Dana on Twitter: Dr. Allison Gill  https://twitter.com/allisongill https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote https://twitter.com/dailybeanspod Dana Goldberg https://twitter.com/DGComedy Follow Aimee on Instagram: Aimee Carrero (@aimeecarrero) Listener Survey: http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short Have some good news, a confession, a correction, or a case for Beans Court? https://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Want to support the show and get it ad-free and early? https://dailybeans.supercast.tech/ Or https://patreon.com/thedailybeans Promo Codes Find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today when you go to http://UPSTART.com/DAILYBEANS.  Turn your least active times into your most productive opportunities to stay healthy with Cubii! Visit http://cubii.com/beans to find the Cubii elliptical model that's right for you!  Athletic Greens is going to give you an immune supporting FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase if you visit athleticgreens.com/dailybeans today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Meet Roger Roger is a motivational speaker who helps you create teams and companies people don't want to leave. You hire him for his expertise in emotional intelligence and appreciation. He doesn't give up on people, he believes they will find a way to move forward and improve. Roger lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and currently serves as the president of the National Speakers Association of Wisconsin Chapter. He loves to travel bike and read science fiction. He's a big fan of baseball, pinball, and all things Tesla. Can you just tell us what is emotional intelligence? You bet! It started with Daniel Goleman who has been called the father of emotional intelligence. Quite simply, it is your self-awareness and your social awareness. So following Goleman, there are two parts of self. There's the self-awareness part and the self-management part, right? How we're aware of ourselves and how we manage ourselves. Then the social part is how we're aware of others, how we respond to others, their emotions, their actions, their behaviors. Then the other component in there is relationship building, hmmm, Social Capital much? That's how emotional intelligence is defined and then Goldman and others also put components of empathy into emotional intelligence. Tell me a little bit about how you got into speaking because this is kind of the main offering that you provide, correct?  Right. I got into speaking and training and I got back into it actually. So way back early in my career, I was into training. I actually trained on all things Microsoft, I trained on operating systems, spreadsheets, Word, PowerPoint and then I also dabbled in a little bit of programming, and then I was also a resident expert on databases. So I love training and I love seeing the lights come on for people. So fast forward into a career in tech support and then while I was in tech support, I got recruited into project management and that's how I fell into project management. So I did that for a number of years and I got really good at both the science and the art of project management, I got into the soft skill and the tech part, but I found that I really had this passion for the soft skill part like facilitating and how we get people past barriers and how we get them to do work. So at my last job about six years ago, they were downsizing, and rather than playing the roulette wheel and figuring out where I wanted to go next in project management, I'm like, you know what? I want to get back into the speaking and the training! I decided that was a great time to start my business. I never knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but it was like this calling to get back up on stage. The more I got up on stage, the more I realized it was, I originally thought, you know, there was this big thing, like, you're going to be in lights, it's about you, and blah, blah, blah, and applause applause applause and I was totally wrong. It's about the audience and the people and creating that connection and that emotional spark and sharing knowledge with them, and seeing the lights come on for them that way. So it was about six years ago, that I decided to hang out my own shingle and get back into the world of professional speaking. Can you share the difference between emotional intelligence and communication? It's interesting to put them into both categories because I get that question a fair amount. So if we go back to what I was saying before, a couple of key components are of emotional intelligence are how you show up. One of the ways we show up is how we communicate. So we all have choices about how we communicate, the words we use, the expressions we use, the body language we consciously or subconsciously use. So just because we're communicating doesn't necessarily mean that we have emotional intelligence, and vice versa. I think the two are definitely intertwined. Don't get me wrong, they are intertwined. For example, one of the things that happen when I deliver emotional intelligence programs is I'll get somebody who comes up to me afterward probably about 40-50% of the time and they say, "Oh, this is great, Rojer, could you give this for my manager?" So I say, "Ok, that's wonderful that may be the case so tell me what's challenging you hear," and they say, "I think I'm a great communicator," and I say, "Fantastic, can you give me an example of how you communicate with your manager?" They think the manager might be the problem and they might be, but then a number of times, I've gotten this where they say, "I tell them everything that's on my mind," and I ask for an example. Then they say "Well my manager told me that we should manage up to them so I managed up and I really just gave them a ton of feedback." So I say, "I think we're talking about here might be candor versus communication and it might be the style in which you're delivering it." Come to find out, there's more to it than just the manager needs to come to this. What I say is I would love to give out these little mirrors, because a lot of the time if we look into ourselves, that's the first part of emotional intelligence and everything else can build from there. Can you share with our listeners your most successful or favorite networking experience that you've had? So as you mentioned in the intro, I'm a member of The National Speakers Association, and we get together every year at a big event called Influence. About 1000 people go to a huge event, and I love it. The first time I went I was overwhelmed. Now for introverts, 1000 people is a lot of people and it can be a daunting experience. That first day was my favorite because I went up and I just consumed as much as I could. At a good networking event, we don't just go and give everybody your business card, that's not networking. But I was going with the intent to listen and pick out one good thing that I could take away from every person that I met and I went with the intent of asking just one good question. My question was if you were starting out in this business, what would you do differently today? That was my question to everybody. So I had this pool of answers to the same question. I loved the event because everybody was so welcoming and receptive to whatever question we had. It was more than just going to the seminars, it was the hallway conversations where the magic happens. I really enjoyed the event because people would create, and I didn't make this up, they would create croissants instead of bagels. What that means is we think about the shape of a croissant, a croissant is what? It's a semi-circle, right? So people always inviting you in instead of the bagel or the donut which is closed. I didn't bring that up. I love that the event was set up that way and that the people going to the event in networking were allowed to participate if they wanted to. How do you stay in front of and best nurture this community that you've created? A couple of ways. LinkedIn is the place where I see my network. I try to comment on content as much as I can. I'm always trying to up my game by providing something new, and I will be my own critic and say, I don't do that as often as I should. It might help to have some marketing strategy and tactics behind that. The other strategy that I'm employing is networking, through email marketing, or email newsletters, and content, things like that. So again, always trying to up my game there. That's how I stay in front of my people as much as possible. What advice would you offer that business professional who is really looking to grow their network? Don't be afraid to talk to people. If you like going to events, go to an event intentionally, with at least three solid things that you want to get out of it, and think about three people that you want to meet, they can be intertwined. I would say be as visible as you can in the markets that you want to be seen in. I wasn't always good at this at the beginning because I was trying to be everything to everybody. As we know, that doesn't work. Once I started narrowing in on people who were receptive to my message, where companies that were getting taken over, or companies that were going through a lot of change, or leaders who were recently promoted or moved to a new area, that's where I could come in and help because when we're faced with change, that's where I can come in and help keep people from leaving. If you've just inherited a new team or something, that's where I come in. So it was putting myself in there, either in the social networks or just making initial conversations. I have a series of outreach that I do until I can get a conversation with them so that we can see if we're for each other. So my advice is to be persistent and be in front of the people who are for you and will buy you. If you could go back to your 20-year-old self, what would you tell yourself to do more or less of or differently with regards to your professional career? I would tell myself to talk less and listen more.  I'd also tell myself, don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Be your real, genuine, authentic self when you put yourself out there don't hide behind all kinds of stuff. When I went into my professional career, I would go into meetings, and I would try to say something no matter what, just for the sake of saying something to be seen to be visible. It wasn't until later on when somebody coached me in my mid-20s to listen more and talk less. I realized that I didn't have to say something to get noticed. That's when I first started learning about emotional intelligence and that's what I've been telling myself. Do you have any final word or advice to offer listeners with regards to growing and supporting your network? Be as open as you can and show up as you! The only way you're going to grow your network is to introduce yourself to people and just break down those walls and have good conversations with people be interested in them. Connect with Roger   Phone: 608-279-5160  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwolkoff/ Website: https://rogerwolkoff.com/  Email: roger@rogerwolkoff.com 

"Just be yourself!" tired advice or hidden gem?You might be surprised... Roger Wolkoff,We'll talk about: - The 4 best questions to help find out if a company is the right fit for you.- What is EQ?- When Being "Authentic" isn't actually authentic - and so much more. Guest: Roger Wolkoff - All About Authenticity - RogerWolkoff.comWelcome to Season 3 of Recruiting Hell, sponsored by Coinlist.co .Visit Coinlist.co/jobs to potentially end your job search today and support the show as well.Episode 42 (Season 3 Episode 2)

Dana and Tom welcome back, friend of the show, owner of All About Authenticity, and Professional Speaker, Roger Wolkoff to talk about their first animated movie on the show, Wall-E. Come find out about the lovable little robot that captured childrens' and critics' hearts alike while exploring deeper topics such as over-consumption, the fate of humanity, and whether food will be served only in cup form in the future. For more on the episode, go to: https://tj3duncan.wixsite.com/ronnyduncanstudios/post/wall-e-2008 For the entire list so far, go to: https://tj3duncan.wixsite.com/ronnyduncanstudios/post/greatest-movie-of-all-time-list --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I had a VERY fun and informative conversation with this episode's guest, Roger Wolkoff (Mr. Authenticity).  Roger deserves this tag because he is, truly, one of the most genuine people you'll ever talk to (or listen to)! We hit on all things authenticity and Roger shares some insights that leaders want to consider during today's different times of leading in a pandemic.   Check it out!  CHEERS! More on Roger... Roger is a motivational speaker who helps you create teams and companies people don’t want to leave. You hire him for his expertise in emotional intelligence and appreciation. He doesn’t give up on people; he believes they will find a way to move forward and improve. How does he do it? Roger’s programs are high content and motivational in style and tone. He delivers stories, ideas, and keys to unlock what’s already inside you. Roger has over 20 years of expert interpersonal communication and team-building experience. Audiences rave about his two most popular keynotes, Step Outside Yourself™️: How to Survive and Thrive in Times of Uncertainty and Elevate Others to Elevate Others™️ with Appreciation. Roger’s core messages center around trust, communication, and emotional intelligence. He helps leaders and high-performing teams communicate with clarity, conviction, and positive intent. He is an advocate of Clifton’s Strength Finder, VIA Character Strengths, and everything surrounding positivity. Roger lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, Anne. He loves to travel, bike, and read science fiction. He is a big fan of baseball, pinball, and all things Tesla.   Website: www.rogerwolkoff.com Email: roger@rogerwolkoff.com Phone: 608.279.5160 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpC3mVLpDc9bdhh0OVceuw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwolkoff/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allaboutauthenticity/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allaboutauthenticity/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rogman888 Twitter: @rogerwolkoff, https://twitter.com/rogerwolkoff Instagram: http://instagram.com/rogerwolkoff

It's the whistleblower episode! The Meidas Brothers catch you up on the latest with the Senate Impeachment trial. They then welcome Geographer Rebekah Jones, who gained notoriety after being fired for calling attention to the corruption of Governor Ron DeSantis' COVID data. The brothers then discuss the criminal investigations into Donald Trump in the state of Georgia. Later, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, former best friend and advisor to Melania Trump, joins the show and shares never-before-heard tapes of the former First Lady. As the brothers wrap up the show, they welcome Heather Gardner who announces her new Meidas Media Network original series, "The Divided State of America with Heather Gardner." Watch the debut episode here! Buy Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's book, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady anywhere books are sold. Thank you for making the MeidasTouch Podcast the top podcast in North America on the PodBoard100 Charts! Please keep up the momentum by sharing this podcast with a friend and giving us a 5-star rating! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/meidastouch/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meidastouch/support

