Christopher Trumbo: Growing up with the Blacklist pilot podcast produced utilizing primary source material from the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library

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Content 1

CHRISTOPHER TRUMBO: GROWING UP WITH THE BLACKLIST
PILOT PODCAST PRODUCED UTILIZING
PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL FROM THE
FOCUS ON THE MASTERS ARCHIVE & LIBRARY
By
Donna Granata

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS (SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM: THE ARTS)
December 2016
Copyright 2016 Donna Granata
2

3

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

4
Abstract 6

An Introduction to the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library:
Christopher Trumbo Archive

7
The Depth of the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library

14
The Development of a Blacklist Expert

16
Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist Transcript 20
Christopher Trumbo: Tracing the Path to the 2015 Feature Film

26
FOTM’s Strategic Plan to Successful Podcast Series

30
Capitalizing on a Growing Audience

36
Conclusion 40
References 41

4

Acknowledgements
I am profoundly grateful to the individuals who helped me reach my goal of
acquiring a Master’s Degree in Specialized Journalism (the Arts) from the USC
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
These include: Sasha Anawalt, whom I first met at the J. Paul Getty Museum and
who sent me emails year after year, asking, “Is this the year you are going to apply to my
program at USC?” Her guidance, compassion and understanding of the artistic spirit are
critical components to the success of the Arts Journalism Master program. Tim Page,
who against odds, was able to teach our class so much more than he realized. His
personal perseverance, passion and kindness are an inspiration. Kenneth Foster, by his
example, affirmed my conviction that working in the non-profit sector is a noble
profession. Sandy Tolan and Karen Lowe verified that my true journalism path belongs to
radio. Judy Muller helped me understand the power of my voice, and Willa Seidenberg’s
constant reminders to strive for the best set the bar.
At Focus on the Masters, my treasured full time volunteer, Mary Galbraith, gave
the tremendous gift of her time and active leadership by taking over the FOTM’s day-to-
day operations. Without her, this journey could not have been possible. I am grateful, as
well to FOTM’s board members, volunteers, patrons and artists; they rose to the
occasion, lending their support to FOTM during my absence, and through the unexpected
circumstances of FOTM having to relocate while I was at USC. A special thank you to
Meg Easton who managed to masterfully squeeze all of our FOTM treasures into a much
smaller space.
5

I am so thankful for the scholarships I received, including, Ojai Studio Artists’
Beatrice Wood Memorial Scholarship, USC Annenberg Director’s Scholarship given to
me by Willow Bay, the Vivian Klemz Memorial Scholarship and for the funds that
painter and FOTM Alumni, Carlisle Cooper, left me.
And to my angel, Jim Webb, whose unconditional love sustains me every day.
Thank you.
6

Abstract

Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist is a pilot podcast, utilizing excerpted
material from an oral history with Trumbo, conducted in 2005 by Donna Granata for the Focus
on the Masters (FOTM) Archive & Library. Christopher Trumbo, who died in 2011, was a
screenwriter, playwright and leading expert on the Hollywood Blacklist, a subject about which he
learned firsthand as the son of Academy Award winning screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo (1905-
1976). Dalton, known for such works as Spartacus, Exodus, Roman Holiday, Johnny Got His
Gun and The Brave One, was once the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood prior to being
Blacklisted. He served time in jail for Contempt of Congress and was a member of the legendary
Hollywood Ten. Christopher and his sisters, Nikola and Mitzi, spent their formative years
watching their father defend Americans’ fundamental right to free speech and free thought, for
which the family paid a huge price. Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist shares a
vivid and disturbing incident Christopher endured while in the eighth grade. Through the
narrative he tells, we glean insight into the Blacklist Era and particularly the challenges faced by
members of Blacklisted families. The podcast includes a vivid personal testimony on how
paranoia and fear can sweep a nation and how prejudice is transferred to our youth driving
individuals to execute unthinkable acts. This small story offers a glimpse into a much more
extensive interview available to scholars and the public through the FOTM Archive & Library.
The goal with the podcast series is to select excerpts from FOTM’s extensive collection of oral
histories as samples of the rich and diverse content derived from an artist’s documentation. The
podcasts will draw attention to this extensive library by sharing intimate and engaging stories and
generate revenue to help sustain the goals of the FOTM Archive & Library.

7

An Introduction to the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library:
Christopher Trumbo Archive

The Focus on the Masters (FOTM) Archive & Library is a non-profit organization
located in Ventura, California, that documents, preserves and presents the works and lives of
accomplished American contemporary artists.
1
Established in 1994 by photographer Donna
Granata, the collection of primary source material includes extensive oral histories, videotaped
interviews, a digitized library of artists’ work and ephemera.
In the summer of 2005, Granata and her FOTM volunteer staff documented the life and
work of Christopher Trumbo. An accomplished screenwriter, playwright and Hollywood
Blacklist expert, Trumbo, died in 2011 at the age of 71. Granata’s posthumous podcast is the
main component of her Master's Thesis, Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist,
supported by an examination of FOTM’s archiving process and methodologies, and by an
interpretation of Trumbo’s story from the 1950s, reflecting on one of the most controversial and
tempestuous times in American history.
Trumbo was the middle child of three and the only son of Blacklisted Hollywood writer
Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976). Dalton, known for such works as Spartacus, Exodus, Roman
Holiday, Johnny Got His Gun and The Brave One, was a member of the legendary Hollywood
Ten. He served 11 months in jail for Contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the
House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 during the committee's investigation
of Communist subversive activity in the Hollywood film industry. No subversive activity in the
film industry was ever found.
2

1
www.FocusOnTheMasters.com
2
Christopher Trumbo, Oral History July 12, 2005 Focus on the Masters Archive
8

Through a jury of peers, FOTM annually selects eight to ten living artists for formal
documentation. To date, it has documented over 200 artists, including Dennis Oppenheim, John
Nava, Gary Lang, Elyn Zimmerman and Beatrice Wood. Artists are selected by a jury of peers
based on a mastery of their medium, respect in the field, their storytelling prowess and richness
of biographical material. Attention is paid to balancing equal numbers of women and men artists,
and to diversity - not only with respect to race, but also to media (paint, ceramics, sculpture,
music, film, written word, etc.). All artists selected for documentation have ties to southern
California with many of the artists enjoying national and international standings. In addition,
emerging artists are included allowing the opportunity to trace the early development of a
professional artist’s career.
Historians, scholars, the museum community, members of the media, educational
institutions and the public utilize the archive that serves a minimum of 2,500 to over 60,000
people annually. The fluctuation in audience is dependent upon use and distribution of FOTM
intellectual assets, type of exposure and programming. For example, a high profile exhibition of
FOTM artist portraits on view for 60 days in a high traffic area, such as a museum, government
building or performance venue, will give a spike in the annual attendance. A large circulation
publication such as USA Today or TIME Magazine can also expand their audience.
The first step in the FOTM archiving process begins with a gathering of biographical
information available on the chosen artist. An oral history by audiotape is conducted over
several sittings. Interviews take anywhere from four to 20 hours, depending on the complexity
of the artists’ career and the amount of time the artist is willing to share.
Each oral history is directed by FOTM Founder and Executive Director Donna Granata.
FOTM’s oral history methodology is modeled after the Smithsonian’s Archives of American
9

