IFP Phoenix – Big Shoes…
I have been a member of IFP Phoenix for about 6 years, and over those years I have been very involved with the organization. The first film I ever directed, “Silhouhette” was created for the IFP Phoenix 48-Hour Film Challenge in July of 2006. I was extremely excited and surprised that it won first place in the competition, and in the following year went on to win 1st place in the IFP Phoenix produced TV series called Screen Wars. In 2008-2009 my team participated in all three rounds of their Beat the Clock challenges and went on to win first place in all three challenges. And finally at the 2009 Phoenix Film Festival, I was presented with the award for “2009 Arizona Filmmaker of the Year”. Although I am proud of the hard work and my personal development, I thank IFP Phoenix for giving me the opportunities and resources to help me develop my abilities and discover my film career.
In the summer of 2009, I helped new friends I meet through IFP Phoenix, Bob and Jessica Marquis, create a film for the 48-Hour Film Challenge. Our short film, “An Uplifting Tale” ended up taking 2nd place in the competition, but in the final rounds in early 2010 we learned that the film had been selected to show as pre-screening entertainment at Harkins Theaters valley-wide. Our little film had won more than just an award, it has won a way to get it seen by audiences, which is what every filmmaker dreams about.
In January of 2011, Executive Director of IFP Phoenix Amanda Melby asked me if I would take over as the Executive Director of the organization. I was honored by the proposal, but scared out of my pants. The position is voluntary, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to balance the requirements of the job with my career as a cinematographer and director. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! I knew that I had ideas that could make a difference in our community, I just hoped that I had the time and energy to implement everything I wanted.
So, in April of 2011, just after the Phoenix Film Festival, I officially took over as the new Executive Director of IFP Phoenix. Things are going great so far. With the help of my friend and fellow filmmaker Keegan Ead, we’ve come up with a whole new season of filmmaker challenges to get our filmmakers out there making films. I’ve been in development on a new website which I hope to launch in July, and in August I’m hoping to re-vamp our membership levels and benefits package. Ultimately, I want to make IFP Phoenix the organization that all Arizona filmmakers would want to me a member of. We should offer services and resources that help all of our local indie filmmakers achieve their goals. And, hopefully along the way, I’m also able to put together some resources that I’ll be able to take advantage of myself to pursue my own filmmaking career.
So, the BIG thing I need to re-iterate is that I am still a professional cinematographer, editor and director and more now than ever I need to make sure that jobs keep coming in so that I am able to volunteer the remainder of my free time to help build the Arizona filmmaking community through IFP Phoenix. If you’d like to reach me over at IFP Phoenix, my new email address is webb@ifpphx.org.