— In honor of the memory of the late Glen Robert Gary – the son of Giulio and Gloria Gari and the longtime cornerstone of the Foundation – this award is bestowed upon Gary’s longtime colleague and friend Barry Katz —
New York NY — The Giulio Gari Foundation, an international youth focused NYS 501c3 dedicated to discovering, supporting and encouraging young classical singers of the highest caliber while promoting opera appreciate worldwide (in honor of the late Giulio Gari, a prominent NYC-based operatic tenor), announces the establishment of the Glen Robert Gary Corporate Excellence Award, and its inaugural recipient, Mr. Barry Katz. The award was announced at the recent 2019 Giulio Gari Foundation Gala Winners’ Concert and Dinner, held Sunday, October 20, 2019, at New York Athletic Club. This annual award honors the memory of Glen Gary, the son of Giulio and Gloria Gari, who passed in a tragic accident in 2016.
If Giulio Gari was the inspiration for the Gari Foundation and Gloria Gari the founder and public face of the Foundation, Glen Robert Gary was the glue that held it together. From the Foundation’s inception in 2003, Glen was the behind-the-scenes wizard working tirelessly to fulfill his mother’s dream and his father’s legacy. Glen spent his life in the television industry as a premier soundman working with many major studios throughout New York. His technical expertise and resourcefulness earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues. After working 10-12 hour days, Glen would come home and work for the Gari Foundation. He handled all the day-to-day operational tasks, maintaining the records and keeping computers and systems running smoothly. And, it was Glen and his crew of professionals who recorded and documented the Galas. Thanks to Glen, there exists a fine archive of Gari Competitions and participants. Glen’s great passion outside of his work was his boat and the sea. A master sailor and licensed pilot, Glen was a fixture in the New York harbor. Everyone knew Glen and his beautiful Viking yacht, aptly named “Gloria.” Glen’s passing in a freak accident in 2016 left a hole in the hearts of his friends, family and the foundation. To honor his memory, the foundation awards the inaugural Glen Robert Gary Corporate Excellence Award to Mr. Barry Katz, Glen’s long-time colleague, boss and, most significantly, his friend.
Barry Katz is a veteran of over 40 years in the television industry. He began his career at ABC Television Networking in the On-Air Promotion Department, where he spent ten years learning the network business and gaining in-depth knowledge of what it takes to make a show successful. He then moved to the world of Cable Television as Director of Technical Operations for Rainbow Network Communications, a division of Cablevision, where he managed a staff of almost 100, producing American Movie Classics, Bravo, Sports Channel, Playboy and many third-party services. After two and a half years at Rainbow, Barry returned to the creative end of television, becoming Director or Creative Services for television syndicate DL Taffner Ltd. Here he learned the syndication business and segued into the world of sales. He ultimately ended up as General Manager of Bexel New York, the equipment-rental company. Next up, Barry moved on to Unitel Studios to head their sales division, working with ABC, ESPN, HBO, Rainbow and the Food Network. From there he moved into similar positions at National Video Center and Chelsea All Mobile Video. Since 2004, Barry has been the Senior Vice-President and General Manager at NEP Studios, a leading provider to independent studios in New York, providing space to Comedy Central, ESPN, Telepictures, Equinox, Hulu, Discovery, VH-1, BET, Major League Soccer and Tru TV. Barry serves on the business advisory boards of Queens College and “Soldier on at Home,” a non-profit organization that helps military veterans and military service dogs. Barry is married to Marilyn Katz, whom he met at Queens College. They have two daughters, Lisa and Amy.
Paul Cohen, Giulio Gari Foundation president, stated, “Glen was more than a brother-in-law to me – he was a brother, and he will be missed dearly by his family, friends and industry colleagues. We founded this award to honor his legacy, and it was a clear and unanimous choice to select Barry Katz as recipient for the inaugural Glen Gary award. Barry has brought consummate professionalism, passion and compassion to his career in television, and he is proud of all the things that his friend Glen accomplished in his life and career, which ended all too soon. All of us at the Giulio Gari Foundation congratulate Barry, as we look forward to continuing to honor Glen’s legacy with next year’s award.”
