Stephen X. Sylvester is a writer, filmmaker, historic preservationist, and lecturer. He served as the Executive Director of the Wattles Mansion and Gardens (1907), Hollywood’s last remaining original estate and is a program producer for the Hollywood Heritage Museum. Steve is the co-author of M-G-M: Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot (Santa Monica Press, 2011), Hollywood at Play (Globe Pequot Press, 2017) and 20th Century Fox: A Century of Entertainment (Taylor Littlefield, 2017).  At the Hollywood Heritage Museum, he has produced programs on Robert Kinoshita: Art Director-Robot Master, The Cliffhanger Serials of Republic Pictures, Celebrating the Animation of Hanna-Barbera, The Incredible World of SPY-FI, Hollywood’s Carbon-Arch Lighting and L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants. In addition, he has lectured on the Hollywood Studio System at The Los Angeles Club, The Art Directors Guild of America, CINECON Classic Film Festival, and The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre, and the Culver City Historical Society (M-G-M 100th Anniversary), among other institutions. His latest essay, Lunch with Napolean Solo, was published in The 50 Films That Transformed Hollywood (Lyon Press, 2023).  His current project is a celebration of Classic Hollywood’s Cocktail Culture.