Dedicated talent agent and devoted Phillies fan, Steve Blanck, died February 10 in Hemet, Calif., at the age of 62. Blanck died while recovering from emergency surgery caused by his long battle with lung disease.
Blanck was born in Philadelphia and moved to Cheltenham Township at the age of eight where he remained until being accepted to Valley Forge Military Academy. After joining the Army, he served in Vietnam and Germany before returning to California to study journalism at Woodbury University. He earned his bachelor’s degree, and in 1973, began his career at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills.
He eventually moved up to the position of co-head of the international booking department at William Morris and specialized in areas like Australia, New Zealand and Japan. His talent list included Captain & Tennille, Manhattan Transfer, Roy Orbison.
Blanck followed William Morris with a position of VP of Caesars World Productions, in 1984, where he was in charge of the talent for the Caesars Hotel and Casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.
In 1992, he joined producer/talent buyer Danny Heller in founding Gayle Force Entertainment Inc. where the two produced entertainment for corporate events, casinos and cruise ships. They later contracted with Harrah’s Casinos to supply their entertainment.
Steve is survived by his wife, Pam Rousseau, and sister, Linda Trabert.
