Below is a listing of the ACCESS NY Trustees.
Sam (Bodi) Bodenheimer
Jeremy Dauber
Rachel Doft
Jennifer Falk
Tony Felzen
Justin Kalifowitz
Shayna Kulik
Mark Pearlman
Ari Wallach
Ted Zagat
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Sam Bodenheimer is an entertainment industry entrepreneur, diversely accomplished musician, community organizer and social activist. He is the founder and CEO of Spicerack Music Group, whose performance division is a leading music and entertainment provider for weddings, corporate functions, and special events.
Mr. Bodenheimer, better known as “Bodi” in the music world, has toured various parts of North America, Europe, and the Middle East as a singer/songwriter, bandleader of the Jewish music group Bsamim, chazzan, and guest speaker. He has produced and composed for internationally selling albums as well as for a variety of sports television, film and advertising productions.
Bodenheimer’s personal passion is the use of entertainment to promote and assist international charities and social causes. He recently founded Project Tesfa to help provide food and education for Ethiopian children. Under his leadership, Spicerack is currently developing several initiatives geared toward cross-cultural dialogue and social action through live entertainment events and media productions.
Mr. Bodenheimer is a frequent speaker on the music industry, social action through entertainment, and next generation Jewish activism through tikun olam. Bodi received his JD/MBA from Fordham University and currently resides in New York City.
Jeremy Dauber is the Atran Associate Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture at Columbia University and the director of its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. His newest book, In the Demon's
Bedroom: Yiddish Literature and the Early Modern, is scheduled to come out from Yale University Press by the end of the year, and he is the co-editor of Prooftexts, the leading journal of Jewish literary history. He lectures on topics related to Jewish literature and popular culture around the United States and, this year, in Canada, England, and Australia.
Jennifer E. Falk – Jennifer is Executive Director of the Union Square Partnership (www.unionsquarenyc.org), and previously served as first deputy press secretary for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. As chief executive of the Union Square Partnership, a non-profit, community-based organization, Jennifer ensures the Union Square-14th Street district’s continued growth and success by overseeing a wide range of programs including business development, park beautification, capital improvement, public safety and sanitation, and marketing and events. Under her leadership, the organization completed its largest capital project to date, the $22 million North End Project, which tripled Union Square Park’s play space, rehabilitated the historic Pavilion, repaved the plazas, and enhanced the park’s overall landscaping. She was named to both Crain’s New York Business Magazine’s “40 Under 40 Rising Star” and Real Estate New York Magazine’s “40 Under 40” lists in April 2009, and New York Moves Magazine’s “Power Women” list in November 2006. Jennifer graduated from the University of Rochester with a BA in Religion, and currently lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Tony Felzen owns and develops multi-family properties in the New York City metropolitan region. Tony also produces documentary films and his current project, Global Dirt, which follows 5 American relief workers in post-earthquake Haiti, is in post-production. Last January, Tony was elected President of the Young Leadership of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), an American charity that provides for the social wellbeing of Israeli soldiers and their families. Tony participated in the June 2009 AJC's Germany Close Up Program.
Justin Kalifowitz is President and Co-Founder of Downtown Music Publishing. Established in 2007, Downtown now manages over 15,000 song copyrights including the works of artists such as Carla Bruni, Mos Def, Mötley Crüe and Seal. Prior to joining Downtown, Justin spent six years as a publishing executive with Spirit Music Group where he managed the song catalogs of Bob Marley, Chaka Khan and Lou Reed. Recognized as an expert in intellectual property management, Justin has been named to Billboard Magazine’s “30 Under 30” Top Executives and frequently speaks at industry conferences on IP licensing. A self-proclaimed African enthusiast, Justin blogs at foundinafrica.com and is on the board of Africa Express, a cultural exchange between Western and African artists. He is also an ACCESS Trustee for American Jewish Committee. Born and raised in New York, Kalifowitz is a graduate of the City University of New York--Baruch College and now resides in Manhattan’s West Village.
Shayna Kulik is a New York based brand strategist, designer and founder and editor of industry blog, PatternPulp. Over the past five years, Kulik has brought her unique perspective in market and design research, trend forecasting and brand strategy to companies including Apple, Bumble & Bumble, Heineken, Kate Spade, Nokia and Panasonic. In 2009, Kulik founded Patternpulp, a forum dedicated to tracking emerging concepts in print and pattern design. Linking global trends from fabric design to advertising to product packaging, Kulik's work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and home sites such as House Beautiful and Shelter Pop. Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Kulik began her career working as a textile designer for Longina Phillips Design Studio in Sydney, Australia. Relocating to New York in 2003, Kulik first designed shoes for Osh Kosh and Rampage before joining Playboy Enterprises as a product designer in their global retail and accessories divisions.
Mark Pearlman is a media executive, business consultant and non-profit activist in New York City.Pearlman was part of the original executive team that launched the Fox News Channel under Roger Ailes in 1996. Previously, he held numerous management positions at CBS from 1978 to 1995 including Vice President, Business Development He also helped build a Metromedia Company owned by John Kluge, where he held the position of Vice President, Market Strategy.
Pearlman's recently founded 4Wall Media, a private investment and media company. 4Wall is the parent company of JInsider, a Jewish media brand. Pearlman has authored three metric studies on the Jewish community through JInsider: "The Jewish GDP Study," "The Jewish Internet Metric Study" and "The Jewish Day School Study." He also produced and directed a documentary film through JInsider titled A Traveler's Guide for Uncertain Times. The film highlighted spiritual wisdom for overcoming the pessimism and hopelessness following the financial collapse of 2008.
In addition, Pearlman writes a weekly column for The Jewish Week and has organized and sponsored a think-tank discussion with Jewish community leaders on the direction and goals of the community.
Pearlman supports charitable causes through his Pareto Foundation and direct involvement with specific nonprofits. He is a former Chairman of the Children's Museum of Manhattan and has funded and directed other Jewish community initiatives including the website Sinai Live and the MyHatikva initiative for the State of Israel. He was also a Board member of the Annenberg Foundation initiative in New York City for the arts and education.
Ted Zagat is the Senior Vice President of Franchise Development & Strategic Partnerships for Univision Communications Inc. He is responsible for corporate-wide strategic growth initiatives and alternative revenue streams.
Prior to joining Univision, Mr. Zagat was the President of Zagat Survey, the multimedia leisure guide publisher. In this role, he managed the business, with a focus on interactive products, strategic relationships, and new revenue opportunities. He initially joined Zagat Survey to spearhead the Company’s rapid expansion, including a private equity investment from General Atlantic Partners and Kleiner Perkins, as well as the development of Zagat.com and line extensions like nightlife, hotels, shopping, and movies.
Mr. Zagat began his career in investment banking in the Media & Communications group at Donaldson, Lufkin, Jenrette (DLJ). After this, he was a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group.
Previously, Mr. Zagat’s interest in food led him to work as an apprentice chef at Paul Bocuse, a three-star restaurant in Lyon, France, and at Spago in Los Angeles. Mr. Zagat participates with C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) and a Young Presidents’ Organization forum.
Mr. Zagat holds an AB degree from Harvard College and a MBA from Harvard Business School.
About Univision Communications Inc. Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 95% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces telenovelas, reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for all of the Company’s platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 64 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 68 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; and Univision Interactive Media, which includes http://www.univision.com, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S., and Univision Móvil, the industry’s most comprehensive Spanish-language suite of mobile offerings. Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.univision.net