Feldman's Faves: June 23, 2025

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

It’s good to be back home. When I left the NBA Playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals were just starting and now they are over.  They really do grow up so fast….

I just want to say WOW and congratulate both Heather and Alex on their respective years of service here at Goodmans. It is smart, hardworking and wonderful people like you that make up fabric of our firm. Thank you for everything that you do.

HUGE week for our section - please join me in wishing each of Emily, Julian , Mike  and Maddie a very happy birthday week.

Finally, I hope everyone is looking forward to our upcoming extended long weekend. I think we all need it.   

This week’s theme is good stories and good story telling.

THE FIRST GENTLEMAN – By Bill Clinton and James Patterson – I have always enjoyed (as a summer read) the collaborations between Bill Clinton (who knows who Washington works) and James Patterson (who knows how to write a political thriller). The First Gentleman, their latest project, is another fun one, which I suspect may have been written in anticipation of someone else being in the White House today (but not having spoken with Bill about it, I can’t confirm this to be true). In any event, we get a very interesting glimpse into the life of the “first spouse” and how crazy that life is. Add a splash of mystery and spiciness and you get this thrilling story. As one reviewer notes, “First and foremost, a large thank you to Net Galley, James Patterson, Bill Clinton, and Little, Brown and Company for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Always excited to get my hands on a James Patterson collaboration, I am especially eager when former US President Bill Clinton serves as co-author. These two have worked well together in the past, penning strong thrillers that I have found highly enjoyable. Once again, a solid piece pushes things along and provides a great read,. The First Gentleman is charged with murder while his wife, President of the United States, is trying to run for re-election. A mix of politics, police procedural, and crime thriller, Patterson and Clinton keep the reader enthralled with this story. As sitting US President Madeline Wright prepares for re-election, she has a problem. She’s got a major situation in California that could ruin her chances, forcing POTUS to juggle and call in some favours, at least until she wins once again in November. She has the dedication, and as long as nothing else stands in her way, she is a shoo-in to keep the Oval Office. That is, until her husband is the prime suspect in a murder from seventeen years ago.  Two stunning investigative journalists dig up a story while they are writing about the First Gentleman, connected to a missing cheerleader when Cole Wright was a professional football player. He denies having anything to do with it, but people are talking and the puzzle pieces are coming together with alarming speed. A buried body, with evidence next to the supposed grave, camera footage from a store in the area, and a rule about dating that could have ended Cole’s career. All the evidence piles up and soon he’s being arrested and dragged into court to face charges. While the case unfolds in open court, POTUS tries to stay calm and support her husband. Her election might be in some doubt now, but family has to come first, right? Struggling to make sense of the charges levied against him, Cole Wright will have to fight like never before if he wants to see the light of day and ensure he does not tank his wife’s future as well. A gripping story that flows well from a strong collaborative team! I  love a good crime thriller, especially when we can add politics to the mix. Patterson and Clinton work through a number of great elements with this piece, keeping the narrative moving well as the story progresses. Set throughout various time periods and through the eyes of a few narrators, the authors push the story through revelations, evidence gathering, and courtroom antics, all in an effort to keep the reader hooked. Using Patterson’s signature short chapters, the story moves along at lightning speed and never lets up. Great character development provides much entertainment for the reader who can never quite catch their breath. Plot points emerge and develop with ease as the surprises keep coming, which accentuates the police procedural and courtroom antics even more. I cannot wait to see what these two will work on next or how long I will have to wait for another strong collaborative piece.” The First Gentleman was a little predictable and will not be winning any literary awards any time soon, but it is a good beach read for the summer. Here’s a good review from CBS News - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-clinton-and-james-patterson-on-their-new-thriller-the-first-gentleman/

Masters of Scale - Why great storytellers thrive in business, with Trilith Studios CEO Frank Patterson – The latest “thing to be” is a storyteller. Everyone wants to be one and many think they are one. But in the words of Steve Martin to John Candy in Plains, Trains and Automobiles – “when you tell a story, have a point…..it makes it that much more interesting for the listener….”   Being a great storyteller is a super power in our business for sure but in every facet of life. In this PODCAST we learn about how studio executive Frank Patterson uses this power to create some incredible content and a spectacular business. Here’s an  excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Trilith Studios CEO Frank Patterson joined host Jeff Berman on stage at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta as part of our Masters of Scale live tour in May. Patterson shares insights for thriving as a creative entrepreneur and reveals the philosophy behind the success of Trilith’s growing influence in the entertainment industry. Later in the conversation, actress and filmmaker Christina Wren joins the stage to talk about building a startup production company.’ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/masters-of-scale/id1227971746?i=1000710403760

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon