Occupation: I have been part-owner and executive producer of Stone House Productions in South Norwalk for ten years. It's a media production company. Right now we're working on a new series for The Food Network called Ham On The Street. It's fo
Occupation: I have been part-owner and executive producer of Stone House Productions in South Norwalk for ten years. Itâs a media production company. Right now weâre working on a new series for The Food Network called Ham On The Street. Itâs food meets comedy. Weâre working with a chef, George Duran and itâs kind of a wacky show. Like we show up at a diner and ask them to cook an ostrich egg. Weâve done a couple other productions for The Food Network: Food 911 and Cooking Thin. We also have produced shows for the Discovery Channel and we do educational video production of Schlessinger Media, a division of the Library Video Company.
Family: My wife, Joan Velush, my daughters Alex, who is 21 and Zoe, 17. Our son Noah is 8 years old.
Pets: We have a cat and a dog. The dog is Charlotte; sheâs a mutt. And the cat is Fern.
How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been here 13 years this month. We moved in December 23 and we had the biggest Christmas ever, we had so many boxes to open.
What do you do in your free time? I donât have a lot of free time, but most of the time when I do, I putter around the house. I like to build things for our house, like bookcases and cabinets. I made our dining room table and hutch. It seems like Iâm on the ladder every weekend.
Who is your favorite movie director? Iâve got a couple and theyâre not similar. I love Frank Capra movies. I love his fast-paced, sentimental storytelling. I also love Fellini, who is kind of the opposite end of the spectrum.
What is your favorite travel destination? We used to go to Chincoteague, Va., quite a bit. We liked that itâs a kind of no cellphone, no television sort of place. Itâs real quiet, a simple place.
What is the best thing about Newtown? That for as big as it is, it still feels like a small town. If you go to the store, youâre not surprised to run into somebody you know. It has a small town feel.
Do you carry anything interesting in your pocket? I have the same things all the time: back right, I keep a handkerchief, back left is my wallet. The right front I keep keys and change. In the front left is a black pen, a red pen, my cellphone, and a pen knife.
What is your personal philosophy? I believe in treating everybody with respect. Sort of like equally, even kids. People tend to treat kids as second-class citizens and I remember as a kid that I never liked that, so I try to treat everyone equally, with respect.
What is the most important lesson you have ever learned? My dad told me that you should try to do something in your life that you enjoy. You spend so much time in your life going to work. And youâll probably be more successful if you really find something satisfying to you.