Featured Trades: (MY HOLLYWOOD ROLE)
1) Hollywood Cashes in on Wall Street's Woes. I have done many things in my life: hedge fund manager, pilot, cowboy, journalist, stock broker, mountain climber, translator, guide, etc, etc. etc. Now add technical consultant to Hollywood to the list. According to the New York Times, Simon Baker, star of the TV show 'The Mentalist', is using the Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader as a resource to humanize Wall Street traders in the upcoming film entitled 'Margin Call' (click here for the link).
This is not an easy task, as the public generally considerers denizens of the pit as greedy, soulless, money grubbing monsters, difficult to empathize with in any setting. The star studded thriller includes Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, and Jeremy Irons, and will focus on a 24 hour period during the height of the financial crisis at a fictional Wall Street bank.
No doubt, the producers are hoping to cash in on the imminent release of Oliver Stone's sequel to the classic film, Wall Street. As with the last film, the great industry guessing game will be identifying who and which institutions in real life are being portrayed. How much do you want to bet that the troubled bank starts with the letter 'L'.
Watch for film crews framing those dark, foreboding shots in the canyons of downtown Manhattan this summer. Release is expected next year. This, I must see. Hey Kevin, baby, have your people call my people and let's do lunch!
A New Role Model?