User talk:Jeff Kurtti

Welcome
Hello Jeff Kurtti and welcome to Wikipedia! We appreciate encyclopedic contributions, but some of your contributions, such as the ones to Thomas Schumacher, do not conform to our policies. For more information on this, see Wikipedia's policies on vandalism and limits on acceptable additions. If you'd like to experiment with the wiki's syntax, please do so in the sandbox (but beware that the contents of the sandbox are deleted frequently) rather than in articles.

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I hope you enjoy editing and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes ; this will automatically produce your name and the date. Feel free to write a note on the bottom of my talk page if you want to get in touch with me. Again, welcome! Drmies (talk) 15:19, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

Managing a conflict of interest
Hello, Jeff Kurtti. We welcome your contributions, but if you have an external relationship with the people, places or things you have written about in the page Thomas Schumacher, you may have a conflict of interest (COI). Editors with a conflict of interest may be unduly influenced by their connection to the topic. See the conflict of interest guideline and FAQ for organizations for more information. We ask that you:


 * avoid editing or creating articles about yourself, your family, friends, colleagues, company, organization or competitors;
 * propose changes on the talk pages of affected articles (you can use the request edit template);
 * disclose your conflict of interest when discussing affected articles (see Conflict of interest);
 * avoid linking to your organization's website in other articles (see WP:Spam);
 * do your best to comply with Wikipedia's content policies.

In addition, you are required by the Wikimedia Foundation's terms of use to disclose your employer, client, and affiliation with respect to any contribution which forms all or part of work for which you receive, or expect to receive, compensation. See Paid-contribution disclosure.

Also, editing for the purpose of advertising, publicising, or promoting anyone or anything is not permitted. Thank you. Drmies (talk) 15:21, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

If you revert again, removing verified content or reinstating promotional material, I will block you. You may discuss your gripes on the article talk page. Drmies (talk) 15:22, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

October 2020
You have been blocked indefinitely from editing because it appears that you are not here to build an encyclopedia. If you think there are good reasons for being unblocked, please read the guide to appealing blocks, then add the following text below the block notice on your talk page:. Drmies (talk) 15:25, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

I warned you. And I see what you did on Tony Anselmo: the same thing. Drmies (talk) 15:27, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

First thing first, Jeff: if you have a conflict of interest, you need to declare that. Our policy on COI and how to make that clear to other editors is here, WP:COIDECLARE. Then, your edits were unencyclopedic and unverified: they were chatty and included, for instance, too much of the subjects' words--that is not what we do. But most of all, they lacked proper secondary verification--see WP:V and WP:RS. If you wish to be unblocked, read the COI policy and act accordingly, and read over our general policies and guidelines for verification and reliability of secondary sources. Then, write up an unblock request following the format indicated above, and address the reason for the block and how you will edit in agreement with our rules. Thanks you, Drmies (talk) 16:50, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

I am inexperienced and rather clumsy within this medium, it's clear to see. I'd like to cite any potential COI and add the below to my User Page but am unsure how to do it properly? Guidance appreciated.

I, Jeff Kurtti, have a longtime affiliation with The Walt Disney Company, the family of Walt Disney himself, and many of the individual talents involved in and employed by The Walt Disney Company over the past 100 years.

I have written more than 35 books on subjects within that area, from "making of" and "art of" to behind the scenes of theme parks to memoir and biography. I have created hours of documentary material for various media on these subjects.

I will not make any edits that will not be beneficial to the Wikipedia Community. My main edits for Disney subjects and individuals will relate to biographical or backgrounding information, supporting information, or request for removal of inaccurate, false, or misleading information.

I will modify my editing behavior based upon problems cited by other editors, or if my editing is found in conflict with other Wikipedia guidelines. I ask that other editors do not hesitate to contact me, via my user talk page, if I appear to be going against this declaration.

It is helpful to have citation of specific elements that are seen as a COI or violation, so I may address them without undermining the overall entry.