The Whitehouse Stepford Wives (The Dark Agenda) Stephanie Winston Wolkoff .......Our guest is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Stephanie is the President and Founder SWW Creative. For the last three decades, she has spearheaded partnership development; production; sponsorship council; strategic consultation and talent development.Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff has acted as a liaison between different industries working with producers, agents, managers, celebrities, designers, top executives, and philanthropic cultural icons overseeing the planning, implementation, and organizing of many of the most complex, excessive, stage-managed, and charity-driven events and productions, including the Met Gala. For over a decade, Winston-Wolkoff was the Director of Special Events at Vogue Magazine.On top of that, Stephanie is actively involved in several humanitarian and charitable causes, including being a Board Member of the UN Women for Peace Association, The Vice Chairwoman and Board Member of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation who honors and supports outstanding achievements in the many branches of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. She was also honored by the Albert Einstein School of Medicine’s Spirit of Achievement Award; the UJA for their Women of Influence Award; the Suffield Academy for their Alumni Leadership Award.I’m telling you this because I want to make it clear that this lady is a very smart individual with many accolades and she is highly skilled and esteemed in her field.  In September 2020, Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff wrote and released the #1 New York Times Bestselling Book, ‘Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of my Friendship with the First Lady’, which chronicles her experience working with the First Lady and planning the 2016 Presidential inauguration. Ms. Winston-Wolkoff has since been a critic of the Trumps and a contributor on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and other news outlets around the world...........To find out how you can hire Dov Baron as a speaker, executive Advisor or strategist for yourself or your organization:  DovBaron.com  Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump, The Wounded Boy and the Porn Star: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff .......Our guest is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Stephanie is the President and Founder SWW Creative. For the last three decades, she has spearheaded partnership development; production; sponsorship council; strategic consultation and talent development.Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff has acted as a liaison between different industries working with producers, agents, managers, celebrities, designers, top executives, and philanthropic cultural icons overseeing the planning, implementation, and organizing of many of the most complex, excessive, stage-managed, and charity-driven events and productions, including the Met Gala. For over a decade, Winston-Wolkoff was the Director of Special Events at Vogue Magazine.On top of that, Stephanie is actively involved in several humanitarian and charitable causes, including being a Board Member of the UN Women for Peace Association, The Vice Chairwoman and Board Member of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation who honors and supports outstanding achievements in the many branches of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. She was also honored by the Albert Einstein School of Medicine’s Spirit of Achievement Award; the UJA for their Women of Influence Award; the Suffield Academy for their Alumni Leadership Award.I’m telling you this because I want to make it clear that this lady is a very smart individual with many accolades and she is highly skilled and esteemed in her field.  In September 2020, Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff wrote and released the #1 New York Times Bestselling Book, ‘Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of my Friendship with the First Lady’, which chronicles her experience working with the First Lady and planning the 2016 Presidential inauguration. Ms. Winston-Wolkoff has since been a critic of the Trumps and a contributor on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and other news outlets around the world...........To find out how you can hire Dov Baron as a speaker, executive Advisor or strategist for yourself or your organization:  DovBaron.com  Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Friends Don't Record Friends! Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.......Our guest is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Stephanie is the President and Founder SWW Creative. For the last three decades, she has spearheaded partnership development; production; sponsorship council; strategic consultation and talent development.Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff has acted as a liaison between different industries working with producers, agents, managers, celebrities, designers, top executives, and philanthropic cultural icons overseeing the planning, implementation, and organizing of many of the most complex, excessive, stage-managed, and charity-driven events and productions, including the Met Gala. For over a decade, Winston-Wolkoff was the Director of Special Events at Vogue Magazine.On top of that, Stephanie is actively involved in several humanitarian and charitable causes, including being a Board Member of the UN Women for Peace Association, The Vice Chairwoman and Board Member of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation who honors and supports outstanding achievements in the many branches of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. She was also honored by the Albert Einstein School of Medicine’s Spirit of Achievement Award; the UJA for their Women of Influence Award; the Suffield Academy for their Alumni Leadership Award.I’m telling you this because I want to make it clear that this lady is a very smart individual with many accolades and she is highly skilled and esteemed in her field.  In September 2020, Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff wrote and released the #1 New York Times Bestselling Book, ‘Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of my Friendship with the First Lady’, which chronicles her experience working with the First Lady and planning the 2016 Presidential inauguration. Ms. Winston-Wolkoff has since been a critic of the Trumps and a contributor on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and other news outlets around the world...........To find out how you can hire Dov Baron as a speaker, executive Advisor or strategist for yourself or your organization:  DovBaron.com  Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Who's paying for the sandwiches? Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.......Our guest is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Stephanie is the President and Founder SWW Creative. For the last three decades, she has spearheaded partnership development; production; sponsorship council; strategic consultation and talent development.Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff has acted as a liaison between different industries working with producers, agents, managers, celebrities, designers, top executives, and philanthropic cultural icons overseeing the planning, implementation, and organizing of many of the most complex, excessive, stage-managed, and charity-driven events and productions, including the Met Gala. For over a decade, Winston-Wolkoff was the Director of Special Events at Vogue Magazine.On top of that, Stephanie is actively involved in several humanitarian and charitable causes, including being a Board Member of the UN Women for Peace Association, The Vice Chairwoman and Board Member of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation who honors and supports outstanding achievements in the many branches of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. She was also honored by the Albert Einstein School of Medicine’s Spirit of Achievement Award; the UJA for their Women of Influence Award; the Suffield Academy for their Alumni Leadership Award.I’m telling you this because I want to make it clear that this lady is a very smart individual with many accolades and she is highly skilled and esteemed in her field.  In September 2020, Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff wrote and released the #1 New York Times Bestselling Book, ‘Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of my Friendship with the First Lady’, which chronicles her experience working with the First Lady and planning the 2016 Presidential inauguration. Ms. Winston-Wolkoff has since been a critic of the Trumps and a contributor on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and other news outlets around the world...........To find out how you can hire Dov Baron as a speaker, executive Advisor or strategist for yourself or your organization:  DovBaron.com  Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You’ve seen the pictures and watched the video clips of the insurrection at the Capitol - but what was it actually like to be in the building at the time, fearing for your life? Anthony is joined by political journalist and author Jake Sherman for his literal inside take on the unlawful mayhem brought to Congress itself - and the consequences to come.Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was the former First Lady’s trusted advisor and closest friend, and had a front-row seat at President Trump’s inner court. Her memoir ‘Melania and Me’ exposed dysfunction and division at the very highest levels of the White House - and makes the case why FLOTUS was very much “part of the problem.”Many people have insulted Trump by saying he is ‘crazy’ - though it does beg the question how practicing mental health professionals actually do view his behaviour. Dr Alan Blotcky is a renowned clinical psychologist and contributing writer at Salon, and bravely shares a candid assessment. Follow our guests on Twitter:@JakeSherman @SWWCreative @ABlotcky Follow us:@moochfm @scaramucci Sign up for our newsletter at:www.mooch.fm Podcast created & produced by Right Angles:www.right-angles.global

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff opens up about her ex-BFF Melania Trump, Donald Trump, and much more!    Hosted by Bonnie Fuller Co Hosted By Ali Stagnitta Produced by Nicolas Gonzalez  

“I begged her to just come out and say that I was her friend, I was loyal. Nope, nothing,” says Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, author of Melania and Me.  Stephanie Winston Wolkoff considered Melania Trump a friend—more than a friend, really. Wolkoff even followed Melania to Washington, helping produce the 2017 inauguration and advise the incoming First Lady. But when the stories started coming out about the insane overspending during the Inauguration, Wolkoff says Melania threw her to the wolves—allowing Wolkoff to take the blame in the press and kicking her out of the White House.“I begged her to just come out and say that I was her friend, I was loyal. Nope, nothing. So the betrayal, the pain of that was like—I gave up my whole life for this woman. No one else would help Melania. I mean, she was alone,” Wolkoff tells Molly Jong-Fast on the latest episode of The New Abnormal. “I should've known better. She is just like her husband.”So Wolkoff began taping her calls with Melania—calls which formed some of the bedrock for her book, Melania and Me. Improbably, Wolkoff and the First Lady kept talking, even after Wolkoff was cast out. When Melania wore that instantly-infamous “I Don’t Care” jacket on a trip to a center for migrant kids, Wolkoff called. Their mutual friend, the fashion designer Herve Pierre, was being attacked online for the fiasco because he had made dresses for Melania in the past. But this jacket was a $39 item from Zara. Wolkoff asked the First Lady: Would she clear things up? Say something in public?Melania admits that Pierre “had nothing to do with that jacket.” But she declines to make any kind of statement on his behalf. Instead, Melania laughs, “I'm driving liberals crazy, that's for sure. And you know… they deserve it.”Wolkoff was horrified. “When I sent [Pierre] the photograph [of the jacket], he immediately wrote me back saying, ‘Is this Photoshop? ‘And I wanted so desperately to say yes,” Wolkoff tells Jong-Fast. “He was devastated.” “There's so much callousness,” Wolkoff continues. “Even in just trying to get [Pierre] paid for collaborating with her and making her first dress, it was like pulling teeth. There is no empathy or remorse for the fact that here's someone who was blamed because he's known as her ‘stylist.’”     Moments like these—and the casual dismissal over the Inaugural—made Wolkoff feel better about recording conversations with a woman to whom she had once been so closely connected. “Taping a friend is, it's unacceptable. It really is. But Melania was no longer my friend when I pressed record. Because when I pressed record on the conversations I had with her, it was only after she, Donald, and the PIC [Presidential Inauguration Committee] [tried] to make me the scapegoat and to falsely accuse me for the overspending of $107 million of the inaugural funds,” she tells Jong-Fast. “First and foremost, I taped to protect myself because I needed to be protected once I knew I was going to be under investigation.”Jong-Fast answers, “I don't think anyone ever regrets taping a Trump.”This is part two of a two-part talk with Wolkoff. In part one, Wolkoff took us inside the war between Ivanka and Melania Trump.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

They’re the two most important women in Donald Trump’s life. And they absolutely loathe one another. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, the former Melania Trump confidant and author of Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, spills the tea on the latest episode of The New Abnormal, starting with the very first days of the administration.  “Melania didn't come to D.C. that week, but Ivanka stayed and Donald stayed there. And all of a sudden, that's the weekend, Donald signs the immigration, what was it called? The ban. Yes. Ivanka shows ‘Finding Dory.’ Now, if you couldn't be more tone-deaf. Children were being separated from their parents. And here you're screening a film where again, this trout fish is being separated from its mother.” “Is that because Ivanka is dumb or is that because Ivanka is evil?” Molly Jong-Fast asks.“Listen, I say it as it is. I think it's a mixture. I really do. I think that Ivanka is Donald in a suit, right? All of the Trumps are taught to be Trumps. They don't show emotion. A Trump is a Trump because they are authentically and unapologetically skin deep, and also self-serving. And their attitudes and disrespect for each other is again, you have to get any inside to see it,” Wolkoff answers.And Wolkoff does indeed go inside, accusing Ivanka of purposefully boxing Melania out at every turn. “So [Ivanka] impinged on Melania's duties while overstepping her rank and boundaries. And I mean that, in a sense like she poached individuals that we were for the East Wing, that we were vetting to have—Kayleigh McEnany, Mercedes Schlapp. I mean, these were people Melania was looking to bring in. We called [Ivanka] the serial poacher. It was deceptive. But you don't go and hire people that the First Lady's looking to bring in,” Wolkoff adds. “The princess wanted to render Melania irrelevant. And you know, Melania refers to them as ‘snakes,’ Jared and Ivanka, and they'll do anything to get what they want. And they do.”Maybe none of this would’ve been that big of a deal—if Ivanka had been the mastermind she played on TV. But, uh, she wasn’t."What was particularly galling, not only to us, but also to Melania, was that Ivanka and Jared were no more qualified to be engaged in any governing of the country than she was. Not that any of us that had never held those positions,” Wolkoff continues. “So to hear Ivanka put her name in the same sentence, as working with [former White House Chief of Staff] General [John] Kelly, it's like, 'Oh my God, how could you even?' Who would do that? Who would just be so disrespectful to say something like that? And think I she genuinely thinks it and believes it."This is part one of a two-part talk with Wolkoff. Part two airs next week—and includes previously-unheard tapes of Wolkoff and Melania.Want more? Become a Beast Inside member to enjoy a limited-run series of bonus interviews from The New Abnormal. Guests include Cory Booker, Jim Acosta, and more. Head to newabnormal.thedailybeast.com to join now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, former director of special events at Vogue, was a confidant to Melania Trump from the early 2000s until she found herself in the wake of the Trump family's ascension to the White House and a controversy around inauguration finance irregularities. In her book, and talk with Zibby, she talks candidly about trust and betrayal, facing scrutiny in the spotlight, and re-examining friendship.

Welcome all members of HMUFA! On this episode, Josh is joined, once again, by Radford Sechrist & Bill Wolkoff to discuss the third season of their DreamWorks animated series "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts". They discuss the end of the series, favorite story arcs, things they didn't get to include, K-pop narwhals, what's next, & more. How much darker is this season? What were their favorite arcs this season? Randy Quaid? Tune in to find out! This episode does contain SPOILERS for all 3 seasons of Kipo.   Thank you to DreamWorks for allowing us to check out the season 2 early and for setting up our interview. "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" is available on Netflix HERE   Follow Radford on: Twitter @RadSechrist Instagram @radsechrist   Follow Bill on: Twitter @flying_lobster Instagram @billwearsties   Follow DreamWorks Animation on: Twitter @Dreamworks Instagram @dreamworks   Thanks to One Outta Ten for supplying the music for this episode.  Check them out on: Instagram @one_outta_ten Spotify at One Outta Ten   Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE. Be sure to head over to our website AnimationStationPodcast.com to check out both What's Up, Fandom & Animation Station Podcast episodes.  If you enjoy the show, please rate and review!   Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast   Follow Josh @JoshLCain   Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, netflix, dreamworks, kipo, kipoandtheageofwonderbeasts, wonderbeasts, wolf, benson, dave, spoilers, finale, kpop

Dana and Tom are joined by special guest, Roger Wolkoff (a professional speaker from Madison, WI), to discuss their first sports movie of the show, Bull Durham. Often know as the baseball purists' movie, see how the boys grade this one out, and where it ends up on the list. Plot Summary: In Durham, N.C., the Bulls minor league baseball team has one asset no other can claim: a poetry-loving groupie named Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). As the team's season begins, Annie selects brash new recruit Ebby Calvin Laloosh (Tim Robbins), whom she christens "Nuke," to inspire with the religion of baseball. Nuke also receives guidance from veteran player Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), who settles Nuke's erratic pitching and teaches him to follow the catcher's lead. For more on the show, go to: For the entire list so far, go to: --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Welcome back ASPers & Burrow Dwellers! This week, Josh sits down with Radford Sechrist & Bill Wolkoff to discuss the second season of their DreamWorks animated series "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts". They discuss the story so far, character progression, relationships, the real world locations in 'Kipo', and they answer your fan submitted questions.  Was the original concept for 'Kipo' darker? Was your question asked? What was Scarlemagne originally? Tune in to find out! This episode does contain SPOILERS for both season 1 & 2.   Thank you to DreamWorks for allowing us to check out the season 2 early and for setting up our interview. "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" is available on Netflix HERE   Follow Radford on: Twitter @RadSechrist Instagram @radsechrist   Follow Bill on: Twitter @flying_lobster Instagram @billwearsties   Follow DreamWorks Animation on: Twitter @Dreamworks Instagram @dreamworks   "Age of Wonderbeasts" by VenessaMichaels & "No Anchor" by Daniel Rojas  Are property of Back Lot Music, a division of Universal Studios LLC   Do you need shirts? RIPT Apparel has shirts!                              Use PROMO CODE: ASP10 at RiptApparel.com to receive 10% off your purchase.   Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email at Contact ASP. Be sure to head over to our website AnimationStationPodcast.com and check out some of the other awesome shows in our podcast family by going to: SecretSuperheroClub.com  If you enjoy the show, please rate and review!   Follow the show on: Instagram @AnimationStationPodcast Twitter @AnimatePodcast Facebook Animation Station Podcast YouTube Animation Station Podcast   Follow Josh @JoshLCain   Tags: animation, anime, cartoons, podcast, OKC, Oklahoma, LA, LosAngeles, California, podcasts, nerdstuff, nerd, dreamworks, kipo, kipoandtheageofwonderbeasts, wonderbeasts, Netflix, music, art, artists, creators, showrunners