Artists technique. Among Granata’s early advisors was Paul J. Karlstrom, an Oral Historian
and former West Coast Regional Director for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian
Institution. Mr. Karlstrom and his staff shared with Granata oral history techniques that remain
the FOTM standard today.
The oral history begins with the artist’s date of birth, place of birth, and family heritage.
The interview continues chronologically searching for key events and experiences significant to
the development of the artist. For example, Christopher Trumbo was born in 1940. In 1947 his
father Dalton was called before the HUAC. The political firestorm that ensued, from 1947 to
1960, coincided with Christopher’s most formative years, age seven to 20. This laid the
foundation for Christopher’s essence as a human being; a keen sense of right and wrong and his
development of a guarded trust for his fellow man. Exploring these years in depth while
recording Christopher’s oral history resulted in the intimate exchange heard in Christopher
Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist where he shared an event he had never talked about
publicly. Listening carefully and probing deeper with follow up questions are keys to a
successful oral history.
His best friend and writing partner Michael Butler describes Christopher best: “I think it
is fair to say that he became a public intellectual. But he was a rather private public intellectual
was merely a function of limited opportunity. He had become, as everyone knows, an expert on
the Blacklist. He had also become the custos morum of his generation – a sophisticated north
pointing needle in this strange moral atmosphere of shifting times, a vocal conscience for a
number of his peers. He was not above letting you know it.”
3

3
Michael Butler. Christopher Trumbo Eulogy, February 12, 2011. Focus on the Masters Archive Christopher
Trumbo Papers
10

Consistently, FOTM’s documentation suggests the roots of creativity are found in the
early development of the character of an individual. From this foundation, creative expression
evolves. For Christopher, his early exposure to his father’s fighting for the fundamental right to
free speech and freedom of thought planted a seed that would germinate throughout his life.
Christopher’s early experiences as a Hollywood screenwriter was a preamble to his
decision to write about the Blacklist Era and to speak publically about the topic he knew so
well. In the last chapter of his life, he wrote a play about his father, Trumbo: Red White and
Blacklisted that became a feature film simply titled Trumbo (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2007).
Depending on the artist’s era, concurrent political, social and environmental movements
are discussed and how these historic events impacted the artist. Collecting an oral history for
posterity requires a methodical accounting of one’s life including children and heirs.
One recording session is solely dedicated to the artist’s work. Specific items,
performances and artistic expressions are discussed in length including inspiration, technique
and execution. Digital copies of the artist’s work are housed in the archive. Christopher shared,
in-depth, the inspiration for the play, Trumbo: Red White and Blacklisted, how the play
transitioned into the film, Trumbo and the public response to both. A copy of the play, the film,
related ephemera and reviews are housed within the archive. Recordings specific to the artist’s
intent and his work is a unique aspects of the FOTM Archive.
In a letter to Christopher’s widow Nancy Escher, FOTM Founder Donna Granata shares
insight into the intimacy of the documentation process and how subjects often become close
friends. “When I document the artists I am always astounded by how candid they can be. Chris
was so open and because I got to know him through you and vice versa, I think he felt safe with
me. At that time my knowledge of the HUAC was minimal so my questions were naïve. That
11

gave Chris the opportunity to describe his life in his oral history with such clarity making
absolutely sure my generation had an accurate account of the McCarthy Era. He was sure to
note that one's civil liberties are always subject to the powers that be.”
4

In Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist, Christopher offers a glimpse
into his development as he describes his courage and his maturity while in the eighth grade and
facing extreme bullying. In a revealing statement he says, “…. I had the idea, by that time, they
didn't know what they were doing. They really didn’t know me as a person. They had been
infected by their parents, or by the newspapers, or the radio or the television or whatever it
might be.” Christopher was keenly aware, at such a young age, that the attitudes towards him
and his family were misguided and largely attributed to fear and ignorance.
The goal of the FOTM oral histories is to have a conversation, one that reveals through
storytelling an artist’s inner life and the relationship between the art he makes and his history.
What guides an artist toward a given medium? What life events influence his artistic
development? How do these life events transmit into artistic expression? It would seem
inevitable that Christopher would write about the Blacklist Era due to the fact that it played
such a dominating role in his life. That did not happen until the right set of circumstances
opened the door and a nurturing environment gave him that safety to explore the subject on his
own terms.
5

Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist, is the first in what will be a series
of podcasts featuring excerpts from FOTM oral histories. Podcasts, in the form of radio and
streaming content, is one of the fastest growing genres within radio and online media today.
6

4
Donna Granata. Email to Nancy Escher, February 24, 2011, Focus on the Masters Archive, Christopher Trumbo
papers
5
Nancy Escher Trumbo, discussions with Donna Granata
6
Dorie Clark, “Here’s to the Future of Podcasting” Forbes November 19, 2014
12

This has great potential to create sponsorship and advertising revenue to assist in supporting
FOTM’s ongoing work. Glenn Leibowitz of Linkedin offers several examples. “More and more
podcasters are monetizing their content in a number of ways, including good old-fashioned
advertising. Adam Sachs, CEO of Midroll, a podcast advertising company that places
commercials in more than 150 shows, told The Financial Times that he charges rates of between
$20 and $30 per thousand impressions (calculated on a projected number of downloads per
e pi s ode ) — a bout five times the cost for traditional radio advertising.”
“Some podcasts are s upp l e m e nt i ng — or circumventing alto g ether — traditional corporate
sponsorship by leveraging crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter and Patreon to build
listener-supported models. Roman Mars, the host and creator of the award-winning podcast on
design and architecture, 99% Invisible, has raised $1.16 million in Kickstarter campaigns.
Even if podcast producers don’t monetize their shows directly, and many still don’t, they
are translating brand awareness into powerful lead magnets for products and services they sell on
their websites and in off-line channels.”
7

Either through sponsorship or advertising, the revenue potential for podcasts is
substantial and could be a great benefit to FOTM. In addition, the branding and distribution of
FOTM’s podcasts will build an audience and further the awareness of the artists documented.
As with all the oral histories that FOTM collects, the podcast will only offer a small
sample of a much bigger story in the hopes of generating interest to learn more. For example,
Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist, offers just a small glimpse into a dramatic
event that Christopher endured as the child of a Blacklisted parent. Christopher’s oral history
goes on to tell the story of the Trumbo family living in exile in Mexico, to trying to re-

