I wanted to reflect with you one more time about the impact that J. Michael Bloom, of the J. Michael Bloom and Associates Talent Agency, the businessman and Leader had on me as a young 20 year old woman. I worked for J. Michael in the mid eighties. While I was attending Queens College, one of my professors said that I had a talent for writing.
I enrolled in journalism courses. I also joined the Queens College NewsPaper. I chose to do theatre reviews. What a perfect time to start writing.
My assignments were to interview various people. Well, as you might have already guessed I asked J. Michael Bloom if I could interview him for my Queens College paper.
Yes, he allowed me to interview him. I interviewed him about actors, and acting, and being a talent agent. I wish I had the article. It was so many years ago. From that point on I began to write with more confidence.
I was writing short stories, prose, poetry etc. I had about twenty diaries that I filled. I would type up my writing late at night. I would then submit them for publishing at the college paper. I even had enough belief in myself that I went out to short story writing classes, and other literary events!
I had met a man named Thomas Crater one day after that first interview with J.Michael Bloom.
I joined his private owned community paper called the New York Page. The funny thing was….Cheryl, of J. Michael Bloom, one of the payroll accountants that I worked with happened to know Thomas Crater through his wife.
Thomas Crater was a man with vision when I met him! Mr. Crater had been peddaling his newspaper on the corner of Parsons Blvd. at the subway stop in Queens. He had worked in an advertising agency that was associated with paying some of the Bloom clients for various commercials etc.
However, he was tired of the advertising business so instead he decided to sell ads for his own newspaper. Thus after I was writing for the college newspaper, and as well as taking the journalism packet of courses at Queens College…..I then happened to meet Thomas Crater!
I became an Assistant Editor of the New York Page! It was not a paid job, but I was involved with the lay out of the paper,and conducted many more interviews since that first interview with J. Michael Bloom.
The only thing I would like to say, is that I had gotten married, etc. and put my writing away for a long while.
So with all of that being said I want to say thank you J. Michael Bloom. I now realize how much he meant to my life!
Thank you for taking out the time to listen, and talk to one such as I was, way back when.
Even now, I am very sure, that my life is very different than it would have been if I had not met such a person of your presence and depth J. Michael Bloom.
Thank you for your care and concern when I needed it most.
My son, who is now 14 is currently in the World Journalism Preparatory HighSchool. He has been writing his own blog also. I hope I am helping him by showing him. I hope he will become very successful whatever he decides to become.
Thank you, Michael Bloom for believing in me the most when I needed it. Thank you for giving an opportunity to a young college student working toward goals and dreams.
My condolences to the Family and Friends of J. Michael Bloom.
Sometimes it is the small, little deeds one does, that are the most powerful lasting gifts.
Thankyou, J. Michael Bloom you will never be forgotten.
Riveroflifelisajoy!
Riveroflifelisajoy's Weblog 
I don’t know what to say I communicated with Michael and then didn’t hear, I cannot believe I missed this, where was I.
My story about Micheal has a beginning but no end.
My manager made appointments for me to see some new agents, of course there was Michael.
He had a two room office in 400 Madison Ave,
as we sat in his office he asked me for a picture and resume, I then offered him a picture and told him I ran out of resumes.
He then in an irraite voice says you come to see an agent with an appointment from a manager without a resume, I then said, so what’s the difference if you read or I tell you about it? As our meeting progressed, he made a phone call to a casting agent saying I have Sandy Barry in my office and am giving her a real hard time, she doesn’t know that I had a long night last night. He then got off the phone, appoligized, asked me for my address and phone number, sent me on our first together audition, I booked it, it was so upheaveling that my x-agent made an upsetting scene, but I had booked it through Michael. That was the first, within two months we booked at least four network commercials together. Of course there was mayham and upheavel. That was when Michael first started and then became the most succesful commercial agent in New York almost overnight. He had an ability to deligate resonsibility and than reward those who did well. I remember that he ran an ad in Variety, with all(his clients headshots) of course I did’nt like my picture, he then called me “Pretty Perfect Peggy Pink.” Our relationship lasted a long time, when he bought the townhouse, the Christmas party, when he decided to stop drinking Pepsi, the puter mug I gave him with the name Pepsi engraved. When I had new pictures done and brought them for him to see and intitled some of them “My Catherine Denuve Period”.
When I did the play in LA, Dew Drop Inn, (very bad play, but as he and they all said, I was good) but then he was the last of the agency to see the play,this the the very T&A period in the seventies, early eighties. He came to see the show, we went out, and that’s when he said this” Well Sandy,all the woman at the agency saw the show and came back with one thing they wanted to say to you but couldn’t so they asked me to ask you. well, so what do you think? Would you mind having your breast done? They all think you would get more work.
He called me later that night to say, ” hope your not angry with me, it’s not like I asked you to fuck Larry Gordon for a job, and I replyed, no, you just asked me to fuck myself!
We got passed that, worked together for awhile. I left, went back to New York, we had lost touch until one night at this silly computer, I googeled him, found him, e-mailed and he mailed me back with so much.
His first line was. What a surprise to hear from you and then he talk about remembering me. His words, You were always so pretty and funny at the same time, I remember your beautiful red hair and your smile.
He was going to call when he got to N.Y.
I should have checked in with him.
I can’t believe he passed just a couple of weeks ago and I did’nt get a chance to say goodbye or maybe I did get a last chance to say hello
Last quote, So one day Micheal asked so Sandy
how old are you in real life? I said “Michael, same as in make believe.”
Sorry I didn’t call.
Love ya,
Sandy Barry