When you develop personal and professional relationships
over a certain number of years there will eventually be loss. People move on.
They sometimes drift away. Sometimes, as in the case of my dear friend and
former creative partner Don Adamec, they depart suddenly, leaving behind
confusion and a sense of loss that is impossible to describe. In other cases, because
you’ve been out of touch, news of their passing doesn’t reach you until a bit
later.
I learned just the other day of the passing of Joel Van
Citters. Talented, accomplished and supremely confident, Joel was a pleasure to
work with. As an award-winning TV Producer-Director he knew what he was doing,
had little patience for B.S., whether from clients or creative directors, and
the clients, for the most part, admired the way he got the job done. We weren’t
close personally, but I will remember very fondly the time we spent together
and the quality work we produced together.
A few years back we worked together on a promotional video
for Ringling College of Art & Design’s International Design Summit. When we
needed a young woman to do some moves on camera, I suggested my daughter,
whom Joel had never seen. Without hesitation and in a distinct "been there, done that" tone, he reminded me that when the client says, “Let’s use my daughter as
a model, she’s really pretty,” it usually means she has a face only a mother
could love. In this case, I sent him a few photos of Devon, who was then 18
years of age, and his response was priceless. He first wanted to know if I had a
machine gun turret under the front porch to keep the boys away and, second, when can we shoot? Devon and Joel enjoyed
working together.
I’ve posted the video to the CCM YouTube Channel
Finally, here's the link to Joel's Herald-Tribune Obit
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