BridgeThink News - Issue 2
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November 2009
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WELCOME to Issue Two!
 Greetings!
The seasons are changing and it's an exciting time at BridgeThink, so let's get right to it. In this issue, you'll meet the team, hear about a Tom Cruise movie filming in the South Coast of Massachusetts and find links to our partners' events calendars. And finally, big news on BridgeThink's upcoming bi-coastal film event.
So without further adieu... ENJOY!
- The BridgeThink Team
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| NEW TO BRIDGETHINK?
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 BridgeThink.org
is a new media resource connecting filmmakers, artists and business
across creative communities. We host global Q&A's,
provide forums to post resources, maintain a Film/Arts Bank for
reference to creators and much more! At the root of our thinking is the
crazy idea that when more people are connected, the more they
accomplish. So, if you have something shaking in your hometown, let us
know! All it takes is
two people to connect for an idea to
ignite.
We invite you to become a Bridge-thinker.
Conceive, Connect, Create...
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| MEET THE TEAM!
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 Say hello to the executive committee by clicking on anyone's picture for a full bio or by visiting www.bridgethink.org/team for a complete team roster including BridgeThink's Advisory Board.
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 Don Burton Executive Director
With a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and over 10 years experience as a creative director and editor in the Los Angeles film industry, Don is an enthusiast for bridging divides between disciplines and places. A committed artist, Don knows the more connected we are, the more we can accomplish. Click on his picture to find out more. |
  Leila Kaas Director of Social Accountability & Community Outreach
We consider Leila our "eye on the world" exposing
BridgeThink to the most forward thinking and socially creative
initiatives happening around the globe. Originally from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, Leila has lived in Los Angeles, is now pursuing graduate
studies in Lund, Sweden and will be sharing her global discoveries in a
regular column entitled "Neighborhood Earth" below and
corresponding category on The Bridge Forum. Click on her picture to discover more.
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 Jennifer Raxter Director of Operations & Liaison to Higher Education
A phenomenal organizer, it's no surprise that Jen has
skippered this group through event after event successfully. But more
importantly, Jen brings a wealth of creative perspective and global
knowledge to her organizational skills - the least of which are a vast
knowledge of film and football. These are, of course, very important.
Click on her picture to find out more about Jen.
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 Tommy Whalen Director of Business Management & Educational
Outreach
A veritable bundle of positive energy, Tommy is
BridgeThink's example of the modern filmmaker. A screenwriter in his
mid 20's and able to hang with 70 year old Navy Vets - and have a great
time doing it - Tommy is a living bridge between social circles, ready
to learn from and share with those he meets. Go ahead, click on his picture to find out more. and check out his monthly column "Outside the
Box" below.
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Meet BridgeThink's Advisory Board in next month's issue!
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| "BUILDING BRIDGES" BI-COASTAL FILMMAKER DIALOGUE - December 6th
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  With "New Media" revolutionizing how audiences receive stories, regional film communities are growing closer and independent creators are competing with Hollywood for audiences. What are the benefits and challenges of making films near an industry as opposed to regionally? We'll find out on December 6th at (8 pm EST / 5 pm PST) when BridgeThink and The Echo Park Film Center in Los Angeles host a collaborative screening of South Coast Massachusetts filmmakers and LA's own Filmmaker's Alliance. Whether you're in Southern Massachusetts, Southern California or in between, you're invited to tune in online at www.bridgethink.org/socotosocal for a live web stream. Filmmakers from both coasts will be in attendance via webcam and you'll be able to submit questions to both groups. Join the discussion with a vibrant community of film artists in the heart of LA and their counterparts in a terrifically emerging Massachusetts film market. And if you're in LA, join us at The Echo Park Film Center for this interactive event!
Participants:
Filmmakers Alliance is a community of film artists dedicated to the advancement of independent film through community action. They've produced over 400 films since their inception in 1993 and have screened in dozens of major festivals worldwide. Find out more! Visit www.filmmakersalliance.org
South Coast Filmmakers include: Rab Studios, Shattered Glass Films and Cinemastar Productions
Echo Park Film Center is a non-profit media arts org in the Echo Park neighborhood of LA with a community microcinema, equipment and service department, green-energy mobile film school and an international touring festival of local established and emerging filmmakers. Find out more at www.echoparkfilmcenter.org |
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| NEIGHBORHOOD EARTH
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  By Leila Kaas
Bricks, historic buildings, cobblestones, salty air... While walking in Helsingborg, a coast city in the south of Sweden, I had a déjà vu as if I was in New Bedford, a city in the south coast of Massachusetts, USA that I've visited. As a Brazilian and Portuguese citizen who resides in the US but who is now studying in a joint grad program between Sweden and Denmark, sometimes I wonder where the borders begin and end or if they ever exist.