We love Netflix's DreamWorks Animation series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. We sang its praises when it debuted this January, were happy to see that Season 2 continued to develop its colorful characters and make progressive strides forward in its story, and even talked about that more in our video review. Now, it's my pleasure to get a chance to talk to co-creators/showrunners Bill Wolkoff and Rad Sechrist once again to dig into all things Kipo a little more. Some spoilers follow. This time around, Wolkoff and Sechrist were able to talk about including an openly gay character in their animated series and how exactly that decision came about. The spotlight on healthy relationships of all kinds was further explored in Season 2, which they also comment on in our discussion. Plus, if you had questions about what separates a jaguar from a mega-jaguar, you're in the right place. So while Netflix has yet to officially order Season 3 of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Wolkoff and Sechrist tease what might happen in the next batch of episodes. - Support the Show through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/saturdaymourningcartoons - Want to find our cohosts online? Dave Trumbore collider.com/author/dave-trumbore Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrClawMD Buy the book 'The Science of Breaking Bad' - https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/science-breaking-bad Sean Paul Ellis IG and twitter @seanpaulellis Performer at Washington Improv Theater where you can find tickets and times. The Bureau podcast: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy-Podcasts/The-Bureau-p1290704/ If you are digging our show and want to help you out, then you can do so in the following ways: 1. Recommend a cartoon to us: Call us and leave a message at 202-681-4406. If you call then we will 100% review you recommendations if we haven't watched the cartoon yet. 2. Leave a review on iTunes with the following message titled "Pancakes?“ with the review, “Or flapjacks?" 3. Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SaturdayMourningCartoons/ 4. Follow us on twitter @MourningToons 5. Check us out on Instagram @SaturdayMourningCartoons

We love Netflix's DreamWorks Animation series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. We sang its praises when it debuted this January, were happy to see that Season 2 continued to develop its colorful characters and make progressive strides forward in its story, and even talked about that more in our video review. Now, it's my pleasure to get a chance to talk to co-creators/showrunners Bill Wolkoff and Rad Sechrist once again to dig into all things Kipo a little more. Some spoilers follow. This time around, Wolkoff and Sechrist were able to talk about including an openly gay character in their animated series and how exactly that decision came about. The spotlight on healthy relationships of all kinds was further explored in Season 2, which they also comment on in our discussion. Plus, if you had questions about what separates a jaguar from a mega-jaguar, you're in the right place. So while Netflix has yet to officially order Season 3 of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Wolkoff and Sechrist tease what might happen in the next batch of episodes.

Fun interview with fellow speaker, authenticity authority, expert on emotional intelligence and all around great guy, Roger Wolkoff talking about self and social awareness, and how we can build and practice them during this time of heightened emotion and exhaustion! For more information on Roger, go to www.rogerwolkoff.comor watch him do his thing, right here! Igniting courage podcast with motivational speaker/ best-selling author Anne Bonney is the place you go for a boost of courage, either to make a huge change in life, or to just get through the day! Listen to my friends, who are each regular old people (but also unbelievable badasses) share what courage means to them, how they developed it, and how it plays into their lives every single day. Be inspired in their, and then your own every day courage. Then go transform your life.

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON BOOM PODCAST: This Saturday morning, after Joseph and Chris watched Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, they also got a chance to interview creator/executive producer, Radford Sechrist and developer/executive producer, Bill Wolkoff! VOTE for which cartoon we watch next: http://bit.ly/CartoonRanker Listen to each podcast episode as it airs!Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/smcbpodcastGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/smcbgoogleSpotify: […]

Hello Aspers and Kipo fans! On this week's episode, Josh sits down with Radford Sechrist & Bill Wolkoff, the creators & executive producers for the DreamWorks animated series "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts". They discuss the series, characters, music, and answer your fan submitted questions.  What were their inspirations for the series? Was your question asked? Why no extra 'THE'? Tune in to find out! This episode does contain SPOILERS for the show.   Thank you to DreamWorks for allowing us to check out the series early and setting up our interview. "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" is available on Netflix HERE   Follow Radford on: Twitter @RadSechrist Instagram @radsechrist   Follow Bill on: Twitter @flying_lobster Instagram @bill3031   Follow DreamWorks Animation on: Twitter @Dreamworks Instagram @dreamworks   Do you need shirts? RIPT Apparel has shirts!                              Use PROMO CODE: ASP10 at RiptApparel.com to receive 10% off your purchase.   Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email at Contact ASP. Be sure to head over to our website AnimationStationPodcast.com and check out some of the other awesome shows in our podcast family by going to: SecretSuperheroClub.com  If you enjoy the show, please rate and review!   Follow the show on: Instagram @AnimationStationPodcast Twitter @AnimatePodcast Facebook Animation Station Podcast YouTube Animation Station Podcast   Follow Josh @JoshLCain   Tags: animation, anime, cartoons, podcast, OKC, Oklahoma, LA, LosAngeles, California, podcasts, nerdstuff, nerd, dreamworks, kipo, kipoandtheageofwonderbeasts, wonderbeasts, Netflix, music, art, artists, creators, showrunners

Dylan Hysen and Michelle Anderer talk to Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Executive Producers Rad Sechrist & Bill Wolkoff about the first season of the show! Spoilers for all of Season 1 of Kipo in this interview!

Dylan Hysen and Michelle Anderer talk to Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Executive Producers Rad Sechrist & Bill Wolkoff about the first season of the show! Spoilers for all of Season 1 of Kipo in this interview!

The Saturday Mourning Cartoons team--Sean Paul Ellis and Dave Trumbore--dive into the delightful world of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts for a fun Saturday-morning review. The series follows a young girl named Kipo (Karen Fukuhara) who emerges from her life underground only to be thrust into an adventure on the surface of a fantastical post-apocalyptic Earth. She joins a ragtag group of survivors as they embark on a journey through a vibrant wonderland where everything that’s trying to kill them also happens to be downright adorable. Hailing from creator and executive producer Radford Sechrist (How to Train Your Dragon 2) and executive produced and developed for television by Bill Wolkoff (The Man Who Fell To Earth), Kipo (or KatAoW, if you prefer) began its weird, wild, and wonderful life as a web comic written and drawn by Sechrist. Fast forward a few years, factor in a writers room that included Sechrist, Wolkoff, and Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic); art direction by Angela Sung (The Legend of Korra); incredible animation work from Studio Mir; and out-of-this-world tunes from music supervisor Kier Lehman (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Insecure) and composer Daniel Rojas (Downsizing), and you have the latest Netflix animated sensation from DreamWorks.  - Support the Show through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/saturdaymourningcartoons - Want to find our cohosts online? Dave Trumbore Writes for Collider.comTwitter @DrClawMDBuy the book The Science of Breaking Bad - https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/science-breaking-bad Sean Paul Ellis IG and twitter @seanpaulellisPerformer at Washington Improv Theater where you can find tickets and times. If you are digging our show and want to help you out, then you can do so in the following ways: 1. Recommend a cartoon to us: Call us and leave a message at 202-681-4406. If you call then we will 100% review you recommendations if we haven't watched the cartoon yet. 2. Leave a review on iTunes with the following message titled "Timbercat in the streets,“ with the review, “Umlaut Snake in the sheets." 3. Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SaturdayMourningCartoons/ 4. Follow us on twitter @MourningToons 5. Check us out on Instagram @SaturdayMourningCartoons

The Saturday Mourning Cartoons team--Sean Paul Ellis and Dave Trumbore--dive into the delightful world of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts for a fun Saturday-morning review. The series follows a young girl named Kipo (Karen Fukuhara) who emerges from her life underground only to be thrust into an adventure on the surface of a fantastical post-apocalyptic Earth. She joins a ragtag group of survivors as they embark on a journey through a vibrant wonderland where everything that’s trying to kill them also happens to be downright adorable. Hailing from creator and executive producer Radford Sechrist (How to Train Your Dragon 2) and executive produced and developed for television by Bill Wolkoff (The Man Who Fell To Earth), Kipo (or KatAoW, if you prefer) began its weird, wild, and wonderful life as a web comic written and drawn by Sechrist. Fast forward a few years, factor in a writers room that included Sechrist, Wolkoff, and Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic); art direction by Angela Sung (The Legend of Korra); incredible animation work from Studio Mir; and out-of-this-world tunes from music supervisor Kier Lehman (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Insecure) and composer Daniel Rojas (Downsizing), and you have the latest Netflix animated sensation from DreamWorks.

We chatted with 'Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts' creators Rad Sechrist and Bill Wolkoff to learn about their brand new and incredibly stylish Netflix series. Hailing from DreamWorks Animation and acclaimed animators at Studio Mir. The duo talked about developing the story from Sechrist's webcomics, finding a signature visual style and a bumping soundtrack to match it, and what lies ahead for a possible Season 2. More on 'Kipo' follows below: After spending her entire life living in an underground burrow, a young girl named Kipo (Karen Fukuhara) is thrust into an adventure on the surface of a fantastical post-apocalyptic Earth. She joins a ragtag group of survivors as they embark on a journey through a vibrant wonderland where everything trying to kill them is downright adorable. The series is created and executive produced by Sechrist (How to Train Your Dragon 2) and executive produced and developed for television by Bill Wolkoff (The Man Who Fell To Earth). - Support the Show through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/saturdaymourningcartoons - Want to find our cohosts online? Dave Trumbore Writes for Collider.comTwitter @DrClawMDBuy the book The Science of Breaking Bad - https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/science-breaking-bad Sean Paul Ellis IG and twitter @seanpaulellisPerformer at Washington Improv Theater where you can find tickets and times. If you are digging our show and want to help you out, then you can do so in the following ways: 1. Recommend a cartoon to us: Call us and leave a message at 202-681-4406. If you call then we will 100% review you recommendations if we haven't watched the cartoon yet. 2. Leave a review on iTunes with the following message titled "Team Timbercats“ with the review, “Team Umlaut Snakes" 3. Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SaturdayMourningCartoons/ 4. Follow us on twitter @MourningToons 5. Check us out on Instagram @SaturdayMourningCartoons  

"Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" is a new DreamWorks Animation series debuting January 14th on Netflix. Creator Radford Sechrist and Executive Producer Bill Wolkoff discuss the fantastical series, which they can't wait for viewers to explore.

Joanie Wolkoff moved to Brooklyn from her native Toronto, Canada, more than 10 years ago, and was immediately drawn to the local music scene in nearby Rockaway Beach. In addition to her talents as a musician, Joanie has previously been published in several online and print publications. Currently, she is enjoying being a full-time mom... but she says that she won’t let that stop her from being a creative singer/songwriter. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/offner/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/offner/support

Fred and Caesar welcome their first ever guest host, William Wolkoff, to talk about sports and to help look back on the week of Major League Baseball All-Star game activities in the City of Cleveland. Sometimes serious and often ridiculous, the Cleveland Podcast is a mix of humorous and informational content.

Palazzo Wolkoff: hoe Winnaretta Singer mevrouw Polignac werd

Hometown Radio 06/03/19 6p: Will Wolkoff from Sky River RV

Roger Wolkoff is a motivational speaker who helps you tap into your strengths and potential so you can get out of your own way and get more done. He delivers deeper engagement, stronger teams, and meaningful conversations. How does he do it? He talks about stories, ideas, and keys to unlock what’s already inside you. Roger has over 25 years of expert interpersonal communication and team-building experience. Audiences rave about his two most popular keynotes There is No Moment Like That One Moment and Done Farting Around: Pay Attention to What Matters! His core messages center around trust, communication, and teams. He helps leaders and high-performing teams communicate with clarity, conviction, and positive intent. He is an avid believer in Clifton’s Strength Finder and everything surrounding positivity. He speaks to audiences about emotional intelligence, communication, and building positive relationships. Roger lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Anne. He loves to travel, bike, and read science fiction. He is a big fan of baseball, skiing, and all things Tesla. 

Have you ever considered the role of emotional intelligence at work? Most people think of emotional intelligence as something that stay-at-home parents and grade school teachers have to deal with, how does it apply to the workplace? Here to shed some light on this critical topic is Roger Wolkoff. With decades of experience in project management, Roger Wolkoff decided to make a pivot in his career and started his work with public speaking. Roger helps leaders and high-performing teams communicate with clarity, conviction, and positive intent. His passion is to help leaders make connections. In this episode, you'll hear from Roger as he explains his term “Done farting around,” how he decided to leave his project management work behind, why emotional intelligence at work is so important, three takeaways you can use today, and much more. You don't want to miss a minute of this valuable episode featuring Roger's expert perspective. Are you done farting around? Have you ever had a thought or idea that got stuck in your mind? What did you do to solve it? Did you allow that idea to take up long-term residence in your head or did you give it an eviction notice? Roger Wolkoff has a phrase called, “Done farting around.” The heart of this idea is to help leaders like you get those ideas that knock around in your head out and in the open. How do you expect to be effective personally or professionally if you can't think clearly? Don't let ideas (good or bad) clog up your system! Let your ideas sink or swim. You deserve to have a clear mind so you can succeed. To hear more about this helpful approach, listen to this episode with Roger Wolkoff. The four basic components of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is more than growing as an emotional being; it involves understanding how you operate and how those around you operate. To elevate the role of emotional intelligence at work, we've got to understand the four basic components of emotional intelligence.  Self-awareness Self-management Awareness of others Relationship management  If you had to choose one component of emotional intelligence to go deeper with, which one would you choose? When Roger presents these components, he sees the most “Ah-ha moments” from his audience when he talks about self-management. This is encouraging news because it highlights the fact that you aren't locked into a certain level of emotional intelligence, you have the power to change. What are you waiting for? Be part of the solution! Too often we tend to get lulled into the mindset that things will never change. We see this idea of apathy take root in all aspects of life, from sports (Another Patriots Super Bowl victory, really?), to the government (both local and national), and even in the workplace (yet another “Strategic meeting”). What is the solution? Is it all inevitable or do we have the power within us to make a difference? According to Roger Wolkoff's findings, the answer is yes, we have the power to change and be the change we want to see in our surroundings. What are you waiting for? Who do you expect to get permission from? Give yourself the permission you need to get out there and make a difference. Three ways to make a difference in your workplace. Let's face it; there is nothing sexy or popular about serving others. When was the last time you saw a leader go out of their way to help someone else? Unfortunately, leadership in many contexts focuses on what leaders can get out of other people not how leaders can elevate and support their subordinates. If you'd like to start moving in a positive direction and make a difference in your workplace, consider these three action steps.  Appreciate others and show your gratitude. Ask people, “What can I do for you?” Intentionally elevate other people.  Which one will you choose to take action on? To hear more helpful insights like these from Roger Wolkoff, make sure to listen to this episode. Outline of This Episode [1:15] I introduce my guest, Roger Wolkoff. [2:30] Are you done farting around? [3:45] Why it is important to pay attention to the people you work with. [5:50] From project management to a public speaking role. [8:15] How emotional intelligence can help people change for the better. [10:15] Where do people have “Ah-ha” moments with Roger's teaching? [13:30] How can you become part of the solution? [18:30] Why Roger is such a huge fan of Clifton StrengthsFinder. [21:30] Good leaders will help people find ways to succeed. [23:30] Roger shares his top five strengths. [25:00] Three takeaways from Roger. Resources & People Mentioned Clifton StrengthsFinder DISC Connect with Roger Wolkoff Roger's website Roger on Facebook Roger on Twitter Roger on LinkedIn Connect With Bruce www.ContractedLeadership.com Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Subscribe to The Development Exponent onApple Podcasts orStitcher Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

This week we’re talking about sports with Sports Medicine Doctor Aaron Wolkoff. He tells us about his love of playing soccer and helping his community become healthy and active.

