I appreciate the above comments regarding Ray Shepardson. Very helpful & informative. Thanks for taking the time to post something so thorough. It is indeed refreshing to read something about Mr. Shepardson that isn’t spun into a red-faced, hysterical rant.
I’m also delighted to see “Life’s too Short” using the “Uncle Paul” moniker. “Life’s,” if I knew who you were, I’d buy you a drink. May you frequent this board with your astute observations and rapier wit for a long time to come.
Uncle Paul has emerged from hiding! Where could he have been? Saving theaters hither and yon? Anyway, I’d like to see what a brand-new, $8 million, 1000-seat theater would look like. I’m guessing it would resemble a crackerbox multiplex & have all the charm of a carwash. However, if Uncle Paul can prove otherwise, I’d enjoy viewing the link to the website of any comparible municipal auditorium built in the last 5 years for $8 million or less. That way we can all decide for ourselves whether Uncle Paul has a point.
Meanwhile, I’d sure like to know how Uncle Paul came up with the $4 million price tag for his three-theater boondoggle. Is that figure based on some reality, or was it concocted in the same secret & magical place where Uncle Paul’s qualifications lurk?
Regarding Uncle Paul’s comments about fundraising, the National Register listing should have opened doors to several fundraising avenues that were not previously accessible. I suspect it takes no small amount of time & energy to pursue grants and launch a full-blown capital campaign, and that’s without the distraction of operating the theater and dealing with frivolous lawsuits from unscrupulous gadflies.
I ask again: Where is the 501c-3 donation money collected by Uncle Paul & his partner? It sure wasn’t used to pay outstanding judgements:
Renovating one of these old theaters must be like remodeling an old house, only at least 100 times worse. You often don’t know how far gone a building is until you tear into it, and by then you have no choice but to keep writing checks or walk away. On top of that, if a local government and all its pals get involved, these projects must turn into a veritable feeding frenzy, especially in Illinois. I imagine something of that nature went on in Waukegan.
That’s not to say Shepardson is entirely blameless for the cost overruns in Waukegan, but I think it’s a stretch to place the responsibility for them entirely at Shepardson’s door, as our friend Uncle Paul spews ad infinitum. Playing devil’s advocate for Uncle Paul, albeit for a moment, if Shepardson blew the budget in Waukegan to hell all by himself, then where were the city officials or theater organization that ultimately had responsibility for the project? Shouldn’t they have reined Shepardson in when the budget swelled to uncomfortable numbers, or were they too busy gorging at the trough themselves?
For all the frothing at the mouth Uncle Paul seems to do about Ray Shepardson, his criticisms of Shepardson are as vague as his very own credentials. Other than Waukegan, what are the cities and theaters that had problems with Ray Shepardson? Shepardson’s not Santa Claus, coming down the chimney to restore a theater for free while everyone sleeps. Certainly he’s ticked off a few people over the years, but where are these disaster projects with massive overruns? What are the details, and who are the contacts? How much are we talking about, 20%, 50%, 100% over budget? Was Waukegan an exception, or part of a trend? Just who and where are these people? How many of these theaters “ruined” by Shepardson did Indigent Uncle Paul subsequently rescue?
If nothing else, it seems that Ray Shepardson knows how to get the job done.
Since Uncle Paul seems incapable of providing any verifiable facts other than the fact of his own instability, I’d appreciate hearing any additional comments on Ray Shepardson, from anyone out there not named Warshauer.
Pose as a 501c-3 not-for-profit, collect donations, deposits, and gate receipts, ignore your bills, parse, bluster, threaten, and then disappear amid a cloud of lawsuits and finger-pointing. Sounds plausible, if a bit bush-league. After all, why get busted by the Feds for a few thousand dollars? Besides, it seems Uncle Paul’s ego won’t let him keep his mouth shut long enough to take the money and disappear. Unless, of course, he touches the proverbial third rail, as the earlier links about Klamath Falls would seem to indicate.
If Uncle Paul were as smart as he claims, he’d forget about this nickel and dime theater stuff for awhile and go for the REALLY BIG SCORE. Does he have the talent and skill to pull it off? I wonder. Decades of grifting, flying under the radar of the authorities, scamming just enough here and there for a room, a case of Bud, a pack of smokes, and a bag of Doritos. Life’s indeed too short to live it as a troubador of smoke and mirrors, and have nothing to show for it but petty lawsuits and indigence motions. What kind of existence is that?
Uncle Paul could take his act on the road to Florida and scam all those seniors out of their retirement accounts. Now we’re talking real money! Uncle Paul wouldn’t need a partner anymore. He could pay his bills and outstanding judgements, and even have enough left over to buy his very own theater to run into the ground. That is, if he could stay out of jail.
It seems ol' “Uncle Paul” has been accused of far worse than a con job, but hey, at least he loves restoring (destroying?) old theaters. Too bad he can’t seem to name one that he’s actually restored. Then again, it must be hard to concentrate with all those court dates on the agenda.
How about the indigence motion of 6/14/05? Surely an astute, erudite businessman “who likes cigars, fun people, travel, the theatre and music, and lively discussions about politics and social issues with intelligent witty people” has enough in the bank to pay for court costs (when he decides to show up.) Or is all that money tied up in a vast network of theaters?
Perhaps we should call the Mayor of Havana? Alderman Levar fom Portage Park?
This is really astounding. Paul, did you accept any donations for the Wheaton Grand? Under what pretenses? Did you masquerade as a not-for-profit entity? Where is the money? The next time you think you hear opportunity knocking at the door, guess again. It’s probably the IRS.
I appreciate the above comments regarding Ray Shepardson. Very helpful & informative. Thanks for taking the time to post something so thorough. It is indeed refreshing to read something about Mr. Shepardson that isn’t spun into a red-faced, hysterical rant.
