Something's Happening Here with Harlan Marks

Elliot S. Schreiber is a recognized expert in corporate governance and risk mitigation. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware and received his Ph.D. from Penn State. Elliot spent more than thirty years as a corporate executive with three global corporations in the US and Canada -- DuPont, Bayer, and Nortel Networks.  Today, he leads his own consulting firm, Schreiber & Company, an international business strategy firm. In addition to consulting Elliot teaches at the MBA and Executive MBA levels.  As a consultant and an educator, Elliot helps both business leaders and business students more effectively protect their corporate brand and mitigate company risk in an ever-changing social and political global business environment. 

Professor Schreiber is the author of The Yin & Yang of Reputation Management: Eight Principles for Strategic Stakeholder Value Creation and Risk Management. And he also co-authored with Chris Bart, Achieving the Execution Edge: 20 Essential Questions Corporate Directors Need to Get Answered about Strategy Execution.  Both books can be found on Amazon. 

If you want to contact Harlan with your comments, questions, or suggestions about this episode or possible future guests,  you can email him at somethingshappeninghere.usa@gmail.com or hjmarks55@gmail.com

This is episode 15 of the podcast, Somethings Happening Here.  It is our  2022 Father’s Day podcast.

In this episode, Harlan has a conversation with Barry, Erin, and Brian Kelley about their father, Colonel Brian J Kelley.   Kelley, who was a spy hunter, served our country faithfully for over 40 years in the USAF & the CIA. Kelley became the hunted in the 1990s after he discovered a Soviet spy in the State Dept, Felix Bloch.  Bloch was somehow tipped off when his cover was blown.  That tipoff allowed him to cover his tracks. 

Incredibly, Prof. Kelley, (he also taught at the graduate level), the person who actually discovered this guy, was now suspected, by the FBI and the CIA, of being the person who tipped the Soviet/Russian spy off. So for more than ten years, beginning in late 1989,  Kelley and his family were investigated, interrogated, surveilled, and their phones tapped.  So, after more than a decade, and millions of dollars spent looking at him, the FBI and the CIA discovered that it wasn't Kelley after all, it was Robert Hanssen at the FBI.

This is a compelling story. A family story. It's a story of false assumptions and group thinking. A story of patriotism and treason.  A story of our times.  

Harlan's Attribution:  This is a pretty complex story and I wanted to keep it on a personal level.  To research this episode, I used information that is in the public sphere. So if you want to do a deeper dive here is a general sketch of my research. I used information from Wikipedia pages about the Hanssen case as well as Wiki pages that covered Col. Kelley’s life, I used the website "The History of Spies", and Col. Kelley's obituary was found in the archives in the NY Times. The Times obit quotes David Wise, the author of “Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI’s Robert Hanssen Betrayed America” and I found his insights very helpful. I also used information about Prof. Kelley from the website of the "Institute of World Politics" the grad school where he taught. I also mentioned two films during the podcast, the film “Breach” which chronicles the investigation of Hanssen as well as his arrest, and Carl Colby’s documentary “The Man that Nobody Knew”, about William Colby, the post-Watergate Director of the CIA. I also did some background reading about James Angleton, who was the chief of counterintelligence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1954 to 1974. Also, Barry references Bob Baer’s new book, “The Fourth Man” which alleges there was a fourth mole that was never outed. Mr. Baer was a distinguished 21-year CIA case officer who has written a number of well-received books.  I made a snarky comment about a reality TV show he did but make no mistake his service to our country is greatly appreciated by me.

If you want to contact Harlan with your comments, questions, or suggestions about this episode or possible guests,  you can email him at  somethingshappeninghere.usa@gmail.com or hjmarks55@gmail.com

Episode 14 is Harlan's conversation with Ibrahim Dabo. Ibrahim is a Motivational Speaker, Journalist, IT Professional, and Refugee from one of the most devastating civil wars of the last 50 years, the blood diamond conflict of Sierra Leone.  Ibrahim shares with the Something's Happening Here audience his journey as a child in Sierra Leone to his refugee experience as a young teen in The Gambia to where he is today, a sought-after motivational speaker, an IT Professional in Georgia,  as well as an advocate for the hearing impaired.  

If you want to contact Harlan with your comments, questions, or suggestions about possible guests,  you can email him at  somethingshappeninghere.usa@gmail.com or hjmarks55@gmail.com

Episode 13 is Harlan's Interview with Charlene Wheeless, the author of “You Are Enough!: Reclaiming Your Career and Your Life with Purpose, Passion, and Unapologetic Authenticity”.   It is an inspiring book about facing life’s struggles with unrelenting courage and strength. It is a terrific read.  Charlene uses her life experiences, from her childhood in Oakland California to the boardrooms of Corporate America to provide the reader a guide for both work and life.  This book is about “busting up stereotypes, breaking down barriers, and flat-out refusing to be ignored, pigeonholed, or forgotten.”

"You are Enough!" details how Charlene personally faced and overcame the issues of class, race, gender, and cancer.  Published by Amplify, Charlene’s book has bestseller status on Amazon and won two independent book awards for Best Nonfiction and Inspirational Books of 2021.

To learn more about Charlene, you can visit her website - https://charlenewheeless.biz/

Rick Starr is a natural comedian since his earliest days as a "Class Clown" in Rockaway, N.J., where he was born.  His love of entertaining and making people laugh continued on to his college years at East Stroudsburg University, where he earned a degree in speech pathology.  He draws upon his heritage, his childhood experiences, and family life for most of his material.  Rick's warmth and charisma on stage have enabled him to make audiences laugh across the country for over 45 years. His humor is universal -  Rick says,  "IF YOU WORK CLEAN",    "YOU CAN WORK ANYWHERE".  

