Gerald Rafshoon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gerald Rafshoon
White House Communications Director
In office July 1, 1978 – August 14, 1979
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	David Gergen (1977)
Succeeded by	Frank Ursomarso (1981)
Personal details
Born	Gerald Monroe Rafshoon (1934-01-11) January 11, 1934 (age 91) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Texas at Austin (BA)

Gerald Monroe Rafshoon was born on January 11, 1934. He is an American television producer. He also works as a political expert. He helped start a group called Unity08. Mr. Rafshoon was the White House Communications Director for President Jimmy Carter. He was the first advertising expert to work in the White House.

Early Life and School

Gerald Rafshoon was born in New York City. He went to the University of Texas. After college, he served in the United States Navy. He was in the Navy for three years.

Gerald Rafshoon's Career

In 1963, Gerald Rafshoon started his own advertising company. This was in Atlanta, Georgia. Before that, he worked for 20th Century Fox. He worked for them in both Atlanta and New York.

Helping Jimmy Carter Win

In 1966, Mr. Rafshoon joined Jimmy Carter's campaign. Carter was running to be the governor of Georgia. Later, in 1976, Rafshoon played a big part. He planned all the advertising and public relations. This helped Jimmy Carter become President of the United States. At that time, Carter was not very well known. He was a governor and peanut farmer from the South.

After the White House

After working in the White House, Mr. Rafshoon started making movies. He also produced television shows. He often worked with companies from other countries. He filmed shows in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

In 2008, Rafshoon left Unity08. He and Doug Bailey started a new effort. They wanted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for president. They hoped Bloomberg would run as an independent candidate. This means he would not belong to a major political party.

Television Shows Produced

Gerald Rafshoon has produced many hours of TV shows. These shows were for U.S. and international networks. Some of his shows have won awards. Two of them won Emmy Awards. Three others were nominated for Emmys.

Here are some of the shows he produced:

• Circle of Violence
• The Atlanta Child Murders
• The Nightmare Years, which tells the story of William L. Shirer
• Joseph
• Running Mates, a political comedy
• Georgetown, a drama series for CBS

He also produced a documentary series. It was called Decisions That Shook the World. This series won an Emmy. It was about important choices made by American presidents. These choices showed their character. They also changed history.