The Pink Marine Media Kit
About Greg Cope White |
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
A card-carrying member of the Writer’s Guild, SAG and the Television Academy, Greg’s a produced television and film writer. The Pink Marine is his first book.
His writing credits include HBO’s Dream On, Norman Lear’s The Powers That Be and 704 Hauser, Fox’s Life With Louie, Sony’s animated series Jumanji, Comedy Central’s Out There II and Disney’s Social Studies. He recently co-produced back-to-back movies, Miss Me This Christmas and You Can’t Fight Christmas. He co-produced and wrote the Netflix original movie, Walk. Ride. Rodeo., airing now. Holiday Rush, his latest Netflix Original film to write and produce airs on Netflix Thanksgiving 2019. He writes television, film, and articles for publication. He's a member of The Association of Food Journalists and James Beard (his major passions are veteran's and LGBT rights, food, travel and storytelling). He appears on Unique Sweets on the Cooking Channel. He had a blast touring with his book, speaking to the young adult audience. He also shot a pilot for Food Network as host & cook for a food and travel adventure show, He competed on Mark Burnett’s TV show On The Menu. He writes articles for The Huffington Post and Good Men Project , and most recently his memoir of his time in the Marine Corps--The Pink Marine (available everywhere books are sold). He enjoys serving on literary panels with other Contemporary and Young Adult authors. Veterans Writing Project and Military Experience and the Arts include chapters from his memoir in their print editions of collected short stories. His memoir, The Pink Marine is also being produced as a TV series by Rachel Davidson and Norman Lear's Act III . Greg does not; however , get to play himself in the series. He did narrate the audio version of The Pink Marine fro Audible. |
CONTACT INFORMATION
BOOK SYNOPSIS BOOK SPECS PRAISE FOR THE PINK MARINE PHOTOS OF THE AUTHOR Q & A WITH GREG DOWNLOADS VIEW GREG'S REEL KIRKUS REVIEW |
About The Pink MarineWhen Greg Cope White’s best friend tells him he is spending his summer in Marine Corps boot camp, all Greg hears is “summer” and “camp.”
Despite dire warnings from his friend, Greg vows to join him in recruit training. He is eighteen, underweight, he’s never run a mile—and he is gay. It’s long before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Supreme Court marriage equality ruling, and with no LGBT rights in place in most states, and the Marines having a very definite expulsion policy in place for gay people when it comes to military personnel, will Greg even survive? The Pink Marine is the story—full of hilarity and heartbreak—of how a teenage boy who struggles with self-acceptance and doesn’t fit the traditional definition of manliness finds acceptance and self-worth in Marine Corps boot camp. |
Sample Chapter
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Praise & Chatter For The Pink Marine"While I served in the military, the Air Force was a social club
compared to the Marines. I’ve known Greg White for some thirty years, and have admired him every minute throughout. That he could write as intriguing and honest a book as The Pink Marine is no surprise." — Norman Lear “A great story beautifully told—surprising, funny, courageous and inspiring.” — David Hyde-Pierce "The Marines got a great soldier out of it. And we civilians got a great author. This is the story of how, through pure gumption, a most unlikely Marine candidate rises to the occasion to show his true colors!” — Jane Lynch “Greg is as inspirational as he is hilarious—I love him and I love this book!” —Margaret Cho "If you're searching for the next great memoir, it's arrived. Greg Cope White's The Pink Marine is funny and relentlessly honest. If we have any reason to celebrate the imposed silence of President Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, The Pink Marine is it. Had Greg talked back then, we wouldn't have this book now. " — Peter Macnicol “Marine Corps boot camp was the toughest thing I ever did. I had to cope with being skinny, weak, and timid in a place that demanded strength, confidence, and fearlessness. But I didn’t have to cope with being gay or having to hide who I actually was. . . .The Pink Marine is a wonderful book and I’m proud to be Greg White’s fellow jarhead.” —Jim Beaver "For five years, on a television show called Covert Affairs, I had the privilege of pretending to be a member of the U.S. military. For six years, in the United States Marines, my friend Greg pretended to be straight. He wins. The Pink Marine will inspire you, make you laugh, and remind you of what’s important in this life.” —Christopher Gorham "Greg Cope White takes on the universal tragedy of human isolation and the fear of exposure with such humor and grace that it becomes a triumphant comedy.” —Dylan Brody Private Benjamin meets Full Metal Jacket. As fascinating as that description sounds, The Pink Marine goes way beyond that... A beautiful, frank, gripping and funny memoir, Greg Cope White punches you in the gut one moment and makes you bust a gut in the next. Truly one of the most honest and harrowing depictions of boot camp I’ve ever read or seen in film. And the fact that White can make you laugh at it all makes this book a true original. Wow. —Sean Dwyer |
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DOWNLOADSGreg Cope White's Full Bio [PDF]
TOC & Sample Chapter Photo: High Res version of main head shot. Photo: High Res PDF of Greg as a Marine Photo: High Res Version of the Cover [PDF] Short BioAuthor of The Pink Marine, television and film writer and producer, world traveler, and inveterate bon vivant, Greg Cope White is a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a bi-coastal, polo-playing, sixth-generation Texan with a voracious appetite for life.
