Meet Vicki Abelson of Vicki Abelson’s Women Who Write

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicki Abelson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
A Bronx girl, my father was a singer and Master of Ceremonies in the Catskills Mountains back in their heyday. If you’ve seen Dirty Dancing, that’s a taste of what the summers of my youth were like. He introduced performers oft see on TV.

I loved what he did, what the performers did, and although terrified, when my dad brought me onstage at age 4, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I started out doing community theatre, got a degree in drama education from the University of Arizona, and opted to be an actress (waitress) rather than teach.

After spending a year in repertory, I moved back to NYC, half-heartedly auditioning, scoring a few minuscule moments on Saturday Night Live and a tiny part in an independent film which featured the debut of an unknown disc jockey named Howard Stern.

From that, I was invited to join a prestigious Improv company replacing Rosie O’Donnell. Unskilled in the art, I began studying stand-up with the man who would years later become my husband. He gave me my first standup gig in a small rock club in Greenwich Village.

My boyfriend was a musician, and I was “managing” his band, while he was managing me. I convinced the club owners to book him, promising to fill the small new venue, Somehow I did. And then I did it again, and again, They offered me a job, I resisted giving up my standup “career.” They enabled me to do both.

At first, Standup takes time and patience to build a career and make a living. Somehow promoting and booking rock ‘n roll came naturally, and with it came success. Rockstars often stopped in to jam with their sideman I booked. And somehow, unbeknownst to untrained me, I figured out how to get it in the newspapers, pre-internet.

The only woman at the time in the boys club world, the venues I booked and promoted grew in size and stature. Now, in love my comedian ex-teacher, we were moving in both worlds: him performing with the creme de la creme of the comedy world and me booking the finest musicians New York had to offer. Life was thrilling and fun.

In my mid-30’s, I gave it up to start a family, my husband, began writing for TV and had quite the run. He started out on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and soon landed head monologue writer for David Letterman. He went on to write for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, Tom Green, and many others.

I was a full-time mom, raising money for our kid’s schools, unofficially managing my husband’s career and officially managing our lives. Pregnant with our second child, I took a screenwriting class and started writing. A few years later, just post 9/11 I started writing a book. I was still writing it when we moved to LA in the mid-2000s.

I optioned a musical reality show to Telepictures months after arriving here. And then it went away. So did my husband’s TV gigs, It was a scary time. I continued writing my book and decided to workshop the as yet unfinished work into a play.

At my editor’s suggestion, I started Vicki Abelson’s Women Who Write, a literary salon, in my sleepy foothill town inviting local mommies. Each month I featured writer friends to read with me. Within months, thanks to Carol Leifer, Academy Award Winner, Marlee Matlin came to read in my living room. That shifted everything.

For the past ten years, we’ve welcomed some of the greatest writers, actors, and musicians of our time, and, they haven’t been all women. When Tom Bergeron wrote a book and offered to don a dress to read for us, well.

Women Who Write began featuring men as well. Norman Lear, Cloris Leachman, Jackie Collins, Marianne Williamson, Garry Marshall, Eric Roberts, Valerie Harper, Shirley Jones, Ed Asner, and Carl Reiner are some of those who came to read. Carl’s Random Content then published my finally finished fictionalized memoir, Don’t Jump.

Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, Howard Kaylan of The Turtles, and Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire are among those who’ve played for us; It’s been quite a ride. This month we’ll be welcoming Lori Lieberman, who wrote the poem which became Killing Me Softly, Korel Tunador of The Goo Goo Dolls, Keaton Simons who has loads of his music all over screens big and small, and Mo Gaffney of Absolutely Fabulous.

I’ve come full circle, going into the family business. I do what my father did all those many years ago, And, I relish with gratitude every moment.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh, Lord no. At first, I used another mommies living room as we had no furniture. When we moved it to our house a few months later, we had to borrow chairs from the local church, and the kids would help schlep them back and forth each month.

I sweat the celebrity guests every month, knowing that if they get a real gig. I’ll be scrambling, often last minute, to replace them. I always worry that I’ll run out of exciting performers to present and that no one will show up to watch them.

Every month, without exception, I do a major, one-on-one outreach to ensure we have an audience in the living room to warrant the talent. Not unlike what I did every week back in my rock days.

I’ve been blessed with the generosity of a multitude of people who’ve lent their talents and their time to help facilitate the events, filming and photographing them. I always sweat their availability and their health. I couldn’t’ do it without them.

Vicki Abelson’s Women Who Write – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Women Who Write is a uniquely intimate gathering of talented, smart, accomplished, fun, mostly women, who gather once a month in my living room to eat, schmooze, mingle with each other and our celebrity guests, and then settle in for twoish hours of hip-shaking, profoundly entertaining, moving, interactive fun.

By the time the event wraps, everyone who cares to has exchanged words, taken a selfie, and get their book or CD signed by our heroes. No lines, no pretense, no awkward moments. All love, all the time, And, thanks to technology, we’re Live on The Facebook, so everyone anywhere can join us.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I was brought up by a father who measured his success by the attention he received, and a mother who measures success in dollars. I’ve been all over the place: performer, promoter, event planner, writer. My mentors encouraged me to focus.

Currently, I host Women Who Write, I’m writing a screenplay, am about to shop my book for episodic television, I write magazine articles, and host a Live talk show, Game Changers with Vicki Abelson (formerly The Road Taken), where I interview successful people about their journey, how they managed to merge creativity and commerce––something I’m still struggling to accomplish,

And yet, I love everything I do. I wouldn’t trade my life with anyone. Well, except maybe Eva Mendes, but that’s another story. My definition of success is doing what I love being of service to others, and getting paid commensurate with the effort. Well, two out of three ain’t nothin’.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.vickiabelson.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickiabelson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickiabelson https://www.facebook.com/groups/VickiAbelsonsWomenWhoWrite https://www.facebook.com/vickiabelsonswomenwhowrite/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickiabelson
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/fergushaggis https://soundcloud.com/vickiabelson https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/vicki-abelsons-broadcast-road/id1158559469?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Image Credit:
Photo credits: Linda Abse, Louise Palanker, Sonya Sones