Howard Roffman

Howard Roffman (born April 18, 1953) In 2013 he decided to take a break from photography and focus on other priorities.

Career Roffman has stated of himself, that he is a "white, Jewish man who grew up in a decidedly white middle-class section of Philadelphia".

In 1991, he convinced Lucas to publish the first in a series of Star Wars-spin-off novels. The book, Heir to the Empire by noted science fiction author Timothy Zahn stayed on The New York Times Best Seller list for nineteen weeks, paving the way for a highly successful re-launch of the franchise.

In 1999, Roffman was appointed President of Lucas Licensing, a subsidiary of Lucasfilm, which owns the licensing rights to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film series. Roffman served as Executive Producer. In early 2012, Roffman transitioned to the role of Senior Advisor, passing the baton to Paul Southern, who had worked for Roffman for 15 years. Later that year he was asked to return full-time to help manage the Star Wars franchise. Roffman has made several public appearances in connection with his work on Star Wars, including a speech at TEDx in 2010.

Recognition In 1997, Roffman was chosen Entertainment Marketer of the Year by Brandweek magazine; two years later he received the same recognition from the Entertainment and Promotional Marketing Association. In 2012, Roffman was inducted into the Licensing Hall of Fame of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association. According to Fortune magazine, "George Lucas and his long-time licensing chief Howard Roffman more or less invented the playbook that major media companies, Disney chief among them, now depend on." In addition, he has helped to fund several critically acclaimed documentary films, including We Were Here: The AIDS Years in San Francisco, released in 2011, and Chasing Ice, released in 2012.

Photography As a photographer, Roffman is represented by Wessel + O'Connor Fine Art, a gallery specializing in fine vintage and contemporary photography. His published books of photography include the following:

1995: The Edge of Desire, 1996: Three, 1997: Tales, 1998: Pictures of Fred, 2000: Jagged Youth, 2001: Johan Paulik, 2002: Pictures of Kris, 2002: Friends & Lovers, 2003: The Perfect Boy, 2004: Peter & Petr, 2005: Loving Brian, 2006: The Boys of Bel Ami, 2007: Texas Twins, 2008: Christopher and the Boys, 2009: Private Moments – Bel Ami, 2010: The Blush of Youth, 2011: Paradise Found, 2012: For the Love of Bali,

Historical writings

In 1975, at the age of 22, Roffman published a nonfiction book entitled Presumed Guilty: Lee Harvey Oswald in the Assassination of President Kennedy, the culmination of years of research that began when he was in high school. His second book, Understanding the Cold War: A Study of the Cold War in the Interwar Period, followed shortly thereafter in 1976.

Personal life Roffman lives in San Francisco.