On this month’s podcast, we take a close look at art auctions – how they work, their place in the art market and the rules and regulations that confine/define them.  Auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s now regularly net tens and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars for a single work.  Christie’s recently sold Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi painting for $450 million, by far the highest price ever garnered by a piece of art at auction.  At the same time, much about the auction process remains secret.  The identity of the buyer and seller is often known only to the auction house, and the reserve price (below which an artwork will not be sold) is known by the auctioneer but not the bidders.  While the auctioneer may not sell a work of art below its reserve price, it can bid on the work below the reserve to get the auction going.  Steve and Katie discuss these issues and others having to do with regulation, transparency and potential conflicts, and welcome famous Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker to take us behind the scenes of a big auction. Resources: http://www.sothebys.com/en/specialists/oliver-barker/bio.html https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/arts/design/as-art-market-rise-so-do-questions-of-oversight.html https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/about/auctioneer_law_rules.pdf https://www.princeton.edu/ceps/workingpapers/203ashenfelter.pdf https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/place_your_bids http://blogs.cornell.edu/info2040/2015/10/15/auction-psychology-emotions-behind-bidding/ https://mindhacks.com/2012/09/19/bbc-column-auction-psychology/ https://www.thecut.com/2016/12/inside-the-mind-of-a-million-dollar-art-bidder.html Episode Transcription Steve Schindler:  Hi, I’m Steve Schindler. Katie Wilson-Milne:  I’m Katie Wilson-Milne. Steve Schindler:  Welcome to the Art Law Podcast a monthly podcast exploring the places were art intersects with and interferes with the law. Katie Wilson-Milne:  And vice versa.   The art law podcast is sponsored by the law firm of Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP, a premier ligation and art law boutique in New York City. Oliver Barker:  There was that element of, you know, great excitement coupled with complete fear in terms of – kind of the very live nature of that performance, and that’s something which has always appealed to me as an auctioneer.  You know, there’s a very live entertainment kind of perspective of that role. Steve Schindler:  Katie, I received some feedback on the podcast from listeners this weekend, and one of the comments that was made to me was with respect, particularly to the Berkshire Museum Deaccessioning episode, that this listener didn’t think that we were necessarily impartial enough or that we were taking sides.  And I thought about that a little bit and one of the things that I feel is that we're not journalist.  We're not pretending to be journalists and we have points of view, and I think we're going to express them.  What I think is also important, though, is where possible to have people aligned with different points of view, and we are very open to that.  So, I would say if somebody from Berkshire Museum who listened to our podcast, a representative or a member of the Board of Trustees, would like to come on and present their point of view in conversation with us – Katie Wilson-Milne:  We would love that. Steve Schindler:  We would love that.  And similarly with respect to the 5Pointz episode, we spent a lot of time with the artists and people involved in 5Pointz, but certainly if Mr. Wolkoff wants to come on and talk about what motivated him – Katie Wilson-Milne: To develop the site. Steve Schindler:  We're happy to have him on – and have the conversation.  We will still have the same view points that we have, but we certainly would like to engage with people who have other view points. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right and our goal with this podcast is to raise interesting issues that people may not have thought about in the way that we talk about them that connect the art world and the legal world.  But it’s not to provide a completely even handed news article about these topics, it’s to have an interesting discussion between -- mostly the two of us, and we are who we are and we think what we think what we think.  I think, actually, it may evolve over time depending on who we talk to, how we present certain issues.  We're also constrained by the guests who come on the show, and we want to be respectful of those guests by honoring their opinions and what they have to say. Steve Schindler:  So, if you want to come on the show – Katie Wilson-Milne:  Send us an e-mail. Steve Schindler:  Let us know. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, Steve on this month’s podcast, we're going to talk about auctions.  We have the May auctions coming up at the big houses - Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips - both in New York and in other international locations, mainly London, in early May.  So, it’s a good time to talk about this.  Auctions tend to dominate the art world both in terms of the publicity they get, the prices that come out of auctions, and obviously they are public in a way that private sales are not.  So, it’s an exciting topic. Steve Schindler:  And we're going to be joined in our podcast by the Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker who is one of their top auctioneers in the area of contemporary art. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Yes, so he is going to give us an insider’s view on what it feels like to be in an auction, what an auction house like Sotheby’s does to prepare for a big auction and what he notices has changed over time in the auction world.  So, to back up and give our listeners a little bit of background the art market itself is said to be worth between $40 to $60 billion right now.  Auction sales from the main auction houses - which are Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips - make up about $11 billion of that, that was the figure in 2017.  Only beat, I think, by the results in 2007, which were over $12 billion. So, it’s a big chunk of the overall art market takes place at art auctions in these three big houses.  The biggest group of auctions sales take place in the United States.  Although the auctions in London and in Hong Kong are also incredibly significant in terms of the profile works that are sold and the types of buyers that are there.  One thing that makes auctions interesting is how psychological the selling format is.  So unlike a private sale, where a dealer – whether its Sotheby’s or in a gallery or private dealer – will call a client or a contact and say, “look, I have this work for sale,” you know, “here's what the seller will take it for it.” At an auction you get the atmosphere of people bidding against each other, which seems to have great psychological effect, and there have been sales in the recent past that have taken off tremendously and sold for way more than anyone could have imagined.  The most famous example of that is the Salvator Mundi, Da Vinci sale at Christie’s that happened last November, where we had two buyers in the end bidding against each other.  And the work ultimately sold for around $450 million, which is far and away the most expensive work that's ever sold at auction ever, ever, ever.  Right, Steve? Steve Schindler:  Right and in that case you had two buyers who were bidding against each other who each thought that they were bidding against somebody else, as its been reported.  And so it drove the price up even higher than any one even contemplated. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Well, because of who those two bidders were. Steve Schindler:  Sure. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, the story is actually pretty interesting right.  We found out after the auction that the ultimately winner of the work was a Saudi prince, and he had been bidding against a friend, actually, from the United Arab Emirates who wanted the work for the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi.  They both thought they were bidding against someone from Qatar instead of each other.  When they found out that they weren’t and they bidding against each other, which is the only reason it went for $450 million, they apologized to each other and the Saudi prince said, “oh actually you can take the work for the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi in exchange for a yacht.”  So, it actually all worked out and the great anxiety about that sale, which is that this masterpiece would go into private hands, now resolved and hopefully it will be see at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Steve Schindler:  I’m not sure what that whole transaction means for art or auctions, but it was amusing. Katie Wilson-Milne:  But it happened. Steve Schindler:  And – but from the point of view of a seller, you see these incredible bidding wars for certain kinds of objects, but the auctions can be a little bit terrifying for a seller, because you never know what the market is going on any given night.  You know at least if you're selling a work at a gallery you have a lot more control over the situation and you can wait until a buyer comes along with a price that you're asking. But in auction one possibility is that the bidding is good and strong and you get a very good price; the other possibility is that there isn’t any bidding that night for a variety of reasons. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right. Steve Schindler:  And the work is publicly not sold. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right, so unlike a private sale where something isn’t sold, well, you just wait and you sell it later.  But at auction if it doesn’t go well, that can really taint the marketability of the work. Steve Schindler:  And now the rules require that the auction houses announce that a work has not been sold.  Then, the word that's used for it sometimes is that the work is burned.  And then can't really be sold, at least not at auction, for some period of time. Katie Wilson-Milne:  I would totally take advantage of a burned work if I could -- Steve Schindler:  Well, of course and the auction houses then do try to sell the work privately afterwards and sometimes they know, because they know who the bidders are.  You know, what the interest is and then they are broker a sale immediately after the auction. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Just maybe not for as high a price as they could have before.  So, Steve we've talked a little bit on this podcast and certainly between ourselves about the level of or lack of regulation in the art market and sort of the increasing concerns over transparency, either in terms of money laundering or just transparency about the provenance of a work.  Auctions do function a little bit differently than private sales, right?  I mean there’s more transparency if not complete transparency. Steve Schindler:  Well, auction houses are much more regulated than private sales and -- Katie Wilson-Milne:  Which are not regulated at all. Steve Schindler:  Which are not regulated at all, and there is certainly a lot more transparency in an auction process.  I’m not sure that we can say that there’s 100% transparency.  But there are a lot of rules that the auction houses have to comply with, and they do comply with, that at least ensure a certain fairness and openness in the process. Katie Wilson-Milne:  But one of those things is not who the seller is often, right?  That's the one thing that's still not transparent -- Steve Schindler:  That's right and there was a case that ran all the way up to the court of appeals a few years ago. Katie Wilson-Milne:  In New York. Steve Schindler:  In New York, where we had a buyer at an auction who decided that he didn’t want to pay for the work after the fact and challenged the auction house rules on the theory that there needed to be a written disclosure of the identity of the buyer.  And actually that case went up to the highest court in New York and in the court below, much to the unhappiness of the entire auction industry, the court below actually found for the purchaser and invalidated the sale because there was no written record of who the seller was.  And the court of appeals decided to overturn that much to the relief of the auction industry. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Yeah, there have been efforts over time to require dealers to disclose the identity of the seller to the buyer, but those have not been successful, though.  The art world seems somewhat allergic to idea of disclosing who the owner of a work is. Steve Schindler:  There are really two big secrets now at an auction: one is, sometimes, who the owners are.  I mean, not at every auction.  Sometimes it's in fact a huge selling point. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Like the big Rockefeller sale coming up. Steve Schindler:  Right exactly, so the provenance of those works is incredibly important to the value, but sometimes collectors don’t want the world to know what they’re selling.  And so they insist that their identities be kept private and often those works are offered as the works of a private collector or European collector, an American collector.  And the other big secret at auction is this reserve price. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, what is the reserve price? Steve Schindler:  Well, the reserve price is the secret price that's agreed to between the seller, or the consigner of the work, and the auction house.  And it’s the price below which the work cannot be sold.  And what's not a secret and what has to be disclosed is the fact that there is a reserve, and that is clearly disclosed in all auction catalogues.  And typically in the major auction houses they disclose that all of the sales are with reserve unless they say otherwise. And the other thing that means is that, the way that the auction is conducted, is that the auctioneer is allowed to submit bids on behalf of the seller up to the secret reserve price. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Why would they do that? Steve Schindler:  Well, it’s really – some people have criticized the practice, the practice is sometimes called chandelier bidding on this idea that the auctioneer is sort of taking bids off the -- Katie Wilson-Milne:  The ceiling, yeah. Steve Schindler:  -- the chandelier in the ceiling, but really it’s just a question of creating some theater and drama, because up until the reserve price is hit, the work can never be sold.  So, even if the auctioneer is engaging in some bidding up to the reserve price, until you hit the reserve price, it really has no real impact, accept to sort of -- Katie Wilson-Milne:  Confuse everyone about what the reserve is. Steve Schindler:  -- or to warm up the room if you're taking it from the auctioneer’s perspective. Katie Wilson-Milne: So, how does the concept of a reserve interact with this other concept of a guaranty?  And what is a guaranty? Steve Schindler:  Well, a guaranty, which is often used now by major auction houses to entice collectors of works to consign the works to them, is basically a contract of promise by the auction house to pay a set amount of money to the consigner of the works regardless of what happens at the auction, and regardless of whether the reserve price is hit. Katie Wilson-Milne:  The seller knows 100% they are going to get at least that amount of money. Steve Schindler:  Right, sometimes that's important to a seller the thing that the seller normally gives up when they agree to take a guaranty, is some of the upside of the auction if the price goes above the guaranty and the reserve price. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, the auction house would split the profits above the guaranty. Steve Schindler:  Yeah and in some proportion and very often now the auction houses, if they are giving a guaranty will in a sense syndicate that risk to other parties who put up the money and are willing to make the guaranty. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, it’s a third party that – if the bidding didn’t go higher than the guaranty price they take the work. Steve Schindler:  They would take the work at whatever price they guaranteed it at – most of the individuals or institutions that give guaranties would prefer not to have the work.  What they are doing is making a financial bet that the work will sell at a price that is higher than the guaranty in which case they receive a return on their investment. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, Steve let’s talk to an auctioneer who actually works at these big night auctions and see what they have to say about how they work.  Our guest today is Oliver Barker.  Oliver is a senior director at Sotheby’s auction house and co-chairman of Sotheby’s Europe.  He is also one of the auction world foremost auctioneers.  So, he is both behind the scenes and in front of the camera at Sotheby’s, which he joined in 1994 moving through roles in contemporary art as a senior international specialist, among others. He has overseen some market-defining auction sales, including two major sales of Damien Hirst works, including one that set the world record for single artist sale.  He has a particular interest in post war British art, which he has promoted at Sotheby’s.  And he was the auctioneer at the May 2017 auction in which a Basquiat work sold for record-breaking $110.5 million. Steve Schindler:  Welcome to the podcast Oliver.  So, what kind of skills do you think a good auctioneer has? Oliver Barker:  Yes, well you know, in any given sort of auction, obviously the auctioneer’s role is to try and help proceed the kind of trading from the consigner to the purchaser.  So, the ability to remember, without slavishly looking down at kind of the auctioneer’s book, which is obviously there as a working tool during an auction, exactly what the estimate is for a particular work and also its protective reserve price, and therefore also it’s kind of opening bid, there’s a number of kind of key financial things in play. And, equally, there are so many means of bidding in this sort of modern day.  So, I suppose most traditionally, the easiest way to bid is actually in the room, whether it’s a private client or whether you choose to bid through an agent who’s sitting there executing bids on your behalf.  And there are also kind of the execution of bids via the telephone through a Sotheby’s representative.  There may also be commission bids, and the commission bids are always ones which are lodged in the auctioneer’s book. So, whilst starting off on a particular – you hear auctioneers say footing, the auctioneer’s footing — one has to be aware where the reserve price is, where a commission bid might be and more importantly where the commission bid ceiling is.  Whilst also kind of orchestrating multiple bids that might come in depending on what the level of interest is in a particular lot. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, we definitely want to ask you about the stages of an auction, so we’re going to get back to a lot of the items you just mentioned.  But maybe first we should ask you to explain to our audience how you decide what goes into an auction versus a private sale.  I mean, big houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s do both, maybe there’s a movement towards more private sales now.  So, what is the determination of what goes up for auction and what doesn’t? Oliver Barker:  Well, I think it’s a really interesting question.  I think at the moment because the market is ostensibly very strong, and particularly in the area of contemporary art with which I’m most focused.  I think we have the luxury in contemporary, to a great extent actually, to curate the auctions that we’re handling. In other words, there are far greater more voluminous supplies of great objects of the Post-War period, which is how we loosely define Contemporary, then there might be say of old master, kind of masterpieces.  We use our global network and the conversations that we’re having with museum curators or dealers or gallerists or collectors to really have a insider’s knowledge, if you like, of who are the artists sort of being — sort of collected and who are in high esteem in a particular moment. But then also amongst those artists works, what are the key periods or what are the most rare objects?  And what are the ones that the market has seen a real hiatus of?  And quite quickly, you sort of figure out that, okay you have the real estate of a certain amount of exhibition space prior to an auction.  You have the real estate of a Sotheby’s catalogue, which is a major marketing tool that we use, but equally is one that takes a huge amount laborious work in preparing. One has the audience’s attention span, which generally doesn’t last beyond a certain amount of time and then also you have key experience.  So, we tend to have in an evening sale a context probably not more than about 75 lots.  That will probably be your maximum.  I mean, there’s no hard and fast rule.  But I think much beyond 75 lots you know, it’s hard to keep an audience’s attention and focus.  But at the same time you want to be able to curate a sale so that — there are lesser value things that which you know, are going to be short fast sellers. And you want also want pepper the ordering of the catalogue, which is also particularly critical, to introduce the high value lots at the commercially most optimum moments.  And I think at the end of the day also we’re getting very closely judged both by Wall Street and by the collector community in terms of how many unsold lots we’re handling.  I mean, I think it is fair to say that it’s a rarity to have sales which are 100% sold.  When putting a sale together one intends to try and sell everything as best one can, but market forces obviously and a variety different reasons may mean that things go unsold.  But there may well be through price expectation or physical condition issues, problems of some sort of conservation for example, that on the day the market turns its back.  So, we would like to have a fairly tightly trimmed unsold rate obviously of a percentage as low as possible. Steve Schindler:  Maybe talk us through sort of setting the stage of what it’s like, the atmosphere is like, at one of the big evening Contemporary art auctions that you preside over. Oliver Barker:  No, I mean the big auctions really are you know an amazing spectacle.  I think it’s fair to say that the evening sells are very much the summation of a very intensive three month period since the last set of auctions.  And in many cases, the fruition of many years of engagement with a particular collector, meaning that we have put together an auction of what we believe to be the finest works of art in that particular sale season. So, there’s a tremendous sense of anticipation from a number different perspectives whether it’s the vendors.  Whether it’s the market itself responding to the quality of the objects that we are offering, whether it’s the people within the room itself, in other words the people who attend, whether they be private collectors or consigners or potential purchasers.  From Sotheby’s perspective obviously, there are the management and the financial expectation of the sales and there maybe even be our shareholders or our board members or even Wall Street that are looking in as well. So, I think it’s fair to say that there’s quite a lot of eyes coming from many different disciplines, all of whom are very clearly focused on that start time of 7pm. when we kick off.  And being in a live business as we are, it’s very exciting that all of our presale marketing is conditioedl, obviously to that deadline and approaching that kick off point. So, that we have done our absolute utmost on behalf of the vendor to reach out to the world’s collectors and — you know, I think it’s interesting, in previewing the next major sale season, New York in May, where there are so many superlative objects that are coming to the market at the same time.  You will find that the orchestration of marketing these sales, and therefore how well the auction does, is really crucial in making sure that the world’s global collecting community is very, very focused on participating and being focused from New York at 7pm when we kick off that sale. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So, what do you do in the lead up to an auction?  What are the key things you do to drive up interest in the sales ahead of time? Oliver Barker:  Well, there are kind of three elements, I suppose, in terms of how we best raise interest and therefore the kind of the excitement around a particular object and particularly trying to get somebody to actually come participate in that and bid in an auction.  First of all, there’s the announcement of the sale itself, and actually normally that is the sale catalogue.  So, that’s the very first time that the market’s actually been able to have a very holistic view on all the objects that we’re going to be selling in that particular moment. Sometimes preceding that, sometimes following that, are a series of well-orchestrated marketing campaigns, which might include taking a particularly important object to Hong Kong, for example. I actually think a very good example is the announcement today, in fact, is  the wonderful Modigliani Nude of 1917, which was actually launched online in a live web cast on Sothebys.com but from Hong Kong.  With a very deliberate view that you know, the unlikely buyer for an object like that may very well come from that region of the world. But at the same time you know, that is an object which will now return to the New York to be viewed in the next couple of weeks in a presale exhibition you know, within our building on York Avenue, and that’s the other key part of the exhibition, of suddenly going into an auction.  You know, we have a – usually 10-day, or sometimes longer or sometimes a little bit shorter, preview before a particular sale, which enables collectors to come in and look at the pictures, but I think also most importantly to really do due diligence and talk to experts at Sotheby’s or take their own independent advice and come in with somebody who has some particular knowledge in an artist’s work.  Even seek the opinion of a third party conservator, you know somebody who’s able to come look at an object, take it off the wall.  I mean in the same way that you wouldn’t acquire a house without having a full structural serving on it, collectors do very much the same thing with paintings.  I mean, they like to come onboard and actually have a look at conservator’s reports and get a sense of is it in the original condition from which it left the artist studio?  Have there been some kind of repaintings?  Are there any loses anywhere?  And then obviously, you lead to the auction itself, and that might be proceeded by dinner parties or press releases as well. But as I mentioned a moment ago obviously the sale tends to kick off at a very particular time.  Nowadays also because our auctions are broadcast online, it’s even more important that we kick off in sort of a timely manner.  And we’ve had going on behind the scenes throughout the whole auction process a number of internal meetings at Sotheby’s, which are called interest meetings, which are designed to help orchestrate and choreograph, what are the levels of interest that the works of art that we’re selling are driving in the market place.  In other words has that first lot in the sale had the kind of feedback that we thought it might, because it’s such a rare object, and that it seems to carry comparatively conservative estimates?  So in other words, has it driven three or four people to look as if they’re making the signs they might decide to make a bid on the auction? Steve Schindler:  So, Ollie, when you start the bidding you already have a sense, I gather, of who is interested and what level of interest they have. Oliver Barker:  Right, I think it’s fair to say that you know, auctioneering is a very irrational process, it’s not a fixed price.  I think to a perspective purchaser of art who’s never bought at auction before, there is some level of discomfort.  I mean by comparison to walking into a gallery, where quite often there is a published price or you know it’s known what the end user price might be, and of course barring any room for negotiation, you’ve got a fairly clear idea what you are going to be likely paying for a certain transaction.  When you walk into an auction, obviously, there is absolutely no guaranty that the object is going to be acquirable at a particular level of price, because of course it just – it entirely depends on who ends up bidding against you.  Having said that, what we are trying to do is to make the irrational as a rational as we possibly can.  In other words we are using our experience to try and understand what the likely outcome out of a particular auction might be. Now, obviously we would love to supersede our expectation and know that on the night you know, something might double or sometimes triple or if we’ve done our jobs correctly and we know we’ve got a wonderful object and equally it’s being well marketed and it’s highly desirable in the marketplace and you have been able to drive great interest in that particular object, you might probably might find that something will take off and make a really superlative price that has no precedence in the market to date. Katie Wilson-Milne:  How often does that happen that there’s sort of a runaway bid, bidding on a work that just takes everyone by surprise? Oliver Barker:  Well, I mean, Katiem you know, I wish I could say on every single lot.  I mean, I think that buyers now are particularly savvy.  And I think you know, we would expect them to also be fully aware of and advised of what comparable objects make in the market place.  So, depending on what you’re selling you know, there may be one sale.  And we had a great example of something which did superlatively well last May when we sold a Basquiat painting for $110 million — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right. Oliver Barker: — it had an estimate somewhere in the region of just over $50 million, so that was a really great example of something which completely superseded what our presale expectations were. Steve Schindler:  And you were presiding over that auction, Ollie, as I remember. Oliver Barker:  Yeah, I had the great privilege of holding that auction. Steve Schindler:  How did that feel at the time? Oliver Barker:  It was terrifying.  I think that because I very much love the entertainment aspect of the auction, it was something, which seems to go very slowly.  Albeit I think time actually sometimes slows down actually when you’re dealing with such high figures.  And particularly when kind the freestyle excitement of two very determined bidders like that kind of really gets going. But it was a great privilege, it was tremendous work of art.  And I think also the signs in the presale activity have been that the market – this is the picture that market was really looking for.  I think you have the trilogy of a great object by a great artist, which is entirely fresh to market.  Really truly all those kind of the elements choreographed together to make a phenomenal price.  And I think in fairness to Sotheby’s also — I think we did a tremendous job in terms of marketing in that work and just making sure that on the night the two most likely bidders or end users ended up sort of fighting against each other and there was a real sort of gladiatorial kind of contest which went on between them. Katie Wilson-Milne:  It’s really interesting how much of the excitement I think of the auction actually happens before the auction, which you’ve talked about in terms of the press and the social media and the events.  And I wonder has that changed over time, in your experience? Oliver Barker:  You know, it’s really interesting to me that you know, well Sotheby’s is actually the – I think we’re the oldest company that’s listed on the American stock exchange.  We’re a company that was founded in 1744 in London by somebody who was a bookseller.  And I think the reason that we remain, or rather, auctioneering remains a really contemporary activity is that I still think it’s one of the most effective ways of selling works of art from one entity to another.  