Jack Craciun III

Jack Craciun, is a Cleveland, Ohio businessman who began an entertainment industry career in the sixties as a featured dancer for the Jeff Kutash Review and Kutash’s locally broadcast Upbeat television show. In 1967 he began his career in marketing as Regional Promotions Director for Liberty-Blue Note Records in New York. In six months on the job, his marketing and sales team broke the song “Up, Up and Away” by The 5th Dimension and Vikki Carr’s “It Must Be Him”, promoting sales in excess of 2 million records.
The Beginnings of FM Radio
After attending The University of Toledo in 1970 Craciun became an account executive with Spiezel Advertising. There he contributed to the production and marketing of successful fundraising programs for clients such as the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Browns. Craciun oversaw the development of a new progressive rock radio station in Cleveland, WNCR-FM.
Craciun began consulting the ABC FM Progressive Radio Network in Chicago, the first commercially successful FM radio network in the USA.
Music You're My Mother
In 1974, Craciun formed his own production company to promote Cleveland and its music nationwide. He designed a television series to be taped at The Agora's Columbus Ballroom which eventually premiered on Channel 3 WKYC, Cleveland in July 1974. Hosted by Martin Mull starring Ralph, a ten-piece rock orchestra from Scranton, Pennsylvania Craciun was managing, and whose theme song, Music You’re My Mother became the title for the new series, along with drummer Joe Vitali--the show went on.
After MYMM'S successful Cleveland premier Craciun sought and received approval from the United States Army to create and produce the second in the Music You’re My Mother series. It would be the first televised rock concert on a military base in U.S. military history. The special was taped at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky the home of America’s 101st Airborne Division outside Nashville, Tennessee.
Titled "Music You're My Mother: U.S. Army," it was designed to be shown during the celebration of America's 200th Birthday the next year. The Army's Rock Concert was produced on May 22, 1975 The event starred Joe Cocker, Barbi Benton, Chaka Kahn, Pure Prairie League, and the Earl Scruggs Review.
CIII Productions
CIII Productions, Inc., was founded with George Wienbarg as Executive Vice President, to produce and market not only the MYMM series but a variety of projects in the broadcast and entertainment industries. As a record, video, and film producer, Craciun collaborated with the Viacom Cable TV Network and his friend Jeff Kutash on a successful Broadway show, , and coproduced a motion picture that won a music award at the Cannes Film Festival. His rock concert at Ft. Campell was used to kick off the US bicentennial celebration.
Jaycees
In 1978 Craciun took on a nationwide leadership role in the United States Junior Chamber (the Jaycees) to bring attention to the youth crime problem through rock music. In 1982, the International Jaycees presented Jack its most prestigious award: Senator and Lifetime Member.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu