Producer Extraordinaire Larry Kasanoff: How a Modicum of the Madness and a Measure of Mindfulness Have Guided His Life
Madness and Mindfulness at Work
“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of the madness.” Aristotle
Larry Kasanoff’s indomitable spirit has helped move society forward, as with all fearless individuals who step into the dark caverns of the unknown. They are the ones who lead us out of the proverbial cave. Kasanoff has taken risks in a town known for playing it safe. Who else could bring to the screen such varied, impactful, and iconoclastic movies as Mortal Kombat and True Lies (as producer) and Terminator 2, Platoon, and Dirty Dancing (as studio or production company head)? Who else could help develop and then utilize a revolutionary stereoscopic 3-D camera that moves? Who else in Hollywood has the compassion and expertise to produce and direct a documentary on mindfulness and then write a book actually aimed at helping people overcome their fears and realize their greatest hopes? Who else but Larry Kasanoff?
So, who is this Larry Kasanoff really? The noted director Oliver Stone has said of him that he has a touch of the madness. Indeed, as a youth Kasanoff had a singular goal which dominated his life, as it does now, and that was to make movies. Today, at 64, having produced and/or supervised an astounding 200 films, just one of his considerable accomplishments in the field of entertainment, Larry Kasanoff remains a kid at heart, with the same driving enthusiasm.
On the set, Kasanoff is a force of nature, promoting teamwork as an organizer, motivator, mediator, and problem-solver. Yet his reach and skill set is far wider than just producing movies: he is also a writer and director of films and documentaries, a developer of music videos for which he has won Grammy awards, and a creator of theme park rides. He’s also a falconer and an accomplished photographer with a coffee table book to be published next year. And, he remains as passionate about his art as ever, with twenty projects currently in the works. Further, he remains humble about his accomplishments, profusely and effusively crediting such talents as Stone, his partner Jimmy Ienner (for his ongoing advice and work on Dirty Dancing), and filmmaker James Cameron (for Terminator 2).
Recently, Kasanoff ventured into the world of literature, creating “A Touch of the Madness: How to Be More Innovative in Work and Life…by Being a Little Crazy,” a semi-autobiographical book told in the first person about how to navigate the vicissitudes of life. He has succeeded in creating a seminal work, well received by the public and literary circles for its honest and humorous portrayal of his adventures in Hollywood which he uses to convey his vital messages that one must cultivate one’s own touch of the madness, not be afraid of the goals and ideas it generates, and pursue the realization of these with uncompromising diligence, while still incorporating the spirit of play and mindfulness into this pursuit.
The book is perspicacious, scintillating, engaging, inspirational, and frankly hilarious. It shows that you must overcome fear by relentless doing and that when someone says no to your innovative idea which a touch of your madness has envisioned, that is only the beginning of the fight, and one must never give up that fight.
“I wanted to inspire people not to be afraid of their creative spirit,” says Kasanoff. And in that he has succeeded wondrously, as all who read the book will attest. Larry also narrates the audio version of the book, which FVM recommends unreservedly to get the full impact of both the man and his enlightened ideas.
Another Kasanoff project of considerable note and usefulness is the documentary he directed, “Mindfulness: Be Happy Now.” Earlier in his career, on the set of his movie Mortal Kombat, Kasanoff met Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk who introduced mindfulness to the world. The two became friends and Kasanoff subsequently did a documentary on Hanh and mindfulness, which can be seen on Amazon. FVM considers this documentary a masterwork of revelation and essential viewing.
It is apparent that the life of Larry Kasanoff represents the continuous application to his own situation of the mindful principles he expounds in his book. Joseph Campbell has notably said that one should follow one’s bliss, and that is exactly what Kasanoff has done. Growing up on the outskirts of Boston, he knew he wanted to make movies when he went with his father to a James Bond movie and asked him what a producer did. He literally became obsessed with his touch of the madness-inspired goal and all his future actions revolved around its accomplishment. He began reading Variety and The Hollywood Reporter at an early age and he attended the prestigious Boston Latin School to facilitate admission to Cornell and Wharton, always with his eyes on the ultimate prize. At Cornell, he double majored in economics and sociology and took every internship he could. At Wharton, while others were working on projects dealing with corporate behavior, he convinced his group to put on a play about Machiavelli, a colossally successful innovation for the kid who always had Hollywood on his mind. As he states, nothing happens without taking a chance.
At 25, he landed a job in Hollywood and was immediately tasked with producing 80 movies in a single year, all of which, he was told, had better make money or he would be fired. Undaunted because he was so gloriously happy to have the chance to make movies, he simply never let fear affect him. This was not work for him, this was fun, because, after all, he was following his bliss. He was quick to see the value of the developing home video industry and was skillful in his use of it. He was most willing to learn from mentors whose experience he valued and who possessed knowledge and wisdom he could apply to his craft. Above all, he was not afraid to innovate and to take a chance, and as a result his career blossomed. He bet his career on the movie Platoon, helping when he green lighted a film which proved to be both memorable and revered. He produced award-winning music videos and engineered the fantastically successful Mortal Kombat franchise based on his love of martial arts. He personally raised money for his projects, based on his concept that a “no” to his proposal was just the beginning of the conversation and where there is a strong will, a way will be found through sweat and creativity. He is very big on cooperation and working for a goal which will be mutually beneficial to all concerned. He can turn negatives into fortuitous positives and he can deal with disparate personalities and artistic demeanors on the shoot by inspiring everyone to work for the greater good of pleasing, entertaining, and inspiring the audience. All this he accomplishes by incorporating mindfulness and a touch of the madness into his life. He is living proof that such methodologies can be wildly efficacious in life.
A case in point, alluded to earlier, where the Kasanoff philosophical paradigm was dramatically and productively applied:
“Platoon,” the Oliver Stone-directed movie, almost didn’t get made because it wasn’t the type of movie that the studio Kasanoff was working for made, but Kasanoff and Stone felt strongly about the movie. The head of the studio said that Kasanoff had to bet his job on it. He did, and, needless to say, the movie went on to be a landmark and a tremendous success. Moral: Don’t be afraid to take a mindful, determined risk on your “touch of the madness”-inspired idea!
Restoration and relaxation are also an integral part of Larry Kasanoff’s life, and he loves to walk around by himself and shoot photographs, a passionate pursuit at which he is most proficient. He also practices martial arts and enjoys the company of his dog, stating, in typical Kasanoff style, that being able to bring his dog to work every day is his biggest accomplishment.
As Larry Kasanoff might say in summation, you must live in a state of play and mindfully overcome your fears in order to embrace your state of the madness and use it as a guide in your determined quest for personal fulfillment and enlightenment. And always remember, if they turn you down when you want to go big, go bigger!