FM WORLD CHARITIES BOARD
Eric M. Gast
Founder / CEO
Managing Director
With over eighteen years in the music business, Eric Gast is a respected and versatile producer, mixer, and audio engineer. He has amassed impressive credits in genres as diverse as rock, hip-hop, jazz, gospel, and world music.
Zomba Music Group managed Eric's career for eleven years; and, during that time, he built his reputation working with everyone from Will Smith and Britney Spears to Billy Ocean, Kid Rock, and A Tribe Called Quest.
Eric left Zomba in 2000 to pursue an independent career. As a freelance producer and engineer, Eric began to explore musical avenues such as jazz, gospel, and various international recordings. In these veins, Eric worked with artists such as James Moody, Jonathan Butler, Charlie Parker Tribute Album , John P. Kee, and Cissy Houston.
Then, in 2003, Eric started FM For Music LLC, a production and management company. FM not only managed Eric, but also a formidable stable of producers and engineers. His experience includes design work as well. He contracted and designed studios in Atlantic City, Florida, and Brussels.
After working with extensive film and record projects in Eastern Europe, Eric opened label/media companies in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. From the onset of these entities, he built charity into his business plan. Eric always wanted to give back to the communities in which he worked. As time progressed in his charity work, Eric decided to enlist the medical community and to expand his vision. He then started FM World Charities.
Dr. Barry Cohen
Medical Director
Dr. Cohen is a graduate of the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. He completed an internship in the combined program of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at St. Vincent's Hospital of New York, followed by a residency in Urban Family Medicine at the Beth Israel Medical Center, also in NYC. He has since worked in private practice and as an Attending Physician for the Montefiore Medical Group in the Bronx. He currently has a private practice in the Soho area of Manhattan. He spent three years as a volunteer with The Human Rights Clinic of Doctors of the World. Dr. Cohen is an Assistant Professor of Family and Social Medicine at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. He is currently affiliated with the Beth Israel Medical Center of New York, where he is an Attending Physician.
Dr. Matthew Kaufman
Medical Initiative Director
Dr. Matthew Kaufman is a board certified Plastic Surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Drexel College of Medicine. Dr. Kaufman has been recognized by the Castle Connelly guide as a top doctor in the New York Metro area for 2008.
Dr. Kaufman's training was completed at the best training programs in both New York and Los Angeles. He received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton where he graduated with Honors and was named to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society. Upon completion, he attended medical school at the State University of New York at Syracuse graduating in the top 5% of his medical school class. While there, he received numerous honors including acceptance into the AOA medical honor society and an endowment scholarship for outstanding academic performance.
Dr. Matthew Kaufman embarked on his surgical training at one of the nation's top training programs for Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. While there, he trained with world renowned surgeons dedicated to complex Head and Neck Reconstruction. Upon completion, he continued his training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the prestigious UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He learned the most advanced and innovative techniques in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, including the state of the art method of breast cancer reconstruction using the DIEP (perforator) flap, while working with many of the world's leaders in the field.
Dr. Matthew Kaufman has the rather rare distinction of achieving board certification in both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. This gives him the added expertise necessary to deal with complex cosmetic and reconstructive problems of the head, face and neck. He has special interests in advanced reconstructive surgery for breast cancer, cranial nerve disorders, and head & neck cancer. He is a Cancer Reconstruction and Microsurgery Consultant for the Head and Neck Oncology Group of Central New Jersey based at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Dr. Kaufman has been featured in Cosmetic Surgery Times for his tissue engineering research and has been a medical consultant for "Untold Stories of the ER", a syndicated series on The Learning Channel (TLC). Other media appearances inlcude: Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Discovery Health, Channel 2 CBS News, Radio Pacifica and Channel 7 Eyewitness News.
Chip Znuff
Musical Project Director
Chip Znuff has been involved in the music industry for over twenty five years. He has released sixteen albums worldwide with his band "Enuff Znuff," and was nominated for a Grammy in 1998. Chip has had numerous television appearances on David Letterman, Howard Stern, and MTV. He has been involved in performing and arranging media charity events for the TJ Martel foundation, Rock For Kids, Toys for Tots, as well as numerous other charitable organizations. He has been a member of NARAS since 1987. Chip has been fortunate enough to work and play with countless esteemed musicians, i.e. Cheap Trick, Journey, Blondie, Billy Corgan, Twista, and many more. He also worked extensively as a consultant with renowned radio promoter Jeff MC Cluskey, organizing several musical charity events throughout North America. Chip is a devoted parent and respected contributor to the artistic community.
Anthony A. LoPresti
Director / Legal Counsel
Anthony LoPresti is a distinguished attorney who managed the New York firm Davidson & LoPresti, LLP for several years before forming Meltzer LoPresti, LLP. Mr. LoPresti has practiced in all areas of civil and commercial litigation, with a focus in entertainment, media & intellectual property law. Mr. LoPresti has represented diversified clients ranging from bio-tech, architectural design, and publicly traded technology corporations, to top fashion, entertainment & media personalities with businesses ranging from trendy magazines, “Page 6” restaurants and designer clothing lines, to well known actors, artists, producers, writers, photographers and fashion models.
Mr. LoPresti has also represented numerous creative ventures in film, TV, theatre and music. On a pro bono basis, Anthony has represented numerous not-for-profit entities and public officials, including, among others, members of the U.S. Congress, the New York City Council, current New York Governor David Patterson, the NYFD Uniformed Fire Officers Association, and not-for-profits supporting, among other things, human rights, civil rights, community rights, environmental rights, health & well being, and animal rights. Such representation has resulted in various cases of note, reported in case law reports, legal publications and local and national press. While in law school, Mr. LoPresti wrote for the New York Law School Journal of Human Rights, where his article Creating An Affirmative Duty To Achieve Economic Security and Safeguard Human Rights Through the United Nations was selected for publication. Anthony’s honors and awards include the Professor Lung-Chu Chen Award for Excellence in the Field of Human Rights (1996) and the prestigious Common Cause "Holding Power Accountable Award" (2003), which lauded Anthony as "a distinguished attorney who … helped promote a more open, honest and accountable democracy in New York State."
NORTH AMERICAN ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Alden M. Cass |
Bobbie Rae |
Todd Causley |
Steve Rembis |
Paige DePonte |
Lawrence Rubin |
Fabrice Frere |
Robert Singer, MD |
Kristen Johnston |
Tony Sklar |
Dominic Giordano, DMD |
Jennifer Sklias Gahan |
Kirk Macleod |
David Stern |
Scott Maguire |
Dave Stekard |
Ricky Parent |
Paige Wood |
Phillipe Pichetto |
Linda Wymbs |
Rachel Z |
The Kindred Harmony Project in collaboration with FM World Charities is traveling to Afghanistan to document and record Afghani musicians. This music will then be integrated into original collaborations with established Western artists to create a music CD. Proceeds from both the CD and companion documentary film will be used to build both a primary health care clinic and an autonomous birthing clinic...
FM World Charities brings its Skin Cancer Initiative to the surf community. After a successful run of screening 6500 on the legendary Warped Tour , Surf Expo 09 invited FM to their big event in Orlando. FM's special brand of awareness and screenings is perfect for the sun worshipping surf population. Founder/CEO Eric Gast speaks out on the FM mission.
On Saturday Oct 27th, 2007 Ricky Parent succumbed to cancer. Ricky was a close friend of mine and a valued member of FM World Charities. His passion for life and always enduring smile served as an inspiration to us all. I remember helping him in the studio with some drum tracks just months before his death.
