As an eighth grader, Dave Orman was asked to begin covering high school football games for his small town’s local newspaper. He still cherishes that first clipping, one and three-quarter inches of copy that – at 10 cents an inch – earned him 17 cents, or enough at the time to buy three packs of baseball cards.
While Dave wishes he still had some of those baseball cards, he has been writing ever since – not only during his ARCO days, but more recently for other corporations, glossy magazines, major consulting organizations, and law firms. With versatile experience, a distinct style and the sensitivity to deal with all levels of management, he’s ready and waiting to support any communication project you have in mind.
Consider that experience in reviewing the leads (journalists refer to them as “ledes”) from the following examples of Dave’s work.
Sutton’s Place
For PGA Tour veteran Hal Sutton, life has always been about balance. Throughout most of the last 25 years, that meant maintaining the proper balance in his golf swing. He obviously did a good job of it, playing well enough to earn a spot among the top 35 golfers in career winnings. Lately, however, Sutton has been teeing it up a little higher, focusing on a broader view of balance.
Sommer Time
Elke Sommer, the German-born beauty who burst upon the Hollywood scene in 1963, has always considered herself a painter who acts – rather than an actress who paints.
Anchor Man
It’s Monday night in November and, yes indeed, Rob Fukuzaki is ready for some football. He has, in fact, spent most of his 39 years getting ready for football and any other sporting event that comes his way. Tonight, the weekday sports anchor for KABC-TV in Los Angeles will put that preparation to work at the host of a live postgame telecast from Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California.
Beautiful Music, Maestro
Henry Segerstrom enjoys a front-row seat. He’s had one for nearly six decades now, providing an enviable perspective on the growth of Orange County, that treasured chunk of Southern California landscape wedged between Los Angeles to the north and San Diego to the South.
Actually, he’s done much more than just sit around and watch. Under his stewardship, C.J. Segerstrom & Son – which dates back to 1898 when his grandfather Charles John Segerstrom came to Orange County to farm 20 acres of leased land – has emerged as a key player in the region’s development. The jewel of the family business, South Coast Plaza, is today recognized as one of the world’s most successful luxury retail centers.
Marathon Man
Karl Schulze, a veteran of nearly 70 marathons throughout the United State and Europe, had just returned from lunch. So what did you have, Karl – a lean hamburger patty, some cottage cheese, maybe a whole-wheat cracker or two? “I try to eat as healthy as possible,” he explains…. “But every once in a while, especially after a marathon, I will send the rest of the day pigging out.”
A Cup of Joe
What happens in Vegas, we’re told, stays in Vegas. But Joe LaGumina, a partner in the Original Las Vegas Coffee Co., is happy to see a lot of its coffee heading out of town.
Davis Cups
On the surface, Gordon Davis is a good tennis player. Make that on any surface – indoor, hard court, clay and grass. Given that the 70-year-old Davis won U.S. senior championships for his age group in 2005 on all four surfaces, you’d have to say he is a great tennis player.
Super Bole
Cliff Bole told William Shatner what to do and where to go. Same for Farrah Fawcett, Pamela Anderson, and Ricardo Montalban – not to mention hundreds of others. That’s what TV directors do, and Cliff Bole ranks among the best.
Foodie
Let’s hear it for high school guidance counselors. Or at least the one in Wilmington, Delaware, who gave a young Tom Douglas some aptitude tests, listed to him talk about how much he loved food, and in so many words wishes him “bon appétit!” That was more than 30 years ago…before he settled – with his passion for food still intact – in Seattle.
So why Seattle? Was it because of the Puget Sound, teeming with salmon, oysters, mussels and more? The broad Yakima Valley to the east, with its abundant sun-sweetened, rain-blessed produce? The call of the pioneer spirit that still marks much of the town? “Nope,” says Douglas. He agrees they are all good reasons, but then quickly explains, “that’s where I ran out of gas.”
Law Firm Holiday Card
At Berman, Berman, Berman, Schneider & Lowary LLP, we’ve drawn on a wide range of sources as inspiration for our traditional holiday greeting. Over the years, they’ve included Lennon & McCartney, Dr. Seuss, and John Wooden. So it’s not surprising this year that we’re back to basketball (and a touch of Hollywood) with this summary of recent inspirational comments from Denzel Washington to the Los Angeles Lakers:
“Be good to people. Be thankful for what you have. Start every day being humble and grateful for the lives you live. And use the blessings you have to help other people.”
They’re powerful words to live by – and words we’re pleased to pass along at a time when so may people are in need of help.