A First Fete for Right Channel

About 100 young (as in under 30) entertainment industry executives, agents, writers and musicians mingled Sunday afternoon in the atrium of the Creative Artists Agency building in Beverly Hills. They listened to the music of Eric Gale and showed their support for the Right Channel, a nonprofit organization that produces educational videos by and about inner-city Los Angeles teen-agers.

“I thought it was some right-wing thingamajig, but I was wrong,” actor Esai Morales said, quickly adding that he liked everything about the organization. “I feel a little envious because growing up in the Bronx I was the Walter Mitty of my neighborhood, and I had all these ideas and visions.”

Shauna Garr, 28, who founded the organization two years ago, had done some serious networking to pull off its first bona fide fund-raiser. The $10,000 raised will go toward pre-production costs for the next video.

“I can’t give you a deep reason why I’m here. It was a quick pitch, and I was on board and wanted to help,” explained Steve McKeever, 30, head of West Coast business affairs for PolyGram Records, who joined the Right Channel board of directors and personally invited one of his company’s artists, Vanessa Williams.