Stroke of Genius

One man's journey, through a stroke, into a STROKE OF GENIUS.

Dan Mountain, one of Los Angeles’ premier advertising creative directors, suffered a massive stroke that left him in a coma for 21 days. His doctors gave him a “zero chance of meaningful survivial” and finally pulled life support. That’s when Dan woke up.
Struggling to put his life back together, he found words again. First, the rhythm, then the meaning. He worked through his aphasia and wrote poems that his friend, Marc Black, put to music and recorded with help from musical luminaries Art Garfunkel, John Sebastian, Steve Gadd and the Dixie Hummingbirds. They created a richly human CD, Stroke of Genius.
Inspired by Dan’s courage and by the CD, filmmaker, Bahman Soltani, produced a tender and surprising love story. His film, also entitled Stroke of Genius, expresses both the fragility of our lives and the power- ful resilience of the human spirit.
And now, Mr. Black has brought it all together in an evening that features live performance of his original songs, the documentary film and, finally, a time for questions and sharing of experience. Marc is a seasoned performer who makes the audience feel at home. And leaves them inspired.

• Live Music: Marc Black will perform songs from the Stroke of Genius CD. He’ll speak about what the lyrics meant to Dan Mountain and how this creativity helped Dan in his recovery.

• Award Winning Documentary: Bahman Soltani’s inspiring film focuses on Mr. Mountain’s miraculous recovery and the love that was behind it. Silver Metal, Park City Film Music Festival

• Questions and Sharing of Experience: Survivors and caregivers can be so helpful to each other when they realize their common ground.