Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am supporting Michelle Lujan Grisham for Governor of NM and I am talking to people in my own circle to make sure they know why Michelle is my candidate and ask them to consider committing to her as well. Here is a short list of what I have been telling people:
In candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham, I have found a leader with the skills, the experience, and the compassion that New Mexicans are so hungry for right now. In her campaign, I have found the place I have been looking for where I can direct my energies in a positive way locally to counteract the deep frustration and insecurity I have felt since the November election.
• Especially important to me personally and as an arts professional is the strategic vision Michelle is articulating for the arts & culture sector – recognized as one of the most important not only for its economic impact but also for enhancing the quality of life that people here cherish and that other states envy. I am confident that the arts will be a priority in her administration.
• During her time in Congress and as Cabinet Secretary in three gubernatorial administrations Michelle has demonstrated the leadership skills necessary to form an effective team that will work WITH the legislature and our citizens to address the mess our current Governor has placed the State in. I tell people the story of Michelle personally going undercover to expose patient abuse in nursing homes as an example of the kind of robust advocacy for which she is legendary.
• Although Michelle is widely seen as the leader in the primary race for governor, she has two strong opponents and it is important that we actively express our support and encourage others to join us early on. Additionally, this election coincides with congressional mid-terms and no doubt will be seen as a bellwether for the country, and if Michelle prevails in the primary her likely opponent will be a candidate who is a memeber of the obstructionist "Freedom Caucus" in congress and has a record of lockstep support for the Trump agenda. There will certainly be copious amounts of right-wing “dark money” pouring in to distort Michelle and disrupt our election, but fortunately, New Mexico is a state where candidates still win by engaging in retail politics in which voters get to know them personally – and I have seen for myself how engaging Michelle is one-on-one with voters on the campaign trail. She is a great campaigner!
The following is an announcement for the event I am currently working on for 10/19 that I hope you will consider attending.
 |
DETAILS: Thursday, October 19 - Admission free to the public – limited seating on first come first serve basis - Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma, Santa Fe - doors open at 10:30
Congresswoman Lujan Grisham will join film industry leaders in a moderated conversation about issues important to their field. Participants will be asked to share their thoughts and unique perspectives about the work they have done in the state and how the public and private sector can work together to sustain and support this vital sector of New Mexico’s economy. Topics will include expanding economic impact, job training partnerships, the role of state and local film offices, legislative priorities, and memorable success stories that inform the way forward.
This event is but one of many around the state in the coming months in which Michelle Lujan Grisham will be articulating her strategic vision for a robust arts and culture sector. It is a vision that couples her tireless advocacy for working families and the union men and women who make the movies, with concrete proposals for government and educational reforms and accountability that will create the conditions under which creative economy businesses in our state can thrive, and economic development efforts can produce real results.
All my best,
James
EVENT SPONSORS: Meow Wolf, Diana MacArthur
EVENT CO-HOSTS: Elizabeth Bremner, Debbie Fleischaker, Edwina & Charles Milner, Carole Robertson Lopez & Dr. Jeff Case, James Rutherford
For more information on the campaign visit: NewMexicansForMichelle.com
BIOGRAPHIES OF PARTICIPANTS
Talia Kosh practices law in Santa Fe, New Mexico with The Bennett Law Group, specializing in employment, contracts, trademark, copyright, fair use, entertainment and personal injury law. Talia is General Counsel for Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, and is also founder and President of NM Lawyers for the Arts, a New Mexico nonprofit. She is Chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the New Mexico State Bar and serves on the Governor’s Council of Film and Media Industries. In addition, Talia teaches Legal and Business Issues in the Arts at SFCC and UNM Continuing Education and conducts frequent lectures on art and the law.
Andrea Meditch is founder and president of Back Allie Entertainment, LLC, which specialized in creative producing for filmmakers, festivals, media companies and universities. Her films have won Oscars and Emmys; premiered at international festivals, including Sundance and Toronto; and enjoyed successful theatrical and broadcast runs on HBO, Discovery, among others. She won an Emmy for Dangerous Acts; executive-produced Oscar-winner Man on Wire; Oscar-nominated Encounters at the End of the World by Werner Herzog; and Oscar short-listed BUCK. She also exec'd or produced Grizzly Man, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Killer Within, Doubletime and The Flight That Fought Back, among other films. Two new films, The Sensitives and The Cage Fighter, premiered in 2017 at Tribeca and San Francisco respectively; both are screening at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival.
