There I was, in Chicago with my wife and son, Bill, when my pal Jay Villwock called to say we had both won the Iowa Motion Picture Association's President's Award for 2010 for the hundreds of visits we made to the Iowa Legislature during the session that recently ended.
Jay was at the ceremony and dinner and received the awards for himself and for me. I was in Chicago to retrieve my art from a downtown gallery that had given me a one person show.
It was Jay who suggested we go to the capitol and it was he who knew most of the Iowa legislators and it was Jay who taught me the ins and outs of schmoozing (a.k.a. "lobbying"). Once I got the hang of it, we worked as a well-oiled team!!!!
One thing Jay and I noticed during these hundreds of visits to the Iowa Capitol was the very scant show of support from our film family. Only a dozen or so showed-up to plead our case for saving the film industry, something that was hard to swallow for both of us.
We need much more support, so if you're an actor or an actress, if you're a crew person or a producer.... speak-up, write on this blog, write on my Facebook group, I.A.C.T., and come with us next January through March for the 2011 Iowa Legislative session. Don't be shy, be active. We need you.
Thanks!!!! ..... gino
Thanks for the help Gene and Jay. I think part of the problem in getting support is the fact that the AG's office has painted us as criminals. Us as in the film makers of Iowa. The "AG's office has a total lack of understanding of the film industry. But that is a whole different thing.
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