Raoul was a Stage Manager for the Geffen Playhouse during its inaugural season in 1997. He then segued into television production with projects for Disney Imagineering, Glen Larson Productions, and Paramount Television and was Associate Producer on the SONY / White Light feature film, PRIMAL INSTINCT aka Love.Com
As Director of Operations for the Peter Rodgers Organization, international television programming distributors, Raoul supervised 8000 hours of syndicated programming and client assets. While working for Nicolas Cage, Raoul’s magical realism script, LOVECRAFT, was a place winner in the 2005 American Zoetrope screenwriting competition. In live broadcast and award shows, Raoul served on the staff writing teams for the internationally broadcast 2007 WORLD MUSIC AWARDS, POINT FOUNDATION AWARDS, and later, augmenting his work charities, for the TREVOR PROJECT AWARDS GALA. Raoul’s world-building Sci-Fi novel series, NEXT TO THE GODS, is currently under series and gaming development with Patrick Tatopoulos slated to direct the series and is the only science fiction project to be twice reviewed by The Huffington Post, three of the published novels are available on Amazon & KINDLE, now in its second edition, and is featured on the Discovery Network -Science Channel YouTube short, WHAT THE FLUX- The Curious Case of Tabby’s Star, in which Raoul appears alongside NASA scientists.
A successful documentarian, Raoul produced and co-wrote the 2009 Voice Award nominated feature documentary, THE CHANGING FACE OF AUTISM, distributed by National Film Network & and later the YouTube short, THROUGH PIPES BREATH before directing and writing the PBS broadcast, THE WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL ORGAN, distributed by Kultur International Films, now released worldwide on TUBI streaming content. In 2009, Raoul attended The Kennedy Center Honors gala, State Department dinner and White House reception with Sharon Stone, and subsequently Raoul was a guest of the Secretary of Defense national tour, addressing the needs of POW/MIA families. Raoul co-produced with Brandon Cohen, the charity event fundraiser, GIFTING YOUR SPECTRUM, benefiting the LA chapter of Autism Speaks combining fashion, live music and a silent auction. Most recently, Raoul directed, VALLEY OF THE OWL, a documentary for arts and education about one of the oldest boarding schools in America.
FMM: What are the key ingredients to a successful documentary?
The freedom of documentary filmmaking might be liberating – in format and subject matter – but one has to be careful not to make self-promotional material, that is essentially advertising couched as a film. This was a particular challenge I faced in crafting the story for our latest documentary, VALLEY OF THE OWL, which is about one of the oldest boarding schools in America. How not to make it an advertisement for the school was a very hard task but I think we did it. The key ingredients are; an intriguing or controversial subject, context, superb sound and camera, and hopefully a distributor who feels confident.
FMM: Tell us about your award-winning film, “The Changing Face of Autism.”
When we began the documentary, Autism was resurging as a national concern, there were many organizations that were for the most part, eventually combined, but the emotional nature of the subject, the controversial aspects of treatment and what I call the blame game, were very hot topics. For example, the ridiculous theory that autism is caused by “cold” or “distant” parents was finally being dismissed for the medieval nonsense it is, and new therapies were being implemented for persons on the spectrum who can lead lives of self directed purpose either totally or with supervision. The purpose of our film was to inform, not lecture, show a few families coping and how they do so as well as present a highly controversial theory alongside the globally sanctioned therapies
FMM: What surprised you the most about this film?
The enduring capacity of the film, its power still captivates audiences and it stands the test of time because its message still delivers purpose without lecturing and grandstanding. We knew we made a film that was respectful and never exploited our families. The gravitas of the emotional healing the film continues to give is a wonderful surprise in that it keeps going, it is very much like Voyager 1 and 2, soaring outside of the solar system and still sending data back to earth.
FMM: Tell us about your award-winning film, THE WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL ORGAN. What led you to this project?
This is a perfect example of a ‘niche’ but fascinating film. I am an audiophile with a particular interest in classical and theatrical music. I have always loved theatres and concert spaces, in fact, years ago, I and many others led a sustained effort to make sure that Radio City Music Hall would not permanently close and be destroyed. At the Disney Concert Hall, it was a unique moment in time to document the opening of the iconic hall and the construction and debut of the equally iconic pipe organ. The building of large concert spaces is rare and particularly when they contain pipe organs. The Rosales Glatter-Gotz organ shattered conformity and was very controversial in its design, a design which garnered high praise and of course was scoffed at by a few stodgy gate keepers, which is always the case one has to expect when any truly astonishing breakthrough is happening.
FMM: “The pipe organ is the only instrument in the world that encompasses the entire range of human hearing.” Explain
The pipe organ is a wind instrument and therefore its global pitch and frequency range is sub bass in the pedal and encompasses everything in between, all the way up to the highest tuned ‘Tierce’ divisions. This is not true of electric organs, which are fine in their own right for rock, jazz, and even a few for classical and liturgical use that are finely made but they cannot compete with true tonal quality of a pipe organ. A thing is either one thing or is not, correct? Wind is air, not electric current.
FMM: What have you learned about the human condition throughout your career?
This garden of earth, it is a magnificent, diverse place, and so far, unique to our discovery of other worlds, yet we refuse to become adults in its care. We seem to be a planet of children, some who learn, others who never learn and feel entitled to use anyone, or trash their world. It is not a bleak view, but it is practical and observant. Thankfully, most people are kind, and actually want to do good. If we could all go after a state of renewed grace and resist the raging demons of anger and hate, we could feed and house every person, give universal care, tend to the garden of earth and heal it. I think we need to start electing scientists into government roles so we can shift the military industrial focus and make it pivot to a global peace inspired, forward thinking initiative.
FMM: What’s next for you?
We are thrilled to be in active development of several key projects in my slate: NEXT TO THE GODS – my science fiction series with Patrick Tatopoulos aboard to direct and that also includes a gaming project. This unique scripted series based on my published novels will encourage science meets science fiction and has a large following. It also is unique because the dyson sphere I created in the story behaves exactly like the KIC star, “Tabby’s Star” that was discovered recently, after my book was published. We are also about to go into production on a drama entitled, M.I.A., which is based on the true story of my father, one of the original TOP GUN’s and is not a war film, but is Mother In Action in the sense it follows and empowers the mother and wife who defied 5 Presidential administrations to bring her husband home. I am very excited to announce that we are also developing a powerful Hollywood Legacy series entitled, CLIENT LIST, based on the unpublished memoir of one of the most famous talent agents of the golden age of Hollywood, who represented Steve McQueen, Ava Gardner, Natalie Wood, and worked as head of PR at the William Morris Agency.
Raoul Peter Mongilardi email: omrpm@yahoo.com
Instagram: Raoul Mongilardi