Andrea regularly conducts master classes on story development, creative producing, pitch training, and the basics of international film financing and release strategies. Before founding her own company, she held executive and creative positions at Discovery, where she launched the first Discovery Films. She also created a model for a transmedia center for non-fiction storytelling at Michigan State University. She serves as a film expert for the U.S. State Department and is a regular advisor at the Sundance Producer Labs and Points North non-fiction filmmakers retreats. She has juried numerous festivals, including Sundance, AFI Docs and Tribeca, and holds an appointment as a Commissioner on the Santa Fe Mayor's Film and Digital Media Commission.
Andrea holds a PhD in linguistic anthropology and media. She splits her time between Washington, D.C. and Santa Fe, NM.
Tony Mark was the Executive Producer of Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, which received 9 Academy Award nominations and won 6 Oscars including Best Picture. Other Oscar-nominated movies include "The Mirror Has Two Faces" starring Barbara Streisand and Jeff Bridges and Terry Gilliam's "The Fisher King" starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges. Numerous film festivals include Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, Telluride, and Sundance. Among franchises, he was the Executive Producer of "Scary Movie 2", and worked with Robert Rodriguez to create both "Desperado" starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek and its sequel "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" with Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp. He also worked with Rodriguez on the sequel to "Sin City", "A Dame To Kill For".
For television, he Co-Executive Produced TNT's hit naval series from Michael Bay, "The Last Ship" and Discovery's mini-series "Harley and the Davidsons", which premiered September 2016 to the biggest premiere telecast numbers in more than three years for a single-network miniseries on cable. Tony produced "Georgia O'Keeffe" starring Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons, which received 9 Emmy nominations and was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes as well as the Producers Guild and Directors Guild Awards and which won the Writers Guild Award for Best Screenplay. Other Emmy nominations have come for "Witness Protection" with Tom Sizemore, Forest Whitaker, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and "Starring Pancho Villa as Himself" with Antonio Banderas, Alan Arkin, and Jim Broadbent; both for HBO.
Tony won the Imagen Award (in recognition of positive portrayal of Latinos in media) for producing "Pancho Villa", and the Gracie Award (in recognition of positive portrayal of women in media) for "Georgia O'Keeffe".
He has worked all over the United States and internationally in Bolivia, Canada, China, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, and Romania. Tony has written for MGM, ABC, NBC, Showtime and USA Networks and has directed extensive 2nd Unit on films for Sony, HBO, CBS, TNT, Dimension, and DIRECTV. For the Guggenheim Foundation, he directed a documentary on the art collections of Solomon and Peggy Guggenheim.
Notable filmmakers he's worked with include John Avildsen, Michael Bay, Jack Bender, Bruce Beresford, Kathryn Bigelow, Terry Gilliam, George Lucas, Bob Rafelson, Robert Redford, Robert Rodriguez, Barbra Streisand, and the legendary Robert Wise.
Among current film and television projects, he is Co-Executive Producer on DIRECTV's hit series "Mr. Mercedes" based on the Stephen King novel, written by David E. Kelly, directed by Jack Bender, and starring Brendan Gleason. He is partnered with Scott Free Television on "Blood and Thunder", an 8 hour series about the conquest of the American West based on the book by Hampton Sides, written by Bruce McKenna, directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Kit Harrington. He is Executive Producer on the feature film "Will Gardner" directed by and starring Max Martini.
Tony co-founded and serves on the board of Assistance Dogs of the West, an innovative non-profit that trains service dogs to work with physically disabled clients, veterans suffering from PTSD, and courthouse dogs who provide emotional security to young victims of abuse who must testify in open court. For over 18 years, using student trainers alongside professionals and rescue dogs alongside purebreds, Assistance Dogs of the West has been at the forefront of the service dog movement.
A native of New York City, Tony lives in Tesuque, New Mexico.