As a bridgethinker I'm always amazed when I have this feeling of connection between places. Moments like this remind me that borders are disappearing... If I also remember that here, 5,589.46 miles from my home in Los Angeles, I study with seven Americans (two from LA!), I can only smile and say: welcome to our neighborhood Earth :o)
This monthly column will be your direct bridge to Europe and Latin America and other places on Earth. Here and in "The Bridge" forum we will be connecting to people, initiatives and resources. We have A LOT to share and you are very welcome to contact, ask and post what you'd like to share in this inspiring neighborhood Earth.
Follow me across this first bridge to video artist, Omer Fast whose work I stumbled on in Lund, Sweden. Fast is from Israel, grew up in the US, received his BFA from The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, his MFA from Hunter College in NY and is now living in Berlin. A potential bridgethinker? Find my post on Omer Fast here.
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| OUTSIDE THE BOX
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 By Tommy Whalen
"What happens around the film is just as important as the film itself."
KNIGHT & DAY, the Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz headlined feature, is the latest film to strap on the "Massachusetts feedbag" of creative and economic support, when it took a trip to New Bedford on October 29th for a 12-hour shoot of car chases and wild stunts. Although many spectators who traveled downtown to view the shoot took note of jack-knifing tow trucks and extremely large stunt crew which included Diaz's double, what they may not have noticed was the economic and moral benefit to the city.
Informal estimates bring an approximate infusion of $25,000 to $30,000 to local business and city departments. According to New Bedford's film liaison, Ann Marie Lopes, multiple businesses including Royal Restaurant II, Dunkin' Donuts and Knucklhead's Bar and Grill were rented by the production. City Law Enforcement, Department of Public Works, local security and catering companies all took part. Additionally, spectators of all sorts traveled downtown to spend time and money at nearby businesses as they watched the production.
The city of New Bedford has strategically positioned itself as approachable for "Hollywood" production teams by adding another feature to its shot-on-location resume. Lopes adds, "Production companies have taken note of us because they see how easy we are to work with and how fast we can make it work for them." In fact, the city and production were able to organize the shoot in only two weeks.
As more production moves into the area, cities like New Bedford and local communities will reap the benefits.
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| NEW BEDFORD OPEN STUDIOS
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With over 100 artists in 15 unique locations including a magnificent network of historic buildings, renovated mills, a former church and the picturesque downtown of this seaport haven, New Bedford Open Studios is the largest network of creators in the South Coast of Massachusetts.
Sculpture, glass, textiles, furniture, jewelry, painting, pottery, larger-than-life drawings, documentary filmmaking... it's all here.
The forward momentum of the artists in New Bedford is contagious and has made us bring projects to this city repeatedly. So, if you want to feel the creative energy first-hand, talk with artists and maybe pickup a holiday gift, then go behind-the-scenes and experience the working studios of over 100 creators at New Bedford Open Studios. Missed the October 3 & 4 event? It's not too late. Hatch Street Studios will have its Holiday Sale Nov. 27, 28 & 29. For times and location visit: http://www.hatchstreetstudios.com/events.html For more info on the overall New Bedford Open Studios network visit: www.newbedfordopenstudios.org
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| PARTNER EVENTS CALENDARS
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Artworks!
Saturday, November 7, 2009 - "Off the Wall" Annual Gala Benefit & Live Auction
www.artworksforyou.org/events
AHA!
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - "The Artistic Environment of the South Coast"
www.ahanewbedford.org/calendar
Gallery X
Saturday, November 28, 2009 - "Art Raffle & Silent Auction"
www.galleryx.org/events.html
Hatch Street Studios
Fri-Sun November 27, 28, 29 - Annual Hatch Street Studios Holiday Sale
www.hatchstreetstudios.com/events.html
Limelight Magazine
Friday, November 13, 2009 - Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs
www.myspace.com/limelightmagazine
Echo Park Film Center
www.echoparkfilmcenter.org/events/index.htm
Filmmakers Alliance
www.filmmakersalliance.org/SpecialEvents.html
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| THAT'S A WRAP!
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Wow... That was a lot! Thanks for getting this far. Next month we'll chop it down a bit. In the meantime, if you've got something cool going on and want to share it, check out www.bridgethink.org/forum Looking forward to hearing from you!
- The BridgeThink Team
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BridgeThink.org is a film and arts initiative dedicated to connecting filmmakers, artists and business across communities worldwide.
BridgeThink.org pursues this mission by building programs and hosting events that highlight interdisciplinary projects. Selectively partnering with like-minded organizations our programs foster dialogue and interaction. BridgeThink.org also maintains a website designed to further this interaction through public forums and posting opportunities.
Although some of our members are filmmakers and artists themselves, our core team is comprised of professionals from various industries. Therefore, we are not a collaborative designed to promote our members' work. While some team members projects may be mentioned in our mailings and web material, they are selected alongside the efforts of all our partners with the express goal of promoting the organization's mission of fostering connection and dialogue. For a complete profile of BridgeThink.org team members and their roles please visit: www.bridgethink.org/team
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© 2009 BridgeThink.org. All rights reserved. "BridgeThink.org Conceive, Connect, Create" and the BridgeThink.org logo are property of BridgeThink.org.
714 South Pacific Coast Highway, Suite B, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.
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