Multimedia
Blogs
Forum
Affordable HD
Whitepapers
Newsletters
Events
Advertisers
Blogcast
MillimeterInternational Documentary Association To Introduce New President Richard Propper
Feb 23, 2004 12:00 PM
LOS ANGELES-- Richard Propper has been elected president of the International Documentary Association (IDA). Propper will be formally introduced as the IDA's president on Wednesday, February 25, at the organization's 22nd Annual Celebration of the Academy Award Documentary Nominees held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
"The IDA was visualized as a place where non-fiction filmmakers could meet and share ideas, find support and advocate common issues," Propper says. "We hope to continue to increase our membership base, so we can speak with a louder voice. One of the things that has impressed me about the documentary filmmakers I have met through IDA is that they all have important stories to tell, and they are determined to produce them. Sure they want to have their programs distributed and seen, but I think in the backs of their minds, they are doing it for the passion they feel for the work and the stories they tell."
Propper is the founder and president of Solid Entertainment, which licenses and distributes non-fiction programs in some 86 broadcast territories around the world. He has been a member of the IDA since 1996 and has served on the board of directors as treasurer. He is a native of Los Angeles, who earned his undergraduate degree from the film department at the California State University in Long Beach. He attended graduate school in Tel Aviv and Phoenix, Ariz. He began his career "working in the trenches" for Alan Landsburg, mainly in postproduction but also in various other roles, ranging from associate producer to writer. Landsburg was one of the founders of IDA.
"I came to realize that documentaries are an international art form that can be released in any language," Propper says. "You can tell the same story just as effectively when narrated in French, German, Japanese or English. Early on, I met a very talented producer who had just finished working on eight wildlife shows produced for the Discovery Channel. He didn't have an international distributor, so I learned how to sell them around the world myself."
Propper organized Solid Entertainment in 1996 for the purpose of helping documentary filmmakers license their films in different markets around the world. The company currently licenses some 300 non-fiction titles, ranging in scope from wildlife to history, technology and current affairs.
"Joining IDA gave me a new perspective," Propper says. "I met a lot of passionate filmmakers who care about the future of this industry. I also discovered that IDA was doing a lot more advocacy for issues that affect the future of documentary filmmakers than I had realized. I did a lot of listening and volunteered to work on committees. I found an extraordinary level of commitment to and passion for the art form. We have made tremendous progress, but there is still a great deal of work to be done."
Propper notes that some 17 domestic broadcast and cable channels now program non-fiction entertainment. "Global markets are very open to content with international themes and the public is enthusiastically responding to non-fiction films in the feature marketplace," says Propper. "The Internet will continue to be an important delivery option for consumers whose growing interest is non-fiction entertainment.
"IDA will continue in its important role of fostering a free and open dialogue between documentary filmmakers around the world," he says. "We will continue to recognize and inspire outstanding work, and we will serve as outspoken advocates for our members and their art form. One of our goals will be to use the Internet to provide even more effective resources that help non-fiction filmmakers make the connections and get the information they need anytime and anywhere in the world."
In addition to Propper, the new IDA Executive Board is made up of diane estelle Vicari (1st vice president), Lynne Littman (2nd vice president), Nancy Willen (1st secretary), Barbara L. Gregson (2nd secretary), Kathryn F. Galan (CFO/treasurer) and Sandra J. Ruch (executive director). Serving on the IDA Board of Directors is Sven Berkemeier, St. Clair Bourne, Douglas Chang, Candace E. Chatman, Michael C. Donaldson, Marina Goldovskaya, Mark Johnstone, Michael King, Michael Rose, Mary C. Schaffer, Jeff H. Swimmer and Brian Wakil.
IDA traces its roots to an informal meeting of a dozen filmmakers in Los Angeles in 1982. They felt there was a need for a non-profit organization that could serve as a forum where non-fiction filmmakers could share ideas and discuss and advocate issues of common interest. The IDA currently has some 3,000 members in 50 countries. For more information, visit www.documentary.org.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.
