At a young age, David Weintraub, Sean Stewart (son of music legend, Rod Stewart), and Randy Spelling (son of well-known producer, Aaron Spelling) were exposed to the Hollywood lifestyle and the glamour that comes with it. The three were childhood friends and neighbors. Growing up in the business led to their unique personal endeavors.
For Sean Stewart, an aspiring singer, that meant working on his own music career. Randy Spelling pursued a career in acting, while David Weintraub worked behind the scenes as an agent to Hollywood’s starlets including Paris Hilton, Kristin Cavalleri, and Carmen Electra. These young men have an interesting perspective on the world in which they live. The entertainment business has always played a major role in each of their lives and as they’ve matured and developed, they have struggled with it.
With that perspective in mind, the concept for the A & E reality show, “Sons of Hollywood” evolved. Weintraub, Stewart, and Spelling signed on to shoot a documentary style reality show in the summer of 2006 that followed their business and creative ventures while balancing Hollywood society. It received not-so-glowing reviews, but David explains, "What ends up on the air may not be the focus you intended when you don’t have creative control. It’s edited to focus on certain aspects. We asked about the fact that Sean was portrayed in such a negative sense: "Sean is Sean. He has his personal struggles as we all do. He has a good heart. The network showed what they wanted to show". One thing was clear, that they do have a sense of loyality and brotherhood amongst themselves. The “Sons of Hollywood” series was an enjoyable experience for David, Sean, and Randy. They stand united, and continue to work together. So much so that they might even shoot a second season. "It will be on a different network", say David. If they do so it’ll continue on the same premise and show how all of their businesses have expanded and life from their own perspective.
We had the opportunity to sit down with David, Sean, and Randy to discuss their future plans for their professional careers as well as the series.
David Weintraub spoke with us first and described his involvement in the entertainment industry from a young age, “I grew up around Aaron Spelling and Rod Stewart, these iconic figures in the business. At a young age, I was able to walk in and get an internship at Interscope Records, and then I went to college and was working there. After that I worked at William Morris and had a career with UTA. I was always kind of in the bubble of a lot of pop culture stuff going on in young Hollywood.
Weintraub’s work has not gone unnoticed; he’s worked with powerful celebrities and has just branched into his own business endeavor as the talent coordinator at The Coalition. Their clients include Eve, Fat Joe, Mya, Sean Stewart, Randy Spelling, and Kimberly Stewart. David described his shift into management as a creative decision. “I segued out of being an agent because it is such a one-sided business. After you commission the deal, that’s kind of the end of the road. I felt as though I was creating ideas with my clients so I wanted to be more involved in the creative structure and actually owning the shows and being a part of them.”
David’s creative involvement and commitment to his artists has definitely paid off. Sean Stewart, one of David’s clients, has recently written and recorded the hit song for the “Bratz” movie. The soundtrack is due out this July. When asked about his work, Sean told us about his excitement for the song’s release. He is currently working on his own album with Weintraub, which should be available sometime this year.
Along with the release of the “Bratz” soundtrack, the first season of “Sons of Hollywood” should be available on DVD in July as well. David described the series as the “boys’ story” of young Hollywood. “I thought it was quite interesting, the inside take that we had on the world. Randy being a young actor, myself being a young agent, and Sean being an aspiring singer. Just the world and the circles we live in.”
It seems that the “Sons of Hollywood” series was an enjoyable experience for David, Sean, and Randy. So much so that they might even shoot a second season. "It will be on a different network", say David. What ends up on the air may not be the focus you intended when you don’t have creative control". It’s edited to focus on certain aspects. If they do so it’ll continue on the same premise and show how all of their businesses have expanded and life from their own perspective.
