Trials and tribulations of true art...
In regards to the New York Foundation for the Arts fiscal sponsorship of the production of the film, "Harry Babasin's Jazz In Hollywood", honoring not just my father but helping to define the entire landscape of 'west coast jazz' as a movement, one would think there would be a massive response to preserving a time in music when all performers were true virtuosos at their instruments and innovation happened at any given moment.
So far, I have written LOIs and proposals to more than 500 foundations that say they help support arts and culture. To date, I have just over 200 regrets that they cannot help, and the others I simply haven't heard from. I seem to fall in between a lot of cracks: I'm based in CA, sponsored by a New York foundation - New York foundations consider me a west coast project even though they keep the money in New York and pay NYFA directly, not me. Alternately, California foundations perceive me as an east coast sponsored project, since they pay a New York foundation, even though it's on behalf of a definitvely west coast film. Some foundations support documentaries but not those of a biographical nature.
I was under consideration for a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship for about six months, but after four levels of submissions were complete, I failed to make the grade. I have made it as far as 'in review by the board' at least ten times, which is promising. This is not to say I haven't had some successes.
Over the last year, I have made invaluable allies interested in bringing this film to fruition. AFFMA, the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music, and Art, has shown tremendous interest in this film, in possibly featuring it and honoring my father at one of its film festivals. AFFMA's president, Silvia Minassian, was extremely gracious, as was their film curator, Dr. Zaven Khatchaturian, in regards to my father's story. The GRAMMY Foundation has invited me to submit my father's name for Lifetime Achievement Award consideration and would like to show the film at a number of its events when it's completed. I have spoken to American Public Television and The Documentary Channel, who have both expressed an interest in airing the film. Scott Willis, former musical director of KKJZ-FM, the nation's largest jazz radio station, has written in support of this project to the Guggenheim Foundation. The other three personal references on my Guggenheim application were jazz historian, James Harrod; Holly Foster-Wells, president of Peggy Lee Enterprises; and Emmy, DGA, and Peabody Award winning producer/director, Tom Cherones. I have been able to interest a variety of publications in the story, having features written in the August 4th, 2007, Arts & Culture Section of The Armenian Reporter, the Studio City Lifestyle Magazine, and prominent jazz website, AllAboutJazz. I was a guest on a local cable television show called "Jazz in the Modern Era", hosted by jazz historian, Chet Hanley, produced by Cal State Dominguez Hills, on February 27, 2007.
So, even though I haven't received any funding yet, I know this will eventually find the individual(s) and/or organization(s) who understand the cultural and artistic importance of this film and others like it.
Here are some links:
The GRAMMY Foundation The Armenian Reporter Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA) "Jazz in the Modern Era", February 27, 2007 NYFA Artist Von Babasin The journey continues....