TIME OUT : This Player’s in It for the Money

Asking Judy Levy “What’s new?” is a loaded question.

She ticks off events she has in the works: the premiere of “Casper” for the Children’s Action Network and the Starbright Foundation; the annual Pediatric AIDS Foundation carnival; Women in Film’s Crystal Awards; the premiere of “Congo” to benefit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.; and the premiere of “First Knight,” a benefit for the Venice Family Clinic and the Children’s Bureau.

She shrugs off this daunting workload, saying, “If I could, I would do this for free.”

The 48-year-old Levy is the founder of Levy, Pazanti and Associates, an event-planning and fund-raising company for nonprofit corporations and political groups.

Black-tie galas, carnivals, movie premieres, wrap parties--Levy has done it all in the name of raising money.

A couple of hours before a meeting at Columbia about an upcoming event, Levy takes time for a restaurant breakfast on a recent morning at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.

Her company celebrated its 15th anniversary a few months ago, and Levy’s enthusiasm for what she does hasn’t waned since she started the business. Her partner is her younger sister Ellen Pazanti.

“We’re sisters, partners and best friends,” Levy says. “I’m the outside person and she runs the office. And I make these idiotic promises to the clients and she makes sure they get done.”

Levy had a successful career in political campaigns (working for Jesse Unruh, Hubert Humphrey and Jimmy Carter) before she switched to the nonprofit world. The change wasn’t due to burnout, but to satisfy a lifelong desire.

“I really wanted to do fund-raising,” she says in between bites of fresh fruit. “I really love asking for money.”

She loves asking for money?

“I think about what I’m raising money for,” she says. And she trains people to raise money. “I say, there are no scripts, you have to know what you’re talking about. So read up on it and be prepared. The most anybody can say to you is no.”

Levy’s main client base is the entertainment industry. While some consider dealing with ultra-competitive studio execs, agents and producers about as much fun as swimming in a shark pool, she says, “I’ve never met a more generous group of people in my entire life. I don’t think the average person understands just how much is requested of them, and how much they give. I feel so Pollyanna-ish sometimes saying that, but it’s true.”

Right now her roster includes the May 21 premiere of Universal’s “Casper,” which will include a family-oriented party on the Universal lot with a ghostly theme.

The annual Pediatric AIDS Foundation benefit takes place June 4, with its A+ celebrity list, kid-friendly carnival games and arts-and-crafts booths.

“This is something everyone looks forward to,” Levy says. “Because it’s so important and so industry-heavy, it does sell out year after year. Of course, this year it will be bittersweet because we won’t have Elizabeth.” (Foundation co-founder Elizabeth Glaser died of AIDS in December, 1994.)

Levy is in the planning stages of the premiere of Disney’s “Pocahontas” June 11 to benefit CalArts. The movie will be followed by a tented party nearby.

“Most people,” Levy explains, “think that when you hire an event coordinator, that person raises all the money for you. But we organize it so that the right people do the asking.”

In other words, a studio head, executive or star is apt to get a good response selling tickets to their friends and business associates--perhaps better than a professional fund-raiser.

All of these projects leave little free time for Levy, but the self-described workaholic doesn’t seem to mind.

“I sleep three hours a night,” she says. “I’ve had one week’s vacation in 16 years. I know it’s work, but I enjoy what I do so much because my clients are friends, so it’s not like I’m deprived of seeing my friends.”

She does find time for two addictions--exercise and shopping. Both have become passions since Levy lost 154 pounds over the past three years, whittling herself down to a Size 8.

“It’s such a great feeling to walk into a store and find clothes that fit,” she says, still sounding amazed at the prospect. “I love it.”