does ,” says Lotte , who as a young girl fled Germany with her Jewish family before Kristallnacht , the Nazi invasion in 1938 . “ I call him my treasure … and he ’ s Rhode Island ’ s treasure , too .”
It wasn ’ t a straight line from Feinberg ’ s dream to his dream job ; there was a twenty-two-year stopover in Los Angeles , making films like Fortress with Christopher Lambert in 1992 , writing them , directing , producing and most importantly , building credibility and racking up an enviable Rolodex of connections in the movie industry which serves him well back home .
“ A buddy was going through a challenging divorce in 2003 , so I came home to help him get through it ,” Feinberg says . “ I found out this job was being created , met with some people and they asked if I ’ d be interested .”
That kind of caring attitude comes as no surprise to Feinberg ’ s longtime assistant , Carol Conley , who says her boss saved her life twice , including once figuratively in 2004 when Conley , a recent cancer survivor , needed a job and he gave her one .
“ And in April 2017 , we were out to lunch , I felt off , had a headache and kept saying I was OK , I ’ ll go home and take a nap , but he wouldn ’ t have it and insisted on taking me to the hospital ,” she says .
She was having a heart attack which caused a small stroke . Doctors said if she hadn ’ t come , she might not have woken up from that nap .
“ He literally saved my life ,” Conley says . “ He ’ s one of the best people I know .”
Randy Rosenbaum echoes that . Rosenbaum retired last year as head of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts , which oversees the film office . He hired Feinberg because “ he was engaging , knew the film industry inside and out . He walked the walk and had some of the best references for any position I ’ ve ever hired for .”
Feinberg often visits film sets , particularly those of local friend / filmmakers like Rhode Island native Tommy DeNucci , who lives a stone ’ s throw from Feinberg in Garden City where the two often get together to watch sports on TV .
“ He ’ s not just bringing in massive movies , he gives time and support to indie films with the same level of excitement he has for big projects ,” says DeNucci , director of Vault , based on the Bonded Vault
OPPOSITE PAGE FROM LEFT : Steve Feinberg at USC ; Feinberg with Michael Corrente and Peter Farrelly , who worked on the movie Outside Providence together ; Feinberg with his horse Cruiz ; Feinberg ’ s late father Ross , and mother , Lotte Feinberg , encouraged their son to make movies ; Feinberg on the set of “ The Gilded Age ” with producers David Crockett , Holly Rymon and Gareth Neame ; Feinberg on the set of Hocus Pocus 2 .
Feinberg in his Rhode Island Film and Television Office in Providence .
PHOTOGRAPHY ( THIS SPREAD , LOWER LEFT ): COURTESY OF STEVEN FEINBERG .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2023 69