Time for Giving Back

The holidays are a season of giving, and for the past three years, I've written a charity guide for the December issue of Newsmax magazine.

The first two articles focused on organizations that support US troops and their families. This year, because of the economy, the editors asked me to profile ten top charities that serve a variety of needs, from hungry children, to disaster victims, to homeless pets. Check it out in the December issue or visit the link in my Twitter post on the right hand side of your screen under "Terry's Tweets."

Women in Entertainment: the Next Generation

There was something new this year at the annual Hollywood Reporter breakfast for the most powerful women in Hollywood: a mentoring program for high school girls, in partnership with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. For the past 18 years, the event has celebrated the growing power of women executives in film and TV. But now that it's no longer rare for a woman to head a major studio, it was time to reach out to the next generation. My friend Jacqueline Sonderling, one of the sharpest producers in the biz, invited me to be the voice of the event at the Beverly Hills Hotel , and the video editing was in the capable hands of the folks at Picturehead.
Two Best Actress Oscar winners were among the honorees: Hilary Swank spoke of growing up in a trailer park as a poor, lonely kid who got into acting because she "didn't have any friends." Halle Berry received the Sherry Lansing Award for leadership. After a moving introduction from Lansing, Berry nearly brought the room to tears with the story of how her fifth grade teacher taught her to look beyond her abusive home and reach for her dreams.
But the real stars were the high school sophomores selected for the mentoring program. They will spend a year observing such powerful women as Disney's Anne Sweeney, who shares the #1 ranking on THR's list of 100 powerful Hollywood women with Sony's Amy Pascal.The program was just about flawless, under the steady direction of Wendy Moodie and her team from Paradigm Shift Worldwide http://www.psww.com/. The mentoring video was immediately posted on THR's website and you can check out the program (and my voiceover) at this link: http://video.hollywoodreporter.com/services/player/bcpid1079049389?bclid=1442316366&bctid=54280483001.
It's an honor to be associated with this classy event. Many thanks to Jacqueline and THR's Vicki Robles for making it happen. Even the team assembling the "swag bags" was first rate! I'd jump at the chance to work with the whole team again. And, yes, I am a freelance voiceover talent for both live events and taped productions. I can even record your track in my home studio and send it to you electronically. Visit my website at www.terryanzur.com or email me at terryanzur@yahoo.com.