And I think you know, that we’re fortunate you know, being Sotheby’s — and Christie’s and Phillips could say very much the same thing — that we are deemed to be kind of very credible marketplaces for the sale of the greatest works of art and the thing that we particularly handle.  Having said that, I think that you know, particularly with the new opportunities afforded by the internet and social media etc., I think the abilities to market what we’re selling have grown massively within the last two years. And continue to kind of change all the time.  And I think that we as a business are very much at the forefront in terms of kind of trying to get technical innovation, very much front and center in terms of how we get objects sort of into the minds of the prospective purchasers out there. I think it’s fair to say at that actually auctioneering in a way remains a very, you know — it’s quite an old school form of actually selling something.  You know you have a finite amount of time to sell something, it has to be in a particular city, it has to start at a particular time, and you’re somewhat reliant on your audience actually being available and focused at that particular moment.  Having said that, you know and again to use another analogy, I think that’s race horses tend to run a little bit faster when they can hand the hooves of other horses beside them and I think very much — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right. Oliver Barker:  The same with bidders.  You know I think that there is something very compelling to a major collector to feel that there is a competition for a work, which very much validates that quality of that particular work.  I mean I think in a way to sort of buy something against a reserve price or with no other bidder or under bidder can to a lot of people be quite a difficult situation.  It suggests that your taste has not been validated on the day of acquisition. Steve Schindler:  And some of the language that you use in an auction also is — seems adversarial, you know, when you say to a bidder “against you” or you know it’s — Katie Wilson-Milne:  You’re setting up a competition almost. Oliver Barker:  I think there are people who are very determined when it comes to auction to actually try and acquire something.  So I think the auctioneer’s role is very much to help translate that kind of rigorousness on a bidder’s behalf to really acquire that trophy and acquire that sort of particular masterpiece.  I mean, I think I prefer to use the word cajole in a way, rather than kind of adversarial.  I am not — Steve Schindler:  Fair enough, fair enough. Oliver Barker:  I am not sure how many bidders are overly adversarial — Steve Schindler:  Fair enough. Oliver Barker:  If I am cajoling them well enough.  And if that means kind of questioning their virility of bidding, then that’s definitely something that we like to kind of use as a means.  And I think the audience is very receptive to it as well. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Well, it makes it very exciting, and Steve and I in preparing for this podcast did some reading about work that’s been done on the psychology of the auction, and it’s — it’s really interesting. Oliver Barker:  Yes, yes. Katie Wilson-Milne:  I mean, people just react completely differently in an auction setting than they would in a private sale.  And you know I was thinking of you sort of as this psychological master leading the auction.  Now do you think about — Oliver Barker:  Yeah. Katie Wilson-Milne:  You know.  Do you do any research on that, or how do you think about the psychological? Oliver Barker:  No, very much so, and I think that it’s very hard to kind of really define it particularly when you’re in a live environment like that.  You know, there are examples and you know one sticks to my mind probably more than any was when we did the big Damien Hirst “Beautiful Inside My Mind Forever” Sale in 2008.  I mean in terms of a presale environment, you could not have got a more heady mixture than the imminent collapse of Lehman Brothers happening during the presale exhibition of that sale and then the eventual collapse of the bank and kind of the financial tsunami in the stock exchanges that was the direct result of it, which happened on the 15th of September 2008.  And that was the kind of the back drop to which we then held the sale that evening in London at 7pm. So you know from the announcement first thing in the morning that the bank, or rather the central bankers in America had chose not to support Lehman Brothers and it fell into administration, you suddenly saw opening in the Turkey stock exchange this sort of financial malaise that spread west around the day.  So by 7pm that evening in London, of course there was, you know, this front page news in the Evening Standard.  We were incredibly worried about what would happen and how the transition would affect the auction.  But I think it’s fair to say that you know in any auction environment there is a kind of a vacuum-like opportunity or intensity if you like where the outside world is somehow put on hold and people are particularly focused on the auction itself and I think actually, because the auction of Damien Hirst works was a completely unmitigated success.  I think there was an element of, you know, yes, psychosomatically people were very involved and very engaged with those objects, but as an auctioneer, you know, I was hopefully able to get their real attention that night and there are no rules — I mean, I think also — no rules in terms of what a bidder’s limit might be.  I mean, depending on what their financial means are.  I mean, a lot of our bidders are very astute and they come in with a very fixed idea of what they want to spend on a particular object.  There may be those who on the night have a particular limit, but then blow straight through depending on their mood. Katie Wilson-Milne:  I was going to ask you just that, right, do they stick to it? Oliver Barker:  Yeah.  Well, it’s you know I — I can only speak for my own experience you know when I bid in auctions outside of Sotheby’s, quite honestly you know you set yourself a limit, and I did this actually buying my wife’s engagement ring, you know I set myself a limit and then I just blew straight through it, because it was just an object I had to have.  And I think that’s also dependent on you know the high into the market, you know when you’re dealing with kind of unique Rothko’s or Modigliani’s or Francis Bacon paintings or Picasso’s, and you saw it clearly with the Leonardo painting that came up at Christie’s.  You know I think in that case, when there is an element of scarcity and rarity and kind of you know a one-offness in the marketplace, there’s much more likely and to be a kind of stellar auction price, which will be very hard to replicate. Steve Schindler:  So, Ollie, you’ve been very generous with your time.  And we’re sad to let you go, but I would like to ask just one more question before we conclude.  You are an auctioneer in London, you are an auctioneer in New York.  Is there difference between auctions held in Europe and the United States, or even Hong Kong, just in terms of the atmosphere and the — Katie Wilson-Milne:  The buyers? Steve Schindler:  The buyers? Oliver Barker:  I think the short answer is yes.  But I think as an auctioneer I am very conscious about trying to engage a different audience in a different geographical location.  I mean I think that in New York, in particular, with the auction room at Sotheby’s, it’s a vast space, it seats many more people than our London auction room.  And I think that they are obviously the stakes in terms of the values of the works tend to be a lot of higher.  There is arguably more participation actually from the telephones than there are in any other auction location.  And I suppose for me, being based in London, it’s a slight cultural nuance just on the, in the basis of being in a different city. But you know it’s now become very familiar to me.  I mean, I certainly as an auctioneer I remember the first time I got up in New York to take an auction it really felt as if I was sort of entering in a tremendous environment, a huge kind of stage and obviously with works to kind of back that up.  I think in London just by definition our building here is a little bit more quaint, albeit the auction itself is still to an audience of possibly up to six, seven hundred people.  But I think, you know, one has to be attuned to the kind of the audience that is looking as well as the people who are likely to be tuning in.  I mean, it’s very difficult as an auctioneer to know exactly who is on the end of a telephone line or who is watching from the comfort of their own home in terms of online bidding for example, but — because there are more numerous ways of actually pricing bids these days, we have to be accountable for each for each possible one. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Great.  Well, thank you so much for speaking to us today.  I know our listeners will enjoy hearing your perspective. Steve Schindler:  Thank you, Ollie. Oliver Barker:  My pleasure.  Thanks, Steve.  Thanks, Katie. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Well — so let’s talk about the rules, rules are obviously exciting to us because we’re lawyers. Steve Schindler:  We are lawyers and we love rules. Katie Wilson-Milne:  And auctions, I mean auctions do feel a little bit like the wild west, right, they are theatrical, you have people acting on impulse, it’s really exciting, bids go up 10s of millions of dollars at a time, but there is actually rules to it and regulations, so Steve what are some of those rules? Steve Schindler:  Well, there are really two sets of rules that govern auctions in New York.  One is the uniform commercial code, which is a code of laws that are adopted across all 50 states that governs the sale of goods.  And art is really a fancy kind of good.  So, UCC Section 2328 provides a contractual framework for auctions.  And it basically says that a contract is formed and a sale is complete when the auctioneer’s hammer falls.  And there are some specifications in the UCC about what happens, for example, if the hammer is falling. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right. Steve Schindler:  And another bid comes in, and the UCC says under those circumstances the auctioneer has discretion to in a sense open up the bidding again.  The other thing that the UCC provides are some rules relating to whether or not there is a reserve or not.  If an auction goes forward without a reserve price, then once the bidding starts, the lot can never be withdrawn. So if the bidding is $5 or $10, it doesn’t matter what the object is worth, at that point the seller is kind of stuck with it and when the hammer falls that’s it.  If there is a reserve then, of course, the object can always be withdrawn from sale unless the reserve is hit. The UCC provides for two kinds of warrantees that are important in the purchase of art.  One is a warranty of title and the other is a warranty of authenticity.  A warranty of title, whether you’re buying from an auction house or from a dealer, is implicit in any sale.  The second warranty is a warranty of authenticity.  A warranty of authenticity, unlike the warranty of title, has to be expressed.  You need to say what you’re warranting in some fashion, and the way that works under the UCC with respect to an auction catalogue is if the work is listed in the catalogue as the work of a particular artist, that constitutes a warranty — Katie Wilson-Milne:  That it is. Steve Schindler:  That it is the work of that artist as supposed to other ways of formulating the catalogue description, such as something is “the school of” or “in the style of,” but whenever it is that you sell something and you list it in the catalogue as being the work of an artist, you are and the auction house is warranting that the work is authentic.  Warrantees of authenticity and title carry with them a four year statute of limitations, but one of the things that the auction house does with respect to its warranty of authenticity is to provide for a five year guarantee of the authenticity of the work, so they actually give you one more year than you normally get. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right.  So if there is a problem with the work you buy at auction, you can go back to Sotheby’s or Christie’s within five years pretty much no questions asked as long as you have some backup for your concern.  They’ll give you your money back, take the work, and then it’s up to them to go to the consigner or the seller to sort things out with them. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And one of the things we know from working with auction houses is that they do a very thorough job on the consignment side.  So — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Well they have a lot at stake. Steve Schindler:  They have a lot at stake, and so you know that they are working very diligently to make sure that the works that they are selling have title and that they are what they are purporting to be. Katie Wilson-Milne:  And even if something comes up after the contracts have been signed, after the catalogue has been out, if something comes up that one of the auction houses doesn’t feel good about prior to auction, they can withdraw their work at their complete discretion.  And we have seen that a number of times that they’re really cautious, and they’ll pull something at the last minute. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And it’s a very difficult decision to make, because obviously it’s not great for the consigner.  In New York, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs also has a set of rules for licensing auctioneers and regulating public auctions.  And interestingly these rules were substantially revised in the 1980s, particularly in the aftermath of a scandal that hit Christie’s as an auction house, where a number of works were not in fact sold because reserves were not met, but in order to boost the market, Christie’s and its then chairman falsely reported that the works were in fact sold. And after that happened, the chairman of Christie’s at the time was forced to resign and the Department of Consumer Affairs decided that they needed to get a little bit tougher with the regulation of auctions just to make sure that the public would feel secure in bidding at an auction.  After their obligations to the vendors and the consigners, which, Katie, I know you’ll talk about a little bit, the main obligation the auction house has to the buying public is to really ensure that the bidding is fair and that the sale conditions are transparent and that everybody knows the rules. So a few of the things that were changed at the time that these rules were overhauled was that the existence of the secret reserve price now must be disclosed, not the amount of it, but the fact that there is a secret reserve price must be disclosed.  Also when we talked about guarantees before, if there is a guarantee that is given on a lot, that also must be disclosed.  We know that auctioneers under the rules are never allowed to bid for their own account unless that bidding is disclosed and except up to the reserve price.  We talked about chandelier bidding, for example.  If there is to be chandelier bidding, it has to be disclosed, and all of these disclosures are normally made in the big auction catalogues with — Katie Wilson-Milne:  With little symbols. Steve Schindler:  With little symbols, when you look at the terms of sales, it goes through all these types of items and then indicates whether there are guarantees, whether there are financial incentives of any kind being offered to the sellers.  And the idea is that this kind of information will help inform the market in their bidding.  And sometimes, in fact, when these conditions change even at the last minute, the auction houses will post notices outside the auction room with any disclosures that have to be made. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So the New York City Consumer Affairs rules also require that there be a written contract for every auction between the auction house, or the auctioneer, and the seller, commissions that are charged have to be disclosed.  There has to be a disclosure of any interest that the auction house or any related party has in the work, whether they own a part of the work or, you know, have an interest in a guarantee on the work.  The auctioneer cannot disclaim warranty of title even though under certain circumstances the UCC would permit that, which is what Steve was just talking about, and the consigner has to make a warranty of title.  So there is two ways that the buyer is protected in terms of the title. So there is also this concept in auctions of an enhanced hammer price.  And that means, in the old model, auction houses made most of their money from consigners paying them a fee.  So if I owned a work of art and I went to an auction house and sold it, I would give them a percentage of what I got from the sale.  For a variety of reasons I think mostly, Steve, because of competition among the auction houses to get sellers to consign amazing works, the auction houses for certain clients charge very little if anything of a seller’s commission.  And now they seem to be getting most of their money from what’s called the buyer’s commission. Steve Schindler:  And the buyer’s premium is something that’s set out in the — very clearly in the terms of sale and the buyer’s premium, unlike the seller’s commission, is really never negotiable. Katie Wilson-Milne:  The amount of the buyer’s premium changes depending on the price of the work. Steve Schindler:  Right. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right so — Steve Schindler:  As the price of the work goes up, the percentage of the premium goes down. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Goes down a little bit.  And so, but it’s even beyond that now right, Steve?  So now the competition is so fierce for sellers or consigners that sometimes the auction house will promise the seller a share of the buyer’s premium which is the original fee that’s supposed to go to the auction house. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And that’s known as an enhanced hammer. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Or under the New York Consumer Affairs Laws a rebate.  So auction houses are agents.  They work for the seller technically, so they are a fiduciary of the seller, not of the buyer.  Although the regulations and rules that we just talked about, the UCC and the New York Consumer Affairs Rules, really mostly serve to protect the buyer.  So it’s sort of an interesting relationship in that is a fiduciary relationship.  The auction house is a fiduciary of the seller, which means that they have to act in the utmost good faith and in the interest of the consigner throughout their relationship, meaning they have to take care of the consigned work, they have a duty to disclose details that influence what the work can sell for, how auction-able it is, if there are any issues that come up in due diligence about the work, then the proceeds from the auction sales are really held in trust for the seller they belong to the seller and the auction house holds them as a fiduciary meaning it can’t use those proceeds for other business purposes. So those basic fiduciary laws exist in the auction-consigner relationship, but they’re overlaid with practices and rules that come up in the UCC and the Consumer Affairs Rules that really make the relationship one towards the buyer as well.  And I think this is unique to the auction world that the auction is facing the seller as a fiduciary, as an agent, and the buyer with all these rules of disclosure that come out. Steve Schindler:  Yeah.  So it’s a little bit different than a sort of gallery situation.  I mean, there you have the same technical legal relationships.  You have a consigner of works to a gallery is in a fiduciary relationship with the gallery owner, and the customers or the clients at the gallery are not, but you don’t have that same level of regulation governing — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right. Steve Schindler:  The sort of practices vis-a-vis the client. Katie Wilson-Milne:  It seems to be more clear in the private sale world who is responsible to whom, that the gallery is a fiduciary of either the artist whose work they’re selling.  Or if they take a work from a collector to sell, they are the agent of that collector and it’s a little more clear.  In the auction world, there are all these regulations.  Some of the practices that seem to conflict with traditional fiduciary-like obligations are guarantees where the auction house has an incentive to make money on its own account if it can sell work for above the guarantee, right? Steve Schindler:  Right. Katie Wilson-Milne:  And then it’s dealing with this potential third party who also has an interest in the outcome of the sale and it’s not the seller. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And I think the other really important fiduciary obligation that the auction house has to the consigner of works is this question of auctionability, of looking at a work and deciding — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Yeah. Steve Schindler:  is this something that should really be in an auction or in an auction this May or November or is it something that really should be sold privately, because if you put something up for auction that isn’t right, then the consequences to the seller are pretty severe.  It’s a sort of public shaming of the work and that is you know very difficult for an entity who lives — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Makes all it’s money — Steve Schindler:  On selling people’s works at auction.  So, it’s a really important fiduciary duty.  It’s one that I think that the auction houses try to live up to, but it does create a natural tension. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Yeah.  And I think we would call these things potential conflicts of interests, the guarantee, the fact that auction houses want things to go to auction even while they’re fiduciaries of the seller and it may not make sense for something to go to auction at a certain time.  And then there is the buyer’s premium, where the auction house is getting paid by the buyer and is incentivized to sell work at a certain price or a certain time so that they can get the buyer’s commission.  And then what about art loans does that — how does — how do art loans fit into the fiduciary obligations of the house?  How do art loans work in the auction? Steve Schindler:  So, art loans now are fairly common.  They can either be made by the auction houses themselves.  For example Sotheby’s has a significant loan and finance department, and what it typically does is offer advances to consigners who were selling works at an auction.  So if I put my work up for auction in May, but it’s January and I’d like to have some cash in advance, typically they will loan you 50% of the low estimate. What’s problematic here is that if the work doesn’t sell at auction then you still have to pay back the loan.  And — so I would say that the interfacing of the auction house and their making of the loan, that that’s not a fiduciary relationship that that is an arms length relationship no different than if you went out to a bank or to a special purpose financing company and sought a similar kind of loan. Katie Wilson-Milne:  The buyer is paying interest to the auction house too, so it’s a profitable enterprise — Steve Schindler:  Yeah and — Katie Wilson-Milne:  theoretically. Steve Schindler:  And it started out really as an accommodation business.  I think it’s grown a little bit past that, but the idea would be if you were Sotheby’s or Christie’s and you are competing for prized consignments, one of the incentives that you would offer your consigners would be an advance. Katie Wilson-Milne:  And now they can make a loan, that’s in a more traditional lending format and gets some interest in the process. Steve Schindler:  Right. Katie Wilson-Milne:  It sounds like  we should do a whole episode on art lending and — Steve Schindler:  Maybe we should — Katie Wilson-Milne:  art finance. Steve Schindler:  I think we will. Katie Wilson-Milne:  So another way or a way that the auction houses and the auction system gets around this potential conflict between fiduciary obligations to the seller and rules of disclosure to the buyer is in their contracts.  And as is always true, having a contract that lays out the terms of a relationship is a great idea and it prevents other legal claims such as breach of fiduciary duty.  So it’s pretty clear in the law that you can modify fiduciary obligations by contract.  And that is just what the auction houses do, so they have consigner agreements with the seller and they have terms of sale.  And both of those are contractual obligations, either between the seller and the auction house, in the case of the consignment agreement and in terms of sale between all three parties the auction house, the seller, and the buyer. So what are the main contract terms that are laid out in a consignment agreement in terms of sale?  One is the commissions to make clear who is benefitting from what that the seller knows there may be a buyer’s commission, if they have a share in that or not.  That’s all laid out.  So any potential conflict of interest is disclosed and accepted by both parties.  The seller, the consigner makes representations and warranties with respect to clear title, the ability to sell the work or authority to sell the work if it’s an entity selling, authenticity of the work etc., and the contract will lay out the consequences to the seller if those warrantees and reps are not true. And that’s because as we’ve just said the auction house has a duty to the buyer which is both governed by the UCC and under the auction house’s contractual obligation to take work back within five years, if there is an issue with authenticity.  The contract with the seller means they can go back to the seller and sue them if need to be to recover the value they lost from accommodating the buyer. Steve Schindler:  And what happens now if the buyer doesn’t pay? There have been a couple of lawsuits that have been in the headlines lately about buyers who have made bids and then just decided not to pay. Katie Wilson-Milne:  It’s kind of incredible to me that that happens that you could be a high profile enough bidder to be at a big night auction at Sotheby’s or Christie’s, that they would vet you financially ,which we know they do, and they have to.  That’s smart.  And it would still happen that the buyer’s like, “no actually I changed my mind, I’m not going to pay.”  So — Steve Schindler:  So then what happens if you are a seller? Katie Wilson-Milne:  So if you’re a seller, the contract says that the auction house is under no real obligation to go and collect money for the sale. Steve Schindler:  Right. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Like they’re going to do their best to sell it.  It’s clear you know what reps and warrantees are being made, but if the auction house doesn’t get the money, they can’t give it to you.  So the seller really does bare the risk of that.  Now, both the seller and the auction house may have civil causes of action where they can go after the so-called buyer who didn’t pay for breach of contract, and that is in fact what happens.  If it’s enough money that it’s worth it, the auction house will sue. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And even they don’t have a legal obligation to do it, they probably in order to just to preserve the integrity of their auction and to entice other people to sell with them, they need to sometimes enforce the promises of buyers. Katie Wilson-Milne:  They could also have a 20% interest in — Steve Schindler:  That’s right too. Katie Wilson-Milne:  The sale price, so it might be — it might be financially worth it for the auction house, too. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And what about do auction houses now concern themselves with money laundering and source of funds? Katie Wilson-Milne:  They do greatly.  And we deal with this a lot.  There is increasing oversight I think from banks with large amounts of money moving in and out of accounts.  So there’s some financial regulation, which is not regulation of the art world though, which overlaps with the art world, just because it’s about movement of funds.  There is also, we know, for Chinese buyers pretty strict regulations in China with respect to how much money can leave China every year, and it’s a really low number.  So there are reasons that the auction house is going to want to check into the type of client they’re dealing or the type of potential buyer to make sure that they’re not going to get caught up in some kind of regulatory investigation or lawsuit or third party subpoena where they’re going to have to turn over their records and be scrutinized. Steve Schindler:  So I think it’s fair to say, and it’s not obvious, that you can’t just stroll into a high-profile auction in the evening for major pieces of Contemporary Art and pick up a paddle and then just sort of raise it away. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Indeed no. Steve Schindler:  That there is a lot of due diligence both on the seller’s side and the buyer’s side that the auction house is performing.  That’s one of the things that — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Before you get the paddle. Steve Schindler:  Exactly. Katie Wilson-Milne:  Yeah.  And that’s probably something that’s changed dramatically and increasingly as the art market has taken off and become you know a $60 billion  industry, that it becomes harder and harder to take part in one of these auctions because there is too much at stake if you don’t pay, or it’s going to get the auction house in trouble.  So the contracts that the auction houses has with the seller also protects the auction house by providing a broad indemnification from the seller.  So just like we were talking about a minute ago, if something goes wrong with the sale, there is a title issue despite the fact that the seller warranted there wasn’t or there is an authenticity issue, the seller says, “I am going to cover those costs for you, the auction house, including your legal fees. I’ll refund you the work.”  Now, enforcing it is a different matter, but the seller does indemnify the auction house.  It doesn’t directly protect the buyer.  The buyer will still go to the auction house and the auction house will protect the buyer, but they can then turn around and go to the seller.  It also provides that the seller is going to pay certain expenses, that there’ll be reserve prices, what happens if the reserve isn’t met, that it will be bought in, that it will be announced publicly. And then, too, I think the most significant contractual modifications of the fiduciary relationships, which are that the auction house maintains until the date of sale the right to rescind in its sole judgment if it thinks there is any liability possible.  So it doesn’t even have to explain to the seller.  It might want to, because they want to maintain that client relationship, but the auction house has the right until right before auction to pull a sale for any reason if it feels that there is some liability involved.  And they do.  They do do that. Steve Schindler:  Right.  And sometimes it doesn’t seem entirely fair.  There was a case a couple of years ago involving a consignment of a work of Katie Nolan to Sotheby’s — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Right. Steve Schindler:  And Katie Nolan had prior to the sale disclaimed authorship of the work because it had been in her view improperly conserved — Katie Wilson-Milne:  Was she the consigner or she — Steve Schindler:  No, she was not the consigner, but she was — she was — Katie Wilson-Milne:  She was the author of the work. Steve Schindler:  The author of the work and we know under the Visual Artists Rights Act that the author— Katie Wilson-Milne:  If you listened to our last episode. Steve Schindler:  Yes.  That the author of a work has the right to disclaim authorship of the work if she believes that it has been damaged in a way it would reflect poorly on her honor and integrity.  And in this case, Katie Nolan had viewed the work, observed that it had been improperly conserved, in her view, and publicly disclaimed authorship of the work, at which point Sotheby’s felt compelled to pull the work from the auction because it no longer could in its view give a warranty of authenticit

