A standing-room only audience was treated to a lecture on Oct. 4 by David Kirkpatrick, former President of the Motion Picture Group of Paramount Pictures as well as President of Production of both Walt Disney and Touchstone Pictures.

Kirkpatrick began his lecture, entitled “Our Magic Kingdom and the Five Artists Who Shaped It,” with an impressive montage of some of the films he has been involved with over his career including Forrest Gump, Pretty Woman as well as the franchises of Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Beverly Hills Cop among others.

“Magic is interesting because it can change your universe,” said Kirkpatrick, who has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe award as a producer, the latter of which he brought to pass around to the audience.

Kirkpatrick went on to discuss artists such as J. M. Barrie, J.K. Rowling, Lew Wallace, Jerry Siegel and George Lucas and how the group used magic to tell their stories and shape popular culture.

When his lecture ended, Kirkpatrick answered questions for the audience of Flagler students, faculty and staff and offered advice in the realms of acting, writing, directing and animation.

But his most interesting piece of advice breached an entirely different art form.

“Write a letter,” Kirkpatrick told the audience. “If you’re interested in working with someone, write them a letter. It’s a dying art and a wonderful way to get noticed.”

Kirkpatrick’s lecture in the Gamache-Koger auditorium in the Ringhaver Student Center was presented by the entertainment industry learning community of Flagler College.

Source: Flagler College