FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 17
OUR COMMUNITY
T
he award-winning series
returns for a second
season to feature profiles
of Detroit seniors, including
colorful stories of entrepre-
neur Larry Mongo, owner of
Cafe D’Mongo’s Speakeasy
in Downtown Detroit; the
philanthropy of Max Fisher
family scion and matriarch Jane
Sherman; a vivid oral history
of the Cass Corridor arts scene
in the 1970s by legendary artist
Nancy Mitchnick; the trans-
formative work of Restoration
Arts Theater founder Dr. James
Allen Jones, who sought to
bring Shakespeare education to
students of color; and the witty
insights of Joel Katz, successor
to a multi-generational plumb-
ing business that saved many
during Detroit’s harsh winters.
These profiles are featured
in Coming of Age: Detroit
from Silver Screen Studios,
a production company that
celebrates the lives and expe-
riences of inspirational older
adults through short form
digital media programming,
and Reboot, a Jewish arts and
culture nonprofit with gener-
ous support from the William
Davidson Foundation.
“
As our world continues to
adjust to social, political and
cultural change, the wisdom,
gratitude and optimism of the
older Detroit icons and every-
day heroes featured in Coming
of Age: Detroit offers invalu-
able insights for audiences of
all ages,
” said Noam Dromi,
managing director of Reboot
Studios and co-creator of Silver
Screen Studios.
“The seniors of the Metro
Detroit area have remained
models of resilience, creativity
and reinvention, as adaptable to
change as the Motor City itself.
We are thrilled to capture their
stories that are as entertaining
as any Hollywood movie and
offer historical context and leg-
acy for generations to come.
”
The first two episodes are
available now. Additional epi-
sodes to feature Larry Mongo,
Dr. James Allen Jones and
Nancy Mitchnick will premiere
weekly. Each installment runs
between 10-15 minutes. View
them at http://silverscreenstu-
dios.org.
SILVER SCREEN STUDIOS
Season 2 premiere features inspiring older
Jewish role models from the Motor City.
Coming Of Age:
Detroit
Jane Sherman
Joel Katz
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www.hfldetroit.org • 248.723.8184
Hebrew Free Loan Detroit
6735 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 300 • BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN 48301
@HFLDetroit
Community donations help Hebrew Free Loan give
interest-free loans to local Jews for a variety of personal,
health, educational and small business needs.
STORY
My
STORY
My
A few years ago, Kevin Chupack was with an invest-
ment advisory firm managing the client portfolios of
a co-worker. Although he enjoyed what he did, his
goal was always to establish his own clientele so
he could eventually launch out on his own.
“As opposed to working on behalf of someone
else’s clients, I wanted to manage my own portfolio
and establish my own clientele and brand,” Kevin
said. “I felt I was ready to begin that journey, so I
opened my own firm.”
Kevin knew things would be tough for the first
year as he built his client list, but what he did right
away was find a business partner, a registered CPA
who was also looking for a partner. The two created
a symbiotic financial firm to fully support each
other’s client relationships. The other thing Kevin
did was contact Hebrew Free Loan to apply for
funding through HFL’s Marvin I. Danto Small Business
Loan Program.
“The Hebrew Free Loan process was outstanding.
It gave me the opportunity to put a vision behind
my numbers and launch my business my way,
which is both the scariest and the greatest feeling
in the world,” Kevin said. My partner and I play to
each other’s strengths, so we came out of our first
couple of years doing well, and I credit HFL for
giving me the courage to do it. It was more than
money with them, it was support and encouragement.
What this agency did for me, and does for the
community, is life-changing.”