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Photos of Greg Cope White
Please credit Bader Howar for the photos.
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Book Specs
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TITLE: The Pink Marine
AUTHOR: Greg Cope White PUBLISHER: AboutFace Books DATE OF PUBLICATION: February 2016 PAGES: 252 HARDCOVER: $35.00 HARDCOVER ISBN: 978-0-9972857-2-7 TRADE PAPER ORIGINAL: $19.99 TRADE PAPER ISBN: 978-0-9972857-1-0 E-BOOK: $9.99 E-BOOK ISBN: 978-0-9972857-0-3 DOWNLOAD: High Res Version of the Cover [PDF] 
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Contact Information
Regarding The Pink Marine , Media Queries and Book Review Requests
Contact Greg Directly [ A.K.A EatGregEat ]
Event & Booking Information
Innovative Artists
Babette Perry | Agent
(310) 656-0400
asst.babette.perry@iala.com
Babette Perry | Agent
(310) 656-0400
asst.babette.perry@iala.com
Questions & Answers With Greg Cope White
Q What’s the main theme of the book?
That no matter what circumstance or situation, everyone goes through times when they feel different or inadequate--especially when one is young. It's part of what makes us human and it does get better. Everyone is looking for their place in the world.
In this case, 18 year-old gay Greg struggles to overcome his self-doubt. It’s the 1970s; there are no openly gay role models. Greg secretly feels “less than” other men on the masculinity scale. Is enlisting in the hyper-manly United States Marines Corps the smartest way to do that? It was illegal to be gay in the military. He lied and cheated to get in, not knowing anything about the Marines. Or even himself. Midway through the thirteen weeks of boot camp, the struggle to survive and become a Marine trumped his fear of exposure. He learned that everyone came in with some feeling of being different. If Greg can conquer this hostile environment, claim confidence and his own self worth– anyone can.
Q How does the story relate today?
Aimed at the Young Adult and Contemporary market where feelings of inadequacy and/or feeling different, especially at a young age -- are universally understood and timeless. Only as we mature do we come to discover that those feelings are in fact what make us similar.
In Greg's case, it was about being a lost teenager with little hope. Today, America is going through LGBT civil rights boot camp today, and it’s making our society stronger. Change, like recruit training, is hard. The results are worth it. Recently joining the ranks in the march to equality: POTUS, SCOTUS, the Boy Scouts and the Pentagon.
But equality wasn’t built in a day. It’s important to identify and remember the bricks that are laid on the path to civil rights. Of course for the LGBT community, we should celebrate the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the fall of DOMA, but we must remember what living through that time (the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s) was like, especially without any publicly gay heroes.
How was Greg supposed to feel good about himself when his basic human nature was condemned by society? He felt nice and kind and smart and funny -- and rejected and hated and afraid. That internal struggle causes pain, as does any internal struggle for any reason of feeling less than adequate. This book reminds us that we all feel that at some point.
Q Greg Cope White, what makes you special/unique?
I'm a former Sergeant in the Marines, turned screenwriter. I served six years as a US Marine. I carry those qualities with me on every television and film project - from concept, to script, to production/post-produciton. Alway forward march.
Thanks to the USMC, I'll attempt anything. As a screenwriter, television sitcom writer, producer and a humorist, I find comedic ways to share my awkward, and sometimes painfully embarrassing, life lessons -- on the page and on the stage.
