LOS ANGELES, January 16, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Willette Murphy Klausner is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who's Who. She was recently spotlighted in New York City's Times Square on a 22-story screen that is passed by an estimated 1.5 million people daily. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most prominent professionals and are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Drawing from over four decades of inimitable experience in the performing arts, Ms. Klausner has earned distinction as the founder and president of WMK Productions Inc., a theatrical and film production company, since 1981. Best noted for her canny ability to produce and invest in a wide variety of successful projects, she has put her stamp on award-winning shows that have premiered on Broadway and London's West End, including "MJ the Musical," "Hadestown," "Hell's Kitchen," "Two Strangers," "Swept Away," and "Sister Act," to name only a few.

Ms. Klausner has garnered acclaim as a lifelong pioneer in virtually every field she has touched. Putting herself through college at the University of California Los Angeles, she distinguished herself as the first Black senior class president and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics, after which she undertook coursework at the Wood Tob -Coburn School. Following this period, she continued to make history as the first Black model to appear in an American fashion magazine and the first Black merchandising executive at Bloomingdale's. Ms. Klausner went on to serve as the first female executive at MCA Universal Studios, where she advanced to become the vice president of marketing research between 1975 and 1981.

After her departure from market research, Ms. Klausner became involved in equity labor theater, which led her to enter the world of theater production. Since then, she has served as a board member for the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, a mentor for the Front Row Productions Fellowship at Columbia University, and a board director for the Los Angeles Music Center, and the Women in Film Foundation. Likewise, Ms. Klausner has maintained her affiliation with the American Cinema Foundation, the Advisory Board of Women in Film, the League of Professional Theatre Women and the International Women's Forum.

In accounting for her success, Ms. Klausner credits the influence of her parents, who instilled in her the values of hard work, perseverance and following her dreams. Looking toward the future, she aspires to finish several of the projects she has been working on for several years - including "Cosette," a follow-up to the beloved musical "Les Mis rables." Ultimately, Ms. Klausner aspires to gradually slow down and focus on affairs that are nearer and dearer to her heart, such as spending time with her husband of more than five decades and traveling abroad.

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