Welcome to the inaugural Film Row newsletter, where we will be spotlighting the exciting events and accomplishments that have taken place during the first half of 2023. In addition, we are delighted to share a special message from our President, shedding light on our organization's mission and vision.

Thank you for all of your support, and we look forward to sharing more of our remarkable achievements with you in the second half of the year.

Welcome to Volume 1 of our first Film Row newsletter! Our outreach has grown incredibly, and we thought it would be nice to share what we’ve been already able to achieve in 2023 with your support.

 Since this our first newsletter, I want to share a little more information on Film Row’s objectives and what we are doing to achieve them. I’ll start by saying that the Film Row team has one large focus which is clear in our mission statement: to help cultivate the next generation of pioneers and trailblazers in our industry. We do this by creating three pillars that guide us in each initiative: education, philanthropy, and networking. Each event must incorporate one or more of those pillars.

Our first and most important pillar is education. Whether it’s a virtual conversation or an in-person lunch at a studio commissary, we’ve been able to learn and have meaningful cultural and industry discussions with prolific and diverse panelists. One of our favorite and most successful educational initiatives that many of you have participated in is our mentorship program. We’re about to launch our third offering that connects junior executives with more seasoned veterans to help share their wisdom and experiences, both personally and professionally. I’m happy to report that our participation has drastically increased each year and we’re looking forward to continuing that trend this Summer/ Fall. Registration information was sent out last week so please sign up as a mentor or mentee if you’re able, I promise you’ll get a lot out of it.

Our second pillar is philanthropy. We’ve already held three great volunteer days this year and have a few more on the calendar to finish the year strong. From a family fun beach cleanup day in Santa Monica to volunteering to raise funds for children that need it most, our group is working side by side with some of the best charities organizations across the nation to help fulfill their missions as well.

Our third and last pillar is networking.  This industry is built on relationships, and we cannot stress how important it is to get out and to mingle with studio, exhibitor and vendor colleagues while also fundraising for causes near and dear to our industry. Between the annual WRMMPF Film Row Golf Classic and “The Night Before” event in May, we raised over $171,000 for the Pioneers Assistance Fund. Before their rounds of golf, attendees came dressed up and sang karaoke to their favorite 80’s songs and you had to be there to believe some of the wild outfits our friends proudly wore.

 Another program we’re most proud of is the creation of LEAD, which stands for Leadership, Education, Advancement, Diversity. The goal of LEAD is to empower underrepresented minorities in the entertainment industry through education and career development. LEAD’s goal is to help bring relevant social issues to the forefront through conversations, social media, as well creating speaker series to feature and discuss important topics. All that attended our LEAD event in April at the AMC Century City were touched listening to the inspirational stories and personal experiences by our diverse group of panelists.

As you can see, we’ve been busy. With your help over the past few years, Film Row has established itself as one of the premiere organizations in our industry and we look forward to accomplishing so much more together.

 From all of us at Film Row, we thank you and encourage you and your teams to participate and volunteer however you can. We are all fortunate to work in such an amazing industry so please pay it forward and get involved with any of our wonderful industry charities as best you can.

Sincerely, 

Jeff Wilk

President, Film Row