Danielle Sonnenberg
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Take the Los Angeles-based organization Women in Film. It focuses on supporting women in the film industry in many ways, from funding programs that provide scholarships to providing educational seminars.
One of its key offerings is the Public Service Announcement production program. Here members get the chance to make a PSA, filling the roles of writer, production manager, production designer, director of photography and associate producer. The PSA is made in a single weekend and is distributed for airing locally -- and in some cases (such as one on fetal alcohol syndrome), on a national scale. Through a mentoring program, new members can benefit from the wisdom of more-experienced female filmmakers. Each year, 16 lucky participants have the opportunity for intense, one-on-one learning with industry professionals. College-age women can also get a chance to directly experience the entertainment industry through an eight-week internship. The program works in partnership with the Fulfillment Fund, a nonprofit organization that helps economically disadvantaged children in the Los Angeles area. Since its inception in 2001, 48 young women have completed this program, which is backed by Paramount Studios and Twentieth Century Fox, among others. Other big players have taken note of Women in Film, as well -- other corporate sponsors include Morgan Stanley (MS Quote - Cramer on MS - Stock Picks) and Kodak (EK Quote - Cramer on EK - Stock Picks).
Power Up
Power Up is the only nonprofit organization that promotes the visibility of gay women in media, entertainment and the arts. Film producer Stacy Codikow and lawyer Lisa Thrasher, who formerly worked in the intellectual property group at Fox Group, formed Power Up in 2000. The company functions both as a mentor and ministudio for women filmmakers. "We develop the scripts, finance them, cast them and oversee the projects," Codikow explains. Power Up has already produced 12 short films, including Dani and Alice, about the end of a turbulent relationship, and Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother, which follows an out-of-work soap-opera actress who is jealous of her stepdaughter's success.
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