Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2008 > September > 18
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Grand Opening of Kozmetsky Center
It’s hard not to be impressed by the Kozmetsky Center for Child Protection. One of the largest public-private projects to aid child protection services took almost a decade to build. It sits on former state school land — once called Vision Village — and it presents a reassuring, child-friendly environment for alleged victims of abuse.
Lisa Wade, Judge Rhonda Hurley, District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg
The buildings are set back on the tree-shaded East Austin campus. Millions of dollars were raised in the private sector to construct this safe environment, which would otherwise fall to law enforcement to provide.
Joanie Bentzin, Ben Bentzin, Sheriff Greg Hamilton
Current board president Ben Bentzin spoke eloquently on the subject before introducing donors, designers and staff, as well as a short, moving video.
Venus Strawn, Mary Herr
We spoke with District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who spent years advocating for the project, also briefly with Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton (still not too comfortable in front of cameras, but that will come in time) and Judge Rhonda Hurley, who spent a good deal of time with Statesman reporter Chuck Lindell for his recent series on child protection.
Marcia Williams, Michelle Herrera
Also dallied with the aptly named Venus Strawn and her friend, the lustrous Mary Herr, who is organizing the Center’s “Dancing with the Stars” benefit later this fall. She had tried to convince me to participate as a dancer. I refused. But if she goes for an “American Idol” theme …
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Ann Richards School Party at Lowell Lebermann’s
The studiously traditional Enfield house of business and political kingmaker Lowell Lebermann — it would look right in Virginia foxhunting country — was enough of a draw. But the more inspirational reason to attend the reception at Lebermann’s was the fundraising for the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders.
Nancy Scanlan, Carla McDonald, Michelle Krejci
Right away, we met these leaders-in-the-making, wearing plaid uniforms, directing traffic and serving excellent nibbles. Then we mixed with parents, who had nothing but praise for the AISD academy, which is expanding to include high school classes soon.
Eddie Safady, John Thornton
We also hung with a particular subset of the Fortunate 500 crowd who will appear familiar to readers — Linda Ball and Forrest Preece, Carla and Jack McDonald, Julie and John Thornton, Evan Smith, Nancy Scanlan, Lee Walker, Eddie Safady, Ellen Richards, Brenda Thompson and Karen Frost (who brought along her mother, evacuated from Houston).
Parents Sonya Banda, Neva Price
It was a particular honor to spend a few minutes with ARS teachers and the school’s supremely competent executive director, Michelle Krejci. Rest assured, these leaders will mold the next generation of leaders.
Deborah Dodds, Lee Walker
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Elizabeth Avellan on Austin’s ravaged film industry, Part 2
“We’re losing more than jobs,” Avellan says. “We’re losing a community.”
Not to mention the effect on Austin’s vaunted creative culture. Avellan and other Austin-based producers have had trouble keeping movie production in Texas, to say nothing of the Hollywood financiers attracted to New Mexico’s or Louisiana’s incentives. Avellan says those incentives often benefit the financiers only, not the productions themselves.
“Decisions are not being made on a script’s merit,” she says. “It’s all about who has the best incentives.”
There’s also the little matter of location credibility. A film that was supposed to shoot in the Texas desert recently was lured to Puerto Rico (no desert), while the USANetwork’s “In Plain Sight” series does fine when scenes are set in Albuquerque, but New Mexico doesn’t sub as well as Texas, with its varied landscapes, for other locations. (Also, have you noticed the shallowness of the acting pool in Albuquerque?)
TXMPA’s Dallas group raised $20,000 for lobbying efforts recently; Scott wants to double that during the “Spaghetti Western,” here in the former heart of Texas film production.
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Elizabeth Avellan on Austin’s ravaged film industry, Part 1
If you doubt that incentives from other states have diminished Texas movie production, share a late morning coffee with set decorator Jeanette Scott and producer Elizabeth Avellan.
That’s why Scott, who has never put together a benefit event, agreed to organize the Texas Motional Picture Alliance’s “Spaghetti Western” fundraiser at Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave on Nov. 7. She’s drafted big guns such as Avellan, Mike Judge, Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, Alexandra and Terrence Malick as well as Warren Spector to lead the charge.
But it was Avellan, who produced Rodriguez’s and others’ films from “El Mariachi” to “Spy Kids,” “Sin City” and “Grindhouse,” who rattled the Mueller Austin Starbucks with reports of the industry’s astonishing demise.
“We are facing a brain drain,” she says. “We’re training these film talents, and they move away because other states are stealing our films. Too much money is left on the table. Studios are not even scouting Texas.”
Texas Motional Picture Alliance is the lobbying arm of the regional industry. It’s hoping to increase the state’s cash-back grant on instate spending from 5 percent to something like 15 to 20 percent, not even close to Michigan’s 42 percent.
More to come …
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