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Ken Patterson was, and is, the quintessential child of the 1960s. Born on Ground Hog Day, February 2 1950, he was just the right age to benefit from the sea change the counterculture would bring to America in the 60s.
Ken lived in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier, a short 25 miles from his future home and workplace, Hollywood California. After seeing the premier episode of the Westinghouse Steve Allen show on KTLA-TV Ken would travel to Hollywood for the show's tapings each Wednesday and Thursday where he was a "regular" member of the studio audience.
Before long Ken was hanging out at the Steve Allen Playhouse before the program tapings as well as pre-production days, becoming an unofficial "gofer" for the production staff. Ken made three friendships there that would shape his life; stage manager Johnny Wilson, talent coordinator Jerry Hopkins, and "The world's first hippie" sculptor Vito Paulekas.
Vito made his first appearance on Allen's program doing a "live" clay bust of Allen, his work being used as a transaction in and out of commercial breaks. On air the work lasted the better part of a week, but as two shows were taped each day it was really a two day gig. Vito became a fixture on Steve's show appearing several times as a guest, as well as presenting Steve with his "Tribute to Steve Allen" sculpture, also known as "The Hands" showing four different race hands interlocking in unity that Allen used as a trademark for the rest of his life. Ken became Vito's unofficial show assistant and began a friendship that would last until Vito's death in 1992. Ken attended Vito's dance and sculpture classes throughout the 1960s, was a member of Vito's Dancers performing at the biggest clubs and iconic concerts of the time and was at Vito's side as the counterculture sprang forth.
One spring day in 1963 the Steve Allen crew was busy installing a new set. Ken was there to help as much as he was allowed and for his assistance he was given a small truck load of discarded production materials; parts of the set, old scripts, and most importantly stage manager Johnny Wilson gave him a hand prop that had been rented from Century Props for a skit but was never used or returned to Century, The Real Maltese Falcon statue. Ken knew a good thing when he saw it, asked his friend Vito to help make a mold of the Falcon and began selling them in limited numbers to bookstores and collectors in Hollywood, for the first time using the name The Haunted Studios for the project. It was the beginning of a business that thrives to this day.
In the mid 1960s Ken became a fixture on Los Angeles television dance and music programs thanks to Jerry Hopkins' position as Talent Coordinator on the syndicated pop music program Shivaree. Ken was present and dancing on many of the half hour programs, as well as Hollywood a Go Go, 9th Street West, and Dick Clark's Where The Action Is.
In 1969 Ken followed Vito in his move from Hollywood to Cotati, California, living with Vito and his family for the next year. A degree in Psychology followed, with sales of the Falcon helping cover the costs. In 1976 Ken left northern California and Psychology behind, returned to Hollywood, and began classes in Television Production and Engineering at Los Angeles City College where he reached top of the class status in 1977, all the while the Falcon sales helping pay the way.
It was at LACC where Ken met the great love of his life, Lisa White Eagle. As he tells it, it was a case of love at first sight. The first time he saw his future wife she was walking home from classes at LACC, and he remembers every detail of that event over 40 years later. He noticed Lisa sitting in the shadows of LACC's television studio doing homework between her film classes. A somewhat unconventional courtship followed and a year later they were married. For Ken his relationship with Lisa is life defining, referring to Lisa as "the great prize of my life, without her I would not be here today, I would not be the man I am, I owe everything to Lisa without exception."
Over their years together Lisa honed her skills as an artist, filmmaker, and writer. Additionally she is Ken's partner in his various television ventures beginning with Video Odyssey and Video Associates in 1980 through design and installation of Burbank's Absolute Post nearly 10 years later. Their various projects were managed under the umbrella of Ken Patterson and Associates, Inc. with Lisa as General Manager. After taking two years off from work for the birth of their daughter Kala White Eagle-Patterson, Ken returned to work with an instructor's position at Pasadena City College in the Radio-TV-Film department. Additionally Ken was employed by the college as their technical coordinator for the Community College Television Network. In a break from past endeavors Lisa entered the college's art department, achieving new success as an award winning fine jewelry maker.
Ken returned to the private sector as Chief Engineer for Rock Solid Productions, redesigning and updating their first in the nation Betacam component edit bays. From there his Ken Patterson and Associates firm was hired to design, install, and manage Absolute Post, Inc. in Burbank, a position he held as Vice President of Engineering and Operations until 1996 when he formed The Post Department with two other former API employees.
In 1997 The Haunted Studios became a full time concern for Ken and at 47 he retired from the television industry. In the years that followed the Haunted Studios continued to grow, now Ken serves as Curator while he and Lisa live in semi-retirement in northern California. Ken continues to serve as consultant to media and print projects relating to the counterculture and Hollywood in the 1960s.
