December 5, 2001

      

Helping hand Industry organizations encourage women in entertainment to give back to the community. Dec. 04, 2001 By Chris Gardner

WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT -- It seems that almost everyone has been inspired by the selfless contributions and patriotic volunteerism that has been witnessed in the United States since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- even those in Hollywood. And although the cause might not be the same, industryites have lately become more willing to give back to the community in any way they can, and that includes taking on the role of mentor to the younger generation. Women in Film (WIF), for example, sent letters asking women to volunteer for its mentoring program before Sept. 11 and received many positive responses immediately after the tragedy. "We sent out 300 letters prior to Sept. 11, and in the days and weeks that followed (the terrorist attacks), we had positive responses from 50% of them," says Selise Eiseman, executive officer for WIF. "People are trying to help each other a lot more now than they did before." The mentoring program at WIF launched a year and a half ago with the help of Hugo Boss. The program has four key components: one-on-one mentor-mentee matches; master classes that introduce participants to a specific industry profession; symposiums; and networking breakfasts. Last year, WIF partnered with fellow female organization StepUp to put on an entertainment symposium. StepUp also recently launched a mentoring program. That organization, founded in 1998 by Kaye Popofsky, a former production executive and talent agent, prides itself on offering a two-pronged mentoring program. "The point of StepUp is finding ways to give back," Popofsky says. "And one way we do that is by making it simple: making people understand that giving back can be integrated into your daily life." With that, StepUp members who receive mentors are also required to participate in the community service days organized by StepUp, which has mentees volunteering their time to such service agencies as Girls Inc., Inner City Filmmakers and Habitat for Humanity. "If you get, you give," says Popofsky, whose organization counts 1,500 members between New York and Los Angeles. "It helps retrain everyone and show that community service comes in many shapes and forms." StepUp participants include Universal's Mary Parent, Disney's Nina Jacobson, Paramount's Dede Gardner, CAA's Sonya Rosenfeld and UTA's J. J. Harris. "The advantage of being a part of our mentor program is you will have the ability to be mentored but at the same time have the ability to give back. Working for a bigger cause also comes with an enormous amount of confidence in knowing that you are doing your part to give back." Jamie Babbit, helmer of "But I'm a Cheerleader," is also doing her part to give back. Through POWERUP -- which was founded by Stacy Codikow and Amy Shomer and provides a networking group that promotes the visibility of gay women in entertainment -- Babbit recently mentored two women who received a grant of $20,000 to produce their own short films. To facilitate the mentoring process, the grant recipients, Jennifer McGlone and Lisa Ginsburg, shadowed Babbit while she directed her own short film, "Stuck." From the Altadena, Calif., set of "Stuck," Babbit explains the importance of being a female mentor. "Having a woman see another woman working and actually doing it, your mind opens up," she says. "A lot of women tend to hold themselves back, and if they had a mentor to push them, and tell them that they are talented and good and that they deserve it, it really helps." Babbit has always been receptive to taking on new mentees. Once, a young male student approached Babbit after a screening of "Cheerleader" in Boston and asked if he could move to Los Angeles and shadow her as she worked on the WB's "Popular," which she wrote and directed. She agreed. "I was a little shocked because I thought he would only be here for a week, but the first day he showed up, he was like, 'Oh, I live in Burbank now. I'm here; I have a car; and I'm ready,'" she remembers. "The people that seek out mentors are usually the ones that are going to end up being writers and directors." But this isn't always easy to do. "It's hard," says StepUp's Popofsky. "It's not easy for men either, but the more support people can get, the better off everyone will be."