Pete Kozachik Memorial Bench

Pete Kozachik, the legendary cinematographer behind the iconic films The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Coraline and many others passed away last month. When I heard the news, I reached out to his wife Katy.

I was lucky to have known Pete, and like so many others, he had impacted my life through his kindness, artistry and technical brilliance.

I wanted to let Katy know what he meant to me. I wanted to help. I wanted to DO SOMETHING.

To be truthful, I was honestly naive enough to think that the guy that who burned Oogie Boogie to celluloid might appreciate a flower arrangement.

Then Katy floated an idea...

On the Monterey Peninsula there is a park that was a favorite of Pete's. He and Katy would often hike there. She suggested installing a memorial bench in his honor.

I let her know that I was on-board to help. She reached out to the park service. It's do-able, but costs $3000.

So here's my pitch: lets honor one of the great ones. Lets say thank you for the laughs, tears and jump scares. Lets create a place where people can contemplate beauty -- just as we did, in darkened theaters, wide-eyed and amazed by Pete's ability to create the fantastic, color it with light and bewilder the masses.