Guest Author - Susan Dorling

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Elliot Abbott, President of The Hollywood Collection. Turns out the man who came up with a great idea for a jewelry company about 15 years ago is a genuine gem! Warm and engaging, he shares with us his love for his business—and his customers. And clearly he admires the movie stars whose jewelry he lovingly recreates, those actresses who epitomized the glamour of Hollywood in its heyday. He knows these actresses and movies will never come around again. But, as he says, Hollywood is alive and well at The Hollywood Collection. Elliot Abbott is indeed a man who pursued his dream, and made it come true.
_______________________________________________________________________________
SD: By the way, I must admit that I put your name in Google and discovered you were a movie producer. Do you still work in the movie business? (Some of Elliot’s movie credits include: Executive Producer of 'Getting Away with Murder', 'Awakenings', and 'Calendar Girl'; and Producer of, 'A League of Their Own', 'The Preacher’s Wife', and 'Renaissance Man'.)

Elliot Abbott: Strangely enough, I hadn’t done it for about 8 or 9
years and about a month or so ago I read an article in Sports Illustrated that kind of got me interested again. So I may be doing another one. I think the guys who wrote ‘League of Their Own’ for us, are going to write this one. Penny Marshall, my partner, is probably going to direct. So we may be doing another one. I got very excited about reading it, and love the idea…but it’s a year and a half out of your life.

SD: Let’s talk a little about your background. Where were you born?

Elliot Abbott: I was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Chicago, and moved out to California about 36 years ago.

I was originally in the music business. My first client was Jim Croce (‘If I Could Save Time in a Bottle’). I went on to manage a bunch of people—Neil Sedaka, Randy Newman, The Carpenters, Ricki Lee Jones, The Kinks, that old rock ‘n roll band.

SD: Were you creative as a child?

Elliot Abbott: Well, I love music. I was around music. I love melodies. Guess I was always able to tell a good song. I was drawn to Randy Newman, and these people because I always loved songs. And I guess I’m able to communicate with them. You know, it’s the same story with jewelry. I love communicating with the customers.

SD: What other interests or hobbies do you have?

Elliot Abbott: Besides the girls (his wife and daughters)—which is
really why I gave up the movie business because I didn’t get to see them very much—I like to golf.




SD: Are you expressing something of yourself with your jewelry business?

Elliot Abbott: I love the fact that we’re doing something people love. I love when an idea works. I love the fact that the golden age of Hollywood is alive and well at The Hollywood Collection.

SD: Are you a fan of the classic movies like Casablanca?

Elliot Abbott: Yes, I love watching those old movies, that’s not a chore for me.

SD: So, with your background in show business, it seems quite natural for you to make ‘movie star’ jewelry in your jewelry business.

Elliot Abbott: Well, I’ll tell you, if you want to talk to someone who
really knew nothing about jewelry, you’re talking to him now. I don’t wear jewelry, I don’t wear a watch, and I knew nothing about it. I learned an enormous amount from the guys at our factory, from the buyers, from our customers, and the biggest lesson was—if you think it’s pretty, it’s pretty—it works!