MonKeyArtAwards: Rest In Peace Anthony

This is from Mark Weinstein's FB post, and it is elequent:

In June of 1994, my good friend and co-worker at 20th Century Fox, Jill Green, introduced me to a man who would alter the course of my life. I found out earlier today that this man, Anthony Goldschmidt, had passed away this morning. I didn't cry, or freak out. I was a bit startled that he died so young, but the true reaction hadn't yet formed in my head.

For those of you who didn't know him, he owned & ran a boutique entertainment ad agency in Beverly Hills called Intralink, where I cut my teeth as an Art Director and had the honor of helping build an award-winning creative team as his Senior Art Director in the mid 1990's. I learned more under his discerning eye then at any other agency or school combined. Anthony had a history of taking risks that others couldn't or wouldn't take, because he didn't NEED the business to succeed or fail for financial reasons - he was independently wealthy. He was driven solely by the challenge of striving to be the best - creating classic posters for ET, Gremlins, the list is endless. Anthony was an extremely polarizing yet dynamic and brilliant visionary, who had very profound effects on my life, both positive and negative. I was never as driven to create big ideas and be brilliant at any stage in my career than I was by Anthony G. He truly inspired me to be better and helped me to realize that creatively, I could be as good or better than anyone else.

He also had no interest, understanding or care that I was a father, and when he made it clear that it wasn't important to him that I take a break from my 90 hour week to spend a few hours with my daughter, we parted ways. But I don't fault him for my departure - it was the next step in my life which I would not have been ready for had we not worked together. That next step turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I have ever gotten. It allowed me to be a freelance artist, and later to help build a startup company, an opportunity that afforded me the luxury of a flexible schedule that allowed me to watch my daughter grow up... Picking her up from school, spending afternoons together, volunteering for pizza day or a week at outdoor education camp or a trip to help build houses for needy families in Tijuana with her youth group. All of these were opportunities I'd have missed had it not been for Anthony.

On top of all that, he gave me a gift that I'm not sure he even knew he gave me. The people that I met while working at Intralink were some of the most gifted people I've ever met, but the bond I have with them, the fraternity we formed, will live on for the rest of my life. One of my best and closest friends to this day is someone I met at Intralink. There are also those that I don't speak to very often, but on occasions that we do cross paths, it's almost as if no time has passed. They are like my extended family, and will always be my friends and have a huge place in my heart.

Anthony - Thank you for being a huge influence in my life. You will always be remembered. And just so you know, I still have those Ostrich skin leather boots, and I always will.

Rest In Peace Anthony.