Boxoffice Pro - Winter 2020

“Here at Film Row LEAD, our
goal is to ensure everyone
has a seat at the table ... If
that means building a bigger
table, then that’s exactly
what we are here to do. We
want everyone to have the
same opportunities.” —Shelly
Kratzer, Film Row LEAD
Know of a recent or upcoming event
that should be included in Charity
Spotlight? Send us the details at
numbers@boxoffice.com.
which offers free movies at participating
theaters in exchange for a $500 donation
to the charity. Find more information at
www.varietytexas.org/cinemapassport.
Will Rogers’s Film Row LEAD Hosts
Panel on Diversity & Inclusion
The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers
Foundation has launched Film Row LEAD
(Leadership, Education, Advancement,
and Diversity), a committee dedicated
to providing resources to encourage a
more diverse and inclusive environment
in the film industry. The committee is a
major milestone for Film Row, a group for
up-and-coming industry professionals
established by Will Rogers in the spring
of 2019.
September saw Film Row LEAD
host an online panel that addressed
fostering diversity and inclusion
in the entertainment industry. The
discussion was moderated by Heather
Morgan, vice president, content and
programming, for Harkins Theatres, and
featured panelists Wendy Armitage (SVP,
marketing clearances and ratings, Sony
Pictures), Kimberly Graham (director,
global diversity & inclusion, Nielsen),
Rolando Rodriguez (CEO & president,
Marcus Theatres), and Todd Vradenburg
(executive director, Will Rogers Motion
Picture Pioneers Foundation). More than
200 people registered for the inaugural
event, and the feedback was encouraging.
Film Row LEAD is composed
of a diverse group of motion
picture distribution and exhibition
professionals committed to empowering
underrepresented minorities in the
entertainment industry through
education and career development. The
objective of Film Row LEAD is to expand
the film community by offering workshops
and giving professionals more exposure
to studio executives, exhibition partners,
and vendors, thus having more potential
applicants with a diverse background who
can apply for positions throughout the
entertainment industry.
The committee is chaired by Shelly
Kratzer, a longtime member of the film
industry with nearly two decades of
theatrical film distribution experience.
Kratzer and her team devised a wellrounded
approach that seeks to merge
professional development, diversity, and
meaningful inclusion and community
outreach. LEAD plans to offer various
resources, including a speaker series,
university partnerships, an internship
program, a mentor program, and
volunteer activities. “Here at Film Row
LEAD, our goal is to ensure everyone has
a seat at the table,” Kratzer said. “If that
means building a bigger table, then that’s
exactly what we are here to do. We want
everyone to have the same opportunities.”
Since its launch last year, Film Row
has hosted several events, including
lunch and learns, social gatherings, and
volunteer service days—many of which
have benefited Will Rogers’s Pioneers
Assistance Fund (PAF). During these
challenging times, Film Row pivoted
from in-person activities to an online
trivia series, which helped raise
thousands of dollars for the PAF. “We are
honored to support industry members
in need through the Pioneers Assistance
Fund Covid-19 Emergency Grant
program,” said Melanie Valera, vice
president, theatrical sales, at Paramount
Pictures Studios and president of Film
Row. “To date, the program has spent
$2.7 million and provided more than
8,000 emergency grants. We are grateful
to supporters of Film Row and to all
the members of our industry who have
contributed to the Fund.”
Upcoming events
On December 3, 4, and 5, Variety – the
Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley
(Pa.) will open its campus to visitors to
walk along a festively decorated Holiday
Lane. The exteriors of the campus’s rustic
cabins will be lit up with holiday lights
and decorated in holiday themes by the
talented members of the Norristown
Garden Club. Families will get a glimpse
of Santa’s workshop, Candy Land, a
gingerbread house, and more. For more
information and to purchase tickets, visit
varietyphila.org/holidaylane.
Registration is open for Variety of the
Desert’s third Annual Golf Scramble, to be
held at Palm Valley Country Club in Palm
Desert, California, on January 18, 2021.
KESQ meteorologist Patrick Evans will
host the event, which welcomes special
guest Susie Maxwell Berning, a three-time
U.S. Women’s Open champion. Register at
varietyofthedesert.org/our-events/.
Winter 2020
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