CHRONIC BRIEFS

CAST & CREATIVE

DAN MALITO (Author, Creator) Ever since the age of nine, when Daniel Malito was ripped from the happy childhood life he knew by a then little-known illness called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, he has been fighting, learning, laughing, and growing. The disease happened to coincide with a move by Daniel’s parents, and as you can imagine, it made life difficult for a boy who was growing up in a brand new town – especially when missing school was a common occurrence. Inevitably, this led to a social life that was, let’s say, less than desirable, and Daniel had to learn how to defend himself without the use of his physically infirmed body.  So, he nurtured his brain and his wit, and developed ways to use words as powerfully as some use fists.

Daniel Malito has been writing about his life with rheumatoid arthritis for ten years now, with a successful blog, a noted autobiography, and a plethora of accolades and awards. He even found a woman willing to help him carry his life’s burden, and starting a family is now another accomplishment he can add to the list – and maybe the most daunting one yet! With a skewed but poignant take on the world, the future will certainly hold something great, and if it doesn’t, he’ll do what he always does – make sure everyone is laughing along with him!

STACEY CAHN (Creative Producer) comes to TTC from a distinguished background in storytelling. She spent over 20 years in the trenches of broadcast news, first as an anchor on the NBC Radio Networks, then as producer at the CNBC and Fox News Channels when both were first launched before segueing into the corporate video world with “Fortune 500” clients. In 2009, Stacey founded “Time in a Bottle Video Productions” to help others to tell their stories; personal stories for posterity, business stories to help companies distinguish themselves from the competition, and  “Day in the Life Video” documentaries to help the wrongfully injured tell their stories in personal injury lawsuits.

Stacey found herself in the middle of a story when her lower Manhattan apartment building shook on the morning of September 11, 2001. She and her husband watched the twin towers of the World Trade Center crumble from their bedroom window right across the street. “What we went through is nothing compared to what we saw. Stacey sees life through a different lens and brings this perspective and understanding to every project. Capturing and preserving stories has become a mission. Stacey has been honored several times for her work but considers winning a track and field relay at Cornell University her “most astounding achievement.” As her husband’s Grandma Cele used to say, “a day is wasted without laughter.” She lived to be 99.