7
Glenn Leibowitz. “This Is Why 2015 Could Be the Year of the Podcast” December 30, 2014. Linkedin.com
13

assimilate back into the Hollywood community, to how these events affected him as an adult.
Christopher also shares insight into how an environment such as the Blacklist Era evolves and
how ignorance and fear can generate a similar scenario at any point in history. For this reason,
Christopher’s story is timeless. The importance of preserving the artists’ biographies is
summarized by historian and former Director of the French National Archives Jean Favier, “For
archivists the most important thing is not that history can always be written as it happens, but
that we should never lose the possibility of writing it.”
8

Christopher documentation took place in 2005 during the Iraq war. He commented on
how the fear of terrorism after the World Trade Center attacks led to the signing of the Patriot
Act in October 2001 that limited American civil liberties. He pointed out the similarities
between the McCarthy era and the Bush administration in the development of policy and how
both administrations capitalized on the paranoia sweeping the nation. According to the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “The [Patriot] Act eliminates much of the judicial
oversight established in the 1970s after revelations that the US and FBI were spying on over
half a million Americans during and after the McCarthy era, and opens the door widely to new
possibilities of abuse.”
9
The Patriot Act remains very controversial today with several
modifications to the policy over the years.
The FOTM Archive & Library is full of engaging narratives from interesting and
inspiring artists from diverse backgrounds and artistic expression. Preserving and presenting
the stories of individuals who share firsthand accounts of topical issues, in their own words,
brings history to life.

8
Jean Favier. National Archive France, Jean Favier papers
9
The USA Patriot Act - A Civil Liberties Briefing, ACLU
https://www.aclu-nj.org/theissues/opengovernment/theusapatriotactacivillibe/

14

The Depth of the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library
Primary source material is generally the most desirable reference information for
scholars and historians. The original resources include objects and recordings acquired directly
from the subject of study. All of FOTM’s primary source material is housed in its original
format or reproduced digitally. Examples include memoirs, oral histories, correspondence,
sketchbooks, newspaper and magazine articles, photographs, artwork and the like. It is
important to note that an oral history is subject to human recollection and perception and can be
inaccurate or even contradictory. A prudent scholar fact checks and seeks corroboration. In
contrast, secondary sources are interpretations of events written after an examination of primary
sources or other secondary sources that include accounts written after the fact. FOTM collects
both primary and secondary sources as reference material and provides interpretive written
materials about its archival collections.
Christopher Trumbo’s oral history includes deeply personal accounts in addition to
descriptions of his professional trajectory and evolution as a writer. He speaks openly about the
bullying he endured in childhood, of living in the shadow of a famous and controversial parent,
of combating alcoholism and, finally, his introspective decision to become a public expert on
the Blacklist Era during the last twenty years of his life.
The choice to select an excerpt from Christopher Trumbo’s 2005 interview for FOTM’s
inaugural podcast was based on two timely events that aligned with the podcast’s first broadcast
and publication; first on Ampersand on December 16, 2015 and on USC Annenberg Media on
February 25, 2016. These events coincided with the distribution of the following:
1) Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical, (University Press of Kentucky, 2015) a
biography co-written and published posthumously by Christopher Trumbo and Larry Ceplair.
15

Ceplair utilized copies of Christopher’s five hour and thirty-minute oral history (FOTM July
2005) as reference material for the book.
2) Trumbo, a Hollywood feature film (Bleeker Street, 2015), starring Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane,
Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman. While Cranston was
researching the role, FOTM hosted a screening of Christopher Trumbo’s documentary film,
Trumbo (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2007), at the Ojai Playhouse in Ojai, California, on January
11, 2014. During the event, arrangements were made by Christopher’s widow Nancy Escher
Trumbo for Cranston to view the film, meet director Peter Askin, Blacklist expert Larry Ceplair
and Mitzi Trumbo, daughter of Dalton Trumbo and sister of Christopher. Cranston credits the
family in helping him portray Trumbo authentically.
Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist is built on a series of personal
events that helped shaped an artistic career. Christopher Trumbo’s podcast is a very small
fraction of his oral history. The excerpt offers an intriguing introduction to the extensive
material contained within Christopher’s interview and speaks to a larger whole. For example, a
scholar interested in the history of Hollywood in the 1950s or the effect of the Blacklist Era on
the development of children of Blacklisted writers, will be offered a sample that will be
accompanied by written material referring to the extensive collection of specialized material
available for further research. Christopher’s archive is extensive and his personal account, along
with collaborating primary source material from family members and Blacklist experts, offer a
valuable resource to an individual seeking material relating to a particular subject.
16

The Development of a Blacklist Expert
Christopher and his two sisters, Nikola and Mitzi, spent their favorite years of their
childhood on a remote ranch in California’s Lockwood Valley, located below the mountains of
Los Padres National Forest. His eldest sister Nikola describes living on the ranch: “The nearest
neighbor was five miles away. It was high desert country with hot summers and cold winters
and enough snow to keep young children happy. There was a small lake for swimming in the
summers and ice-skating in the winters. This was a carefree time for the Trumbo family.”
10
It
was an idyllic setting to rear a family. Everything dramatically changed in 1947 when their
father, Dalton Trumbo, was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC). Chris was seven years old at the time. When Dalton was jailed for Contempt of
Congress in 1950, Christopher was ten.
At the time, Dalton was the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood. Highly regarded and
prolific, Dalton wrote or contributed to over 33 screenplays between 1936 and 1947, prior to
being Blacklisted, including Kitty Foyle (1940), A Guy Named Joe (1943), Thirty Seconds Over
Tokyo (1944) and Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945). At this time the family lived a very
comfortable life, although Dalton was known to live beyond his means.
Dalton was a member of the Hollywood Ten, a group of motion picture producers,
writers and directors who were called before HUAC in the fall of 1947. The Committee was
investigating Communist subversive activity in the Hollywood film industry as anti-Communist
sentiment grew into a fever across the nation. The Hollywood Ten believed Congress had no
right to inquire about one’s political views or beliefs under the US Constitution’s First
Amendment. In an FOTM interview Christopher clarified the difference between action and

10
Nikola Trumbo. Christopher Trumbo. Eulogy, February 12, 2011. Focus on the Masters Archive
Christopher Trumbo Papers
17

thought, “So the question is always, what did these people do, which is different than what do
they think?”
11
Freedom of thought is protected under the First Amendment.
The Hollywood Ten held firm in their conviction refusing to answer the Committee’s
questions. All were found in Contempt of Congress, fined, jailed and blacklisted. The Ten were
Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner, Jr., John
Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott, and Dalton Trumbo.
12
Once
blacklisted, the studios would no longer employ the men. Some of the writers, including
Dalton, began to write scripts under pen names at far below their customary rate.
Unlike many of the other Blacklisted parents, the Trumbos kept their children informed
of events as they were happening. They welcomed their questions and encouraged discussion,
knowing that honesty would build trust amongst the family. Openness and frank understanding
ruled the Trumbo household, a parental choice to which Christopher eventually attributed his
strong sense of moral responsibility.
13

