We were pleased to received an e-mail from former Rome office scribe, Mark Thomas,who filed from 1987 through June 1990, when he left Variety to join UNICEF in Ethiopia.
He writes:
I want to congratulate you and all the other contributors to Simesite, which I think is a remarkable and loving testament to the great institution that Variety at least used to be. My relatively brief stint with Variety coincided with many changes in the publication and its operations during those years, but in any case I remember those days fondly, especially all the fun (and work!) with the Variety folks from around the world when we gathered for the Mifed and Mip markets and the Cannes festival.
As you can see I am still with UNICEF, and I have worked with the organization in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Albania, Pakistan, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Macedonia, as well as several other developing countries. I have been based in Bangkok for the past four years, and hopefully will be here for at least another year or two before UNICEF sends me elsewhere. My first wife, Jennifer, and I divorced in 1996, and 11 years ago I married a Thai woman who was also working with UNICEF. We have two boys, and we plan on settling down in Thailand after I reach retirement age.
I am sorry I have not kept in touch with you and others from Variety, but I promise to be a good correspondent and to reply to any ex-Muggs who want to drop me a line.
My best to all,
Mark
Mark Thomas
Chief, Communication and Fundraising
mthomas@unicef.org