John Schulte at the annual PANGEA Picnic on Pacific Coast Highway.
JOHN SCHULTE
Grandson of famous silent movie pianist, Alice Barnett, (who once dated Buster Keaton), John Schulte arrived in California in the mid 1980’s, with one of his first credits being a produced pilot by Garry “Pretty Woman” Marshall. Brought aboard the original creative development team for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mr. Schulte went on to write TV spots for sundry toy commercials while attempting to resurrect the tasty barley beverage, Postum. He was commissioned to turn world-chess champion Bobby Fischer’s book, I Was Tortured in the Pasadena Jailhouse, into a feature film, but abandoned the project when Fischer offered to pay him with pairs of Italian shoes, which had been gifted to Fisher during his Icelandic tournament. Along with his partners, John Besmehn, Cheryl Ann Wong and producer colleague, Fred Fox Jr., this creative team has amassed an impressive array of credits, from animation pilots like Gormiti to new iterations of Speed Racer and Zorro. Mr. Schulte has also authored a book of poetry, Blue Muse Rising, along with a children’s book, Jupiter’s Window, about the cat who rode on the commemorative Transcontinental Railroad Rose Parade float that caught on fire.
John Besmehn at the annual PANGEA Picnic, forgetting it was a picnic.
JOHN C. BESMEHN
Born between the Kennedy assassination and the Moon Landing, John Besmehn has focused his life on the quest to be the Cleverest Man Alive, a title he regrettably lost to Chuck McCann in 1994 and has failed to recoup, though he did come in a close second, but lost out to the retired and ailing, Mort Sahl. Following Sahl’s passing, Besmehn attempted to be crowned with the honor, but in a surprising twist of fate, was tripped-up by Salman Rushdie. Educated in the exotic foreign lands of Jakarta, Indonesia; Edmonton, Canada and Houston, Texas, this crafty comrade of creativity immersed himself in theatrical training and photography following his controversial career as a test pilot for NASA (often ridiculed as the Fitz Fulton of the Eighties). He was one of an elite group of performers who partnered with bon vivant, David Houck, the man responsible for launching the revival period of the Pasadena Playhouse. Following unmentionable roles in notable B-movies such as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Not of This Earth, and Return to Horror High, Mr. Besmehn turned from the flowing robes of performance to the mighty quill pen, whereupon he teamed-up with business partners, Schulte and Wong.
Cheryl Ann Wong at the annual PANGEA Picnic, ready to work.
Cheryl Ann Wong
Brought to life amidst the social turmoil and political unrest of the 1960’s, Cheryl Ann Wong fled the upheavals of Hollywood, California and landed in Monterey Park, the sister city of Yung-ho, Taiwan. There she honed her talent for debate and moon-landing denial. Her thesis supporting the theory that auteur Stanley Kubrick staged and filmed the moon landing won her accolades from Rocketdyne tech writer, William Kaysing. She was employed as a lobbyist on Capitol Hill before turning to public relations and marketing in the transportation, food, and toy industries. She brokered the establishment of a Pacific Rim-focused bank with actor George Takei and her mother, elected official, Sophie Chao Wong. Her father, Norman, who immigrated to the U.S. from Canton, China is an accomplished engineer, builder, and real estate developer. Ms. Wong also studied pastries, confections, and culinary arts — and created an Asian fusion treat cookbook with her sister, Debora, a Miss Chinatown Princess. She is married to John Schulte and is the proud mother of Blythe Abigail Su-Ren, a Berklee graduate in Professional Music, who’s currently working as a strategic marketer, NFT entrepreneur, and a singer, songwriter, performer, and conductress.