The Trumbo family remained at the ranch until 1957, when they decided to move to
Mexico with good friend and fellow blacklisted writer, Hugo Butler, and his family. The move
lasted two years before the Trumbos returned to Los Angeles, where the “red scare” was
beginning to quiet down. By this time, Christopher was 20, with designs for becoming a
screenwriter and, by his own volition, initially steered clear of conversations that begged his
opinion about the Blacklist. He remained relatively quiet for several decades as he coped with
his own challenges as a screenwriter and as the son of a famous writer. Eventually Christopher
found himself responding to published misinformation about the Blacklist Era.

11
Christopher Trumbo, Oral History July 12, 2005 Focus on the Masters Archive
12
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "Hollywood Ten", accessed May 05, 2016,
http://www.britannica.com/topic/Hollywood-Ten.
13
Christopher Trumbo, Oral History July 12, 2005 Focus on the Masters Archive
18

“I knew my father pretty well, but I wondered how other people manage to write these
things about people they’ve never met,” he said. He further clarified that the Hollywood Ten
never broke any laws.
14
They were cited for Contempt of Congress for refusing to answer the
question whether they were or were not members of the Communist Party – a question the
Hollywood Ten felt Congress had no right to ask
15
given that the First Amendment protects a
person’s right to free speech and free thought.
16

People’s assumptions, political agendas and ignorance would often find their way into the
publications and draw Chris’s attention, which compelled him to respond. “It has to do with
essentially the misrepresentation of what Trumbo or the Hollywood Ten stood for.”
Blacklist expert and renowned author, Larry Ceplair, shares an anecdote illustrating
Christopher’s determination to help correct and clarify history:
“Christopher wrote to a columnist for Salon.com, regarding a mostly laudatory article on
Dalton Trumbo. Chris wrote: ‘“This sentence of yours caught my attention: ‘It has long since
become clear... that many American Communists, Trumbo included, succumbed to the paranoia
and authoritarianism that by Stalin’s time were ingrained doctrines of their faith.’” Chris
continued: ‘“The shift from politics to faith without taking a breath is, I think, an extraordinary
leap, but if you meant it I’d like to know more about how you arrive at it. Not in the general
sense, but the specific. What are the ingrained doctrines of American Communism laced with
paranoia and authoritarianism that constituted a faith that Trumbo took up; and how did Trumbo
manifest this oddly perverse faith in his life, or in his work, or in the world? Along the same
lines, could you give me a couple of examples of how Trumbo succumbed to paranoia and

14
Christopher Trumbo, Oral History July 12, 2005 Focus on the Masters Archive
15
Larry Ceplair, Christopher Trumbo. “Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical”
16
Larry Ceplair, Christopher Trumbo. “Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical”
19

authoritarianism?”’ And he concluded: ‘“I am not trying to pick a quarrel with you. I’m
genuinely interested in how people come to their conclusions about Trumbo. I’ve written a play,
nudged a film along, and I’m presently writing a book which will, I hope, address a number of
things that stage and films can’t really handle. If I can come to an understanding of what you’ve
written, it will be of great help to me.’”
17

Christopher’s documentation is a fine example of a timeless topic; how the
manipulation of information can shape a society by capitalizing on fear, prejudice and
ignorance. The primary source materials not only offer scholarly information, clarifying facts
and misperceptions, but also share a glimpse into the artist’s personality. Unique to the
recordings is the artist’s voice inflection and emotion that cannot be fully conveyed in the
written word. The essence of the artist is communicated with the sound of their voice. The
editorial choice to leave in hesitations, the clearing of the throat and a slight stutter give an
intimate and realistic view of Christopher and the difficulty he had in relaying his story.

17
Larry Ceplair, Christopher Trumbo Eulogy, February 12, 2011. Focus on the Masters Archive
Christopher Trumbo Papers

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Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist
The excerpt featured in Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist podcast is taken
from Christopher’s oral history recorded July 12, 2005 by archivist Donna Granata for the Focus
on the Masters Archive & Library located in Ventura, California. The oral history is
approximately five hours and thirty minutes. The excerpt shares a vivid and disturbing incident
Christopher endured as a child. Through the narrative we glean insight into the challenges faced
by members of blacklisted families. The podcast touches on how paranoia and fear can sweep a
nation and how prejudice and hate is so easily transferred to our youth. The podcast is a small
sample from a much larger interview available for scholarly research.

“Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist”
http://www.ampersandla.com/christopher-trumbo-growing-up-with-the-Blacklist /
Date of production, December 16, 2015, TRT 5:33
Oral history recorded, July 12, 2005, Focus on the Masters Archive & Library

Host Script:
The feature film, “Trumbo” (2015), staring Bryan Cranston, is based on the true story of
Blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo. The Trumbo children, Nikola, Christopher and Mitzi, spent
their most formative years watching their father hold on to the fundamental right to free speech
at a great cost to him and his family. Dalton’s son Christopher sat down with archivist Donna
Granata to record his oral history for the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library in 2005. The
following excerpts illustrate a traumatic event Christopher endured as a child of a Blacklisted
parent.
21

Track: Donna Granata
The late Christopher Trumbo, was only seven years old when his father Dalton Trumbo, was
called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947.

SOT: HUAC
Dalton Trumbo before the House Un-American Activities Committee
HUAC: You state your full name?
Trumbo: Dalton Trumbo
HUAC: What is your occupation?
Trumbo: My occupation is that of a writer.
HUAC: Are you now, or ever been, a member of the Communist Party?

Track: Donna Granata
What followed was a 13-year political firestorm that engulfed hundreds of families. I had the
opportunity to record an oral history with Christopher in 2005 for the Focus on the Masters
Archive. The following excerpt illustrates a traumatic event Christopher endured as a child of a
Blacklisted parent.

Christopher Trumbo
Most parents kept information from their children. My parents decided not to. That's their
temperament. Also, I think that they saw many practical disadvantages to trying to keep secrets
from children. One, children will find out and then you start to distrust their parents. And two,
that the information is better out in the open than it is in secret.
22

Track: Donna Granata
Trumbo joined the Communist party in 1943 when Russia was an ally. By today’s standards, he
would be considered a humanist supporting such causes as a living wage, equal pay and unions.
Above all else, he believed in the First Amendment right to free speech and free thought.

