In Memory

Candy Whittenburg (Monteiro)

CANDACE WHITTENBERG MONTEIRO  BY VARIETY MAGAZINE

Candy Monteiro

Candace Whittenberg was born in Little Rock, Ark., but soon moved with her family to Portland, Ore. Her first job was working at her family’s record store, where she met Elvis Presley and Bill Haley, among others, as they stopped by to promote their latest hits.

After earning degrees in psychology and sociology at the U. of Oregon, she married Ray Tusken. The couple eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he pursued a music career while she got a job in the chart department at Billboard magazine, where she soon had her own pop music column. As Candy Tusken, she became host in 1977 of Westwood One‘s nationally syndicated “Star Trak” radio series, interviewing the likes of Michael Jackson, Elton John and Paul McCartney. She turned down an opportunity to host a TV version of the series.

After the couple divorced, she married Columbia Records’ VP of promotion Stan Monteiro. In New York, she began her agency career as an assistant at the Henry Morrison Literary Agency; its roster included Ludlum. 

After a year in New York, the Monteiros returned to L.A., where she became an assistant to lit agent Sylvia Hirsch at the Lou Weitzman Agency and quickly moved up to full literary agent. When the agency was acquired by the Sy Fischer Co., Monteiro met her future business partner and closest friend, agent Fredda Rose. Rose, formerly ABC’s West Coast director of business affairs, specialized in primetime TV writers, producers and directors, while Monteiro focused on writers and producers of animated TV shows. Work in this largely ignored arena resulted in substantial billings for the agency.

In 1987, Monteiro and Rose left Sy Fischer to form their own company, the Monteiro Rose Agency, taking some 75 clients with them. For the next 20 years, the pair represented some of the biggest names in TV and film writing and producing. They were later joined by Jason Dravis, the agency’s current president. 

Stan Monteiro died in 2001. She is survived by third husband Les Kelly, whom she married in 2005; a niece; and three grandchildren.

 



 
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03/04/12 09:49 PM #1    

Bill Vinson

Thanks to Skip for letting us know about Candy, I have tried for years to track her down for OSU and sorority reunions with never any luck. It was nice to read that she had a successful career. She was my roommate at OSU our freshman year-and afterwards I lost track of her. I so wish I could have contacted her via our reunion website prior to her passing. Makes you realize how precious friendships are....and so worth caring for them. Connie

 


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