My apologies in advance for any frustrations others have or shortcomings based on my inexperience. Jeff Kurtti (talk) 18:34, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

Requested edit
Thomas Caswell Schumacher (born December 5, 1957) is an American film executive, theatrical producer, and author, notable for his association with many successful animated motion picture features and stage musicals. Early years

Schumacher was born in Glendale, California at Glendale Memorial Hospital, and until the age of 10, he lived in La Crescenta, CA, where he attended Valley View Elementary School. In June of 1968, Schumacher’s family moved to San Mateo, CA, where he attended Meadow Heights Elementary School in grades five and six, and his general interest in the arts expanded as he began to perform in school plays, study the saxophone, and explore the theatre.

During that time he saw his first two professional plays, experiences that would define and influence him for the rest of his life. First was Jack O’Brien’s production of "You Can’t Take It With You" at ACT (Schumacher later became a friend and colleague of O’Brien). The second influential production was "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," directed by Peter Brook (Schumacher would later work with Brook on the 1987 production of The Mahabharata). For his 16th birthday, Schumacher’s parents gave him season tickets to ACT.

Education

Upon entry to Abbott Junior High School in 1970, Schumacher aspired to be in school plays. Approached by the local recreation center to help start a youth group, Schumacher began doing volunteer work there, performing in plays, doing “tech” work, and involvement in the children’s theatre program.

After graduating from Abbott in 1972, Schumacher attended Hillsdale High School, where he became involved in a community theatre program hosted by the high school.

This experience led to Schumacher’s enrollment in dance classes at Dance Art Center, at the same time, Schumacher was doing Community Theatre Productions with San Mateo Community Theatre, including “Oliver!”, “Hello, Dolly!” (as Barnaby), and “Much Ado About Nothing.” He also directed “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and was associate director of “No, No, Nanette,” and “Gypsy.”

He graduated and was commencement speaker from Hillsdale High School in 1976, and went directly to UCLA with an undeclared major as a UCLA Alumni Scholar. Schumacher petitioned to be a Theatre Major, and although he was not in the major, took all of the theatre classes, and became a Theatre Major just months before graduation in June of 1980.

Theatre Career

A puppet production of “Antigone” at UCLA led Schumacher to a role with Tony Urbano Marionettes, for whom he worked for 18 months as a puppeteer on tour to fairs, festivals, and malls. In the summer of 1979, he was cast at Summer Repertory Theatre in Santa Rosa, playing the title role in "Pippin," Corporal Hamilton Steves in "South Pacific," and Renfield in "Dracula." Schumacher lost interest in performing and returned to UCLA, and with the guidance of his professor John Cauble, Schumacher began a quest to become a Producer.

In the Fall of 1980 Schumacher was hired at Mark Taper Forum as a driver for Joseph Chaikin of The Open Theatre, who was appearing at the Taper Lab in a one man show, after which Schumacher was hired as a main stage PA at the Taper.

In 1982, a role as Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Ballet led to Schumacher meeting his husband, Matthew White; Schumacher returned to the Taper where he ultimately worked on more than 25 productions for the Taper Mainstage, Taper Too, and the Taper's literary cabaret. Additionally, he produced three original productions with Peter Brosius for the Improvisational Theater Project, the theater's touring program for young audiences.

Olympic Arts Festival

His involvement in prominent Los Angeles theatre led to Schumacher’s role as a Line Producer for the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival. A 10-week-long adjunct to the Los Angeles Olympic Games, the cultural festival opened on June 2 and ended on August 12. It provided more than 400 performances by 145 theater, dance and music companies, representing every continent and 18 countries. .

Los Angeles Festival

After the completion of the Olympics in 1984, Schumacher returned to the Mark Taper Forum, but was soon tapped as the associate director of the 1987 Los Angeles Festival of Arts, intended as a biannual continuation of the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival. In this role, Schumacher developed the programming and participant rosters of the festival, and was fundamental in presenting the American premiere of Cirque du Soleil and the English-language premiere of Peter Brook's The Mahabharata. .

