About Main Street Motion Media

Our name says a great deal about who we are and the role we aim to play in our community: to exhibit work by film and digital media artists, disseminate knowledge through classes, workshops, discussions and online resources, and work with other community-based cultural organizations, downtown businesses, schools and colleges to explore and expahe power of film and media as an instrument of community expression, education and empowerment. Whether a long-time Valley resident attends a film at the Academy of Music, or an Amherst College Economics' Major downloads an digital art video off our website, or a Northampton High School videographer uploads one of their own, the common thread is a growing connection and expansion of our community's relationship to each other and to the world.

We've looked forward into our future -- and embraced the extraordinary reality of digital technology as a means to access, to express and ultimately to see worlds that help us make our own world a better one. The accessibility and popularity of digital media renders it an incredible resource for communication, giving a voice to a range of artists and underrepresented populations, including teens, seniors, women and ethnic and
immigrant groups.

Main Street Motion Media: Summer Film Festival

MSMM has rented (and reserved) multiple dates, every week, from June 15th through September 9th, to exhibit a film series fashioned on the successful programming model used by New York City's Film Forum, IFC, and the Film Society at Lincoln Center, which presents first-run, independent, American, foreign and documentary films for short runs.

Our Summer Film Series will launch with a community wide celebration of the Summer of Love. The 4-day mini-film festival marks the 40th Anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival that was held on June 16,17, 18 in 1967. In addition to Monterey Pop, the Festival will exhibit Pennebaker's Don't Look Back, the 1967 documentary of Bob Dylan's 1965 British tour; John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band: Sweet Toronto; as well as other notable titles including Easy Rider, Festival Express, and Rockin' the Red Dog.

After the Monterey Pop kick-off, the Summer Film Series will continue with two screenings each Wednesday, Thursday evening (under contract).

An extensive "relationship" marketing/advertising program will be launched June 1, 2007 including package pre-sales, on-the-street ticket sales an extensive publicity effort that will unfold w/o May 21, 2007 with the announcement of our Summer Film Series.

The Wider World of Media: Services of Main Street Motion Media

MSMM encompasses media arts in all of its diversity and possibility. Key components will include:

Digital Video Art Instruction: Recognizing that digital video is the current and future state of the art of filmmaking, we plan to make digital video-making facilities and programs a core part of MSMM.

Voice for Underserved Populations: MSMM is committed to offering programs that address the interests of underserved populations, including women, children and teens, the large population of students of all ages, women, seniors, people of color and immigrant and ethnic populations. We seek to expand our community's connections to world culture, provoking thought, exploring cultures and encouraging differing points of vies, stimulating communication and opening minds and hearts. The Pioneer Valley greatly needs a plurality and diversity of voices, and film and video, and a public place to share experiences with them, are one of the most effective and accessible ways. To this end, we plan to work with a variety of groups and community organizations to offer both programming and workshops, which will address these underrepresented perspectives. Potential programs include:

- Young Producers Project
- Latino Lens Project
- Dreamweaver
- Digital Activism
- Podcasting 101
- Documentary Film Distribution
- Co-production Film Financing

Board of Directors
(Current, pending Directors list to follow - 501c3 status pending)

Kathleen Kamping, Founder and Board President

Kathleen Kamping, a seven-year resident of Northampton, brings more than 30 years experience in the film industry, start-up marketing and branding expertise to this initiative. Unlike many nonprofits, Main Street Motion Media will have an earned income stream of individual and group ticket sales. Ms. Kamping has a proven track record in developing market-driven sales programs and in particular understands the strategy of maximizing yield where inventory is lost if not sold the same day.

While her private sector experience is extremely valuable to MSMM, Ms. Kamping has also donated her time and resources to the Northampton Independent Film Festival, the Academy of Music, WFCR and more recently the Fisher Home Hospice in a strategic planning/fundraising capacity. Ms. Kamping championed the development of the most successful single event fundraiser for the Children's Aid Society Foundation of Toronto, raising more than $250,000 (in 1989).

In addition to her for-profit and nonprofit success, her background in film financing, production and broadcast programming, as well as distribution in the U.S. and internationally, give Main Street Motion Media strength across all aspects of film arts. As an Executive Producer, Ms. Kamping faced the challenge of raising substantial funds from network, specialty and cable broadcasters, from foundations and government agencies, and created partnerships to finance each film project from the ground up, while taking full financial responsibility for each independent production.

Above all, Ms. Kamping understands the need to build bridges - that in a world of hard-to-get financing and shared fundraising resources, the relationships created between community organizations, staff and Board are central to the achievement of Main Street Motion Media's mission.

Richard Fournier: Mr. Fournier, a long-time Northampton resident is currently a Minister in Holyoke MA, with a lifetime engagement in addressing the urgent needs of the underserved and underprivileged. He will be leading an Advisory Committee that seeks to establish MSMM services to Holyoke, Springfield and other local communities whose populations would not otherwise have access to digital technology content education.

Elizabeth Horn: Ms. Horn is a former PBS documentary producer who has strong experience in producing videos for nonprofits, and is now a grant writer with over seven years success in foundation and corporate grant seeking. She moved to Northampton in 2006 with her family. Her husband is a Film Professor in at University of Massachusetts at Amherst as well as Five Colleges Inc..