Hawk Koch Debuts Memoir at Ojai Film Festival

Exclusive Preview of Hawk Koch New Book Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood
Sunday, November 3, 4 pm

MPTF Board Member, Hawk Koch

Chinatown. Marathon Man. The Way We Were. The Drowning Pool. The Pope of Greenwich Village. Wayne’s World. The Other Side of Midnight. Heaven Can Wait. Gorky Park. The list of movies Producer/Director and Hollywood insider Hawk Koch worked on goes on. His career comprises positions as assistant director, producer, crew, such as dialogue coach during Rosemary’s Baby, and even as an actor. As Assistant Director for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice his voice appears as an “El Taco Employee.”

On Sunday, November 3 at 4 pm the Ojai Film Festival screens The Way We Were at the Ojai Art Center Theater, followed by a Q&A with Hawk led by Peter Strauss. Afterward the festival will host a reception and book signing in the Art Center Gallery.

His role as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences included initiatives towards Academy diversity, the launch of the first general membership meeting in its history, and major fundraising for the new Academy Museum. He sits on the boards of AMC Entertainment, The Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Fund, and Cast and Crew.

Hawk’s new memoir Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood (Simon & Schuster/Post Hill Press) debuts on November 12. The book tells of his growing up as the namesake son of a legendary producer. Hawk’s story details how he came to carve out his own successful career, Including Hollywood stories and people that are beyond belief and larger than life.

He grew up on movie sets and backlots with his famous father, Howard W. Koch. Before he became the head of Paramount Pictures in 1964, Hawk’s father directed cult favorites like Mamie Van Doren’s Untamed Youth and Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein (1970). As producer, his body of work included classics like The Manchurian Candidate, The Odd Couple, and Airplane! as well as television shows like The Untouchables.

In his teen years Hawk broke out from under his father’s shadow when he worked as a road manager for pop/rock bands, including The Ronettes, Lesley Gore, and The Dave Clark Five. At 19, he landed his first Second Assistant Director job on This Property is Condemned starring Natalie Wood and Robert Redford. He became a First Assistant Director and Producer with credits on critically acclaimed films such as Chinatown and so many more. Among his first major motion pictures as Assistant Director the Oscar winning film The Way We Were, Directed by Sydney Pollack, starred Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.

Around age 50, Hawk experienced a spiritual epiphany. He grew up Jewish but not very religious. He returned to his roots and decided to hold the Bar Mitzvah he never had. He changed his name to Hawk, partly based on his initials HWK and a childhood nickname. The name also symbolizes a bird that sees the panorama and the detail at the same time, the way a hawk sees from horizon to horizon.

The Way We Were Film screening
Q&A with Hawk Koch and Reception to follow

Book Reviews:

“Is there anybody that Hawk Koch hasn’t worked with? Magic Time should be required reading for three types of people. One, those starting in show business, two, those that have been in show business for a long time, and three, everyone else. Like every movie Hawk has made, Magic Time is a fascinating journey of self-identity. I love this book.” —Mike Myers

“Magic Time recounts what I remember about Hawk: someone who never took an opportunity for granted and worked hard to achieve success in his own right. Plus, he was a lot of fun, and, as the book reflects, we had some memorable adventures.” —Robert Redford

“Hawk Koch is without a doubt one of the great Hollywood storytellers I’ve ever known. His adventures in the movie business are so funny and so incredible that I re-tell stories from his career more than ones from my own. And his own personal journey is as heartfelt as it gets.” —Edward Norton

“I can personally relate to this moving journey of a man learning to step out from under a father’s shadow. But Magic Time is also filled with fun, surprising stories that only a deep insider could tell.” —Jane Fonda

“I found the book profoundly moving, and insightful about not only the entertainment industry, but human nature. Bravo and congratulations!” —Gale Anne Hurd

“This book is more than just a great Hollywood memoir. Hawk Koch shares his story with us in a funny, touching, and vulnerable way in contrast to the glitz and glamor of the show business life he leads. If you want to hear a story about what Hollywood is really like read this book. It’s a winner.” —Mark Gordon