General Membership Meeting

This year’s annual ASIFA-Hollywood General Membership meeting that was held at the Animation Guild Center on April 30, went off without a hitch.

Members started arriving at 6:30 for a dinner catered by Portos Bakery. This included sandwiches, pastries and hand-made desserts. By 7:00, ASIFA-Hollywood president Jerry Beck called the meeting to order and handed the agenda over to executive director, Frank Gladstone. Along with Jerry and Frank, Bill Turner and David Derks gave reports on membership, current finances, animation preservation, social media, the Animation Educator’s Forum, Animation Aid Foundation, upcoming programs, ASIFA building initiative and, of course, the Annie Awards. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Animation Preservation: Stepping up our efforts in 2015, ASIFA-Hollywood is moving forward to restore the sound cartoon short Dinah (1933), a Max Fleischer Screen Song cartoon featuring live action segments and a musical soundtrack by The Mills Brothers. Dinah was the second of the Mills Brothers’ three appearances in Fleischer Studio cartoons, and was the follow-up to their debut short I Ain’t Got Nobody.
  • Social Media: With the updates that Google recently made to an algorithm (their search engine will rate up sites that are mobile friendly), ASIFA-Hollywood is focused on updating their social media platforms so that members can connect with the organization wherever they are.
  • Annie Awards: The date for the 43rd Annual Annie Awards™ is set for Saturday, February 6, 2016. Ceremony location will be confirmed shortly.
  • Building Initiative: The ASIFA-Hollywood building search goes on. In the past month, the organization has visited five possible sites that have possibilities for building plans. All of these are existing structures that could adapt for offices, meeting rooms, a gallery and, most especially, a state-of-the-art screening facility, allowing ASIFA-Hollywood to expand programs and events, support both the local and international animation community, and serve as a center to “promote the Art of Animation and celebrate the people who create it.”
  • Elections: As required in the ASIFA-Hollywood by-laws, elections were held for board members who were terming out. Brooke Keesling, Jeff Wike and Jerry Beck were on the docket and all re-elected to the board.

After the business portion of the meeting concluded, members viewed a screening of the award winning animated short Coda as well as a 20 minute Incomplete History of Animated Dance video that Frank Gladstone prepared for a Dance Camera West festival presentation.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30, with folks staying to chat and catch up for another half hour. All who attended seemed to have a good time.