Christopher Trumbo
They would answer any question that we had and we were always aware of what our parents
were doing, what my father was working on, who was working with. As a result, we knew, my
older sister and I, knew consistently where we were and what was happening to our family. After
my father testified before Congress he was indicted for Contempt of Congress. We knew that he
faced the possibility of going to jail.

Track: Donna Granata
Author Larry Ceplair is a leading expert on the Hollywood Blacklist.
He says many children of Blacklisted parents felt betrayed.

Larry Ceplair
They had to face many of their friends and their parent’s friends would all of sudden stop talking
to them or walk to the other side of the street when they go by. Then listen to other friends get up
on the witness stand and name their parents as members of Communist party.

Track: Donna Granata
23

After Trumbo was released from jail, the family moved to Mexico City. Trumbo continued to
write under pen names to try and support the family but being far from Hollywood made a
difficult situation worse. The family returned to Los Angeles in 1953. At this time Christopher is
in the eighth grade and recounts a terrifying story that happened to him in metal shop class.

Christopher Trumbo
Suddenly six or eight, ten guys grab me and throw me into the metal shop furnace and they slam
the door shut. I'm inside the furnace. The fire is going and I can see the gas jets burning. It is not
yet to the point that it’s going to melt aluminum. As I am assessing my situation inside the oven,
wondering how long I'm going to be there, the teacher enters the room, because the door is flung
open, he dragged me out of the place at which point we march off to the vice principal’s office. I
don't have any eyebrows and I don't have any eyelashes. My shoes are ruined. My clothes are
torn because I wasn't going into the furnace willingly.

Track: Donna Granata
Christopher called his mother and asked her to bring him a change of clothing. She asked what
happened? He didn’t tell her.

Christopher Trumbo
For couple of reasons. One, I didn't want to bother them with this and this is certainly the sort of
thing that would dramatically change everything.

24

Larry Ceplair
Christopher's response was a very measured one. He understood that if he made a big deal of it,
it would follow him around forever. He chose simply to go back to school and behave as if
nothing had happened.

Christopher Trumbo
I was angry that it had happened but I had an idea why. And also, I had the idea by that time,
they didn't know what they were doing. They really didn’t know me as a person. They had been
infected by their parents, or by the newspapers, or the radio or the television or whatever it might
be.

Track: Donna Granata
Christopher became one of the leading experts on the Blacklist Era. He dedicated the last 20
years of his life to correcting Blacklist credits for the Writers Guild, writing articles and speaking
about the Blacklist.

Christopher Trumbo
For a long time, I just sort of stayed on the sidelines in terms of the history of it all. About ten
years ago, I would guess, I decided that I’d better start taking charge. Mostly because there was a
lot that I knew that other people didn't and that my experience through the Blacklist period was
rather unique.

25

Track: Donna Granata
Christopher went on to write a play based on his father letters called “Trumbo: Red White and
Blacklisted” and a documentary film about the play simply titled “Trumbo.” One of his last
projects was a book about his father, “Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical,” was
published posthumously in 2015 and co-authored by Larry Ceplair.
END

26

Christopher Trumbo: Tracing the Path to the 2015 Feature Film
Christopher graduated from Columbia University in 1963, after taking a year off to work
as an assistant director on Exodus, an Otto Preminger film written by his father. In January 1960,
Preminger was the first major producer to openly challenge the Blacklist by telling the New York
Times that Trumbo had written the script for “Exodus” and that he would receive screen credit.
Seven months later, Kirk Douglas announced that Trumbo would also receive screen credit for
“Spartacus.” Both films were released in 1960. These defiant events marked the beginning of the
Blacklist ’s slow collapse. “There was no one event that ended the Blacklist. It just fell apart.”
18

Christopher said in his FOTM interview.
For the next 40 years, Christopher continued to work in various divisions of the film and
television industry. He worked as associate producer and assistant director on the 1971 antiwar
drama, Johnny Got His Gun, written and directed by his father. His television writing credits
included episodes for Crest, Ironside and Quincy, M.E.. He often wrote in partnership with
Michael Butler, lifelong friend and the son of Blacklisted writer, Hugo Butler, who, with
Christopher, shared the screenplay credit on Brannigan, starring John Wayne.
In the late 1990s, Christopher became involved in a fundraising project that would
change the course of his life forever. Prompted by his wife Nancy Escher, Christopher came up
with an idea to raise money for a University of Southern California effort called, The First
Amendment Blacklist Project, a public artwork commissioned from American artist, Jenny
Holzer, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Blacklist. Holzer's installation
commemorates the Hollywood Ten.

18
Christopher Trumbo, Oral History July 12, 2005 Focus on the Masters Archive
27

The fundraiser inspired Christopher to assemble letters that were already published in a
book by Dalton Trumbo, Additional Dialogue: The Letters of Dalton Trumbo 1942-1962, and
built the foundation for a one-man play based on the experiences and events the letters contained.
From serving ten months in jail for Contempt of Congress, to dealing with creditors, to intimate
stories from his childhood and the difficulties he and his sisters faced growing up with the
Blacklist. Christopher masterfully blended his father's letters with touches of humor underscored
by heartbreaking narratives all tied together with fortitude.
The one-man play was expanded and opened in New York to rave reviews. Trumbo:
Red, White and Blacklisted, toured nationally and in 2007 was adapted into a documentary
feature film simply titled Trumbo (Samuel Goldwyn Films). The New York Times underscored
the importance of the film, “If the story of the Hollywood Blacklist and the lives it destroyed has
been told many times before, it still bears repeating, especially in the post-9/11 climate of
fearmongering, of Guantánamo, of flag pins as gauges of patriotism.”
19

The film succeeded in not only paying homage to Dalton Trumbo, but also to the Trumbo
family and every family who had been directly affected by the Blacklist. It was at this time that
Christopher became more active in responding to published articles and inaccurate information
relating to the Blacklist Era and what the Hollywood Ten stood for.
Christopher’s decision to become a writer bowed to the inevitable and to an embrace of
the familiar. His efforts on behalf of the Blacklist Era helped make an otherwise perplexing
period in American history accessible to the average person. The last 20 years of his life were
dedicated to correcting Blacklist credits for the Writer’s Guild. This labor-intensive task
involved the reattribution of screen credits to writers whose names did not appear on the scripts

