This morning I was at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco. I was finalizing the plans for the Northern California premiere of Anatomy of a Love Seen on November 1^st. Epochalips.com and More Than Friends Productions, are bringing the film to the big screen in San Francisco. I was at Outfest in LA when it premiered in July to rave reviews and a full house. I was in Chicago at the Reeling LGBT Film Festival when it was shown to a packed house. So how could I not find a way to bring the film to San Francisco? After all I am officially the self appointed Rah Rah Lady of lesbian film. Ladies and curious gentlemen of the Bay you will be blown away by Marina Rice Bader’s film. Sure I’m a bit prejudiced, but I do know a winner.

My rah rah days were born thanks to Kickstarter and Soul Kiss Films. For hundreds of independent film makers crowd funding was the possible answer to the burning question, “How do I get the money to make my film?” It was through my random surfing of the Kickstarter web site that I discovered my first funding opportunity. I knew that if I ever financially supported any film, it would be a lesbian or gay feature, short or documentary. It was the beginning of 2012 and the one and only campaign that captured me was the Soul Kiss one to raise funds for A Perfect Ending.

With the click of a Paypal link, I was in the movie business. That may be a huge exaggeration on my part. But, I felt that I was an integral part of the production of this film. Others and I made it happen. Pretty heady stuff. That summer the film premiered at Frameline in San Francisco. I attended the Epochalips film premier pre-party where I met the director, executive producer and the stars of the film. I was actually having a beer with Jessica Clark and Barbara Niven. Considering the fact that my day job was CEO of an elderly care facility in the Bay area, I was suddenly doing something I had only dreamed of.

Two years have passed since I fell in love with the funding and production of LGBT films. In that time I’ve been a senior consultant, Associate Producer or Executive Producer to over fifteen films. Each one has a special place in my heart. Each one has also taught me about the challenges women writers, directors and producers face to bring their stories to the screen. The most challenging aspect is raising the funds to make the film. Hence, sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and many others are places to ask the public for financial help.

Because I felt so welcomed into the Soul Kiss film family and also because the ”A Perfect Ending experience” was such a positive one, I was naturally drawn to supporting the film projects of Soul Kiss president Marina Rice Bader. In August of 2013 I sat on a log in the middle of a forest near Los Angeles. It was about 105 degrees and every mosquito in the LA area was there. Filming had started on the currently in post-production Raven’s Touch. I wasn’t a guest at the set. I was Executive Producer. I certainly had come a long way baby

In January 2014 I put the Executive Producer hat on once more as Bader undertook the writing, direction, and production of Anatomy of a Love Seen. The making of Anatomy of a Love Seen would actually make a terrific documentary. To think it all started with a call from Marina Rice Bader telling me the story she wanted to tell. The surprise was that within six weeks I was standing on a sound stage watching this concept become an incredible film. Filmed in only five days is amazing in itself. It was one of those “pinch me please” times because I was actually living the dream. For the first time in the years I’ve been involved in supporting films I felt the importance of my involvement in actually making this film happen. My goal to have as many people as possible see it was born. Though I didn’t write it or act in it or even work on all the hundreds of post-production tasks that make the film a film, I still look at it as partially mine.

On November 1 you can meet the writer and director. You can dance with one of the stars of the film at the after party (shout out to DJ Christina) and you can meet and hear award winning sound track artist for the film Sarah Smith. Her song “Runaway” has to grab you. Oh, and I’ll be the Executive Producer standing somewhere nearby as the stars of the film share their cinematic moment with you.

Tickets are available at www.brava.org