When attorney Dan Grunfeld left his job as deputy chief of staff for policy for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in September, he decided he needed a vacation before starting his new gig with Kaye Scholer LLP.
He and his wife, Colleen Regan, also a lawyer, planned a tripped to Italy. It didn’t work out; she had to stay in town for a case. “She said, ‘Go to a place that isn’t on my top five list.’ And I said, ‘Pedaling in the heat of Vietnam.’ She said, ‘Yeah, exactly,’” recalled Grunfeld, an avid bicyclist.
So Grunfeld, 50, spent three and a half weeks in October cycling across Vietnam. He met up with New Zealand bike riders on an organized trip and then spent about nine days cycling in the country’s central highlands and another day exploring a nearby island. In total, he rode about 300 miles.
He enjoyed the local hospitality.
“You’d ride into villages and kids would run out yelling hello and they’d line up to give high fives as you’d pass by. You’d be escorted out by kids and they’d talk about L.A.,” Grunfeld said. “Kobe is as popular in Vietnam as he seems to be very everywhere else.”
Reaching for the Stars
Entrepreneur Cynthia Stafford hosted a star-studded party two weeks ago to unveil her $30 million film fund and production company, Queen Nefertari Productions. Stafford, who won $112 million from the Mega Millions lottery in 2007 along with her father and brother, staged the soiree at the famed Sunset Tower Hotel on the Sunset Strip.
About 130 guests came out, including actor Chris Pine from the hit film “Star Trek”; actresses Tracey Edmonds and Sharon Lawrence; directors Werner Herzog and Uli Edel; comic book legend Stan Lee; Los Angeles Clippers star Baron Davis; Lions Gate Entertainment Chief Executive Jon Feltheimer; Endgame Entertainment Chief Executive James Stern; Gersh Agency’s David Gersh and Jay Cohen; and Queen Nefertari producers Lanre Idewu and Jeff Kalligheri.
Stafford said her love of movies led her into the entertainment industry.
“I particularly like romantic comedies,” she said. “I love comedies. They will take your mind off everything for a moment.”
Stafford, 47, has emerged on L.A.’s business and philanthropic scenes since winning the lottery. She donated $1 million to the Geffen Playhouse and joined its board last year.
Despite the attention Stafford is getting from Hollywood, she’s remained grounded.
“Some people call it a magical life,” she said. “I don’t attribute it to magic. I attribute it to the life of true possibilities.”
Tech Scene Still Hooking Up
Even in a recession, Kurt Daradics knows how to throw a good party.
The chief executive of local startup Freedom Speaks LLC helped plan and host the recent Digital Family Reunion event at the Wokano Restaurant in Santa Monica. About 400 people came out to mingle over cocktails at what has become an annual meeting of the minds for the local tech and media communities.
Attendees this year included Scott Painter, chief executive of Zag.com; Mark Jeffrey and Jason Calacanis of Mahalo.com; Tony Winders from ValueClick Inc.; and Brian Seth Hurst, the vice chair of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
But while the party was considered a success, Daradics admitted organizers decided to cut back this year because of the economy.
“We toned it down a little bit because we didn’t want to pursue selling sponsors in a smaller market,” said Daradics, 34.
Last year’s Digital Family Reunion was held at the Skirball Cultural Center and more than 900 attended. Daradics said he hoped the next bash would be reminiscent of more heady times.
“Next year we’re going to throw another big event,” he promised.
Staff reporters Daniel Miller, Alexa Hyland and Charles Proctor contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].
