Me: So how long have you been in San Francisco?
Almost a year now.
Me: and what do you do?
I’m the Development Director for San Francisco Film Festival….I just started.
Me: I just saw a sign for the Sonoma Film Festival taking place the first week of April. Is that the same thing? If not, how is that different?
No, they are all separate, but they are all .
Me: Did they give you a list of companies and the contact names of whom to contact?
Yes
Me: Oh….so what exactly do you raise money for? I mean…since they charge when you go see one of those movies.
Oh, well that just basically covers the cost of the venue. The funds I raise cover the operating costs like the staff, office space, the travel expenses of the film producers we bring in to do talks during the film festival, etc.
Me: So, how’s it going?
It hasn’t been easy…the city (San Francisco) gives the tech companies a break for being here in San Francisco which is contingent on them giving back, but inspite of that, it’s still hard. They get to write it off and they get great exposure, but it’s not easy…
Me: So what did you do before this? Meaning…what was your stepping stone to this job?
I did event planning. I planned big fund raisers.