David Saltman

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT DAVID SALTMAN

For fifty years, David Saltman has followed two parallel paths. He\'s been a prizewinning writer, author and film-maker; he\'s also been an innovator in the teaching of Chinese meditative and martial arts.David has written, produced and directed nearly two hundred documentaries for CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC and public television networks; he has written or collaborated on three feature film scripts. He has won Emmy and Ace awards, shared a Peabody award, and has had his film work inducted into the Smithsonian Institution.David\'s sixth book, HOUDINI UNBOUND, a historical novel based on Houdini\'s tour of Russia, was published in 2017 to rave reviews. His fifth book, GRAND MASTER, the biography of the Tai Chi champion of China, also came out in 2017. His fourth book, GILDA, was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “elegiac” and “more exciting than prime time.” He has authored or co-authored three other critically-acclaimed books: THE SPORTS BOOK, THE GREAT ESCAPE and THE MARRAKECH EXPRESS. His humor pieces in TV Guide, his science writing in Omni and his travel writings in Rolling Stone and The New York Times have been hailed as setting the standards for the art. Concurrent with his work in film and publishing is David\'s practice of Tai Chi, Qigong and related healing and martial arts. He studied for five years with the legendary master S. T. Ying in the San Francisco Bay Area. Moving to New York, David practiced for more than 25 years with B. P. Chan, known around the world as a walking encyclopedia of martial arts, meditation and healing practices. David served as Mr. Chan’s teaching assistant for 15 years; after Mr. Chan’s death in 2002, David took over his public classes. He is presently teaching Tai Chi and Qigong at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies; he also teaches privately.David has also portrayed a Tai Chi expert on the NBC television series “Law & Order.”