19
Stephen Holden, Trumbo, When an Eloquent Voice Was Stilled in Hollywood, New York Times
28

due to the Blacklist. It took many years to reattribute all of the writers who were denied screen
credit due to fronts and assumed names. Christopher continued to write articles, appear in
documentaries and publicly speak about the Blacklist. Christopher died of kidney cancer in 2011
at his home in Ojai, California. One of his last projects, a book about his father, co-authored with
Larry Ceplair, Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical, was published posthumously in
2015.
Trumbo the feature film, starring Bryan Cranston, was released in 2015 to critical
acclaim. The film garnered three film industry awards and thirty-three nominations including an
Academy Award nomination for Cranston.
In 1970, Dalton Trumbo was honored with the Screen Writers Guild Laurel Award. In
his speech he looked back on the Blacklist Era with compassion. “The Blacklist was a time of
evil, and no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil. Caught in a
situation that had passed beyond the control of mere individuals, each person reacted as his
nature, his needs, his convictions, and his particular circumstances compelled him to. There was
bad faith and good, honesty and dishonesty, courage and cowardice, selflessness and
opportunism, wisdom and stupidity, good and bad on both sides. When you who are in your 40s
or younger look back with curiosity on that dark time, as I think occasionally you should, it will
do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were
only victims. Some suffered less than others, some grew and some diminished, but in the final
tally we were all victims because almost without exception each of us felt compelled to say
things he did not want to say, to do things that he did not want to do, to deliver and receive
wounds he truly did not want to exchange. That is why none of us--right, left, or center--emerged
from that long nightmare without sin.”
29

When Christopher agreed to be the subject of FOTM’s documentation he was at a point
in his life where he knew that sharing his story was important and that history needed to be told
with integrity. The following excerpt from Growing Up with the Blacklist offers insight into his
reluctance to come forward and ultimately realizing the important contribution only he could
make to the darkest chapter in Hollywood history.
“For a long time, I just sort of stayed on the sidelines in terms of the history of it all.
About ten years ago, I would guess, I decided that I’d better start taking charge. Mostly because
there was a lot that I knew that other people didn't and that my experience through the Blacklist
period was rather unique.” From that point forward, Christopher became one of the foremost
experts on the Hollywood Blacklist from his generation.
20

20
Larry Ceplair, Christopher Trumbo. “Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical”
30

FOTM’s Strategic Plan to Successful Podcast Series
Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist is an example of the rich and
diverse subject matter within the FOTM collection of oral histories. Each documented artist
offers an intimate glimpse into the complexity of the evolution of his craft. The personal stories
are always inspiring and historically significant.
There are over 200 artists’ recordings within the FOTM Archive. On average eight to ten
artists are added each year. The narratives vary greatly ranging from contemporary social and
political topics including the environment, gender issues and women’s rights; to stories of
personal triumph such as breaking the cycle of physical abuse and drug addiction; to the
development of pioneering art movements within a historical context. Skillful story telling has
the ability to unite humanity, challenge conventions and stimulate empathy. Experiences and
hardships that may seem inconceivable to one person become sadly familiar to another. Our
ability to share and listen to personal experiences creates a richer and more meaningful
existence.
As FOTM embraces a new era dedicated to distributing content through social media,
web-based content and radio broadcasts, it will be necessary to modify its non-profit business
model to integrate an entrepreneurial approach to the podcasts. Diversified income streams are
essential to a non-profit’s financial stability. Lessons learned from the Great Recession of 2008
prove that non-profit organizations that were able to rely on diverse income sources fared much
better than those that solely relied on endowments, grants and individual contributions.
21
The
podcasts will not only generate an additional income stream to FOTM’s general operating

21
Kenneth Foster, Director, Arts Leadership Program, Arts Organizations: Innovation and New Models USC
Thornton School of Music, class notes by Donna Granata

31

budget, they will serve as a marketing tool drawing attention to the extensive collection of
primary source material available to the public through the archive.
The critical steps to a successful podcast series include:
• consistent quality productions;
• audience development and branding;
• audience engagement;
• successful distribution;
• evaluation;
• modification to meet the needs of the audience served; and
• monetization.
The development of the podcasts will follow a “startup” business model inspired by Eric
Ries’s The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create
Radically Successful Businesses. Ries’s approach to startup ventures fits well into the launching
of a new enterprise with a well-defined structure that is based on good management and
monitoring your product, quality production, evaluation and modification. He states, “The Lean
Startup methodology has as a premise that every startup is a grand experiment that attempts to
answer a question. The question is not "Can this product be built?" Instead, the questions are
"Should this product be built?" and "Can we build a sustainable business around this set of
products and services?" This is an important question for any business. For a non-profit whose
donations are entrusted to them for the public good, it is a critical question. Ries continues, “This
experiment is more than just theoretical inquiry; it is a first product. If it is successful, it allows a
manager to get started with his or her campaign: enlisting early adopters, adding employees to
each further experiment or iteration, and eventually starting to build a product. By the time that
32

product is ready to be distributed widely, it will already have established customers. It will have
solved real problems and offer detailed specifications for what needs to be built.”
22

The Lean Startup starts with minimal viable product (MVP) that is produced to the
highest standards achievable based on the resources available to the business. The MVP is
shared with a selected audience who assist in the evaluation of the product’s success and/or
shortcomings and adjustments are made. Ries emphasizes the need for structure and clear
guidelines in the evaluation process. “Once the MVP is established, a startup can work on tuning
the engine. This will involve measurement and learning and must include actionable metrics that
can demonstrate cause and effect question.”
23

Engaging FOTM’s continuants will be key to the success of the podcasts. Bringing an
audience in early through beta testing and focus groups helps to establish partners in building
one’s listeners. For a non-profit, its members serve as the ideal focus group and biggest
advocates. They have a proven track record of support and already believe in the mission of the
organization. An audience with a vested interest brings with them a passion for success. Ries
concludes, “When this process of measuring and learning is done correctly, it will be clear that a
company is either moving the drivers of the business model or not. If not, it is a sign that it is
time to pivot or make a structural course correction to test a new fundamental hypothesis about
the product, strategy and engine of growth.”
“When you focus on figuring the right thing to build - the thing customers want and will
pay for - you need not spend months waiting for a product beta launch to change the company's

22
Eric Ries’s The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically
Successful Businesses.
23
Eric Ries’s The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically
Successful Businesses.
33

direction. Instead, entrepreneurs can adapt their plans incrementally, inch by inch, minute by
minute.
”

24

Because FOTM is a non-profit whose goals are to serve the community by sharing the
inspiring lives of the artists, each podcast will be evaluated on its overall benefit to the greater
community. The inspirational, artistic, educational, social, intellectual, emotional and historical
merits will be assessed. Analytical data will also be analyzed including:
• how long the listener will stay with the podcast;
• how many of the listeners share the podcast;
• how many clicks will the podcast generate;
• the number of comments generated by the listener; and
• the number of clicks on links to learn more about the artist and/or FOTM.
Nick Loper, author of Part-Time Podcasting for Profit ($1900 in Week 3?), advises new
podcast entrepreneurs to approach the venture from a marketing standpoint. “Generally speaking,
a podcast is a poor business model (like a blog!), but if you consider it a marketing channel for
your larger business it can be a worthwhile endeavor.”
25
From a marketing standpoint, FOTM’s
goal is to produce compelling content that entices the listener to want to learn more about
FOTM’s extensive intellectual assets while generating a revenue stream to help fund day to day
operations.
Kenneth Foster, University of Southern California professor and Director of the Arts
Leadership Program cautions, “Target marketing has a sales focus and as an arts organization,
while this may become a strategy to pursue at some point, it is not the defining purpose of our

