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Power Up -- the Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up -- will provide networking opportunities for gay women in all aspects of the entertainment industry, say founders Stacy Codikow, Amy Shomer and K. Pearson Brown.
"I realized that the gay community had yet to become a mainstay in Hollywood," explains Codikow, a writer-producer. "I thought a networking tool would be a great resource for all of us."
In addition to networking and mentoring, Power Up will provide a resume bank, roundtable discussions, social events and grants for up to four independent films a year.
According to Brown, the grant funds come from prominent members of the gay community. Submission deadlines will probably be sometime in spring, says Shomer, a producer. The board of directors will be responsible for awarding the funds.
Membership is open both to women and men, gay and straight, working in any field of the entertainment industry.
Board members
Members of the board include directors Lee Rose, Jamie Babbit and Debra Chasnoff, producers Jan Oxenburg and Andrea Sperling, scripter Jane Anderson, exec producer Leslie Belzberg.
Also on the board are Marcus Hu, co-prexy of Strand Releasing; Bill Melamed, the co-chair of the 2001 GLAAD media awards; Bold New World's Jehan F. Agrama; and Roberta Bennet of the law firm Anderson & Bennet.
Next up on the group's calendar is a roundtable on Feb. 6 with Bo Zenga, the producer of "Scary Movie."
Codikow came up with the concept behind Power Up during the summer and quickly called in Brown, a producer/publicist, and Shomer, who met working on the 2000 GLAAD media awards. After that initial meeting, the trio focused on increasing Power Up's visibility.
Membership is open both to women and men, gay and straight, working in any field of the entertainment industry.
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