I am deeply saddened by the news that my favorite teacher and long-time mentor, Robert Clark, passed away on August 4, 2016. Mr. Clark founded Cinekyd, a non-profit educational program that was a place for kids to learn how to make movies, TV shows, and radio programs after school and during the summer. Every summer, Mr. Clark would direct a feature film that was made by the kids - the kids ran the cameras, the mics, built and lit the sets, edited the completed film, etc. During the school year, Cinekyd produced a weekly television show that was syndicated on the cable public access stations all over the Philadelphia area, as well as a weekly radio drama that was broadcast on Warminster's public radio station. I am proud to say that I was involved in all of the above, and in my senior year in high school was involved in all three at the same time. I remember Mr. Clark being concerned about how involved I was that year, warning me that he did not want to hear from my parents that my grades were slipping because Cinekyd was taking up all my time away from school work. Cinekyd was also a place where many kids found a place to make friends, feel accepted, and learn to express themselves creatively. I learned so many important life lessons from Mr. Clark. The philosophy of "Each one, reach one," not just pitching in where needed, but taking the time to pass on what you learned and help those less fortunate. The importance of teamwork, and that movies, TV shows, and radio dramas are a collaborative art form. That was something I put into practice when I directed "Warren's Revenge," bringing along many fellow students including Mark Weaver, John Bethard, Scott Randolph, Johanna Marie Sisto, George Gakoumis Jr, Eric Kurland, etc.
Mr. Clark touched so many lives, helped so many kids find themselves, and more or less launched the careers of a number of students who are now working in the entertainment industry, most notably David Trachtenberg (Editor, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Tom Magill (DP, Parks and Recreation), Richard Platt (editor, Dateline on NBC), Adam F. Goldberg (creator, The Goldbergs), and many more. Some of my closest friends from my high school days are not from high school, they are from Cinekyd, and I thank Mr. Clark for that. I still look back very fondly on the seven years I was at Cinekyd, five as a student, and the last two as part of the volunteer staff, running the Visual Effects Dept with George Gakoumis Jr and Eric Kurland. Even in retirement, he still supported his former students. Although he never posted publicly on Home Theater Forum, Mr. Clark would read and comment on just about every review I posted a link to on the Cinekyd Facebook page, and that always meant a lot to me. And he always sent me the most personal birthday message every year that always lifted my spirits. Robert Clark was one of a kind, and will be sorely missed.
Mr. Clark touched so many lives, helped so many kids find themselves, and more or less launched the careers of a number of students who are now working in the entertainment industry, most notably David Trachtenberg (Editor, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Tom Magill (DP, Parks and Recreation), Richard Platt (editor, Dateline on NBC), Adam F. Goldberg (creator, The Goldbergs), and many more. Some of my closest friends from my high school days are not from high school, they are from Cinekyd, and I thank Mr. Clark for that. I still look back very fondly on the seven years I was at Cinekyd, five as a student, and the last two as part of the volunteer staff, running the Visual Effects Dept with George Gakoumis Jr and Eric Kurland. Even in retirement, he still supported his former students. Although he never posted publicly on Home Theater Forum, Mr. Clark would read and comment on just about every review I posted a link to on the Cinekyd Facebook page, and that always meant a lot to me. And he always sent me the most personal birthday message every year that always lifted my spirits. Robert Clark was one of a kind, and will be sorely missed.