I love to cook because the successful execution of a recipe results in a story you get to eat. I get to write the story, cook the story, and eat the story.
A colorful life makes a flavorful plate.
Q Tell me about you?
I like to think that if David Sedaris and Nora Ephron had a baby, that’s me on paper. If that baby had good hair, that’s me in real life.
Once, when I was in the Marines, to get out of cutting my hair (I needed it to be a little long for a play I was in), I agreed to go to USMC Officer Candidate’s school. I split it over two summers. I graduated. That training is even more intense than enlisted boot camp. I’m not sure if I’m proud or horrified to say that I successfully completed boot camp three times.
I wrote this book to chronicle the adventures and mishaps I’ve enjoyed sharing with my friends over the years. At first glance, you may think me the inveterate bon vivant, or a well-dressed man with 'loads of style' and a nerdy swagger, but likely not the man in camouflage who can command troops and hit a target five hundred yards away with an M16. I may not fit the military mold, but I don’t know how to be anyone but myself—and being myself hasn’t always been comfortable, or even safe.
I'm a sixth generation Texan but now live in Santa Monica, California. Often separated from my other half (who’s on the East Coast) I put on a live cooking show via Skype each night, just for him. So I eat dinner at 4PM my time, 7PM his time – and let me tell you, true love tastes great no matter what the hour. Plus, I’m training for my Early Bird Special future.
Q Why did you write this book?
When stories of young people being bullied (gay or otherwise) started gaining attention, and some of those tortured people chose to end their own lives, I wished they’d had a moment of hope long enough to get past that hateful experience and survive. I wrote this book not just for me, but also for those struggling with feelings of inadequacy everywhere. I wanted to show that if I can overcome my insecurities in a hostile environment, so can others.
And just like when we start a new job, or school, or meet anyone for the first time -- we all worry about how it will go. It's difficult to overcome a new situation, and often we fear failure. But once we get comfortable -- and be ourselves -- not only does the pressure ease, but also we discover others have the same worries. We're all different, but exactly the same.
Q We hear The Pink Marine might be a television show?
Yes! Producer Rachel Davidson optioned the book before it got published. Then my longtime writing partner Sean Dwyer and I adapted the book into a pilot script and outlined the series, with Brent Miller and Norman Lear joining our platoon. They're developing it into a dramedy. Our idea is to make kind of an Orange is the New Black meets Private Benjamin meets Full Metal Jacket.
Q You're on Cooking Channel's television show Unique Sweets. Do you use your military experience on that program or other shows on television?
Every time I cook or get to eat something delicious, I'm reminded about the food at Parris Island -- that's a boot camp story all its own. And if you see me eating a dozen churros, just know that I use the endurance I leaned in the USMC to power through. I use the voice and wit I honed both in the USMC and n sitcom writing rooms to deliver an extra punch to stories to which everyone can relate.
Q If you could do it all again, would you enlist in the military today?
If I knew everything that I know now -- after going through it? Hell yes! The Marine Corps was the best thing that ever happened to me. I needed every single lesson. It was a privilege and an honor to become a United States Marine and defend my country.
That no matter what circumstance or situation, everyone goes through times when they feel different or inadequate--especially when one is young. It's part of what makes us human and it does get better. Everyone is looking for their place in the world.
In this case, 18 year-old gay Greg struggles to overcome his self-doubt. It’s the 1970s; there are no openly gay role models. Greg secretly feels “less than” other men on the masculinity scale. Is enlisting in the hyper-manly United States Marines Corps the smartest way to do that? It was illegal to be gay in the military. He lied and cheated to get in, not knowing anything about the Marines. Or even himself. Midway through the thirteen weeks of boot camp, the struggle to survive and become a Marine trumped his fear of exposure. He learned that everyone came in with some feeling of being different. If Greg can conquer this hostile environment, claim confidence and his own self worth– anyone can.
Q How does the story relate today?
Aimed at the Young Adult and Contemporary market where feelings of inadequacy and/or feeling different, especially at a young age -- are universally understood and timeless. Only as we mature do we come to discover that those feelings are in fact what make us similar.
