Lights, camera and glamor

RORY RICHARDS

In his 25-year career as a special events producer, Richard Lowy has won 13 international awards for excellence in his field. He has won the CITE Award (the international special events equivalent to the Oscars) five times in a row.

When Lowy produces his signature corporate incentive programs for clients such as the Hartford, Washington Mutual and Boston Pizza, he hires the likes of Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Van Morrison to perform. So why haven't you been invited? Well, with budgets in the $5 million-plus range, it's rare for a city like Vancouver to host events of this calibre (we'll have to wait for 2010). Lowy produces these iconic fêtes in major American cities or luxury resorts in the Caribbean.

I chatted with my friend (and mentor) about some of the highlights of his career so far, as well as his desire to make a theatrical film of his father's experience in Auschwitz as a Mengele twin.

Name: Richard Lowy.

Hebrew Name: Moshe Pinchas Levy.

My mother was born in: Winnipeg.

My father was born in: Beregova, Czechoslovakia.

Ethnic background: Ashkenazi.

Occupation: Creative director and executive producer.

Of what? Corporate Event Production.

Age: 48.

Kinder? Nope.

Marital status? Single.

You have never been married? No.

So you're single and 48 and never been married? I thought this was a business interview!

Pen and paper or Blackberry? Blackberry.

How many voicemails a day do you get? 10.

How many e-mails a day do you get? 50.

What book are you reading right now? The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.

Most famous person you've met? Van Morrison.

What's been the most memorable moment or peak in your career so far? Standing on the stage with my father after I made his film, Leo's Journey. Or winning the award for most outstanding incentive event in the world (five times in a row).

What new business initiatives are you working on? Making another film – the dramatic version of my father's story as a Mengele twin.

Describe the theory you use in business in a sentence: Creating events that evoke an emotional reaction.

Who would you want to have dinner with (dead or alive/Jewish or not)? Stephen Spielberg, Mark Twain, George Lucas, my father, John Lennon.

Do you do any volunteer work? Yes, B.C. Children's Hospital. I'm planning an educative forum and mentoring a young girl.

Favorite charity? Holocaust Education Society.

Ever been to Israel? Yes, in 1979.

Is it time to go back? Yes, it is.

Last time you were in shul? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I actually came home early to be there with my mother.

Where do you hang your kippah? Schara Tzedeck.

What do you think of the rabbi? Rabbi Baumol?

Richard, Rabbi Baumol hasn't been there in five years. Oh, yes. Of course – the new guy. I like him. He's OK. He didn't exactly inspire me but he's putting together some good kids' programming and building the community. I've seen a change in the growth of the shul, so he must be doing something right.

What role does Judaism play in your life? It's my value system. It's how I look at life.

Can you give me an example? How I treat people, how I expect to be treated. All the lessons I was taught within the context of Judaism have made a tremendous impact on me.

What makes you most proud to be Jewish? My people, my heritage, everything. How we embrace and cherish life. There is a certain wisdom.

What was your first job? Paper boy, Vancouver Sun.

Dream client? Boston Pizza.

But they are already your client. I know, and they're a dream. I love working with them.

What profession other than your own would like to attempt? Filmmaker.

My Hebrew is: bad.

As (ahem) a 48-year-old Jewish man living in Vancouver, what do you think is the biggest problem facing the Jewish community? There is not enough of a social environment. People have tried, but we don't have the critical mass needed.

What about the biggest problem facing the Jewish people? Intermarriage, for sure.

Would you marry a non-Jewish woman? I'd consider it, but it's against my value system. If I have to decide to be alone or to marry a non-Jewish women, then yes, but it's not my preference.

Best event you've been to? In New York – I was invited by Peter Jennings, it was to honor fallen journalists. All of the elite of international media – Walter Cronkite, Ted Turner. It was incredible. I was fascinated.

Who has been a business mentor to you? Bruce Allen and Stephen Spielberg.

Favorite website? www.brandedexperiences.com.

Rory Richards is a partner in Richards and Chan, a Vancouver PR and event planning company.

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