24
Eric Ries’s The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically
Successful Businesses.
25
Nick Loper, Part-Time Podcasting for Profit ($1900 in Week 3?), Side Hustle Nation
34

work. As arts organizations, we have been granted our legal nonprofit status not because we are
going to sell to a particular community but because we are going to serve that community. This
is a subtle, but important difference; one that is crucial if presenters are going to transcend the
transactional nature of what we do to an organizational purpose that is more comprehensive and
multi-dimensional. Presenting is a holistic activity that has multiple purposes – educational,
social, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, inspirational and above all, aesthetically beneficial to the
community we serve. So in thinking about community context, we need to think in a similarly
holistic way about the community and not understand them simply as consumers of art.”
26

A sample of podcast programs in production from the FOTM Archive:

Karen Kitchel: Unconventional Landscapes - the artist shares insight into her latest
body of work blurring the line between the subject within her paintings and the materials she
uses to depict the subject. Scenes of oil spills, oil derricks and polluted waterways are painted
with petroleum and asphalt emulsion in addition to traditional materials. The artist describes
her own personal love/hate relationship with oil and man’s constant influence on the natural
landscape.
James L. Webb: Printing Albers - Gemini GEL, Graphic Editions Limited, is a fine
art publishing house based in Los Angeles. Webb was a master printer from 1966 to 1977, and
worked with many of the iconic 20
th
century artists of the time including Josef Albers. Webb
describes the complexity of printing Albers’ White Line Squares, one of Gemini’s first projects

26
Kenneth Foster “Performing Arts Presenting; From Theory to Practice”
35

that set the standard and enticed Albers’ contemporaries to execute projects at Gemini including
Robert Rauschenberg.
Janet Neuwalder: A World of Inspiration - Neuwalder is a sculptor and installation
artist specializing in clay and ceramic processes. In one series, the artist talks about
incorporating her Japanese-Austrian heritage using historic, personal, and appropriated images
referencing the family’s ethnic complexity during WWII. As an adult the artist traveled to
Hiroshima to view the war monuments, and was deeply moved by the “Nuclear Shadows” -
images burned into the landscape at the point of the bomb’s impact. The shapes of people,
animals and everyday objects were seared into the landscape. The artist describes with great
emotion the effect the experience had on her and how this encounter influenced her work.
Keith Puccinelli: Exposed - Puccinelli is an artist who captures an off-kilter world
through drawing, assemblage, performance, video and installation. His willingness to bare his
soul is evident in works that are at once deeply personal and a commentary on the vicissitudes of
modern life. At the time of Keith’s FOTM documentation, the artist had just completed extensive
radiation and chemotherapy that took its toll on his body. He describes his treatments in great
detail and how the experience led to a powerful new body of work.
Khaled Al Awar: The American Dream - A gallery owner in southern California for
over 30 years, Al Awar emigrated to the United States from Lebanon in 1970. Scheduled for
FOTM documentation in November 2016, topics of discussion will include instability in the
Middle East, immigration and the risks one takes to better their life.
The examples above offer a glimpse into varied subject matter and diversity of
expression within the FOTM Archive that is full of inspiring stories and poignant personal
experiences.
36

Capitalizing on a Growing Audience
Research shows that podcasts - streaming audio and radio - is one of the fastest growing
markets today.
27
It is also among the most marketable. Sponsors are willing to pay between $25
to $45 per 1,000 “hits” or clicks.
28
If a podcast is popular and you have the support base to
maintain interest, the funding opportunity could be substantial. To that end, FOTM, by the
nature of our programing, has an ongoing influx of new audience members each month who are
interested in listening to the stories of the featured artist.
Each subject of FOTM documentation culminates in Artist Spotlight, a public interview
videotaped before a live studio audience. The average audience is approximately 100 individuals
with an estimated 50% new individuals attending each month. Each artist has his own fan base
and extended audience beyond our community. Combined with FOTM’s audience and
multiplied by eight to ten artists per year, the audience has the potential to grow steadily.
FOTM’s programming model is ideal for audience development. Audience cultivation and
distribution will be key to the success of the programing.
Kerri Hoffman is the Chief Operating Officer for PRX, (Public Radio Exchange), a
leading distributor in public radio that connects audio producers with audiences. She
recommends growing your audience before pursuing sponsorship for a podcast series. “There
are two basic things that come into play when monetizing your podcast – you have to have
a sizeable audience that knows you and likes you well enough to either 1) donate to you or
2) purchase a product you endorse through sponsorship. Be careful wasting your energy on
sponsorship sales until you grow your audience. In our experience, the magic audience

27
Cheryl Conner. “How to Podcast for Profit ($2M Sales in Year 2) With Entrepreneur On Fire John Dumas”
Forbes
28
Ann Friedman. "The Economics of the Podcast Boom" Columbia Journalism Review

37

number is about 20,000 downloads per episode. Or, your podcast is published frequently
enough so that you have at least 50,000 downloads per month.”
Hoffman recommends taking the time to build an audience first so that when you are
ready for sponsorship you will be paid a respectable amount for your efforts.
“Big podcasts with over 1M+ downloads can command a high CPM (cost per
thousand). Smaller podcasts can charge anywhere from a $15 – $30 CPM. The reason we
suggest waiting until you have 20,000 downloads is simple math.
20,000 downloads / 1000 (cost per thousand) = 20 impressions (downloads)
20 impressions x $15 CPM = $300 for a :15 to :30 second spot in your podcast
20 impressions x $25 CPM = $500 for the same spot
You can see why anything below 20,000 is not only hard to sell but a lot of work for you.
Grow your audience first.”
29

Scott Oldford, founder of INFINITUS Marketing + Technology, agrees, “There's a
moment in podcasting where everything explodes – usually after at least a year of steady slow
growth and persistence. I’ve seen similar results, after 6-8 months, the Side Hustle Show started
to gain more traction and downloads this year.”
30

Building an audience will require a concentrated marketing effort. The most cost
effective targeted approach is to incorporate a podcast in the documentation process with each
monthly FOTM artist. It is much easier to identify a quality exchange in an oral history as it is
being recorded in contrast to reading transcripts and searching for content. The latter will still be

