Suzy Kappaz
VICE PRESIDENT, TALENT SERVICES

Education: Central Michigan University.

Joined Gail & Rice: 1986.

Life Before Gail & Rice: I lived and worked in Los Angeles in an entertainment talent agency (Creative Artists Agency), on HBO’s “Not Necessarily the News”, and on NBC’s “Fantasy”.

Gail & Rice Role: VP, Talent Services. I work with clients on their talent and speaker needs. I research talent, negotiate contracts, and coordinate all the details, including on-site logistics.

Favorite Aspect of Gail & Rice: Can’t think of any just one. Maybe that from where I sit, that I can’t see the candy machine downstairs. That’s a good one. But really, it’s mostly about the people I work with. The strong work ethic I see here and the sensitivity everyone has to wanting the job to go off perfectly, AND to be equally as committed to our clients having a good time. Nothing’s taken for granted. Everyone has to be happy. And that includes us.

Enduring Gail & Rice Memory: Let me see…I have so many. It’s been 18 years. I’ve met so many people and been to so many places. The experiences…to think of one. Okay. I went to see The Tonight Show taped one night in Los Angeles. Jay Leno is a close friend of the company’s and when I sent to say hello to him before the show started, he had a surprise for me. See, at the time, I had a HUGE crush on Jerry Seinfeld, and he was becoming very famous at that point. Anyway, Jay tells me that Jerry’s going to be on the show that night. Having seen the list of performers, I knew he was kidding. Me. But don’t ever doubt Jay. He leads me down the hall, and in one, swift motion, pushes me through a door, right into the middle of Jerry’s dressing room! “Suzy, this is Jerry. Jerry, This is Suzy.” And then, Jay leaves. Literally SLAMS the door behind. So, there I am, trapped and speechless, having landed right in the middle of a conversation between Jerry and a legion of writer/producers preparing that night’s sketch. I stood there for like, a year, and said NOTHING. For a long time. And then, these guys, they just go back to what they were doing. Ignored me completely. Thought I was gonna die. So, I just...left the room. That's it.

Life Outside of Gail & Rice: Movies, music, cooking, travel, gardening and volunteering.

Personal Philosophy: It’s important to work hard, but also to have fun doing it. We do a great job, but we’re nice people, and that’s as important as anything else. We’re real.

What was the Proudest Moment in Your Life? Well, I guess the first time I saw my name on the credits crawl of a television show I worked on. That was pretty great for me.