Barry Keith Orell

Biography: Barry Keith Orell, 71, born September 3, 1952, in Cheyenne, Wyoming passed away March 19, 2024, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Barry was a sweet, kind, and creative person known for his wit and open-hearted nature. Being an Air Force brat, he attended AFCENT (Allied Forces of Central Europe) International High School, a NATO school in Brunssum, Netherlands where he met the love of his life, Barbara Shulkin, and majored in Photojournalism and minored in International Relations at the University of Southern California where he was a member of the Skull and Dagger Honor Society, and Editor of the 1972 USC El Rodeo yearbook. Barry spent nearly four decades in advertising, promotion and production.
He began his career in Boston as a copywriter/account executive/photographer. He then moved to California and soon was shooting and writing freelance articles for magazines such as "Teen Beat." He was then hired at Diener/Hauser/Bates Advertising and eventually became the Vice-President and Creative Director where he was responsible for accounts with NBC, Columbia Pictures, United Artists and Paramount. He created the campaign for numerous movies including,"Children of a Lesser God," and "The Year of Living Dangerously." He did marketing for every movie and mini-series that aired on NBC for years such as "The Cosby Show," "The A-Team," and "The Burning Bed." He worked with many celebrities including Barry Manilow, Sophia Loren, George C. Scott, Richard Chamberlain, Peter Falk, Bill Cosby, and Sigourney Weaver.
Barry also wrote and produced television spots for Foster's Lager. He co-wrote and executive produced Emmy and ACE nominated comedy specials for Showtime and developed, wrote, and produced corporate theater presentations, and co-wrote part of a long-running Broadway show.
Barry and Barbara married and moved to Boston in the 1990s and worked with Boston's WB (later Boston's CW) as a freelance writer/producer in the news division and ended up as the Senior Writer Producer and On-Air Promotion Manager for the sister station in Albany NY. Barry won numerous awards for his work including a New England Regional Emmy, an International Telly, several Silver Promax awards, numerous Massachusetts Broadcast Association honors and accolades from the New York State Broadcasters Association and many 1st Place trophies from the Albany Ad Club and a Crystal Award for Employee of the Year from WEWB-TV. Besides being an accomplished writer and producer he was also an award winning video editor, and did voice-over narrative work for commercials and corporate presentations.
Barry's legacy lives on through his contributions to the entertainment field where he left an indelible mark on the industry he loved and had an impact on all who he worked with or knew. He will be remembered for his talent, generosity, and unwavering dedication to his craft. In retirement Barry and Barbara moved to Little Rock where Barry enjoyed building intricate model airplanes, cars, and ships, bike-riding, car and air shows, traveling, eating out, reading, and especially playing with and loving on his past pets and his current pups Meisje and Whiskey. He was a proud father of Keith and Dan, his sons with his first wife Louise DuArt, and loved visiting with his sons in Hawaii and Georgia. Barry could always be found with his wife Barbara by his side.
Barry was preceded in death by his parents, Alan "Chick" Orell and Judy Orell. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Orell; his sons, Keith Orell (Jennifer) and Daniel Orell (Jessica) and their mother Louise DuArt; sister, Carol Campbell; nieces and nephews, Gwendolyn Casas (Luis), Patrick McMabell (Caitlin), Barbara Mariani (Tippi), and Daniel Mariani; uncle, Larry Knox; great-nieces and great nephews and other extended family and friends. Barry was a loving husband and father, and he will be remembered and remain in the hearts of all who love him.