If you’ve seen video or images of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal attorney, they’ve probably been set in locations that exude power and importance: Cohen berating a CNN anchor in a TV studio, for example, or striding across the sleek marbled interior of Trump Tower, or more recently, smoking cigars in front of Cohen’s temporary residence, the Loews Regency Hotel on Manhattan’s Park Avenue. But to understand how Michael Cohen arrived in those precincts, you need to venture across New York City’s East River. There, in a Queens warehouse district in the shadows of an elevated No. 7 subway line, is a taxi garage that used to house his law practice. The office area in the front is painted a garish taxi-cab-yellow, with posters of hockey players on the wall and a framed photo of the late Hasidic rabbi, Menachem Schneerson. Cohen practiced law there and invested in the once-lucrative medallions that grant New York cabs the right to operate. Or you could drive 45 minutes deep into Brooklyn, near where Gravesend turns into Brighton Beach. There, in a desolate stretch near a shuttered podiatrist’s office, you’d find a medical office. According to previously unexamined records, Cohen incorporated a business there in 2002 that was involved in large quantities of medical claims. Separately, he represented more than 100 plaintiffs who claimed they were injured in auto collisions. At the same time, in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York prosecutors were investigating what Fortune magazine called possibly “the largest organized insurance-fraud ring in U.S. history.” That fraud resulted in hundreds of criminal prosecutions for staging car accidents to collect insurance payments. Cohen was not implicated in the fraud. A distinctive pattern emerged early in Cohen’s career, according to an examination by WNYC and ProPublica for the Trump, Inc. podcast: Many of the people who crossed paths with Cohen when he worked in Queens and Brooklyn were disciplined, disbarred, accused or convicted of crimes. Cohen, 51, has always emerged unscathed — until now. Last week, his Rockefeller Center office was raided by federal agents, as were his home, hotel room, safety deposit box, and two cell phones. Cohen is under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. According to court papers, investigators are examining whether he committed fraud and showed a “lack of truthfulness.” He and his attorneys did not respond to a lengthy set of questions emailed to them. Cohen’s lawyers have stated that he has done nothing improper. Cohen has attained national attention as the man who paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her alleged affair with Trump secret. He also negotiated a $1.6 million settlement with a woman impregnated by Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy. (Cohen’s attorney told a judge on Monday that his only three legal clients over the past 15 months were Trump, Broidy and talk-show host Sean Hannity.) Cohen has for decades had close personal and professional relationships with many citizens of the former Soviet Union. He ended up as point men on Trump’s deals there and also turned up in the notorious Russia “dossier.” He has routinely been described as an indispensable man to Donald Trump. One indicator of that, according to the New York Times: President Trump is more agitated by what those New York prosecutors may find in Cohen’s files than he is by the wide-ranging investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Cohen, it seems, may hold some crucial secrets. What’s more surprising, perhaps, is the path he took to get to that point. *** Michael Cohen grew up in the Five Towns area of Long Island, N.Y., a heavily Jewish enclave. His father was a surgeon, according to media reports, and Cohen enjoyed a top-tier education, graduating from the private Lawrence Woodmere Academy, then moving on to American University. From there, it seems, Cohen’s educational trajectory turned in a different direction. He attended the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Michigan, which InsideHigherEd.com once wrote, “is known for admitting students other law schools would not touch.” In 1992, after law school, he returned to his home region and landed a job working for a personal injury attorney named Melvyn Estrin, who had an office on lower Broadway in Manhattan.  Estrin was the first in a series of colleagues who would run afoul of authorities. Within three years of Cohen’s arrival, Estrin was charged with bribing insurance adjusters to inflate damage estimates and expedite claims. He later pleaded guilty. Cohen was never implicated in any of the misdeeds. Estrin did not respond to a request for comment. He is still practicing law. Cohen continued to use Estrin’s address on legal filings as late as 1999, but he added several new addresses during this period, including 22-05 43rd Avenue, in Long Island City, Queens — the taxi garage. It was the headquarters of the New York branch of the empire of Simon Garber, a Soviet emigre who also has had cab companies in Chicago and Moscow. Charismatic and silver-haired, Garber released kitschy TV-style advertisements, in Russian, for his company. Over the years, Garber has been convicted of assault in New York, arrested for battery in Miami, and pleaded guilty in New Jersey to charges of criminal mischief involving him breaking into three neighbors’ homes, shattering glass doors, smearing blood all over, and taking a shower. In Chicago, his taxi fleet included wrecked vehicles with illegally laundered titles. Garber did not respond to a request for comment. (Two other attorneys had offices inside Garber’s offices in the early 2000s. One was forced to resign from the bar after he was accused of not turning money over to a client. The other was disbarred, in part for trying to steal money from the first lawyer.) In 1994 Cohen married Laura Shusterman, who was born in the Soviet Union. Her father, also a taxi entrepreneur, pleaded guilty to a felony, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, the year before. By the late 1990s, records show, Cohen had begun acquiring taxi medallions, licenses required by the City of New York to operate a yellow cab. The number of medallions has been strictly controlled for decades. Before the advent of services like Uber, they were particularly valuable, with their price peaking at over $1 million in 2014. Cohen co-owned some of the medallions with his wife, and indeed, his family and business relationships sometimes overlapped. Filings show his father-in-law once made a loan to Garber. And in 2001, Cohen borrowed money for one of his taxi companies, Golden Child Cab Corp., from one of the men convicted with Cohen’s father in law, Fima Shusterman, in the fraud against the IRS. Starting around 2000, Cohen was involved in scores of car insurance lawsuits, often on behalf of plaintiffs who claimed to have been injured in auto collisions and were seeking judgments to cover purported medical expenses. At this time, a wave of staged auto accidents, involving immigrants from the former Soviet Union who claimed to have been hurt, had led prosecutors to open a massive investigation. They dubbed it Operation Boris, an acronym for Big Organized Russian Insurance Scam. The prosecutorial push resulted in hundreds of convictions. Cohen also drew up incorporation papers for at least three medical practices, and three medical billing companies. One company Cohen registered in 2002, Avex Medical Care PRC, sued insurance companies nearly 300 times. The plaintiffs lawyer in almost all of these cases was David Katz, who was disbarred later for professional misconduct. The doctor who owned Avex was charged in 2003 with criminal insurance fraud connected with another medical business; the charge was dismissed. He’s now practicing medicine in New Jersey. Dr. Zhanna Kanevsky, the principal of Life Quality Medical, a clinic business that Cohen incorporated in 2002, surrendered her medical license after pleading guilty to writing phony prescriptions for 100,000 oxycodone and other pills. Once again, Cohen was never charged. *** In the early 2000s, Trump and Cohen became connected, fittingly, through real estate. Cohen started to transfer the wealth he’d gained from taxi medallions and insurance lawsuits to apartments in Trump buildings. Along with his parents, his in-laws, and Simon Garber, Cohen acquired eight units in Trump Palace, Trump Park Avenue, and Trump World Plaza. The man who operated out of a Queens taxi garage now owned apartments alongside the likes of Sophia Loren and Harrison Ford. Cohen also began to show political ambitions. In 2003, he ran for city council on Manhattan’s Upper East Side as a Republican. Even people close to his campaign weren’t sure why he ran. His own campaign biography provided few answers — or rather, disparate ones. He claimed at the time to own 200 taxi medallions, to be a member of the Friars Club, an avid stamp collector, and a member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Inspector General advisory board. Cohen lost the city council race, but his donor list provides a snapshot of his network. He received contributions from his father, his father in law, and Bruce Winston, a son of the jeweler Harry Winston. A New York Republican with knowledge of Cohen’s 2003 campaign said Cohen told him then that he was Harry Winston’s in-house counsel at the time. The company says Cohen was never an employee. Court papers show Cohen was one of the lawyers who helped Bruce Winston, and his daughter, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, in a legal action challenging Deutsche Bank’s conduct as trustee of Harry Winston’s estate. Their petition failed. (For her part, Wolkoff, a friend of Melania Trump’s, later became the highest-paid contractor for Donald Trump’s inauguration, taking in an eye-popping $26 million, and sparking a backlash.) It’s unclear when Cohen and Trump first met, but the two were publicly linked in February 2007. The New York Post published an article then about an attorney who was purchasing large numbers of apartments in Trump buildings. “Trump properties are solid investments,” Cohen told the Post. Trump returned the compliment, declaring Cohen to be a wise investor. “Michael Cohen has a great insight into the real-estate market,” he told the Post. “He has invested in my buildings because he likes to make money — and he does.” Three months later, Cohen became an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, with the same job title as Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump. Cohen was never a traditional in-house lawyer for Trump. He has been described as both a “fixer” and a “dealmaker” — and it seems he embraced both roles. “He did jobs for Donald that no one else would do,” said one person who worked with Cohen, “especially not a lawyer. He did a lot of these jobs.” Still, even after Cohen had joined the Trump Organization, he harbored personal political dreams. In 2010, Cohen mounted a second unsuccessful campaign, this time for the New York State Senate. Among his donors in that race were shipping magnate Oleg Mitnik and tobacco tycoon and New York real estate man Howard Lorber, one of Donald Trump’s closest friends. Cohen continued to expand his role within the Trump universe. It had become simultaneously global, national and highly local. The Trump Organization’s business model had shifted, from building high-end Manhattan properties to scoping for international licensing deals, particularly in the former Soviet Union. Cohen, along with Trump’s adult children, headed up this effort. At a Trump Tower press conference in early 2011, Cohen took the public stage as an international dealmaker. “Seven months ago, at the request of a dear friend of mine from Georgia, Giorgi Rtskhiladze, I traveled to the Republic of Georgia to explore several real estate opportunities on behalf of Mr. Trump,” Cohen said in his unmistakable Long Island accent. He then introduced Trump and the then-president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili. The ostensible purpose of the press conference was to talk up a planned tower in the city of Batumi, on the Black Sea coast. But most of the questions centered on Donald Trump’s possible run for President. Months earlier, Michael Cohen had helped set up a website called shouldtrumprun.com with the Long Island law firm Schwartz, Gerstman, and Malito. (David Schwartz is a long time Cohen friend and attorney who made several television appearances on Cohen’s behalf when the Stormy Daniels news broke.) Cohen also traveled to Iowa to explore the political terrain. Shouldtrumprun.com was billed as independent of Trump; otherwise Trump would have had to file papers with the Federal Election Commission on his own behalf. At the press conference, Trump was peppered with political questions. “Could you comment on the kind of feedback or what you took from the feedback from Mr. Cohen’s Iowa trip,” one reporter asked. “You could ask Mr. Cohen. You can speak to him,” Trump replied. But she pressed. “Are you encouraged by anything that you saw or read out of that? Trump couldn’t resist. “Well,” he said, “I mean the response has been amazing, actually.” Another response: A complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission, alleging Trump had accepted “excessive or impermissible contributions from the Trump Organization, LLC” because shouldtrumprun.com was set up by an employee: Michael Cohen. Trump and Cohen were cleared of wrongdoing. One of the two commissioners who signed off on the ruling was Donald McGahn. McGahn later became Trump’s White House Counsel. There’s another piece of public work that Cohen was involved in that further shows the close links among Trump, Cohen, and the attorney David Schwartz. During the same time period of the Georgia deal and shouldtrumprun.com, Schwartz and Cohen were both working on a project called Trump on the Ocean, which aimed to construct a massive catering hall in the popular Jones Beach State Park on Long Island. Trump was so keen on this project that, unusually even for him, he called four governors and a state comptroller to lobby for it, according to former state officials. In at least one of the calls, he cited his generous donations as a reason to get the clearances he needed to move forward.   Trump put Cohen in charge of the negotiations. But some state officials balked at what they saw as an attempt to commercialize a state park, and Trump’s insistence that the state override its fire code so he could build a kitchen in the basement. The lobbying was contentious, said Judith Enck, the top environmental advisor for Govs. Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson (and later the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency for the New York region), who was involved in the negotiations. “That was not a typical discussion with a business that was trying to do business with the state of New York. It was aggressive,” Enck said. “There were efforts to go around me to get a better outcome in the discussion… I recall it as you know one of the most unpleasant experiences I had in the governor's office.” Misery, perhaps for a government official — but triumph for Trump, Cohen, and Schwartz. They got permission to begin construction. “GREAT JOB!” Trump wrote in a note to Schwartz. “I will hire your firm again!” Alas, it was all for naught in the end. Months later, the tail of the storm Sandy inundated Jones Beach and Trump walked away from the project. *** Three years later, when Trump made a run for the White House, Cohen continued to serve both as promoter and dealmaker. He frequently appeared on TV as a Trump surrogate, though he had no official campaign position. In one interview in the summer of 2016, Cohen refused to acknowledge that polls strongly favored Hillary Clinton. He badgered CNN anchor Brianna Keilar when she referred to Trump’s then-dismal poll numbers. “Says who?” Cohen shot back. “What polls?” The anchor, seemingly mystified, answered “all of them?” The clip went viral. Cohen’s truculent tendencies were also on display a year before that interview when he threatened Daily Beast reporter Tim Mak. Mak had resurfaced an old accusation made by Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana, during their divorce proceedings, that Trump had raped her. (She later withdrew the allegation.) “I'm warning you,” Mak says Cohen told him, “tread very fucking lightly because what I’m going to do to you is going to be fucking disgusting.” Behind the scenes, Cohen was still attempting to make deals for Trump in the former Soviet Union. Cohen drafted a letter of intent with a Moscow investment company to build Trump World Tower Moscow. Cohen’s partner in the deal was Felix Sater, a Trump associate who had been convicted of assault and securities fraud and had widely reported connections to the Russian mob. “Let’s make this happen and build a Trump Moscow,” Sater wrote in an email to Cohen. “And possibly fix relations between the countries by showing everyone commerce and business are much better and more practical than politics.” In another email, Sater wrote, “Buddy our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer it.” In a statement issued last summer, Cohen called this “puffery” and said Sater was prone to colorful language and salesmanship. Cohen’s activities drew the attention of Christopher Steele, a former British spy who was assembling raw intelligence on the Trump campaign for a private client (ultimately paid for by the Clinton campaign). The resulting collection of documents has become known as “the dossier.” Steele’s memo included the assertion that Cohen met with Russian contacts in Prague after damaging news emerged about Trump’s former campaign manager and an aide. “The overall objective had been ‘sweep it all under the carpet and make sure no connection could be fully established or proven,’” Steele wrote in a memo dated Oct. 19, 2016. In statements and court documents, Cohen has vociferously denied ever visiting Prague, even dispensing photos of his passport, with no Czech stamps visible, as putative proof. Cohen has filed two defamation lawsuits over the release of the dossier. But now McClatchy has reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has evidence that Cohen was in Prague in late summer 2016. (And the photographic “proof” Cohen offered may turn out to be moot, according to the McClatchy article, since he reportedly entered the Czech Republic from Germany, which would not have required him to pass through immigration or customs.) One thing that Cohen does not dispute: In October 2016, he was involved in fixing another problem, this time by paying $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen asserts he did this on his own, with money he obtained from a home equity line of credit. When FBI agents searched Cohen’s offices on April 9, 2018, they were seeking evidence relating to the Stormy Daniels payment. They were also, according to the Washington Post, sifting through business records relating to Cohen’s taxi medallions. There may still be answers to be found in Queens.

Last month, the committee that ran President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities released basic details about its revenues and spending. Trump raised $107 million, almost twice the previous record, and spent $104 million. The committee’s tax filing showed that $26 million of the spending went to an event planning firm started in December by a friend of the First Lady. It’s not clear how the firm spent that money, or how most of the money raised for the inauguration was used. The tax filing doesn’t show spending by subcontractors, nor is it required to do so. In this week’s episode of Trump Inc., we dig into the inauguration. We’ve found that even experienced inaugural planners are baffled by the Trump committee’s massive fundraising and spending operation. We also noticed that two members of the inaugural committee have been convicted of financial crimes, and a third — the committee’s treasurer — was reportedly an unindicted co-conspirator in an accounting fraud. Greg Jenkins led President George W. Bush’s second inaugural committee in 2005, which raised and spent $42 million (that would be $53 million in today’s dollars). Asked about how Trump’s team managed to spend so much more, Jenkins said, “It's inexplicable to me. I literally don't know.” “They had a third of the staff and a quarter of the events and they raise at least twice as much as we did,” Jenkins said. “So there's the obvious question: where did it go? I don't know.” Steve Kerrigan, who led both of President Obama’s inaugural committees, agreed. “There was no need for that amount of money,” said Kerrigan.” We literally did two inaugurations for less than the cost of that.” According to Trump’s filing, slightly more than half of the money went to four event-planning companies, including the firm owned by the First Lady’s friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Her company, WIS Media Partners, paid the co-creator of “The Apprentice,” Mark Burnett, to help with the festivities, as the New York Times reported.   Melania Trump has since cut off her work with Wolkoff after the disclosure of the spending. Wolkoff and WIS Media Partners did not respond to a request for comment. We asked the White House and the inaugural committee about fundraising and spending related to the inauguration. Officials did not agree to be interviewed on the record. We also looked at members of the inaugural committee, which had about 30 people in leadership and fundraising roles. The committee’s treasurer, Doug Ammerman, was named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a tax shelter fraud in the early 2000s, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Ammerman was a partner at the accounting firm KPMG, which later admitted criminal liability. A Senate investigation from the time includes emails from Ammerman suggesting he was aware of the scheme. Ammerman is also currently accused in a shareholder lawsuit of dumping stock in a grilled chicken chain, El Pollo Loco, where he was on the board, ahead of a bad quarterly report. Ammerman did not respond to requests for comment. The finance vice-chair for the inaugural committee, Elliott Broidy, pleaded guilty in 2009 to paying bribes to get investments from the New York State pension fund. His felony conviction was later downgraded to a misdemeanor. Broidy, a top Trump fundraiser, has also come under scrutiny in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Broidy did not respond to requests for comment. Another inaugural organizer was Rick Gates, the former deputy to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Gates pleaded guilty this year to lying to the FBI and to conspiracy in a vast money laundering scheme, charges that came from Mueller’s office. At the time that Gates worked on the inauguration, he had not been indicted, but his dealings with former Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych had already come under scrutiny. Gates’ business partner, Manafort, was forced off of the Trump campaign in the summer of 2016 after it was reported he got nearly $13 million of undisclosed payments from Yanukovych. Gates did not respond to requests for comment. We found one more thing that set this inauguration apart: Some of the donations are almost impossible to trace. As the Center for Responsive Politics reports, two “dark money” groups, which do not disclose their donors, gave $1 million each. Trump’s inaugural committee appears to have been the first to accept significant donations from dark money groups. Kerrigan, Obama’s inauguration chief, said he would have rejected a check from a group designed to preserve donor anonymity. “I would have said, ‘Prove who you are and if you can’t pass vet, I’ll have to give the check back,’” Kerrigan said. There are also, of course, many donors we do know about. Like other presidents, Trump raised millions from corporate contributions and wealthy individuals. The securities and investment industry contributed the most, nearly $15 million. Other top industries included real estate, casinos, oil and gas, and mining — each of which later benefited from various presidential initiatives and policies. The existence of a contribution, of course, doesn’t mean that’s the reason for a policy change. Click here to explore OpenSecrets’ analysis of inaugural contributions. And click here to check out journalist Christina Wilkie’s easy-to-search spreadsheet of inaugural donors.

