I was living in a tenement house on West 51st street between 8th and 9th. My room was only about 8×6 ft. with a sink, a bed and my suitcases.

The guy/girl sleeping there before me had made such a dent in the mattress there was a now permanent hollow in it (on both sides). It was like sleeping on half an egg white.

On my floor there was: A 67 year old albino prostitute, an unemployed former computer programmer with his girlfriend (both now crack users), a redheaded Israeli waitress (we worked at the same Soho eatery) and Tony (the building super with his two rottweilers)

We all shared the same two bathrooms on the floor and no I wasn’t Charles Bukowski.

The year was 2000, I had just graduated from the Yale School of Drama and moved here to New York City to be a professional actor.

I was miserable.

Before graduating from drama school I’d sent out over a hundred and fifty letters to talent representatives in New York.

(I think my friend Ed Blunt suggested I do this).

I got three replies.

One of those replies was from a company called MJ Management and one of the managers at the company was a man named Jon Rubinstein.

My room was on the west side of Broadway and Jon’s office was on the east side on 53rd (I believe), Times Square was like an ocean between us.


Everyday I had the same routine:

I got used to it.

I kept at it and found Jon and his partner to be hard workers and very good at what they did. At the time I always saw them as a kind of living yin and yang. Jon knew how to keep you calm and encourage you. No matter what. And I needed that then because I was looking for something I didn’t know how to find.

Jon was there when I booked my first job.

Jon was there when I decided to get married and move to Holland (they both said don’t… wish I’d listened).

Jon was there when my brother had a heart attack at 17 and died.

Jon was there when I got divorced and decided to go to Film school.

Jon was there when I was simultaneously in film school and acting in my second Broadway show.

To this day Jon is still my friend.

In this business nobody knows anything and at some point everyone gets mad, bitter, jaded, scared, disappointed, etc. See why we all love it?

Though I have to say (especially from this vantage point) I feel blessed and fortunate to still be here… still working… still creating.

And a few months ago I learned Jon was pulling double duty managing clients but also busy publishing a really unique blog.

Adventures in Compassion (in the screen trade)

I wish I could accurately summarize the work he’s doing with the blog but read it for yourself and I’ll do my best here.

Basically, he’s sharing examples (his own and other entertainment professionals) of compassion and the everyday practice of caring for himself and others with compassion… even in this business.

Meanwhile, he’s found a way to continue to be one of the most respected and hardest working managers in the biz (with his partner Bob Glennon) over at Authentic Talent and Literary.

I don’t think it matters what you do for a living but especially if you work in our business… from actors to producers… please give it a read.

For myself, I’d like to say… thanks Jon.