Kenton members were delighted to welcome Estee Stimler for her talk on her work as a speechwriter, writer of musicals and plays and an advocate for Israel.
Born and bred in New York, Estee has lived in London for thirty five years.
For over twenty years she had a successful career as a speechwriter for corporate executives, politicians and private individuals. This was a remarkable feat in being able to put the personality of the person giving the speech into the substance of the talk.
She has developed her career into comedy consulting through an irreverent, witty lens. Estee has written musicals, plays and animation combining classic humour with modern narratives. She loves collaborating with other creative people and has a number of projects hitting the stage and screen in London, Edinburgh and New York.
Some of her work include ‘Change of Heart’, Rich People’s Problems, ‘The Attic’ and ‘Smother’. Estee is a full member of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain having an MA Distinction from Goldsmiths in Writing Musical Theatre. She is now working on her Doctorate in the Mechanics of Comedy in Musical Theatre.
Estee described some of the plots of her musicals which were extremely funny. However, in contrast demonstrated her serious side in her work advocating for Israel in the way she has invited Jewish and non- Jewish directors, producers, actors and actresses to her family home for a Friday night meal.
She shared the attitude of Goldsmiths’ University to Jewish students. As a Board member of ‘Stand with us’ she faced virulent attacks on Twitter and Instagram. However, this has not put her off in her determination. The audience felt privileged to have heard her talk but particularly buoyed by Estee’s advocacy which is seen as a glowing example for others to follow.
To round off the evening there were delicious refreshments and an opportunity to reflect on the evening’s presentation.