I’m also delighted to see “Life’s too Short” using the “Uncle Paul” moniker. “Life’s,” if I knew who you were, I’d buy you a drink. May you frequent this board with your astute observations and rapier wit for a long time to come.
Uncle Paul has emerged from hiding! Where could he have been? Saving theaters hither and yon? Anyway, I’d like to see what a brand-new, $8 million, 1000-seat theater would look like. I’m guessing it would resemble a crackerbox multiplex & have all the charm of a carwash. However, if Uncle Paul can prove otherwise, I’d enjoy viewing the link to the website of any comparible municipal auditorium built in the last 5 years for $8 million or less. That way we can all decide for ourselves whether Uncle Paul has a point.
Meanwhile, I’d sure like to know how Uncle Paul came up with the $4 million price tag for his three-theater boondoggle. Is that figure based on some reality, or was it concocted in the same secret & magical place where Uncle Paul’s qualifications lurk?
Regarding Uncle Paul’s comments about fundraising, the National Register listing should have opened doors to several fundraising avenues that were not previously accessible. I suspect it takes no small amount of time & energy to pursue grants and launch a full-blown capital campaign, and that’s without the distraction of operating the theater and dealing with frivolous lawsuits from unscrupulous gadflies.
I ask again: Where is the 501c-3 donation money collected by Uncle Paul & his partner? It sure wasn’t used to pay outstanding judgements:
http://www.annoyanceproductions.com/lawsuit.html
Was the money used to pay all those past-due legal bills???
Anybody have a photo of Paul Warshauer getting kicked off the UTCA board???
Renovating one of these old theaters must be like remodeling an old house, only at least 100 times worse. You often don’t know how far gone a building is until you tear into it, and by then you have no choice but to keep writing checks or walk away. On top of that, if a local government and all its pals get involved, these projects must turn into a veritable feeding frenzy, especially in Illinois. I imagine something of that nature went on in Waukegan.
That’s not to say Shepardson is entirely blameless for the cost overruns in Waukegan, but I think it’s a stretch to place the responsibility for them entirely at Shepardson’s door, as our friend Uncle Paul spews ad infinitum. Playing devil’s advocate for Uncle Paul, albeit for a moment, if Shepardson blew the budget in Waukegan to hell all by himself, then where were the city officials or theater organization that ultimately had responsibility for the project? Shouldn’t they have reined Shepardson in when the budget swelled to uncomfortable numbers, or were they too busy gorging at the trough themselves?
For all the frothing at the mouth Uncle Paul seems to do about Ray Shepardson, his criticisms of Shepardson are as vague as his very own credentials. Other than Waukegan, what are the cities and theaters that had problems with Ray Shepardson? Shepardson’s not Santa Claus, coming down the chimney to restore a theater for free while everyone sleeps. Certainly he’s ticked off a few people over the years, but where are these disaster projects with massive overruns? What are the details, and who are the contacts? How much are we talking about, 20%, 50%, 100% over budget? Was Waukegan an exception, or part of a trend? Just who and where are these people? How many of these theaters “ruined” by Shepardson did Indigent Uncle Paul subsequently rescue?
If nothing else, it seems that Ray Shepardson knows how to get the job done.
Since Uncle Paul seems incapable of providing any verifiable facts other than the fact of his own instability, I’d appreciate hearing any additional comments on Ray Shepardson, from anyone out there not named Warshauer.
Pose as a 501c-3 not-for-profit, collect donations, deposits, and gate receipts, ignore your bills, parse, bluster, threaten, and then disappear amid a cloud of lawsuits and finger-pointing. Sounds plausible, if a bit bush-league. After all, why get busted by the Feds for a few thousand dollars? Besides, it seems Uncle Paul’s ego won’t let him keep his mouth shut long enough to take the money and disappear. Unless, of course, he touches the proverbial third rail, as the earlier links about Klamath Falls would seem to indicate.
If Uncle Paul were as smart as he claims, he’d forget about this nickel and dime theater stuff for awhile and go for the REALLY BIG SCORE. Does he have the talent and skill to pull it off? I wonder. Decades of grifting, flying under the radar of the authorities, scamming just enough here and there for a room, a case of Bud, a pack of smokes, and a bag of Doritos. Life’s indeed too short to live it as a troubador of smoke and mirrors, and have nothing to show for it but petty lawsuits and indigence motions. What kind of existence is that?
Uncle Paul could take his act on the road to Florida and scam all those seniors out of their retirement accounts. Now we’re talking real money! Uncle Paul wouldn’t need a partner anymore. He could pay his bills and outstanding judgements, and even have enough left over to buy his very own theater to run into the ground. That is, if he could stay out of jail.
Here’s that link again:
link
It seems ol' “Uncle Paul” has been accused of far worse than a con job, but hey, at least he loves restoring (destroying?) old theaters. Too bad he can’t seem to name one that he’s actually restored. Then again, it must be hard to concentrate with all those court dates on the agenda.
How about the indigence motion of 6/14/05? Surely an astute, erudite businessman “who likes cigars, fun people, travel, the theatre and music, and lively discussions about politics and social issues with intelligent witty people” has enough in the bank to pay for court costs (when he decides to show up.) Or is all that money tied up in a vast network of theaters?
Perhaps we should call the Mayor of Havana? Alderman Levar fom Portage Park?
Where’s the donation money, Uncle Paul???
ALL of the Gomez money went to Community Bank???? Who else did you solicit, Paul?
This is really astounding. Paul, did you accept any donations for the Wheaton Grand? Under what pretenses? Did you masquerade as a not-for-profit entity? Where is the money? The next time you think you hear opportunity knocking at the door, guess again. It’s probably the IRS.