What is a common denominator between Harlan Marks, Amy Steel, Christopher Walken, Richard Dreyfuss, Sela Ward, and Chris Cooper? We all have been acting students of Harlan's Episode 11 guest, his real-life Kominsky, Bob McAndrew. 

Bob’s teaching draws from a wide range of sources but primarily from the legendary Wynn Handman. A film acting coach, he has worked with directors John Huston, Alan Pakula, and Luc Besson. He’s taught internationally - in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, and Buenos Aires. 

Here is a partial list of actors he's coached or taught - Raul Julia, Christopher Walken, Chris Cooper, Sela Ward, John Stamos, Gloria Reuben, David Paymer, Corbin Bernsen, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot, and Jon Lindstrom. Harlan can personally attest that his techniques and coaching give actors the tools to explore, let go of tension and build a strong character, all of which allow actors to take risks and feel confident in those risk choices.

David Downing is a best-selling author of both fiction and nonfiction. Harlan came to know his work through his Station series of novels. Espionage thrillers, these novels follow the fictional exploits of John Russell, a British Journalist, and Effi Koenen, a noted German Actress.   Each of the books is named after train stations in or near Berlin.  If you are a fan of the spy genre, if you are a fan of historical fiction, these books give you an on the ground, you are there perspective. They take you on a journey as the European war begins in the late 30s through the Nazi defeat, Post War occupation, and the beginning of the Cold War.  You get the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this world.  As Harlan said to David, in his introduction email, his books were an oasis for him during the pandemic. 

During the podcast, David and Harlan discuss David's books and the characters that inhabit his books. They also talk about sports, politics, family, and Rock music. 

Based on a request from a listener in Connecticut, the Big H gives context to the events happening in Ukraine at the end of February 2022.  Harlan calls these events, Putin's Revenge. 

If you want to contact Harlan with your comments, questions, or suggestions about this episode or any episode you can email him at  somethingshappeninghere.usa@gmail.com

Episode 6  is Harlan's conversation with Stu Zakim, President, of Bridge Strategic Communications about Life, Losses, Wins and What Really Counts. 

If you watch cable news you have seen Stu as a contributor to CNN and MSNBC on media issues. He is a Strategic Communications professional with senior-level experience in the entertainment, media, and cannabis sectors. Stu has worked for some of the best-known brands in the entertainment media industry. Zakim has been a communications advisor to media leaders like Jann Wenner (Rolling Stone), Bonnie Fuller (Us), Christie Hefner (Playboy), David Pecker (American Media).  He has also worked at senior positions at Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Showtime Networks. Zakim has been in the Cannabis space for many years as both a PR professional and advocate representing clients like The Happy Munkey, CryoCure, and The Marijuana Business Association. He is recognized by his peers as one of the Top 100 people in the cable industry and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Publicity Club of New York.

This is the fifth episode of Something’s Happening Here with Harlan Marks. Just a heads up - this is not an interview like previous episodes. It's a little raw and doesn't pull punches. The Big H goes on a rant he calls a Bad Moon Rising. He goes off on a few things like book banning, Tip Lines, and the RNC's statement that the violent insurrection was "Legitimate Political Discourse". He vents his spleen about The View. He calls out Virginia's Governor.  He's worried about our democracy and he has a call to action.  Harlan also talks about Presidents Washington & Jackson. He chuckles about Gilbert Gottfried and vaccinations. He feels bad about Whoopi Goldberg's being in "time out". 

If you want to contact Harlan with your comments, questions, or suggestions about this episode or any episode you can email him at  somethingshappeninghere.usa@gmail.com

Something's Happening Here, Episode 4 - My chat with business author, Mark Weiner.  

Mark Weiner is the Chief Insight Officer at PublicRelay,  a media & communications research consultancy based in Tysons, Virginia.

Mark is a recognized expert in the world of Public Relations with a long CV. Suffice it to say, he has held a number of senior corporate leadership positions in the field of communications research. Mark is the 2018 recipient of the Jack Felton Medal awarded by the Institute for Public Relations for lifetime achievement in communications research. In 2013, he was inducted into The PR News Hall of Fame.

He has written two books. His newest book, "PR Technology, Data and Insights; Igniting a Positive Return on Your Communications Investment" was published by Kogan Page. This book has garnered significant praise in the world of Public Relations. BookAuthority.com cited it as one of the three best PR books to read in 2022 AND considers "PR Technology, Data and Insights; Igniting a Positive Return on Your Communications Investment" as one of the best PR books of all time.

In addition to his books, Mark writes articles in trade media and speaks at conferences on PR topics around the globe

If you want to contact me with your comments, questions, or suggestions about this episode or any episode you can email me at  somethingshappeninghere.usa@gmail.com

In this episode, Mark shares his experiences with me dealing with Stage 4 lung cancer, our friendship, and just life in general. 

This conversation is actually the second part of my interview with Mark though I am posting it first.  

To clarify, you may get confused about the interview content and the chronology related to the content. The beginning of the original interview started with Mark and me discussing Public Relations (his vocation) and the well-received books he wrote about PR. That part of the interview was edited out here.  I will post that portion of the interview as a future episode. 

This episode is a quick introduction to Something's Happening Here (SHH) to kick off 2022.