A Summer of Production and Progress!

Ashli Bogart and Lexi Lefkowitz


Meghann Sumner (in the grocery cart!)


Summer school has wrapped and now its on to shooting. To move things along we've aquired some assistants and are happy to have them in place and ready to roll. The biggest news on the MKA front is that I've just hired a Production Coordinator, Meghann Sumner, to work on the documentary 8 hours a week for six weeks (and hopefully longer depending on how funding comes in!).

After losing our amazing research assistant, Ashli Bogart, to graduation and a job working for Lifetime in Charleston, SC, Im overjoyed that we've aquired Meghann to fill her shoes in research, transcribe some of the mounting interview tapes and to also start assisting us with coordinating shoots.

Additionally, Lexi Lefkowitz, another indefatigable female filmmaker and UNCW student will be helping with production as we coordinate the twenty-something MKA nostalgia dinner party, a few more interviews and a tween slumber party. (Donna is also at work writing Act 1 of the animation segments so we're keeping our fingers crossed that that can be shot this summer as well.)

Like Ashli, Meghann and Lexi are well versed in all things MKA, and have worked with me on various projects this past year: Vision '06 UNCW Student Screening and The UNCW/DC Virgo Reel Girls Project. At every turn they have each proved to be strong organizers and creative collaborators. This past year each has directed her own short documentary and continues to evolve daily as a filmmaker in her own right. Lexi's experimental collage film "What To Do On A Date If Your Partner Likes It" even played at the Humboldt Film Festival this year. A great accomplishment for a first film!

With this kind of help backing up the project it would be impossible not to move forward with great strides and success this summer. So, here's to a fabulous July and August! Now Im off to complete that Creative Capital Grant and try to get us some more funds!