In Greg's case, it was about being a lost teenager with little hope. Today, America is going through LGBT civil rights boot camp today, and it’s making our society stronger. Change, like recruit training, is hard. The results are worth it. Recently joining the ranks in the march to equality: POTUS, SCOTUS, the Boy Scouts and the Pentagon.
But equality wasn’t built in a day. It’s important to identify and remember the bricks that are laid on the path to civil rights. Of course for the LGBT community, we should celebrate the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the fall of DOMA, but we must remember what living through that time (the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s) was like, especially without any publicly gay heroes.
How was Greg supposed to feel good about himself when his basic human nature was condemned by society? He felt nice and kind and smart and funny -- and rejected and hated and afraid. That internal struggle causes pain, as does any internal struggle for any reason of feeling less than adequate. This book reminds us that we all feel that at some point.
Q Greg Cope White, what makes you special/unique?
I'm a former Sergeant in the Marines, turned screenwriter. I served six years as a US Marine. I carry those qualities with me on every television and film project - from concept, to script, to production/post-produciton. Alway forward march.
Thanks to the USMC, I'll attempt anything. As a screenwriter, television sitcom writer, producer and a humorist, I find comedic ways to share my awkward, and sometimes painfully embarrassing, life lessons -- on the page and on the stage.
I love to cook because the successful execution of a recipe results in a story you get to eat. I get to write the story, cook the story, and eat the story.
A colorful life makes a flavorful plate.
Q Tell me about you?
I like to think that if David Sedaris and Nora Ephron had a baby, that’s me on paper. If that baby had good hair, that’s me in real life.
Once, when I was in the Marines, to get out of cutting my hair (I needed it to be a little long for a play I was in), I agreed to go to USMC Officer Candidate’s school. I split it over two summers. I graduated. That training is even more intense than enlisted boot camp. I’m not sure if I’m proud or horrified to say that I successfully completed boot camp three times.
I wrote this book to chronicle the adventures and mishaps I’ve enjoyed sharing with my friends over the years. At first glance, you may think me the inveterate bon vivant, or a well-dressed man with 'loads of style' and a nerdy swagger, but likely not the man in camouflage who can command troops and hit a target five hundred yards away with an M16. I may not fit the military mold, but I don’t know how to be anyone but myself—and being myself hasn’t always been comfortable, or even safe.
I'm a sixth generation Texan but now live in Santa Monica, California. Often separated from my other half (who’s on the East Coast) I put on a live cooking show via Skype each night, just for him. So I eat dinner at 4PM my time, 7PM his time – and let me tell you, true love tastes great no matter what the hour. Plus, I’m training for my Early Bird Special future.
Q Why did you write this book?
When stories of young people being bullied (gay or otherwise) started gaining attention, and some of those tortured people chose to end their own lives, I wished they’d had a moment of hope long enough to get past that hateful experience and survive. I wrote this book not just for me, but also for those struggling with feelings of inadequacy everywhere. I wanted to show that if I can overcome my insecurities in a hostile environment, so can others.
And just like when we start a new job, or school, or meet anyone for the first time -- we all worry about how it will go. It's difficult to overcome a new situation, and often we fear failure. But once we get comfortable -- and be ourselves -- not only does the pressure ease, but also we discover others have the same worries. We're all different, but exactly the same.
Q We hear The Pink Marine might be a television show?
Yes! Producer Rachel Davidson optioned the book before it got published. Then my longtime writing partner Sean Dwyer and I adapted the book into a pilot script and outlined the series, with Brent Miller and Norman Lear joining our platoon. They're developing it into a dramedy. Our idea is to make kind of an Orange is the New Black meets Private Benjamin meets Full Metal Jacket.
Q You're on Cooking Channel's television show Unique Sweets. Do you use your military experience on that program or other shows on television?
Every time I cook or get to eat something delicious, I'm reminded about the food at Parris Island -- that's a boot camp story all its own. And if you see me eating a dozen churros, just know that I use the endurance I leaned in the USMC to power through. I use the voice and wit I honed both in the USMC and n sitcom writing rooms to deliver an extra punch to stories to which everyone can relate.
Q If you could do it all again, would you enlist in the military today?
If I knew everything that I know now -- after going through it? Hell yes! The Marine Corps was the best thing that ever happened to me. I needed every single lesson. It was a privilege and an honor to become a United States Marine and defend my country.
