ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Greenberg believes that confident parents build their families on a strong foundation of love, discipline and respect, while encouraging their children’s individual strengths and talents.  When asked by one of his children what he wanted to be when he grew up, Richard replied “The only thing I always knew I wanted to be was someone’s Dad.”   4 children, 3 Bar Mitzvahs, 2 high school, 2 middle school,, 3 elementary school and 4 pre-school graduations later, Mr. Greenberg has lovingly documented the lessons of his experience in “The Purest Pleasure”. 

In the first grade Mr. Greenberg met The Lovely JoAnn, whom he married 17 years later and with whom he currently enjoys over 25 years of marriage and 4 wonderful children, Aaron (22), Benjamin (19), Coby (13) & Emily (7).  The children are named alphabetically (in order of appearance) with Dusty the late family dog holding the “D” space.  This is further explained in a chapter called “Simple Tricks” in Mr. Greenberg’s manuscript.

 

Mr. Greenberg attended Verde Valley School, a unique, anthropologically based secondary school in Sedona, Arizona where he was taught tolerance and the value of an open mind.  Following graduation, he returned to Los Angeles and earned his bachelors degree in English from UCLA in the class of 1976.  Sometime during that period Mr. Greenberg’s mother said “Don’t be so open minded that your brains fall out”, which he considered valuable advice for life in the city.

 

After graduating from UCLA, Mr. Greenberg entered the entertainment industry where he has held various positions ranging from Art Garfunkel’s personal assistant, to writer-producer of promotional and marketing materials for The Disney Channel, Fox Broadcasting, The Family Channel, and DirecTV.  He is a highly regarded professional in the field of electronic post-production and currently makes his living at the cutting edge of new technology in the entertainment industry.  Mr. Greenberg is also a popular professor at the UCLA Extension where he teaches “Electronic Post-Production for Film and Television”.  Greenberg is a published songwriter and patented inventor, holding the US Patent for the “What? Button”, a device that allows a common radio or cell phone to repeat information that may have just been missed.  Mr. Greenberg is rarely described as “shy” and will, with just the slightest provocation, launch into loving anecdotes about his children.

 

Mr. Greenberg is actively involved in his local community and has coached various children and their teammates in baseball, basketball, and soccer.  Despite win/loss records that might indicate otherwise, every season has been a winning season for Mr. Greenberg and his athletes.  His coaching techniques have earned him high praise, sportsmanship awards and numerous clip boards, tee-shirts, plaques and hugs from players and parents over the years.

 

Ultimately, what Mr. Greenberg loves most is being a husband and father.  He takes great pride in his children and enjoys sharing the smiles, trials and tribulations of family life with his beloved wife, JoAnn.  The Greenberg family currently lives in Pacific Palisades, California.