Filmmaker Nico Holthaus is joining the Music Maker Foundation in their effort to preserve the musical traditions of the South by directly supporting poor and slighted musicians who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time.
Nico Holthaus
Nico is a prolithic, Arizona based, documentary filmmaker whose work has bought him award winning critical acclaim, fame, and controversy. All of these as a documentarian doing his craft skillfully should.
When you purchase either the movie, Mill Ave, Inc. or The Avenue, for just $2000 plus shipping, 20% of your purchase price will be donated to Music Maker. I strongly encourage you to purchase both movies, since you’ll receive a discount and even more as a bonus!
In the mid to late 90’s Tempe AZ was a hotbed of creative talent. Mill Ave, Inc. is a documentary that started with video footage of bands and venues along Mill Ave , when it became apparent that a lot of these venues would be closing their doors. It seems there was not one singular cause for the disintegration of Mill’s culture and liveliness that people everywhere had come to enjoy.
Or was there?
The Avenue
The Avenue is a documentary film based in Tucson, AZ. 4th avenue was threatened with gentrification, much like Mill Ave in Tempe, AZ. Winner of Best of Arizona at the Arizona International film festival.
By purchasing these films, you will not only have some terrific, eye-opening, quality entertainment. You will make an impact on historical the historical musical history that is the south.
While I was a graduate student at The New School in New York, during my Media Theory class I combined three of my passions: African-American history, film history for a research paper. I embarked upon an exploration into the literary reviews of the contemporary psycho-thriller/horror genre and a semiotic analysis of the African-American lead, ‘Ben’, in the film Night of the Living Dead, the film credited with being the Godfather of the splatter film genre.
While researching, I found numerous articles on the horror and psychological thriller genres. However, with the exception of discussions of Blaxploitation films, dialogue pertaining to this genre in relation to the psychology and culture of the modern-day African American community was virtually non-existent. As a result, the research took me months to complete, which is why I’m so thrilled people are finding my work useful.
DOWNLOAD THE PAPER
Duane Jones as Ben in "Night of the Living Dead" 1968
I published this paper for two reasons. First, I wanted to ease the strain of research gathering for other African American students wishing to gather information relevant to their own history and experiences. Secondly, desired to play an active role in how African Americans are perceived, and this paper provides a perspective I am proud of.
This film is the THE horror film that started decades of tales of the flesh eating undead. So, If you haven’t seen this original classic, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!
My father, Arthur (Art) C. Smith passed away peacefully in early December, 2011.
Dad in Television Studio at Cheyney University
For the multitude of our family’s dear friends who are discovering about my dad’s passing for the first time as they read this, I apologize for my delay relaying the news. Our family wanted to make sure the memorial service held earlier this month was a quiet and personal family event. The additional time gave me time to gather my thoughts and emotions, and present this article to you now.
My Step-Mom, Jan called me late one night to tell me dad had a stroke and I immediately flew back to Philadelphia. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be present for my dad’s return to consciousness for 2-days, eating and giving me a squeeze when I told him I loved him.
Dad holding my hand
Daddy died peacefully in his sleep about 5-days later. Unfortunately, I was not able to return to Philadelphia for the beautiful memorial service on December 17, 2011 that Jan, my sister Lisa, Pam and Peter and Marcella put together for daddy.
However, as the media-mogul daughter that I am, I shot this video, which Peter graciously included in the video that showed throughout the service. So, thank you to all of you for making sure I was “present”…
In the wake of Dad’s passing, I have been reunited with many of my family members who I hadn’t seen or spoken with in many years. The link below goes to my cousin Kamau Smith’s photo album on Facebook containing photos from the memorial service. (I had not spoken with him for more than 15-years!)
The gentlemen in blue jackets are Dad’s fellow Tuskegee Airmen who graciously came to honor Dad in style.
My sister Lisa and I followed in dad’s academic footsteps. Me, with an M.A. in Media Studies and my sister Lisa, with an M.A. in Cross Cultural Education.
Dad taught at Fitz Simons Jr. High School in Philadelphia, where he was chair of the Arts Dept. for many years. In 1968, Art accepted a position at Cheyney University.
He was greatly loved by his students at Cheyney and many of his students became lifelong friends, like Pam Bracey and Michael Bailey.
While there, he became the Director of the Educational Media Program and sponsor of the yearbook and the sponsor of the original models which groomed the students for the Miss Pennsylvania competition during his tenure at Cheyney. Also he became the sponsor of the Cheyney University Video and Television Studios.
In 1988, Art retired from Cheyney after 20 years of dedicated service. At age 9- Art won an art competition, and this motivated his interest in photography and art. He was recognized as one of the most dynamic and creative artists of his time.
He also donated photography and typography collections to the museum. He was interested in history in general, and in the African American History in particular.
Long before the term, “thinking-out-of-the-box” was coined, Art thought out of the box. His ideas and concepts were always a challenge to his family and friends. Dad was sure to keep us laughing and on out toes one of his provocative jokes!
