Mayor Office Press Room

Digital Media Advisory Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, July 12 2005

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications

415-554-6131

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MAYOR NEWSOM Unveils Initiative to Transform San Francisco into the “Digital Hollywood ”

Newly formed Digital Media Advisory Council is unprecedented partnership among leading digital media innovators

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Standing just a stone’s throw from the new LucasFilm Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio, Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced the formation of the Digital Media Advisory Council (DMAC). Seizing on the opportunity provided by the arrival of LucasFilm in San Francisco, DMAC will take a leading role in developing new cutting-edge digital media companies in San Francisco, with the goal of transforming the City into a global leader in digital media technologies.

Similar in design to the Biotech Advisory Council, which was an integral part of San Francisco’s winning bid to bring the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to the City, DMAC will work to attract new digital media businesses and support existing digital media businesses; encourage private and public investment in advanced digital technologies; expand workforce development and education in digital media; provide technical support for digital media incubators and business accelerators; broker relationships between educational, business, and community based digital media organizations; develop strategies to respond to the rapid changes in new media technologies; and regularly inform the Mayor of emerging digital media issues.

Mayor Newsom cited the incredible opportunity that digital media presents for San Francisco saying, “The development of new technologies is changing the face of movie making – here in San Francisco, we have the opportunity to help chart its future by making the City a magnet for new creative talent and innovation.” The Mayor continued saying, “It’s also important to see DMAC in a broader context – it’s part of our ongoing strategy to make the City’s movie industry an economic force once again.”

The Council is being developed in collaboration with San Francisco State University’s Institute for Next Generation Internet and brings together some of the most forward thinking digital media innovators in the region. Joaquin Alvarado, Director of SF State’s Institute for Next Generation Internet, said, “San Francisco is uniquely poised to lead the nation in the development of digital media and high speed networks to improve education, economic development and basic services. San Francisco State University is proud to partner with the City and the community to bring the next generation in digital communications to the Bay Area.”

DMAC members include: Ioan Allen, Senior Vice President Dolby Laboratories; Joaquin Alvarado, Award wining documentary filmmaker and Founding Director of the San Francisco State University Institute for Next Generation Internet; Sandeep Casi, Business Development – Emerging Technology, Fuji Xerox Palo Alto Lab, Inc & Project Leader for FujiFilm Digital Cinema Exploration Group; Stefanie Coyote, Executive Director, San Francisco Film Commission; Brad DeGraf, CEO, Media Ventures, former Director of Digital Media at Colossal Pictures; Jeff Fino, (Chair of DMAC) Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Wild Brain, former Producer at Colossal Pictures; Laurin Herr, CineGrid; Judy Holme Agnew, Executive Director, Bay Area Video Coalition; Ken Ikeda, Executive Director, Youth Sounds; Louise Ledeen, Director of Media Industries Production, Silicon Graphics, Inc.; Stu Maschwitz, Co-Founder, The Orphanage; Tim McGovern, Director of Engineering, Skywalker Sound; Jim Moye, Laboratory Manager of MONOCO Film/Video/Digital; Carl Rosendahl, CEO and founder of Uth TV, founder of Pacific Data Images; Tom Scott, Co-Founder and Vice President of Technology of the Entertainment Digital Network (EdNET); Carsten Sorensen, CEO, The Orphanage; Steven Ujlaki, Cinema Department Chair, San Francisco State University, former Vice President of Development and Production for HBO Pictures; Villy Wang, President & CEO, BAYCAT; Shahkar Sastry, Citris Director; Douglas Crawford, Associate Director, QB3; Tom Defanti, Senior Research Scientist, CalIT2.

Members will also include yet-to-be named representatives from Lucasfilm, Lucasarts and ILM.

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