Phoenix Film Festival Industry Night

Linda Rae Jurgens and Ron Garland at Industry Night

"After reading through the Phoenix Film Festival magazine, I realized how much the reach of our industry has grown over the last few years — that is in spite of the absence of a film office. If we could move that roadblock, we could actually have our Hollywood right here! And yes, this place is big enough to get lost in (just like Los Angeles), as it took member Ron Garland and I a few attempts at finding The Arizona Republic Party Pavilion behind Harkins Theatre.  

"The big white tent was buzzing with activity and fellow board members Joey Evans, our coordinator for the event, and Stan Kansas were there to greet us. We decorated with enthusiasm and we put Arizona "Hollywood" on the map! We have Joey to thank for all the errands she ran after working almost the entire day at her own work. Ron found a way to hang up the SAG-AFTRA banner and Stan provided the sign-in sheet. Thanks to board members Kyle Marsh and Rodd Wolff for coming and always, always, bringing that solid support to SAG-AFTRA. If I missed any of you for this article, it’s probably because Ron and I worked the early shift. For the price of the event (free) the networking and new technology, the friendships and those incredible films, gave all of us new energy toward making that dream of a film office into a reality!"  

This item was originally featured in the July 2016 local newsletter.