Biography
Writer/Director/Producer/Educator Monte Gast has an M.A. degree, Journalism from UCLA (cum laude) and is a graduate of The Executive Program - UCLA Anderson School of Management (2005).
Employment Experience: Gast's multimedia background includes three decades encompassing award winning stints in management, production, writing and directing for Radio, Audio Production, Television, Advertising, Animation, Commercials, PSA's, Corporate Videos and New Media. Additionally Gast has also worked for the last decade as a top rated University & College Media, Entertainment Project Management and Business Adjunct Professor for several Colleges and Universities including Santa Monica College and The University of Phoenix.
Gast began his career as newspaper and magazine journalist/photographer (Newsweek, Arizona Star and many freelance magazine articles), then became a feature reporter for KRLA radio, after writing a local best-selling non-fiction book , Getting the Best of L.A. for J.P. Tarcher Publishing.
After building up a highly successful production company and Sunset Strip recording studio with celebrity DJ partner Shadoe Stevens, Gast became Sales Manager and General Manager, KWST Radio; then later Co-founder, Marketing & Creative Director for JAM/S Advertising, L.A. - A $10 Million lifestyle broadcast advertising agency. Gast later left JAM/S to become VP of Sales and Marketing/Lead Producer - Image West computer graphics simultaneously while being Creative Director & Line Producer for Music Video/Dance hit TV show MV3 TV, which he also helped syndicate to 80 markets. He later was associate producer for VideoBeat on KTLA and directed and produced the first American Music Video show ever to air in the Soviet Union.
After he and his partners sold both companies, Gast then launched MG&A Productions, which continues to operate today as part of InTeReP/MG&A - specializing in consulting and media services for startups and new business initiatives. Services include corporate videos and media campaigns for technology, media, educational, art, plus sun, haircare & spa industry clients. During the initial stages of that company Gast helped launch and act as Marketing & Sales VP for the Hotel/Resort/Spa Division for the Christal Companies' California Tan and Alterna hair care line. Both became global brands with his promotional and educational videos. Gast also directed and produced all the promotional and instructional videos for the American launch of England's Fast Frame franchises - Britain's largest global franchise. He was also the voice of Oshman's Sporting Goods Western U.S. Radio and TV campaigns for many years.
Gast currently teaches as an Adjunct Professor and operates InTeReP/MG&A as President/Executive Producer with the InTeReP Division representing top creative talent, artists and athletes. (InTeReP has also consulted with over a dozen media, educational and lifestyle clients in the U.S. and Canada since its inception). He still directs and/or produces one or two special projects annually as well.
The most recent media productions of note include creating/producing/directing a 2012 Mental Health Television PSA featuring former L.A. Laker star forward Metta World Peace that was written up in over 100 online publications including L.A. Times, N.Y. Daily News & NBC Sports.
Originally a Canadian native, Gast also co-produced/directed the acclaimed TRAXXS art video in 2010 with American Animator Matt Elson. Funded by a Canadian Government Grant (Art Meets Technology) the 4-minute video/art/music montage was later named Featured Art Project of the yearlong Whistler Art Festival leading up the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver/Whistler, Canada. TRAXXS debuted the summer prior to the Olympics live on two Jumbotron screens to 25,000 viewers on the slopes of Whistler along with an estimated million viewers via streaming video online. In late 2014, as a content production consultant, Gast helped Online & Podcast Talk Show host Michael Friedlander launch his 'Dreamers, Winners and Making A Difference' talk show - helping shape the content and direction as well as co-hosting two of the initial shows.
Gast also teaches media entertainment technology Project Management online (a course he wrote) in the summer and winter sessions at the Academy of Entertainment Technology at Santa Monica College as an adjunct Professor.
Gast is also part of the UCLA alumni mentorship program for the UCLA Anderson School of Management (he was the featured mentor in the Dec. 2014 online Alumni Mentor newsletter) and teaches media, film studies, business communications and college writing as an adjunct instructor at the University of Phoenix.
Gast has also authored three online and two on ground courses: Advertising plus Corporate Identity/Branding for L.A. College International, entertainment Project Management for Santa Monica College; and Communications Skills and Critical Thinking courses for Los Angeles ORT College, plus curriculum development for ORT's Video Game Development as well a Project Management proposed program.
Additional Highlights, Achievements & Awards: * Won numerous creative awards over five years while building up the aforementioned JAMS Advertising in the 80's. The agency worked with 20 different national lifestyle clients including major record and film companies, SPIN Magazine, and several of America's top retailers (Guitar Center, Ritz Camera, Oshman's Sporting Goods and University Stereo) and lifestyle/entertainment clients like San Miguel Beer, Fred Segal Clothing and Laserium with some print, but mostly radio and TV advertising campaigns.
* While at Image West, Gast served as Co-executive Producer and line producer for all the Celebrity Appeal segments, animation and interstitial music for the 1985 Live Aid worldwide TV broadcast to 1.9 billion people that raised $290 million for Ethiopian relief. Earlier at Image West, Gast produced Michael Jackson's first animated imagery along with dozens of TV show, Station and networks logo openings and commercial animations.
* Producer, Syndicator and Creative Director for MV3 Music Video/Interview/Concert TV daily series syndicated on 80 stations then sold to CBS as half hour prime access show. Later was associate producer for KTLA's top rated Weekly VideoBeat and was Producer and Director for the first American Music Video TV show to air in the (then) Soviet Union.
* In April, 2015 MG&A with Gast as Executive Producer/Director produced all the video imagery for the 'Celebrate Ballona' 10th Year Anniversary Gala Dinner honoring various Congressional and California state legislature representatives, journalists and celebrities (like Ed Asner), who helped save L.A.'s Ballona wetlands nature preserve.
* In May of 2015, Gast Produced/Directed the featured video news clip for L.A. Weekly's online annual People edition.
Gast has also produced numerous freelance radio, television and print ads, PSA's and corporate videos, winning multiple major awards in the process (Clios, New York Festival, and Lulus). He's been listed in multiple Who's Who editions including Who's Who in The West and the debut editions of Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America and Who's Who in the World and most recently was highlighted as the featured mentor in UCLA's year end 2014 Alumni Mentor Program online newsletter.
Dated: August 16, 2015
