Richard Kraft, Producer/Director of Disney Musicals and Working with Legends

Published: Nov. 15, 2021, 2 p.m.

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Dave Bossert & Aljon Go chat with Richard Kraft about his career in music, management, directing, and producing. The duo also discusses the recent Disney+ Day reveals. Kraft is the co-owner of Kraft-Engel Management, one of the world\\u2019s leading agencies specializing in representing film, theatre, television, and video game composers, songwriters, and music supervisors. Kraft-Engel clients have been nominated for 77 Academy Awards and have won 17 Academy Awards.

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Richard was the director and producer of the highly acclaimed Disney\\u2019s The Little Mermaid in Concert at The Hollywood Bowl which premiered in 2016 starring Sara Bareilles, Rebel Wilson, Tituss Burgess, Darren Criss, and John Stamos and returned to The Hollywood Bowl again in 2019 starring Lea Michele, Harvey Fierstein, Cheech Marin, and Peter GallagherRichard has also directed and produced shows at the Hollywood Bowl including Disney\\u2019s Beauty and the Beast starring Zooey Deschanel, Rebel Wilson, Taye Diggs, Kelsey Grammer, and Jane Krakowski, La La Land, and Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory starring John Stamos, Ingrid Michaelson, Finn Wolfhard, and \\u201cWeird Al\\u201d YankovicHe also directed Alan Menken\\u2019s one-man show A Whole New World of Alan Menken and he directed and produced Evil Dead Live in Concert: A Halloween Experience which premiered at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. Richard is also the executive producer of the ABC TV special The Wonderful World of Disney: Little Mermaid Live starring Auli\\u2019i Cravalho, Queen Latifah, and Shaggy.

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Prior to starting his own company in 1991, Richard was an agent at ICM and started his career working with several of his musical heroes such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, and Henry Mancini. Kraft once ran Varese Sarabande Records where he executive produced over 150 soundtrack albums. His award-winning feature-length documentary, Finding Kraftland played at over 75 film festivals around the world. He is also an \\xfcber-Disney fan whose That\\u2019s From Disneyland! exhibit and auction garnered great attention and money for charity. *Learn more at Kraft-Engel Management.

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Follow the team! Skull Rock Podcast | Facebook - Aljon Go (@aljongo) \\u2022 Instagram & Dave Bossert (@dave_bossert) \\u2022 Instagram - Email us: aljon@skullrockpodcast.com | dave@skullrockpodcast.com.

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Pre-order a signed copy of Dave\'s new book - Claude Coats: Walt Disney\\u2019s Imagineer\\u2014The Making of Disneyland: From Toad Hall to the Haunted Mansion and Beyond - CLAUDE COATS IMAGINEER (theoldmillpress.com)

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Outro music "The Pirate King" composed by Jared Rehnquist/Untold Journey - Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. *Source waltdisney.org

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