I was lucky while in College (New York Institute of Technology) that my mother told me that their was a film director on the board of directors of her organization called Childvile, dedicated to child care, and I should write a letter asking to do an article on him for my College news paper. Instead of asking to do an article, I asked to to do a film interview in 1972.

This is not the film I made, but I just found another interview I did later on. But my life changed when he let me work on his next film Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, as a Production Assistant.

I did four films with him, leading up to becoming a Directors Guild of America Assistant Director.

He was an amazing man to know, and again he changed my life, when right after College I started working on a great number of films and commercials as an assistant director.

Notes (wikapedia): Gilbert Cates (né Katz; June 6, 1934 – October 31, 2011) was an American film director and television producer, director of the Geffen Playhouse, a member of Cates/Doty Productions, and founding dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Cates is most known for having produced the Academy Awards telecast a record 14 times between 1990 and 2008.

Cates was born Gilbert Katz in New York City, the son of Jewish parents Nina (née Peltzman) and Nathan Katz, who was a dress manufacturer. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School and graduated from Syracuse University.

According to The Jewish Journal, Cates stumbled into his profession by accident: While a pre-med student at Syracuse University, he joined the fencing team and was asked to instruct student actors in a production of Richard III on how to handle swords. He was so taken by the experience that he changed his major to theater.

Cates was a member of the Reform Jewish Wilshire Boulevard Temple. The Jewish Journal quotes him as saying that he only attended services on the High Holy Days, but felt "very proud to be Jewish".

Cates was first married to Jane Betty Dubin and then to gynecologist Judith Reichman. He had four children from his first marriage, including Gil Cates Jr., and two stepchildren from his second marriage, and seven grandchildren. He was the younger brother of Joseph Cates who was also a director and producer, and the uncle of actress Phoebe Cates.

Cates died unexpectedly in Los Angeles of an apparent heart attack on October 31, 2011, at the age of 77.