Film, Television and Video is not only a culture maker it is also an economic engine. It has the capacity to build entire cities and support diverse communities.
Recently Oakland passed a film incentive, championed and organized by the East Bay Film Collective, that creates the real possibility of supporting increased film and television production in the East Bay. There have been many efforts in the past to garner the city's support for increased production infrastructure but this one feels a bit different. I remember the fight to save the Oakland Film Center at the Port of Oakland that housed Ranahan Production Services and over 30 other film related businesses. Our pleas went on deaf ears at repeated city council meetings where Oakland chose a prominent property developer over a diverse arts and culture community. That loss was defeating, but many of us (either born and raised in The Town or transplants that picked up the gold and green) never let the lights fade on the promise of what a burgeoning film community could do for Oakland and her residents.
Although this isn't the first group of filmmaker-misfits to organize around this cause, it is hard to ignore the special energy and momentum in this moment. The collective is a diverse community of filmmakers, artists, writers, activists, leaders and cultural enthusiasts coming together to organize, foster and support a thriving environment for film and television production. Under the brand MAKE IT BAY the collective believes in the power of film and culture to be an economic engine for Oakland and the bay area. As one of our more prominent members explains "This is a simple jobs program". W. Kamau Bell is absolutely right; you don't have to be a filmmaker to benefit from film production. Film and TV production is a resource intensive pursuit that needs support from all sectors, from Food to Transportation, Arts to Music production.
When I first landed in Oakland from NYC, Sept of 2002, I immediately felt comfortable. The vibe, the community, the easy streetside conversations, all made me feel right at home. That is why I rooted Corduroy Media in Oakland and opened Mama Dog Studios. After many years of hard work and community building, I am so delighted that Corduroy Media and Mama Dog Studios are now part of the East Bay Film Collective, where we were first introduced by Oaklandside writer Azucena Rasilla who had written about Mama Dog Studios and our live music series LIVE from Mama Dog Studios.
Please check out the recent CBS Bay Area, channel 5 news story by Amanda Hari, featuring W. Kamau Bell and our very own Courtney Payne. Thank you Sam Bempong, Favianna Rodriguez, Grace Porras, Pilar Zuniga, Sam Gouldthorpe, Niema Jordan, Cinemama, and Mani Draper for your ongoing work and activism.
We are blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of this vibrant and growing community that is the East Bay Film Collective. MAKE IT BAY!
Carl D. Brown
Founder - Corduroy Media & Mama Dog Studios