A Hollywood Connection: Custom Engraved Pens for a Film Screening

Earlier this month, I received an unexpected email that turned into a unique opportunity. Hollywood producer Jay Heit reached out to me with a special request—custom engraved solid maple pens to be distributed to dignitaries at a prestigious film screening held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., on January 27th. The screening featured 999: The Forgotten Girls, a powerful documentary produced by Mr. Heit and his team that brings to light the harrowing and largely untold story of the first official Jewish transport to Auschwitz. This transport consisted of 999 young Slovak Jewish girls and women, many of whom never returned.

Jay Heit is no stranger to impactful storytelling. His impressive career includes work on beloved films such as Hocus Pocus, 101 Dalmatians, Operation Dumbo Drop and Shrek, as well as television productions for ABC, The Travel Channel, MGM Studios, and Epcot. It was truly an honor to collaborate with him on this project, knowing that my work would be part of an event recognizing such an important piece of history. Mr. Heit graciously allowed me to view the film, and as the father of three daughters, I was deeply moved. The stories of these young women, their unimaginable suffering, and the few who survived will stay with me forever.

About the Film
999: The Forgotten Girls sheds light on a nearly forgotten chapter of history—the first transport of young Jewish women to Auschwitz. Many of these girls, who believed they were signing up for government work at a shoe factory, were instead sent to the infamous death camp. How did only a handful survive for over three years? The documentary features firsthand accounts from 94-year-old Edith Grosman, prisoner #1970, along with other survivors. Directed by Heather Dune Macadam, a best-selling author and historian who spent over a decade collecting these stories, the film provides a uniquely female perspective on this devastating event. It raises a profound question: Why were young women the first targets of Nazi deportation?

It was a privilege to contribute in some small way to this powerful film’s screening. This experience reinforced for me why I do what I do—because sometimes, even something as simple as an engraved pen can be part of a much bigger story.