Disney Animation

In 1988, Schumacher was recruited by his friend and colleague Peter Schneider, who had been brought into the Disney company by Roy E. Disney to revive the faltering Animation division. Schumacher’s first assignment was as producer of the animated feature "The Rescuers Down Under," which was released in 1990. In December of 1991, he was made Vice President, Feature Animation, Development; the following year, Senior Vice President, Walt Disney Feature Animation, then Executive Vice President, Walt Disney Feature Animation in October of 1995. In January of 1999, Schumacher was named President, Walt Disney Feature Animation. During his Animation career Schumacher oversaw some 21 animated features, and worked closely with Pixar on their first five films. He left Disney Animation in 2002 to focus solely on Disney’s robust and growing theatrical production entity.

Disney Theatrical Group

As President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Group, Schumacher oversees the development, creation and execution of Disney’s legitimate stage entertainment around the globe, including Broadway, touring and licensed productions, as well as Disney on Ice and Disney Live! shows produced in partnership with Feld Entertainment.

Disney Theatrical Group had begun in 1994 with the production and Broadway debut of Beauty and the Beast. With that proof of success and potential for an ongoing theatrical business, then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner ceded leadership of Disney Theatrical Productions to theatre-rooted Disney Animation president Peter Schneider and Schumacher.

In May 1997, The Walt Disney Company completed restoration of the historic New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street. To celebrate the reopening of the theatre, Schumacher and Schneider presented the world premiere concert of Alan Menken & Tim Rice's King David. Schneider and Schumacher produced the world premiere of the Broadway musical “The Lion King,” which garnered six 1998 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

On April 2, 1998, Schumacher was officially named Executive Vice President, Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, concurrent with his ongoing role as Executive Vice President at Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Schneider was promoted to Walt Disney Studios president in January 1999, while Schumacher was promoted to president of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Disney Theatrical, while both were made co-presidents of Disney Theatrical. When Schneider left Disney in June 2001 to form his own theater production company, Schumacher became only president of Disney Theatrical Group and head of its divisions.

In 2004 Schumacher and Freddie Gershon developed a licensing program with Music Theatre International (MTI) to make select Disney theatrical titles available for performance in schools and amateur theatres throughout the world.

On February 21, 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that Schumacher was the subject of an internal investigation at Disney into inappropriate behavior, with eyewitness accounts detailing aggressive sexual language and intimidation.

Other works

Other projects involving Schumacher include serving as executive producer on the in-cinema Fathom Events release of "Newsies," the live-action film version of "Beauty and the Beast," the CGI remake of "The Lion King," and the Disney Channel Original Movie adaptation of "Freaky Friday."

Author

Schumacher is the author of the book "How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater," which uses examples from Disney shows to explain the jobs done by the creatives, cast, and crew for every aspect of a theatrical show. Initially published in 2007, a revised and updated second edition was released the following year. A new third edition was published in 2019.

Personal life

Son of Thomas Schumacher Jr. (1927-2016) and Mary Pedrotti Schumacher (1928-1997).

Schumacher has two sisters, Margaret Schumacher (b. 1955) and Katherine Schumacher (b. 1953).

In November 2012, Schumacher married his longtime partner, interior designer Matthew White.

I have revised and removed what I thought to be the problematic promotional language and quotes from the subject himself. I hope the revision is benign and informational.

Can the sections labeled "Animation filmography," "Theatrical works," "Regional/touring productions," "Awards and honors," and "Service" remain intact as I wrote them?

I appreciate your assistance and insight. Jeff Kurtti (talk) 00:45, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi, there appear to be too many unsourced paragraphs in there, it's best to cite reliable sources for each piece of information. I would recommend waiting until you're unblocked to make another edit request, it can take a few days for an administrator to review an unblock request. – Thjarkur (talk) 15:33, 14 October 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. Jeff Kurtti (talk) 15:39, 14 October 2020 (UTC)