29
Kerri Hoffman, The Business of Podcasts, Transom
30
Scott Oldford, Part-Time Podcasting for Profit, Episode 85
38

done, but, in order to build a cost effective minimal viable product (MVP) and capitalize on a
captive audience, one must work with the featured artist and produce content concurrently. A
sample of this methodology was tested with the FOTM August 2016 subject, painter Karen
Kitchel.
Kitchel is a nationally recognized artist whose work is represented in numerous museum
collections. She is represented by Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO and Gerald Peters Gallery,
Santa Fe, NM and New York, NY. A short 1:43 excerpt was pulled from her oral history and
distributed through YouTube, Facebook and Constant Contact to promote her Artist Spotlight.
Between the three publications, over 160 people listened to the piece within a three-day period.
The piece will be modified and added to the FOTM website, ITunes, PRX and SoundCloud with
the goal to build as wide an audience as possible. Karen Kitchel: Focus on the Masters
Documentation in Progress can be viewed at the following link:
https://youtu.be/NRwT0HQT8Lc
Once FOTM develops a sizable audience, sponsorship will be pursued specific to our
launch. In the interim, ongoing funding will be sought as we develop an inventory of podcasts,
build our audience and develop our brand. Grant funds will also be sought to transcribe
hundreds of hours of oral histories. FOTM’s non-profit status is an asset to funders wanting a tax
advantage. With 22 years’ experience in grant writing and sponsorship solicitation, FOTM is
accustomed to working with likeminded entities that share our vision in service to the
community.
PRX’s Kerri Hoffman offers sound advice in regards to working with sponsors and ad
placement, “Proving your value to a sponsor is really important. We regularly hear concerns
from producers that pre-roll sponsorships take away from the aesthetic of a show. In rare
39

cases, sponsors will donate money just because they are fans. Mostly, they are looking for
customers and want to align their brand with yours. If you bury their brand, they might not
stick around. Think of sponsors as partners.”
The launch of the FOTM podcast series will include an extensive marketing plan
engaging the FOTM constituents, members and artists in a social media campaign and
media blitz. The initial launch distribution will include eight programs with an inventory of
20 programs available to be distributed one per week. ITunes, SoundCloud, the FOTM
Website, personal emails and Constant Contact eblasts will include specific calls to action
engaging the artists and the community to: 1) Subscribe, 2) Share, and 3) Review. The call
to action will be part of the marketing efforts to engage the community. Building a
momentum and community engagement will be critical in cultivating an audience. The
sponsorship model, where podcasts are funded on a per click basis, allows for the public to
access the podcasts for free while generating funds to support the goals of FOTM.
40

Conclusion
Christopher Trumbo’s story depicts a very specific period in our American history - yet it
is timeless. Political differences are often fraught with conflict. Society can become obsessed
with a certain population of people or an individual allowing ignorance and prejudice to take
hold.
As Christopher recalled, even at a young age he was prematurely aware, “….I had the
idea by that time, they didn't know what they were doing. They really didn’t know me as a
person. They had been infected by their parents, or by the newspapers, or the radio or the
television or whatever it might be.”
Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist graphically illustrates how the
cycles of prejudice are taught to the next generation perpetuating hate. Fear and intolerance
degrades a society and continues the cycle of ignorance. An ageless lesson that is relevant today.
Focus on the Masters’ archive is full of such examples. With the establishment of a
podcast series, FOTM will bring the humanity behind the art to life.
41

References
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Ceplair, Larry. Christopher Trumbo. “Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical” 2015.
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Ceplair, Larry. Christopher Trumbo. Eulogy, February 12, 2011.
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Clark, Dorie. “Here’s to the Future of Podcasting” Forbes. November 19, 2014.
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Cook, Bruce. “Dalton Trumbo: A biography of the Oscar-winning screenwriter who broke the
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Conner, Cheryl. “How To Podcast For Profit ($2M Sales In Year 2) With Entrepreneur On Fire
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Friedman, Ann. “The Economics of the Podcast Boom.” Columbia Journalism Review.
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Holden, Stephen. “When an Eloquent Voice Was Stilled in Hollywood”, New York Times June
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Nieman Foundation at Harvard University” Penguin Publishing Group, Jan 30, 2007

Leibowitz, Glenn. “This Is Why 2015 Could Be The Year Of The Podcast” December 30, 2014.
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist is a pilot podcast, utilizing excerpted material from an oral history with Trumbo, conducted in 2005 by Donna Granata for the Focus on the Masters (FOTM) Archive & Library. Christopher Trumbo, who died in 2011, was a screenwriter, playwright and leading expert on the Hollywood Blacklist, a subject about which he learned firsthand as the son of Academy Award winning screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976). Dalton, known for such works as Spartacus, Exodus, Roman Holiday, Johnny Got His Gun and The Brave One, was once the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood prior to being Blacklisted. He served time in jail for Contempt of Congress and was a member of the legendary Hollywood Ten. Christopher and his sisters, Nikola and Mitzi, spent their formative years watching their father defend Americans’ fundamental right to free speech and free thought, for which the family paid a huge price. Christopher Trumbo: Growing Up with the Blacklist shares a vivid and disturbing incident Christopher endured while in the eighth grade. Through the narrative he tells, we glean insight into the Blacklist Era and particularly the challenges faced by members of Blacklisted families. The podcast includes a vivid personal testimony on how paranoia and fear can sweep a nation and how prejudice is transferred to our youth driving individuals to execute unthinkable acts. This small story offers a glimpse into a much more extensive interview available to scholars and the public through the FOTM Archive & Library. The goal with the podcast series is to select excerpts from FOTM’s extensive collection of oral histories as samples of the rich and diverse content derived from an artist’s documentation. The podcasts will draw attention to this extensive library by sharing intimate and engaging stories and generate revenue to help sustain the goals of the FOTM Archive & Library.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Asset Metadata

Creator Granata, Donna A. (author)

Core Title Christopher Trumbo: Growing up with the Blacklist pilot podcast produced utilizing primary source material from the Focus on the Masters Archive & Library

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism (The Arts)

Publication Date 09/26/2016

Defense Date 08/28/2016

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag archive,Blacklist,bullying,Christopher Trumbo,Christopher Trumbo papers,contempt of Congress,Dalton Trumbo,Donna Granata,Focus on the Masters,FOTM,Growing up with the Blacklist,Hollywood history,House Un-American Activities Committee,HUAC,McCarthy era,OAI-PMH Harvest,oral history,primary source material,teaching hate,Trumbo

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Anawalt, Sasha (committee chair), Foster, Kenneth (committee member), Seidenberg, Willa (committee member)

Creator Email donna@focusonthemasters.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-305386

Unique identifier UC11280561

Identifier etd-GranataDon-4805.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-305386 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-GranataDon-4805.pdf

Dmrecord 305386

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Granata, Donna A.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA