In This Issue:

• Director's Notes
• Message from Allison

NEWS

• Featured Member Posting: Production Assistant, Film & Audio (Headspace) — LA
• FWSP-eligible undergraduate needed to assist with Harvardwood!
• Submit your script to the 2016 Harvardwood Writers Competition — Deadline July 31st
• Attention, DC-based Producers: Interested in sharing professional support, resources, and advice?

FEATURES

• Exclusive Q&A with Derrick N. Ashong AB '97 & Lucia Brawley AB '99 (Take Back the Mic)
• Industry Successes
• New Members' Welcome
• Alumni Profile: David H. Mandel AB '92 (Showrunner, Veep)

CALENDAR & NOTES

• Calendar
• Reach the Harvardwood community of ~7,000 subscribers!

Director's Notes

Keep your eyes peeled for our Summer Silent Auction later this month! You'll want to have your finger on the mouse to outbid other folks for the VIP lunches we're auctioning in support of our events and programs in the 2016-17 academic year.

For any Amazon shoppers out there, when you shop on #PrimeDay, Amazon donates to Harvardwood! This is a really easy way to help us continue to expand Harvardwood's events, programs, and local chapters. Just designate Harvardwood as your recipient nonprofit on Amazon and see what #PrimeDay has to offer on July 12th. THANK YOU!

Have a fantastic July 4th celebration, everybody!

— Dona

Message from Allison

Happy July, Everyone!

— Allison

Featured Member Posting: Production Assistant, Film & Audio (Headspace) — LA

Working in the Content Studio you will work as an integral part of the video production team helping to produce engaging, popular, entertaining films. Storytelling, film, documentary and all aspects of film production should be your passion. Ideally you are a film school grad with a broad skills base, hungry for a challenging production role and willing to play a key role in a busy department.

Headspace was founded in London in 2010 by Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe. Originally conceived as a meditation events company, Headspace has evolved into the world’s most popular meditation app. Using proven mindfulness techniques, it will teach you how to train your mind for a healthier, happier life. Sessions take as little as 10 minutes a day, and you can do them wherever and whenever you like. Our app has now been downloaded more than 5 million times in 150 countries, helping so many people to enjoy the benefits of a clearer calmer mind. Today, we’re ready to embark on the next phase in our evolution: to become the world’s most comprehensive guide to health and happiness.

APPLY HERE

FWSP-eligible undergraduate needed to assist with Harvardwood!

Harvardwood is currently looking for an undergraduate student who is eligible for the Federal Work Study Program to assist with weekly administrative duties and other projects as needed. All work can be done online, and the hours (6-10 per week) are very flexible.

This is a great way to learn more about Harvardwood, the programming we offer across our nationwide chapters, and other opportunities that undergraduates and alumni can enjoy. It's a particularly great position for someone interested in exploring the arts, media, and entertainment after graduation!

Please send us your cover letter and resume if you are a FWSP student and interested in the position.

Submit your script to the 2016 Harvardwood Writers Competition — Deadline July 31st

Started in 2006, the Harvardwood Writers Competition (HWC) was created to give emerging Harvard writers the opportunity to gain industry exposure and to recognize superior work. The contest includes the following three categories: 1) Feature screenplays (90 - 120 pp., all genres); 2) Television pilots (30-min and 60-min, all genres); and 3) Shorts (30-min maximum, no minimum).

This year's submission deadline is Sunday, July 31st, at 11:59pm PT. Scripts will be evaluated by industry professionals, and first-place winners in each category will receive a cash award and free admission to the 2016-2017 Harvardwood Writers Program.

In recent years, participants in the Harvardwood Writers Program and Competition have seen unprecedented success with pilot sales to ABC, the CW, Showtime, Sony, Spike, Syfy, and TV Land, in addition to blind script deals at ABC and Warner Bros. Harvardwood writers have been staffed on Agent Carter (ABC), American Dad (Fox), Community (NBC), Covert Affairs (USA), Family Guy (FOX), The Flash (CW), The Good Wife (CBS), Gotham (Fox), How to Get Away with Murder (ABC), Jane the Virgin (CW), Justified (FX), The Newsroom (HBO), Perception (TNT), Sleepy Hollow (Fox), State of Affairs (NBC), and The Tomorrow People (CW). Among our feature film writers, successes include the theatrical releases of Jamesy Boy and Unfriended, as well as OddLot Entertainment’s optioning ofSeptillion to One; previous HWC feature category winner Capture is in post production with Circle of Confusion producing. Participants have also secured representation at Apostle, Benderspink, Brant Rose Agency, CAA, Circle of Confusion, Echo Lake, Gersh, ICM, Management 360, Original Artists, WME, and others.

Learn more about the HWC and submit your script!

Attention, DC-based Producers: Interested in sharing professional support, resources, and advice?

Exclusive Q&A with Derrick N. Ashoing AB '97 & Lucia Brawley AB '99 (Take Back the Mic)

by Henry Johnson AB '18

Lucia Brawley AB ’99 is a producer, actor, and writer. In addition to appearing in movies and television shows such as World Trade Center and ER, she has written about arts and education for The Huffington Post. Lucia currently serves as the Vice President of Communications for amp.it, a digital media company founded by her husband, Derrick Ashong AB ’97, PhD '09 (photo below by Jane Feldman). Derrick is an artist and entrepreneur who has hosted programs on SiriusXM, Al Jazeera English, and Fusion. He recently created Take Back the Mic, an interactive hip-hop show that airs on amp.it. The show, hosted by Derrick and produced by Lucia, was an Emmy finalist in 2015.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for Take Back the Mic?

DNA. I was at a cypher at a place called Bus Stop in my hometown, Accra, Ghana. Everyone is taking turns freestyling—I got up did my thing, all is good. Then this one kid gets up, and does a rhyme in English, no biggie. All of a sudden he flips it and starts freestyling in Twi. Then he switches it up again and starts flowing in Ga.

It’s hard enough for most people to improvise in one language and this guy just did it in three. That’s when it hit me that the most interesting stuff happening in Hip Hop is not necessarily happening in the US. And I thought it would be so cool to have a show that highlights the best of the best in Hip Hop from around the world. That was almost 12 years ago.

Q. What makes Take Back the Mic different from other musical competition shows?

DNA. ​The power is in the hands of the fans. The fans decide what artists are featured and therefore where the story goes. We would have never known to visit a place like Esperanza in the DR or Juiz de Fora in Brazil, or a neighborhood like Aranjuez in Medellin, if the fans hadn’t told us that there were incredible artists with powerful stories there.

We've all had a fun time with the whole "celebrity-judge thing" and there have been some great shows that have come out of that ethos. But at the end of the day, real people know what they like. And sometimes the diamonds in the rough are buried too deep for the celeb model to suss them out. And so we let the people decide which artists speak for them, using the technology we’ve built at amp.it.

Instead of sending our producers on a hunt for rising stars, the platform scores fans for discovering and sharing amazing new music and videos, and tracks what is driving the most engagement. So when we see a groundswell of support for an unknown artist in a forgotten corner of the world, we know there's something special happening there and we go where the fans lead us.

Q. What does a normal workday look like for you?

LB. The girls, 3 and 5, get us up early.Derrick goes to the gym and I eat breakfast and get the girls ready for school. Derrick and I take the girls to school together. Then he eats breakfast while I chant and meditate. He usually has at least one morning call with somebody overseas, does some QA (quality assurance) on the latest platform release, plays some tunes off of amp.it in the background while he responds to emails. Then he usually spends time giving our editors feedback on a video edit, or giving me feedback on things I've been working on in the morning—a pitch deck, show bible, artist or fan outreach, or some promotional document.

Derrick usually does meetings in the afternoon. I'll take an exercise break and then resume work in time for us to pick up our kids together around 6. If it's Tuesday or Thursday, we pick them up at 3 and take them to gymnastics and work together while they take class. I'll cook dinner while helping my oldest with homework. We all try to eat dinner together if we can, and then Derrick ties up any additional loose ends, while I put the girls to bed.

If all is good, we're done at 9 and can watch one of our favorite shows. If there’s a big deadline we’ll be up until we get done whatever needs to be done. Needless to say, this is all happening when Derrick is not traveling for the show!

Q. Where do you hope to see Take Back the Mic go in the future?

LB. Global. We've recently brought on Tony Krantz as an Executive Producer. He was the head of Primetime at CAA where he personally packaged Twin Peaks, Beverly Hills 90210, ER, Felicity, The West Wing, then left to co-found Imagine Television with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and he served there as CEO. He was also an Executive Producer on 24. So basically, we couldn't ask for a better partner to help us build this into an international franchise for broadcast....

READ THE COMPLETE Q&A WITH DERRICK & LUCIA

Industry Successes

Congratulations to writer-producer Colleen McGuinness AB '99, who is developing Curt Sittenfeld's bestselling novel Prep as a comedy series at HBO. In addition to writing this TV adaptation, Colleen will Executive Produce the series alongside Carolyn Strauss AB '85. Colleen is also a Co-Executive Producer on the Netflix comedy series created by husband-and-wife team Nick Stoller AB '98 and Francesca Delbanco AB '95. 

Writer, comedian, Twitter superstar (and NY Times crossword puzzle creator!) Megan Amram AB '10 is staffed on The Good Place. The Michael Schur AB '97 comedy stars Kristen Bell and Ted Danson and will premiere this fall.

Great news! Past Harvardwood Writers Competition winners, writing team Kathleen Chen AB '09 and Brian Polk AB '09, are staffed on upcoming NBC comedy Great News! The single-camera comedy is executive produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock AB '95. 

Hillary (Berkowitz) Nussbaum ’09 is teaming with Pitch Her Productions to produce her three-part comedic web series, Keep Me Posted. Find out more! 

Bruce Sabath AB ‘84 is starring as movie mogul Jack Warner in the hit new musical Cagney at the Westside Theatre in New York. Cagney, the life story of Hollywood’s tough guy in tap shoes, opened on April 3rd, and has been nominated as Best New Off-Broadway Musical for the Outer Critics Circle Awards and Off-Broadway Alliance Awards. The show is now in an open-ended run. More information here.

Jenna Parker's first lead in a feature will air on SyFy during “Sharknado Week” at the end of July. The film is titled ICE SHARK and she plays the role of Tracy, an oceanologist who ends up fighting for her life after she and her colleagues discover a super species of arctic greenland sharks.

New Members' Welcome

Harvardwood warmly welcomes all members who joined the organization over the past month, including:

• Maggie Bennett, Boston/On-Campus, Ext
• Madison Deming, Boston/On-Campus, College
• Renee Donlon, LA, Staff
• Catherine Durickas, LA, Ext
• Otto Eckstein, NY, College
• Nikki Erlick, LA, College
• Patrick Garrison, Boston/On-Campus, HBS
• Steve Gilbert, LA, Staff
• Jennifer Hoelzer, Int'l, KSG
• Shuyi Jia, LA, A.R.T.
• Daniel Liss, LA, College
• Eric Lu, LA, HMS
• Ariane van Buren, NY, FoH
• Matt Walker, Other U.S., College
• Katherine Williams, SF/Bay Area, GSE
• Christine Wolfe, LA, College
• Shaun Wu, LA, A.R.T.

*FOH = Friend of Harvardwood

Alumni Profile: David Mandel AB '92 (Showrunner, Veep)

by D. Dona Le

“I didn’t know you could even be a comedy writer,” says David H. Mandel AB '92. “In terms of trying to engage the entertainment industry, I thought maybe I would be a lawyer, so I could be an entertainment lawyer.”

To the great relief of comedy lovers, Mandel escaped the practical clutches of a legal career. He’s currently the showrunner of HBO’s Emmy-winning Veep, and his credits include some of the top comedies of all time: Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also co-wrote features The Dictator (2012) and EuroTrip (2004) with fellow Harvardians and frequent writing partners Jeff Schaffer AB '91 and Alec Berg AB '91.

Growing up on the Upper West Side, Mandel had always been a film and television buff, and a particularly avid fan of SNL. But the dream of becoming a comedy writer didn't seem feasible until after he entered Harvard College. Even then, a more conventional career path such as law seemed inevitable, and with that in mind, Mandel chose to concentrate in Government.

“But then I realized, the Lampoon is a place a lot of writers have started. I started to find out about the background of how to become a writer, and I became obsessed with getting onto the Lampoon.”

As Mandel comped the Lampoon, Harvard’s housing assignment algorithm made a fortuitous match. Berg and Schaffer, one year ahead of him, were already in Winthrop House when Mandel arrived there as a sophomore. The three had a few mutual acquaintances, and once Mandel joined the Lampoon, they naturally formed a close friendship and three-way writing partnership.

Together, Mandel, Schaffer, and Berg scored their first official job in TV working on a summer project for the Lampoon: a Comedy Central parody documentary in celebration of MTV’s 10^th anniversary called MTV, Give Me Back My Life.

“Jeff, Alec, and I went down to New York City and they slept on my parents’ floor, my bedroom floor,” laughs Mandel, “while we helped rewrite and produce this [documentary].”

Al Franken AB '73 was an advisor on the Comedy Central MTV project, together with another Harvard alum, Billy Kimball AB '81. After Mandel graduated from Harvard, Franken invited him to work on their next Comedy Central project, InDecision ’92, covering the 1992 presidential election, and then brought him into Saturday Night Live.

“When I was at SNL, I loved writing the political humor sketches,” Mandel recalls. “Al and I wrote the Clinton jogging into McDonald’s sketch and a couple of other things together.”

When asked whether he intentionally gravitates toward politics-related projects, Mandel points to his fascination with U.S. history. “I did specialize in American government [at Harvard], and I’m also a fan of American political history, the Founding Fathers’ bios, and that kind of stuff.”

But he continues, “I’ve always enjoyed political humor and that has influenced projects that I’ve been involved with, but I haven’t thought, ‘I have to work on this [because it’s political].’”

Today, Mandel is perhaps best known for his work on television comedies, but he does credit his early start in sketch comedy as laying an important foundation for his writing.

“I’m a better writer because of the writers I’ve worked under and with. I’ve been very lucky in my career to work with three of arguably the best writers on Planet Earth: Al Franken, Jim Downey AB '74, and Larry David,” Mandel says. “Sketch comedy is its own beast, but even a great sketch will have a beginning, middle, and end.” 

After his stint on Saturday Night Live, Mandel moved to Los Angeles and reunited with Berg and Schaffer on Seinfeld, where he further honed his comedy writing chops.

“A lot of the way I write a sitcom comes very directly from Larry [David] and Jerry [Seinfeld]: based on really rock-solid outlines. You can spend a month on an outline,” he explains. “You can write the show in a day, but spend a month on the outline.”

As Seinfeld fans and casual viewers alike recognize, each episode is jam-packed with cleverly interlocking storylines and callbacks. “Things are always moving forward,” Mandel says. “There’s rarely time to sit and do a scene for no reason.”

That ability to densely pack a half-hour with joke after joke, without losing comedic punch or flow, serves Mandel well in his current role as showrunner of Veep. He took over the show at the beginning of Season 5, when series creator Armando Iannucci decided to step down.

Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the United States’ first female Vice President and then (placeholder) President, accrued a diehard following and garnered much critical acclaim in its first four seasons. Upon Iannucci’s departure, some viewers wondered whether the new team under Mandel would be able to maintain the tone and quality of the show. 

Mandel quickly put those fears to rest, launching Season 5 with a memorable opener, “The Morning After,” that made it clear the show was on track for another outstanding, award-winning season. According to Deadline’s review of the episode, “Veep Season 5 gets my vote and should get yours too as the scathing satire has a brand new bounce…. Veep proves it has lost none of its wonderful and meandering verve.”

And it took Mandel just “one good draft” to nail it.

There was “a first draft that wasn’t quite the show, [then we] pretty much hit the target the next time out,” he reveals. “At some point, I had to think about what is Veep, and then one day, I realized I’m not thinking about Veep, I’m just doing Veep.”

That statement is evident in Mandel’s mastery, not mimicry, of Iannucci’s creation. Mandel took on Veep at a dramatic season-ending cliffhanger and made the show distinctly his own.

“The show is different [from Iannucci’s] and anyone who says it isn’t is lying. I’m not arguing that it’s better or worse,” Mandel says, “but it’s our version of Veep.”   

So what are the magical inner workings of the Veep writers’ room, under Mandel’s leadership?

“I think writers’ rooms are terrible,” Mandel says matter-of-factly. “The notion of writing in a writers’ room is how you get watered-down stuff. We spend a lot of time talking about ideas, but when it comes to the outline and the draft, the writer will do that alone.”

As for those ideas that are discussed, Mandel makes clear that his focus is on creating a show that makes him laugh.

Especially during this unpredictable election year, viewers might try to find reflections of reality in Veep and in Louis-Dreyfus’s character, Selina Meyer. But Mandel successfully skirts partisan politics and emphasizes that Veep is “ultimately not a show about politics.”  

“Everything’s an influence, everything goes into the thought process,” he concedes, “but we’re not a sketch comedy show, we’re not doing a parody, we’re not doing a Trump character.”

In retrospect, however, Mandel acknowledges that Season 5 “ended up having a guy run for office who had no business running for office. Inadvertently, we’ve made a comment on the kind of people who are running for office. But ultimately, we are in our own world.”

Late last month, Season 5 of Veep concluded to another round of rave reviews. “Season 5 stands unto itself as a towering achievement in comedy and storytelling. Zigging and zagging from the get go, but without ever losing its driving voice, Veep was an absolute joy to behold from start to finish” (Indiewire).

Louis-Dreyfus herself tweeted, “I want to thank @DavidHMandel… for taking over #Veep this season and doing it brilliantly.” The day after the season finale aired, Mandel was back at work with his team of writers to map out Season 6.

In addition to his trusted writers, HBO has afforded Mandel the creative space and flexibility that he wants in order to execute his vision of the show.

“HBO has been a great place. When [the network executives] give me notes, it’s for a reason, and they listen to me, to why I agree or disagree with the note, and they listen to what I think.”

In the near future, Mandel will likely be staying close to HBO for not only Veep, but also the recently announced revival of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Schaffer, Berg, and Mandel are all on board to collaborate with Larry David on the new season. 

As Mandel disclosed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June 2016, Schaffer and David have already begun writing the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Veep remains Mandel’s first priority, but he hopes to carve out some time to become involved with Curb again. When the show was previously on air, Mandel was Executive Producer and directed several episodes.

On all of his projects—in sketch comedy, television, and film—Mandel has worn multiple hats as writer, director, showrunner, and producer. But he is first and foremost a comedy writer. 

“Directing for me has always been a means to an end,” he declares. “For me, directing is a means of getting my writing the way I want it to be seen, which is not necessarily what directing is to somebody else.” 

If he’d had the opportunity, as an undergraduate, to take advantage of today’s technology and open media platforms to write, direct, and distribute his own material, Mandel certainly would have done so.

“It’s a very different world now than when I was coming out of school,” he says. “The internet has changed things in the sense that, if you’re not a working writer, there’s no excuse not to write and get things made and produced. Take your iPhone and a script and just get going. Make something. Do something. Anyone sitting on their butt, I don’t have the patience for.”

Now, Mandel is not only a working writer, but a showrunner enabling other working writers. Nonetheless, that impatience, that drive to continue producing great comedy at breakneck speed hasn’t slowed whatsoever. Though his TV slate is more than full at the moment, Mandel has features on the backburner that he plans to pursue together with Schaffer and Berg. 

“I think people can say this in various walks of life,” he comments, “but it’s nice to get to a point where you can do your job that you know you’re good at and you know what you want to do.”

In addition to serving as Harvardwood's Executive Director, D. Dona Le '05 is a writer and business owner.

Calendar

FEATURED EVENT | Harvardwood Presents HLS Professor CASS SUNSTEIN AB '75, JD '78 on The World According to Star Wars - Wednesday, July 20th 

The Star Wars saga is one of the most-loved film series ever.  Spanning three decades and seven films so far and set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," its characters and phrases have become a part of who we are and how we think.  But, is Star Wars simply entertainment—or does it embrace wisdom than can and should affect the way we live our personal and political lives?

Cass Sunstein '75 JD '78 is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School. His most recent book The World According to Star Wars explores the lessons of Star Wars on childhood, fathers, the Dark Side, rebellion, and redemption—and constitutional law, economics, and political uprisings as well.  Time called it "the ultimate primer for guiding a Star Wars padawan to the level of Jedi Knight."  The Washington Post described it as "an enlightening and surprisingly personal tour of a galaxy."  And the Walter Isaacson said, "In this gem of a book, Cass Sunstein uses the Star Wars series to explore profound questions about being a parent, a child, and a human.  It will change the way you think about your own journey."

Professor Sunstein's book will be available for purchase, and a booksigning will follow the talk.

Los Angeles

[SOLD OUT] Harvardwood & the HCSC Go to the Hollywood Bowl: HARRY POTTER & THE SORCERER'S STONE - Wednesday, July 6th

Harvardwood joins forces with the Harvard Club of Southern California to head to the Hollywood Bowl this summer for a screening of the first Harry Potter™ movie, while the score is performed live by the L.A. Phil! The Harry Potter™ film series is one of those once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomena that continues to delight millions of fans around the world. This concert will feature the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition on a giant screen while hearing the orchestra perform John Williams’ unforgettable score. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

Harvardwood Heads To... Inter-IVY Summer Soiree - Tuesday, July 12th

Meet fellow Angelenos from Harvard, Columbia, and other Ivy League universities and get ready for an incredible Summer 2016! $12 for Harvardwood members, $15 for non-members. (Price includes first drink ticket.) We look forward to seeing you there!

