What do Aretha Franklin, Peter Criss (Kiss drummer), Chris Noth (Law and Order, Sex and the City), and Bill Cosby all have in common? They've all collaborated and co-written with Charles Kipps. Here's your chance to learn firsthand how to break into the entertainment industry from a guy who started with no connections and made it big in his early twenties.
In his own words, this is how he got his start: "One day I was in DC, and I heard a song coming through a window. I thought it sounded interesting. So I walked in and saw three guys singing a song called "5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love)." I told them
that I wanted to take a demo tape of it to New York. Now keep in mind that I was in my early twenties, and I told them I could do something with it. I called a couple of people and ended up being directed to a guy named Ron Moseley at Sussex Records. He loved it, and it went on to be a Top 10 hit and have a Grammy nomination that year. The group was called "The Presidents."
Charles Kipps has won Emmy, Edgar and Peabody awards, and has 7 gold records. A few highlights over the years:
- TV credits include Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, Little Bill, Fatherhood, The Cosby Mysteries, Columbo, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
- Among his film credits is Fat Albert: The Movie, co-written with Bill Cosby.
- Author of four books: two non-fiction – Out of Focus and Cop Without A Badge – and two mystery novels - Hell’s Kitchen Homicide andCrystal Death. Crystal Death was chosen by publishing trade magazine Kirkus as one of the best mysteries of the year.
- Wrote and produced songs for artists such as Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. He wrote Walk Away From Love, a number one hit for David Ruffin, former lead singer of The Temptations.
- Was behind the blockbuster song The Hustle by Van McCoy. McCoy composed the song after his Charles, his music partner, watched patrons do a dance known as "the Hustle" in the nightclub Adam's Apple in New York City.
- Partnered with Van McCoy in McCoy-Kipps Productions, one of the most successful music production companies of the 1970s.
If you're a writer who's serious about breaking into the entertainment industry, here's the link to the webinar (Wednesday, Jan. 16, 1pm PST): https://www.writersstore.com/ten-steps-to-break-into-the-entertainment-industry?lid=cktwspromo