Richard Fontenot, MA, MFT, MMC has built a career in the entertainment industry, contributing to BAFTA, Emmy, and Academy Award-winning productions. His experience encompasses collaborations with Universal Pictures, Universal Music Group, 20th Century Fox Television, Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema, Miramax, and Paramount. Notably, he penned the original story treatment for the film “Tropic Thunder.” He is recognized for working on a variety of acclaimed projects, including “Frasier” (NBC), “Rush Hour 2” (New Line Cinema), “The Italian Job” (Paramount), “Tea with Mussolini” (Universal), “The Howard Stern Show” (E! Entertainment), the Primetime Emmy Awards (ABC), a pilot written by Norman Lear, created for Janet Jackson, and a pilot starring Tom Selleck. He was also a member of the Miramax production team while producers filmed “Shakespeare in Love,” which took home the Academy Award for Best Picture. In addition to his entertainment career, Richard is a psychotherapist and consultant. He earned a Los Angeles County Commendation for researching group psychotherapy practices in the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health. He studied mindfulness and integrative medicine at the UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Resource Center, holds an MA in Psychology, trained in Narrative Medicine at Harvard, and is an associate alumnus of Harvard Medical School. Richard is interested in pursuing Neuroscience with Clinical Psychology tropes and Cinematic Arts while in the Liberal Studies program. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, playing badminton and squash, and frequently vacations in Antigua, Guatemala. He was raised near New Orleans and has lived in Los Angeles, New York, Guatemala, and Thailand.
Preferred Name: Rich
Please share the title of a book you’ve recently enjoyed and would recommend to your GLS colleagues. The Promise and Peril of CRISPR by Neal Baer
What movie or television show that you watched recently would you recommend to the rest of us? 1st few seasons of Homeland
Coming to the Duke GLS program, I hope to forge lifelong connections and create some unforgettable experiences.
We’re going to make a GLS 2024 playlist on Spotify. Please recommend a song to include that speaks to how YOU feel as you embark on this new learning journey. It could be something that you’re listening to a lot now or a longtime favorite that captures the moment for you.
Lovely Day by Bill Withers