Art Smith’s intelligent wit always made you think. Art was a familiar figure in the Germantown and Mt. Airy community. He was the coordinator of Mt. Airy day for 2-years. He was often seen riding his bike through the community and knew just about everyone.
Arthur C. Smith leaves behind a multi-generational legacy of fine artists, photographers, writers, and teachers. I could not be more proud to be my Daddy’s daughter.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had some fascinating conversations with J.R. Hunn and have grown very fond of him, which is why you’re hearing about him now…
We’re talking a great deal about finance, our fast shifting world economic status and managing debt. No doubt you know that these conversations can be overwhelming for many of us to comprehend, let alone actually work with effectively on a personal level.
J.R. has the uncanny ability to give fresh perspective to all of these concepts and situations and provide solutions that are exceedingly easy to comprehend.
More importantly, he shares his knowledge empathetically and has a great sense of humor, which just makes life in general more manageable, and a heck of a lot more fun for those around him.
Growth & decay are constantly happening. Expansion / Contraction — change is always happening. Some people benefit more than others from any given change. Learning to benefit from change makes a difference.
The distinction is the magnitude of the changes that are happening now, The growth is going to be bigger than the rise of the U.S. or Soviet Union. Collapse is going to be bigger — A really big magnitude shift.
The economic distinction is the size of the shift. Commitment to benefit from changes is one possible commitment. Commitment to growth is another.
J.R. Hunn
We shot a very funny video together on the historical impact of oil and the strength of political systems. Off-camera, this was my first time playing full out with J.R. and we had a ball!
It’s a marathon of jokes, and I literally fell off my chair from laughing so hard. We’ll be fine tuning as we create more, so stay tuned.
A Brief History of Oil
J.R. consults people on creating financial shelters and prudently manages the assets within the shelters and settles & negotiates debt and prefers to work with people who shelter their finances before they settle their debts.
You may know that I relocated Karasma Media to Phoenix, Arizona about a month ago. I must say, it’s pretty phenomenal being in the midst of mountains and sunshine!
I’ve been fairly quiet with my online conversation for the last several months, and I wanted to provide you with some clarity about what’s been going on with me. In January 2010, I looked up and noticed that I put on 50 pounds! Honestly, it was as if I suddenly woke up and someone had played a very mean joke on me…
I was always tired regardless of how much sleep I got, stressed, and it seemed like I stayed hungry…
Using some very special products and with the assistance of my nutrition coach, I’ve already lost I’ve lost more than 14 pounds and 24-inches of body fat. The best thing is, I have so much energy that it’s amazing how much I get done!
It’s no wonder that my enthusiasm for writing and marketing in general slowed down…
I’m feeling so good about the products and the company, now that I’ve become and Independent Distributor. Needless to say, contributing to intercontinental nutrition and financial well-being completely supports my desire to make an ongoing difference with the overall well-being on our the planet.
Here’s a linkto a video that encompasses what I’m up to pretty well, so please do take a look and feel free to call me if you have any questions
Karasma Media is alive and well in Phoenix. Please stay tuned for more info!
After 22 wonderful years in New York City, Kara Smith, the principal and founder of Karasma Media is relocating to Phoenix, Arizona. As of Sunday, January 30th, I will be operating out of Phoenix and support New York clients and travel to NY City and other locations from there.
In addition to operating Karasma Media, I’m actively searching for a position as a marketing/communications/social media manager and adjunct college teacher and will be getting my certification to tutor elementary & secondary English once I arrive in Arizona.
My mother is 82-years old and very active and I want to enjoy this very special time of our lives together. We’d been talking about my moving there fore several years, and during my last Christmas visit, I saw that now was the time to migrate West… I also met a very special man whose family is close to ours, so this move is the beginning of new adventures for me on multiple levels!
If you have friends & colleagues in the area who may be able to assist in my “life-recreation, please do to connect us!
I received word today that three graduate research I published on The Social Science Research Network (SSRN ), made their 2010 Top Ten Lists.
*UPDATE:I received an e-mail from Gregg Gordon, the President of SSRN early the morning of January 4th, containing the following text:
We apologize for sending you one or more incorrect email messages last week. While testing some new functionality, our servers sent “Top Ten” emails to the top one hundred downloaded papers in certain ejournals instead of the top ten.
Oh well… I made the top-20 in two categories, and the top 50 in others…
Listed on SSRN’s Top Ten download list for AFAM Subject Matter eJournals, Film eJournal – Forthcoming, HRN African-American Studies Research Network, HRN Performing, Visual, & Fine Arts Research Network, Literary Theory & Criticism eJournal and PVFA Subject Matter eJournals. Downloaded 126 times
Being in SSRN’s top-10, three times is very exciting news, as I build this new leg of my career, and it is exhilarating to receive affirmation that my work is being read.
However, in today’s world of on-line research availability, I can’t help wondering how many people are plagiarizing, and how many professors aren’t catching the students doing so — for a multitude of reasons.
I would very much like to hear other published professionals and educators about this issue and safe guards/software you utilize to offset it.
I’ll be keeping a leg of Karasma Media here in New York to continue to service clients here, and traveling as needed. We’re launching a new platform in February, so stay tuned!
Troy Johnson’s AALBC.com’s Brownstone Series will feature The Kindergarten Shufflein Harlem, New York on Thursday September 23rd at 7:30 PM.
Just about everyone who’s entered their preschooler into kindergarten in New York City will tell you there are few experiences that compare!
The Kindergarten Shuffle tells the story of three parents on their search for a kindergarten for their children. The 93-minute docudrama showing the difficult year parents face searching for the best kindergarten for their children. The movie is based on filmmaker, Doug Morse’s, experience finding a school for his son as well as the experiences of several of his friends. It takes us on a journey examining public, private, home school, and Gifted and Talented programs.
The event is free, but donations, of any amount, are welcome.
Director and Writer: Douglas Morse will be present to answer question fter the screening.
Beverages and snacks will be provided.
There is nothing more primal than taking care of your child. Education is the key to long-term self-sufficiency. This film examines the quest to care for a child through the lens of that year, the year of searching for the best educational experience for your child.
The Kindergarten Shuffle is not only an intriguing cinematic story that is surprising realistic and sure to stir up memories for parents who’ve gone through the process. It is an invaluable learning tool for anyone embarking upon the NY City Kindergarten Admissions process.
If the weather’s warm enough, the film will be shown on a large screen outside, in a private backyard. Otherwise, we’ll be viewing it inside the salon area of their home.
Doug was my professor at The New School where I attended graduate school. He teaches Script Analysis and Screenwriting, and I’m thrilled to have been bought in to work with this extraordiany project.
The social media workshops Troy Johnson of AALBC.com and I did at this year’s Harlem Book Fair in New York received some very good feedback from the participants. A huge thank you goes to the Amsterdam News Editor-in-Chief, Nayaba Arinde and reporter Daatya I. Sanusi, for including us in their coverage of the book fair.
Social media is an invaluable, cost effective tool for developing business and when used correctly, can generate some very powerful results. It was a truly wonderful experience talking with the authors and entrepreneurs, from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and several other surrounding states who attended.
The familiarity level with social media of those in attendance ran the gamut, from being signed up on multiple online platforms, to only having heard about social media and having a desire to acquire more information prior to diving in.
I truly enjoyed discussing technology I’m having such a great time using, in my neighborhood at a venue my family has been frequenting for many years. Troy and I are discussing development of more seminars that will provide business building guidance, specifically designed for individual business types and levels of social media literacy, so stay tuned!
On Saturday, July 17th, Troy Johnson of AALBC.com (The African American Literature Book Club) has invited me to co-host Publishing YOU-niversity, includes four, 1-hour, standalone workshops on social media marketing for authors and small to mid-size organizations.
Attendees will be provided with a foundation for using a website, Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote themselves and their businesses.
Every web interaction has the power to influence a potential client’s decision to purchase your book, product or service. So, if your website does not provide an informative and satisfying experience and you don’t engage your visitors through social media, then they will find an author who is interested enough to have a dialog with their audience and a business who’s interested in what they have to say.
We’ll be discussing how social media can help convert your online visitors to viable business prospects and customers after interacting with your website.
Thurgood Marshall Academy (Classroom 211)
214 West 135th Street
New York, NY 10030
Participants who enroll in ALL FOUR workshops will receive a complementary “Jumpstart Your Social Media” Booklet
Troy is a technology expert and industry leader in marketing books on the World Wide Web. Mr. Johnson is the founder and webmaster of AALBC.com LLC. AALBC.com was launched in 1998, and is now the largest and most frequently visited web site dedicated to books by and about black people.
He has been recognized in articles that have appeared in Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, The New York Times, The Amsterdam News, Black Issues Book Review and Black Enterprise. Troy has also appeared on numerous radio and television programs including C-Span2’s Book TV and The Black Family Channel’s Literary Living; and in 2005 was named one of the 50 Most Powerful African Americans in Publishing by Black Issues Book Review magazine.
At this point, any public relations person stating that they possess a level of expertise using tools of social media, should have the level of this skillset illustrated in their online presence. Personally, I’ve garnered numerous speaking engagements and broadcast coverage for both myself and my clients, using a combination of social media outreach and traditional PR.
The Book Fair was founded in 1999 by QBR/The Black Book Review as a community event and forum for African American readers to discover and celebrate their history and culture through books.
It is now a week long event and the country’s largest community gathering of African American readers and book lovers. It has evolved into a national brand that is expanding into new markets each year. The Harlem Book Fair now draws over 50,000 attendees, and 15 million viewers via C-SPAN’s Book TV. Last year, the Book Fair was broadcast live in Europe and Asia for the first time.
The 2010 Harlem Book Fair spans two avenue-long blocks on West 135th Street with tents, pavilions of books, food, and cultural concessions. Fair space has more than doubled since its inception.
