Ken Goldstein
Encyclopedia
Ken Goldstein, also known as Kene G, born June 1969, is an American
film and television writer, producer and director. He is the Co-Founder of Planet illogica and the author of the book series, The Way of the Nerd . Ken is an active speaker at conferences and festivals, universities and private and public institutions. He has been a featured and Keynote speaker in Brazil, Australia, France and Germany .
, Sixteen Candles
and Breakfast Club). Goldstein can be briefly seen in the film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
and Sixteen Candles
, as all of the classic Hughes' films were shot during the years he attended Glenbrook North High School and utilized students as featured extras. A chance encounter with John Hughes in 1987, during which Ken and John performed the song, "Good Love", in front of a gymnasium filled with students, foreshadowed his employment as Hughes' personal and creative assistant during the pre-production of Home Alone 2 and throughout the production of the film.
As a teen he attended the London School of Dramatic Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago
before graduating from Syracuse University
in 1990.
He is the grandson of Cecilia Dubin, the Russian concert pianist.
in the early 1990s, and a television news commentator and field reporter for FOX News
and NBC
, including the on-air host of Too Much Information, a television news magazine for Fox News in Chicago. He also wrote, directed and produced television for A&E Network
, The History Channel, BET
, TF-1, BBC
, PBS
, Fox Broadcasting Company
and NBC
. Goldstein co-produced, directed and edited the several documentary specials including The Angel of Bergen-Belsen and "Copycat Crimes", which were released by A&E Network
, and received an Emmy from the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his production of the children’s television program There’s No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein, in 1995.
In 2011, he became the Bureau Chief for Wizard Magazine's, "Games, Girls, Gadgets and Gear" and Wizard World Comic Cons. His column, "State of the Game", appears weekly in the Wizard World magazine. On April 29 he celebrated the launch of the speaking tour for his book, "The Way of the Nerd: Practical Advice for Impractical People," at the 2011 Anaheim Comic Con
to form Planet illogica, an agency and an online creative community for artists and art organizations. The site launched in beta July 2009 with the help of the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab
. Ken is currently the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and oversees all marketing, promotion and branding efforts.
Examples of Planet illogica’s marketing support of its artists in residence include their South by Southwest
art exhibit of American contemporary artist Ron English’s Historic KISS
art and other music-related prints, its online sale and promotion of custom limited edition apparel from English’s Popaganda collection, the brokering of Ron English art into the video game, inFamous
on the PS3 and co-Producing Ron's 2010 retrospect, Status Factory.
Another recent project includes Infiltrate, an art installation touring the University of Utah, George Washington University, and the University of Florida, among other campuses., that Planet illogica produced for Disney Nature and Participant Media, as an educational and promotional vehicle for the film, Oceans.
Planet illogica also develops and produces multi-media projects including movies, television shows, books and albums. Recent projects include, "First and Grand", the first classical organ record ever recorded at the Walt Disney Concern Hall in Los Angeles, Climate Refugees documentary film and the book, History of Los Angeles Graffiti Volume 2
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television writer, producer and director. He is the Co-Founder of Planet illogica and the author of the book series, The Way of the Nerd . Ken is an active speaker at conferences and festivals, universities and private and public institutions. He has been a featured and Keynote speaker in Brazil, Australia, France and Germany .
Background
Goldstein grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, the town formally called, Shermerville, Illinois, which is the setting for several of the classic films of the late director, John Hughes, who attended Northbrook's, Glenbrook North High School (formerly, Shermeville High (the name and setting of the town and High School in Ferris Bueller's Day OffFerris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...
, Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
and Breakfast Club). Goldstein can be briefly seen in the film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...
and Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
, as all of the classic Hughes' films were shot during the years he attended Glenbrook North High School and utilized students as featured extras. A chance encounter with John Hughes in 1987, during which Ken and John performed the song, "Good Love", in front of a gymnasium filled with students, foreshadowed his employment as Hughes' personal and creative assistant during the pre-production of Home Alone 2 and throughout the production of the film.
As a teen he attended the London School of Dramatic Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
before graduating from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1990.
He is the grandson of Cecilia Dubin, the Russian concert pianist.
Media career
He was a photojournalist for the New York New Times in the late 1980s, a writer for the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
in the early 1990s, and a television news commentator and field reporter for FOX News
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, including the on-air host of Too Much Information, a television news magazine for Fox News in Chicago. He also wrote, directed and produced television for A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, The History Channel, BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
, TF-1, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Goldstein co-produced, directed and edited the several documentary specials including The Angel of Bergen-Belsen and "Copycat Crimes", which were released by A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, and received an Emmy from the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his production of the children’s television program There’s No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein, in 1995.
In 2011, he became the Bureau Chief for Wizard Magazine's, "Games, Girls, Gadgets and Gear" and Wizard World Comic Cons. His column, "State of the Game", appears weekly in the Wizard World magazine. On April 29 he celebrated the launch of the speaking tour for his book, "The Way of the Nerd: Practical Advice for Impractical People," at the 2011 Anaheim Comic Con
Planet illogica
Ken Goldstein partnered with Tonny SorensenTonny Sorensen
Tonny Sorensen born is a Danish entrepreneur and creative director best known for his successful commercialization of the iconic California Kustom Kulture brand Von Dutch Originals. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Planet illogica, an online creative community for...
to form Planet illogica, an agency and an online creative community for artists and art organizations. The site launched in beta July 2009 with the help of the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
. Ken is currently the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and oversees all marketing, promotion and branding efforts.
Examples of Planet illogica’s marketing support of its artists in residence include their South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
art exhibit of American contemporary artist Ron English’s Historic KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
art and other music-related prints, its online sale and promotion of custom limited edition apparel from English’s Popaganda collection, the brokering of Ron English art into the video game, inFamous
InFamous
Infamous, stylized as inFAMOUS or inFamous, is an open world video game for the PlayStation 3 video game console. It was developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...
on the PS3 and co-Producing Ron's 2010 retrospect, Status Factory.
Another recent project includes Infiltrate, an art installation touring the University of Utah, George Washington University, and the University of Florida, among other campuses., that Planet illogica produced for Disney Nature and Participant Media, as an educational and promotional vehicle for the film, Oceans.
Planet illogica also develops and produces multi-media projects including movies, television shows, books and albums. Recent projects include, "First and Grand", the first classical organ record ever recorded at the Walt Disney Concern Hall in Los Angeles, Climate Refugees documentary film and the book, History of Los Angeles Graffiti Volume 2