Power Up unites lesbians in the entertainment industry

By Kim McNabb

Staff writer

Picture a lone woman, a lesbian, in Hollywood, struggling to get a film made. She has to fight for consideration, fight for recognition, fight for money and fight for control of her cinematic ideas. Sounds pretty tough.

Picture 400 women (mostly lesbians), mostly filmmakers and others working in the film industry, gathering together at a pool party, complete with yoga, good food, drinks and massages, in sunny Los Angeles. Sounds pretty nice.

A new organization in Hollywood is working to turn that lone lesbian into one of the hundreds of women around the pool, making it easier for all of them to network, socialize and succeed in the competitive film business.

Power Up, started in December 2000 by producer/writer Stacy Codikow and commercial producer Amy Shomer, has a mission to "promote, encourage and support the visibility of openly gay women in the industry."

"It's all about lesbian women being proud of who they are, bonding, creating things together. We're not making lesbian films, we're lesbians making films," Codikow says of her group.

"The mission is more of a community organization, professional women coming together. Just because you're gay and working in Hollywood doesn't mean you all know each other."

Membership in Power Up is open to anyone working in the industry in any capacity. "We're all forms of media and entertainment, not just films," Codikow says. "If you have anything to do with communications, you should be part of it."

Membership is also open to anyone who supports the mission, not just women. "Ten percent of our members are straight people. Maybe 5-7 percent are gay men who are financial supporters," Codikow says. "Power Up is about promoting gay women but it's open to anybody. It's to promote the visibility of lesbians. If others want to help, more power to them. We're not exclusionary, we're inclusive. The organization is about people."

Power Up in Los Angeles has about 700 members and about 150 in its New York chapter. A chapter of Power Up is scheduled to launch in Chicago this fall.

Power Up works on behalf of its members in several ways. Monthly mixers, industry workshops, annual filmmaking grants and the presentation of an annual Premier Award are the group's main events. "Power Premiere is the big event; celebrating who we are, what we do," Codikow says. "We celebrate who has given of themselves for the community." This year's recipients, to be honored at a soiree Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, are Melissa Etheridge and Jerry Offsay of Showtime. The evening also includes a screening of the films of the previous year's grant-awardees.

Power Up's filmmaking grants are $12,500 to $18,000 and open to all members, including those outside of Los Angeles. "Last year we had a San Francisco winner and a New York winner," Codikow says. "We're doing pretty good. Tammy Lynn Michaels, Amanda Bears, Ione Skye, Alexandra Paul-they're all in our films," Codikow says, proud of the acting talent associated with the organization.

Hollywood has really opened up to the organization, Codikow says. "The industry's been incredibly supportive. People across the U.S. have been like 'this is really cool.' We've also been in all the papers, the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety," she adds.

Power up also publishes an annual list of the 10 most powerful lesbians in the entertainment industry. In it's first year, Ellen DeGeneres, No. 1 on the list, responded to her rank by saying, "This title I have now gives me power. I'm not sure how I'll use it yet. I may add another day to the week-it will be called Gay Day and everyone must be gay on that day. Or maybe I'll just use my power to boss the other nine around."

After the chapter is up and running, Codikow says, a large showcase event will be held, probably in February 2003. "We're going to showcase an hour and half of short films made by our members. We try to come up with a social setting because it's the best way for people to meet," she says. "We do wear name tags so nobody feels shy. Everyone goes in the same way and nobody knows each other. By the end five or six girls are going to read each others' scripts, work on projects together-things like that."

Chicago filmmakers can benefit from Power Up and Power Up can benefit from Chicago, say local filmmakers Kristine Dickens and Amy McIntyre, co-coordinators of the new Chicago chapter.

"Chicago is a booming, creative city and it makes sense for Power Up to be a supported organization in one of the country's biggest cities," Dickens says. "Members can take advantage of the networking in all three cities." She also thinks the networking will create excitement for new projects in Chicago.

"We are creating networking and social opportunities for women everywhere and that is what Power Up is all about," Dickens says.

Codikow, who with co-founder Shomer, envisioned a network of gay women working together on ideas and finding power, says the young organization has already exceeded her vision. "In all honesty, it far surpasses anything I could have imagined. We expected maybe 100 members. Before we even launched we had 250. People reach out to us from all over. People are pretty damn aware of us," she says. "They don't always get what's it's about exactly, but they get that we're a positive female gay organization."

Codikow wants the group to present a positive image of lesbians to the public and she believes it is doing that.

"Melissa, Ellen and Rosie have done a tremendous amount of good for the community, but they are only three people. It's nice to think that there's 700 standing together," she says. "We're just regular healthy-minded working women. It's about broadening people's acceptance of who we are," she says. "We're about unity, pride and community."

But Power Up isn't all networking, holding workshops and raising money to give away-there's some fun involved, too.

Fun like a pool party with 400 creative and talented women in that eternal land of dreams-Hollywood.