Loulou de la Falaise (1947-2011), n’a pas été seulement la muse d’Yves Saint Laurent. Sa complicité avec le créateur a contribué à « décoincer » l’esprit des collections et à leur éviter tout caractère académique, au-delà des bijoux et des chapeaux qu’elle a dessiné à partir de 1972 en tant que responsable du département « maille et accessoires » de la maison Yves Saint Laurent, puis de la collection Rive gauche. Anglaise par sa mère, new-yorkaise d’adoption, Loulou de la Falaise a apporté à la mode française une forte dose de liberté et de légèreté, avec un esprit anticonformiste inspiré du « Swinging London ». Elle a eu un talent unique pour rajeunir l’esprit de la mode, notamment en « accessoirisant tout ce qui lui passait par les mains ». Elle qui prenait « trois minutes et demie pour s’habiller », a eu une manière unique de porter ses vêtements. Loulou de la Falaise, c’est la rencontre de l’ « extravagance anglaise et du chic parisien » (Ariel de Ravenel). Ariel de Ravenel, journaliste-styliste et amie de Loulou de la Falaise et Alexandre Wolkoff, directeur de création (agence Wolkoff et Arnodin) ont publié en 2014, avec Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni, un beau livre sur Loulou de Falaise aux éditions Rizzoli : http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780847843299

http://www.einstein.yu.edu - Allan W. Wolkoff, M.D., discusses liver disease and current research that could ultimately lead to new treatments. Dr. Wolkoff will participate in a twitter chat on the research and clinical aspects of organ transplantation, including liver transplant, on May 22, 1pm ET. For more information on the chat, organized by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, visit http://ein.st/LkEKjU. Dr. Wolkoff is professor of medicine and associate director of the Marion Bessin Liver Research Center at Einstein and chief, division of gastroenterology and liver diseases at Einstein and Montefiore.