Harvardwood Visits The Broad (Harvardwood Summer Internship Program Event) - Friday, July 22nd

HSIP interns and friends, get ready to snap some cool photos and experience breathtaking art and world-class architecture! You won’t want to leave L.A. without visiting The Broad. See masterworks in one place including Yayoi Kusama’s dazzling Infinity Mirrored Room. Downtown Los Angeles’ must-see, The Broad, is the new contemporary art museum by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad—home to one of the most prominent collections of postwar and contemporary art worldwide. Fully booked through July, but we managed to snag tickets just for HSIP participants and friends/alums who want to meet them!

The Mission Entertainment Panel & Mixer (Harvardwood Summer Internship Program Event) - Thursday, July 28th August 3, 2016

The Harvardwood Summer Internship Program will be heading to The Mission Entertainment, a management and production company representing storytellers with unique and distinct voices, for a panel (followed by a mixer) with Corrine Aquino, Laura Gardner, and Andrew Coles AB '09 after work. THE DATE FOR THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO AUGUST 3, 2016.

The event will begin at 6pm. Please RSVP below so that we know you are coming. This event is only open to current undergraduates participating in the Harvardwood Summer Internship Program.

Harvardwood Presents THE SEVENTH FIRE Screening + Filmmakers' Q&A - Saturday, July 30th

Documentary The Seventh Fire opens the weekend of July 29th, and on the evening of July 30th, Harvardwood members are invited to attend a special screening + Q&A with writer/director Jack Riccobono AB '03, Executive Producer Chris Eyre, Producer Shane Slattery-Quintanilla AB '03, Editor Adelaide Papazoglou AB '02, and main subject Rob Brown.

From executive producers Terrence Malick AB '65, Natalie Portman AB '03, and Chris Eyre comes a fascinating new documentary. When Rob Brown, a Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation, is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community. As Rob reckons with his past, his seventeen-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future: becoming the most powerful and feared Native gangster on the reservation.

From July 29th to August 4th, all Harvardwood members can get discounted tickets to all showings of The Seventh Fire (daily at 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, & 9:55; $9 for regular showings, $7 for Bargain Matinees). Find out how to claim your discount code.

New York

Harvardwood Heads To... Francesca Anderegg '04 and Brent Funderburk - Tuesday, July 12th

Violinist Francesca Anderegg '04 invites Harvardwood members to this concert celebrating the release of her latest cd. You can get full info and buy tickets here.

Harvardwood Heads To... NY Premiere of THE SEVENTH FIRE + Director Q&A - Friday, July 22nd

Executive producers Terrence Malick AB '65 and Natalie Portman AB '03 present this haunting and unflinching nonfiction film. When gang leader Rob Brown is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community in northern Minnesota. As Rob reckons with his past, his seventeen-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future: becoming the most powerful and feared Native gangster on the reservation.

The premiere will be followed by a discussion with director Jack Riccobono AB '03 and main subject Rob Brown.

Atlanta

Harvardwood Co-Hosts Harvard Alumni Night at SMART PEOPLE - with Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre - Saturday, July 16th

The quest for love, achievement and identity is universal, but what role does race play in the story of our lives? On the eve of Obama’s first election, four Harvard intellectuals find themselves entangled in a complex web of social and sexual politics. A whirlwind of crackling dialogue and tricky questions are thrown at us by the fearless and funny Lydia Diamond (Stick Fly) in this provocative and funny play.

Hosted together with Kenny Leon's (The Wiz, A Raisin in the Suni) True Colors Theatre. On July 16th, Harvard alums can get DISCOUNTED tickets to this production.

SF/Bay Area

C.L.A. invites Harvardwood to Focus on Legal Issues for Photographers - Tuesday, July 12th

Please join CLA as we present Bay Area Attorney and photographer Amitai Schwartz. This workshop will address legal issues in connection with the creation, use, and sale of photographic images, including ownership, reproduction and manipulation, copyright, invasion of privacy, and First Amendment rights. Special attention will be given to internet related issues for photographers.

Reach the Harvardwood community of ~7,000 subscribers!

You may have gotten too used to seeing this info in the weekly newsletter, so we wanted to remind you just in case. As a Harvardwood member, you can post announcements about your latest successes, invitations to shows and screenings, your company's job opportunities, videos or trailers from your project—and those are just a few examples! You'll reach our online community of over 7,000 Harvard-affiliated subscribers via the Highlights (THIS newsletter). So what are you waiting for? Join Harvardwood today!

DISCLAIMER

Harvardwood does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content or advertisements (collectively "Materials") contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained in this e-mail. You hereby acknowledge that any reliance upon any Materials shall be at your sole risk. The materials are provided by Harvardwood on an "AS IS" basis, and Harvardwood expressly disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied.