The Supporting Cast

Eli Goldsmith - Harvard Westlake
  • 5.0 (29)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS

Conversations with inspiring people about those who inspired them

  1. 06/27/2025

    Steve Chung '89 on Designing River Park

    In the fall of 2026, Harvard-Westlake will open River Park (www.hwriverpark.com), a new campus dedicated to athletics, wellness, community partnership, and environmental sustainability. What you may not know, however, is that River Park was designed by a graduate, Steve Chung ’89, the Global Practice Area Leader for Sports at Gensler. In this episode, Steve describes growing up in Van Nuys as a Bay Area transplant and finding community through following LA sports, a passion he leveraged into a long and meaningful career designing large-scale sports venues. These include BMO Stadium in LA, Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, and the new LA Rams Village at Warner Center. Lastly, Steve discusses River Park, for which he feels unique pride as a graduate of Harvard School, which Steve calls the most formative educational experience of his life. Steve references Harvard School teachers Lee Carlson ’50 and Carl Wilson as profound influences on his life and career in architecture.

    49 min

  2. 06/12/2025

    Bear Ride '71 on the Life and Love of Sally Ride '68

    Bear Ride ’71 is the only sister of astronaut and American hero, Sally Ride ’68, who in 1983 became the first American woman in space. In this episode, Bear tells Sally’s story—but also her own, which includes “breaking ground” in her own right as a female and openly gay Presbyterian minister. The Ride sisters were born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Westlake School, where Bear and Sally each encountered life-changing teachers—leading Bear to pursue the ministry and Sally a PhD in astrophysics. It was at Stanford where Sally came across a NASA ad soliciting interest in a new kind of astronaut. She applied, and the rest is history. Bear also speaks to the release of a new documentary, Sally, produced by National Geographic and premiering on Disney+ and Hulu on June 17. The film not only charts Sally Ride’s public journey into space, but also her private 27-year partnership with a woman—Tam O’Shaughnessy. It wasn’t until Sally’s death in 2012 that her obituary revealed Tam as her partner—and thus the truth she’d kept private for so long. Bear references Westlake teachers David Coombs and Elizabeth Mommaerts as profound influences on her and Sally’s lives and careers.

    51 min

  3. 05/28/2025

    Adrián González on Innovations in Major League Baseball

    Adrián González had a 15-year career as a Major League Baseball player, punctuated by two five-year stints with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers—including numerous Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, and All-Star selections—as well as seasons in which Adrián led the entire MLB in hits and RBI. In this episode, Adrián tells his story. From the challenges of learning English growing up between Mexico and San Diego, emerging as a baseball star at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, and then being drafted #1 overall in 2000 by the Florida Marlins. Adrián also discusses many of the innovations occurring in baseball, including the pitch clock, infield shift, advanced analytics, and AI umpiring—in addition to the pride Adrián has felt as a Mexican American athlete representing southern California. Adrián references Zoila Madrazo of Burton C. Tiffany Elementary School, Dave Gonzalez of Eastlake High School, Manny Crespo of the Florida Marlins, and Bruce Bochy of the San Diego Padres as profound teachers and coaches along his personal and athletic journey.

    43 min

  4. 05/16/2025

    Deborah Rutter '74 on Leading the Kennedy Center

    For the last ten years (up until this past February), Deborah Rutter ’74 was President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the national cultural center of the United States. In this episode, Deborah tells her story. From growing up in Encino and attending Westlake and then Stanford, to her long career in the arts—beginning with the LA Phil and LA Chamber Orchestra, before leading both the Seattle and Chicago Symphonies for 11 years each. Deborah and I also discuss the peculiarity of the past few months, beginning with her announcing in January this would be her last year leading the center as part of a carefully orchestrated succession plan. Two weeks later, everything changed. President Trump took over the center’s board, naming himself as chair, and relieving Deborah of her duties. While Deborah does not directly address the President’s reasoning, she instead focuses on the center’s purpose and its magic. Deborah references Harry Jarvis of Mulholland Junior High School; David Coombs, James Hosney, Nat Reynolds ’51, and Ham Smith of Westlake School; and Ernest Fleischmann of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as profound influences on her life and career in the arts.

    45 min

  5. 04/29/2025

    Dr. Jon Carroll on Building a School

    In June of 2025, Dr. Jon Carroll will depart Harvard-Westlake after thirteen years—the first three leading HW Aquatics and the last ten as a middle school dean. Jon is not departing to join another school community, however—but to build one. In the fall of 2026, Jon will open Jabali Academy, a K-8 independent school centered in Inglewood with the mission of inspiring excellence in students and preparing them for places like Harvard-Westlake. Jabali, which means “rock” in Swahili, is emblematic of the foundation that education provided in Jon’s own life—growing up in West Philadelphia as the child of educators, attending both private and public schools, before college at the University of Pennsylvania and then a PhD from UCLA. Lastly and most affectionately, Dr. Carroll speaks about the excellence and influence of his wife, noted TV writer and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. In addition to Nkechi, Jon references Paul Lindenmaier and Roy Farrar of Germantown Friends School, Tyrone Howard of UCLA, and Howard Stevenson of UPenn as profound influences on his life and career.

    49 min

  6. 04/17/2025

    Liz Neubauer Freinberg '98 on the LA 2028 Olympics

    Liz Neubauer Freinberg ’98 is Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for the LA 2028 Olympics. In this episode, Liz discusses LA28’s proposed athletic venues, transportation challenges, and “Olympic Village” site—as well as the notion of LA28 as a “comeback story,” highlighting the city’s aspirations to rebuild after January’s devastating wildfires. Liz also tells her own story, as the eldest of five Neubauer sisters who all attended Harvard-Westlake—after which she attended Columbia and Michigan Law, worked for two influential judges, took legal roles at Munger, Tolles & Olson and TMZ, before finding herself helping to lead the 2028 Olympic games. Liz references Joy Taniguchi of Warner Avenue Elementary School, Karl Kleinz and Francine Applebaum Werner ’68 of Harvard-Westlake, and two judges (Hon. Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. and Hon. Margaret M. Morrow), as profound influences and mentors.

    44 min

  7. 04/09/2025

    Ben Sherwood '81 on American Journalism

    Ben Sherwood ’81 is the publisher, CEO, and co-owner of the digital news platform The Daily Beast, a position Ben assumed in 2024 after a long and illustrious career as a media executive. For example, Ben has served as Executive Producer of Good Morning America, President of ABC News, and most recently led the entire Disney ABC Television Group globally. If that isn’t enough, Ben is also an accomplished novelist, entrepreneur, and Rhodes Scholar. In this episode, Ben speaks about the principles behind covering the news with integrity and diligence during a time of rapid political change. Ben references journalist Tom Johnson, broadcasters Bill Moyers and Dan Rather, media executive Bob Iger, and various Harvard School teachers as profound influences on his life and career.

  8. 03/26/2025

    Nicole Brown '98 on Leading TriStar

    Nicole Brown ’98 is the president of TriStar Pictures, the famed Sony Pictures division responsible for producing many of the most influential films in movie history. In this episode, Nicole tells her story—from growing up in Culver City and attending public and private schools, before discovering Harvard-Westlake through the Independent School Alliance. It was at HW where Nicole met the late great performing arts teacher Ted Walch, who encouraged Nicole (a budding actor) to consider working “on” student productions—rather than “in” them. The message stuck, leading Nicole to study history and film at Columbia University, pursue a life-changing internship with Marc Platt and executive role at Good Universe, and then finally—seize the opportunity to lead TriStar in 2020. Nicole references Ted Walch of Harvard-Westlake, as well as film producer Marc Platt and Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman, as profound influences and mentors.

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Conversations with inspiring people about those who inspired them

Information

  • Creator
    Eli Goldsmith - Harvard Westlake
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020 Eli Goldsmith
  • Show Website
    The Supporting Cast