Gerald Rafshoon
Encyclopedia
Gerald Rafshoon is an American
television producer and political operative. He is one of the four founding members of Unity08
, and was the White House Communications Director
under the presidency of Jimmy Carter
(in doing so, Mr. Rafshoon became the first professional advertising executive to join the White House staff), and is a television producer.
In January 2008, Rafshoon and fellow Unity08 co-founder Doug Bailey
left that organization to launch a national effort to draft New York City
Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
to run for President of the United States
as an independent candidate.
Rafshoon has spent over 40 years in various aspects of communications including advertising, publicity, politics and film.
His experience includes running a successful advertising agency, serving as White House
Communications Director and as Producer and Executive Producer of motion pictures for television and cable.
In 1976, Rafshoon was the architect of the advertising and public relations campaign that helped an unknown Southern Governor and peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter, in his drive to become the 39th President of the United States.
Following his White House years, Rafshoon began producing motion pictures and television programs. He is a specialist in international co-productions working closely with the leading television networks and production companies in Europe and filming in Europe
, the Middle East
and Africa
.
He also produced an Emmy
-winning documentary series Decisions That Shook the World, about important controversial decisions made by American presidents that defined their character and affected the course of history.
, Gerald Rafshoon is mentioned in the following books:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television producer and political operative. He is one of the four founding members of Unity08
Unity08
Unity08 was an American political reform movement that sought to offer all voters an opportunity to directly engage in politics by ranking the most crucial issues facing the country, discussing them with the candidates and engaging in an online, secure vote to nominate a bipartisan alternative to...
, and was the White House Communications Director
White House Communications Director
The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...
under the presidency of Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
(in doing so, Mr. Rafshoon became the first professional advertising executive to join the White House staff), and is a television producer.
In January 2008, Rafshoon and fellow Unity08 co-founder Doug Bailey
Doug Bailey
Doug Bailey is an American political consultant and founder of The Hotline, a bipartisan, daily, online briefing on American politics.From 1968 to 1987, Bailey was President of Bailey Deardourff and Associates, among the first national political consulting firms...
left that organization to launch a national effort to draft New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
to run for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
as an independent candidate.
Rafshoon has spent over 40 years in various aspects of communications including advertising, publicity, politics and film.
His experience includes running a successful advertising agency, serving as White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Communications Director and as Producer and Executive Producer of motion pictures for television and cable.
In 1976, Rafshoon was the architect of the advertising and public relations campaign that helped an unknown Southern Governor and peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter, in his drive to become the 39th President of the United States.
Following his White House years, Rafshoon began producing motion pictures and television programs. He is a specialist in international co-productions working closely with the leading television networks and production companies in Europe and filming in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Television productions
He has produced 52 hours of television and cable entertainment for U.S. and international networks. Among them are two Emmy Award winning programs and three Emmy nominees. They include:- Circle of ViolenceCircle of Violence: A Family DramaCircle of Violence: A Family Drama is a 1986 CBS television movie starring Tuesday Weld, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Bonerz and River Phoenix that tells the tragic story of the seldom addressed issue of elder parent abuse.-Synopsis:Georgia Benfield is at a...
starring Tuesday WeldTuesday WeldTuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
, Geraldine FitzgeraldGeraldine FitzgeraldGeraldine Fitzgerald, Lady Lindsay-Hogg was an Irish-American actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
, and River PhoenixRiver PhoenixRiver Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials... - The Atlanta Child Murders starring Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
, Jason RobardsJason RobardsJason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
, Rip TornRip TornElmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
, Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
and James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesJames Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership... - The Nightmare Years starring Sam WaterstonSam WaterstonSamuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
, the story of William L. Shirer and the Nazi Germany propaganda machine - Joseph starring Ben Kingsley and Martin Landau . Winner of Emmy for Outstanding MiniSeries. Part of a series of 8 films on the Old Testament for international television. Also including Abraham with Richard Harris, Moses, also starring Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, *Samson and Delilah, Jacob, Solomon, and David. - Running Mates, a political comedy drama starring Tom SelleckTom SelleckThomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
, Faye DunawayFaye DunawayFaye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
, and Terry Hatcher. - Georgetown, a dramatic series for CBS starring Helen MirrenHelen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
He also produced an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning documentary series Decisions That Shook the World, about important controversial decisions made by American presidents that defined their character and affected the course of history.
Television work
According to NamebaseNameBase
NameBase is a web-based cross-indexed database of names that focuses on individuals involved in the international intelligence community, U.S. foreign policy, crime, and business...
, Gerald Rafshoon is mentioned in the following books:
- Greider's Secrets of the Temple 1989 (47)
- Hertsgaard's On Bended Knee 1988 (23, 38-9)
- Jones's The Politics of Money 1991 (215)
- Kilian & Sawislak's Who Runs Washington? 1982 (56)
External links
- Mr. Rafshoon's White House Exit Interview conducted by David Alsobrook of the Presidential Papers Staff.