William Mapother

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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Screams

Posted on: June 3rd, 2015 by wmapother No Comments

Actors: If you haven’t yet lost a role b/c you were too right for it, your day will come. Pity the lemur.

You can thank cartoonist Charlie Hankin for this. It appeared in The New Yorker, to which I am absurdly devoted.  It’s available framed via their online store.

i-m-sorry-we-don-t-want-a-ring-tailed-lemur-we-want-a-ring-tailed-lemur-new-yorker-cartoon

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Funny Like Ha-Ha, NYC

Notre Dame video interview

Posted on: May 14th, 2015 by wmapother No Comments

If you enjoy watching actors talk about themselves, here’s something for you: Notre Dame alum assnI was one of several Notre Dame graduates interviewed by the alumni association for a highlight on the entertainment industry.

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Film, Interviews and Q&A's, News & Events, Notre Dame, Press, Video (Online & Home)

Emotion-Reading Computers

Posted on: February 4th, 2015 by wmapother No Comments

Soon, your phone will soon read your emotions better than your partner does. Computers are developing the ability to read human emotions better than humans can.  The conequences are enormous.  It’s all in a great, scary New Yorker piecenew yorker cover, 2.2.15.

Posted in NYC, Random, Tech

Video – Casting Catch-22’s

Posted on: October 22nd, 2014 by wmapother No Comments

Longtime readers know I’m a proud co-founder of Slated, an online film finance marketplace.  We connect investors and indie filmmakers, and we’ve also built the first industry-only social network, with over 17,000 users.  For more information, check out slated, and our FAQs on the Slated site.

Every month Slated hosts a Filmonomics panel at the Los Angeles SoHo House.  The most recent panel was on the Catch-22’s of casting, and the panelists were myself, Peter Facinelli (“Twilight,” “Nurse Jackie”), and Jon Gries (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “The Bridge”).

Check out the Filmonomics video that includes parts of our panel.  The Slated CEO, Stephan Paternot, hosts weekly Filmonomics videos.  You can  see and subscribe to all the Filmonomics videos.

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Film, In Person (or, like, Live), Interviews and Q&A's, Los Angeles, News & Events, Slated, Tech

Muhammed Ali Humanitarian Awards

Posted on: September 1st, 2014 by wmapother No Comments

I’d venture that I probably don’t share many things in common with Muhammed Ali (link provided for those of you from Mars), but one thing we do share is a hometown—Louisville, Kentucky.

m ali

Among things  we don’t share: He has an award-winning museum and multicultural center there; I don’t.

Every year his Center there hosts the ceremony for the Muhammed Ali Humanitarian Awards.  The Center’s website describes them far better than I can: “The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards celebrate the greatness of people from around the world who are making differences in their communities and beyond. In addition to awards given to seasoned humanitarians, six young people are honored with an award for each of Muhammad’s Six Core Principles: Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality.”

Recipients of the 2014 awards include six winners under the age of 30, and Jim Brown, Mick Ebeling of EyewriterSusan Sarandon, and others.

I have been given the great honor to present one of the awards at this year’s ceremony, on September 27.  Louisville’s newspaper, The Courier-Journal, ran the following piece on the awards.  (I’ve pasted and preserved it below because the paper’s content expires after a while..).

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Ali Humanitarian Awards recipients named

The annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards are given to inspire people to continue to do great things in their community and globally.

This year’s recipients were announced Thursday and include Cleveland Browns running back and Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement award for his dedication to civil rights. The Global Citizenship award will go to actress Susan Sarandon, whose many charitable works have included ambassador for UNICEF, the Amazon Conservation Team.

The Humanitarian of the Year Award will be given to Mick Ebeling, creator of Eyewriter, a low-cost device that enables individuals with paralysis to communicate with the movement of their eyes. Hip-hop artist Common will get the Humanitarian Award for Education for his work with disadvantaged youth in urban communities.

Other honors include a Kentucky Humanitarian Award, which will be given to Robert and Deborah Blair, founders of the West End School. There are also six young winners under the age of 30: Jessica Matthews of New York, Mario Andres Hurtado Cordazo of Colombia, Kennedy Odede of Kenya, Talia Leman of Iowa, Sejal Hathi of California and Mastura Rashid of Malaysia.

All recipients have been chosen because of their significant dedication to improving their communities and the world.

The awards will be presented Sept. 27, 7 to 11 p.m., at the Louisville Marriott Downtown, 280 W. Jefferson St.

Individual tickets are $1,000 and include the awards event plus a premium ticket to a special concert, featuring Bruno Mars and opening act The Temptations Review and Southern Sirens on Sept. 20 at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Check the Ali Center’s website for more information and tickets: alicenter.org/awards.

Matt Lauer, host of NBC’s “Today,” will serve as host for the awards ceremony. Other presenters include Lonnie AliBrad Montague and Robby NovakHolly Robinson-PeeteFather George KilcourseWilliam MapotherPearse LyonsDonald LassereU.S. Rep. John Yarmuth and Pamela Brown.

Muhammad Ali and his wife, Lonnie, plan to attend.

Posted in Charitable Causes, In Person (or, like, Live), Louisville & KY, Press