Press release:
MICHELLE BYRD STEPPING DOWN AT END OF YEAR AFTER 12 YEARS AS IFP’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
For Immediate Release – New York, NY (June 5, 2009) – The Board of Directors of the Independent Filmmaker Project announced today that Michelle Byrd will be stepping down at the end of the year as Executive Director of the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers. Her contract expires on December 31, 2009.
Byrd has a long history with IFP, joining in 1992 to handle a number of membership and programming responsibilities before being promoted to Deputy Director in February 1996 and then Executive Director in April 1997. In her role as Executive Director she has overseen the strategic direction and growth of all of IFP’s activities, including:
- re-positioning the founding program (now called Independent Film Week™) and its shift away from completed work into a multi-day Project Forum for work still in development;
- establishing a strong working relationship with NYC government, most notably, the Mayor’s Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting for which IFP has received a number of contracts to run programs, including IFP’s “Made in NY” Mentorship;
- increasing IFP’s international profile through the expansion of its No Borders International Co-Production Market;
- re-positioning the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ to include a select number of competitive awards and moving them to the start of awards season;
- launching IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs for narrative and documentary rough cuts and the organization’s fiscal sponsorship program;
- and bringing on some of IFP’s most respected and long-term funders such as The New York Times, Time Warner and its many divisions, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Most recently Byrd co-founded with the United Nations, Envision, a documentary film forum to address global issues.
“I informed the board of my decision to depart last November so that I could openly have meetings about my next professional journey and spend a solid year working with the board and staff to ensure a positive and smooth transition,” says Byrd. “This is a community and an organization about which I care deeply and all of us are working collaboratively to ensure that a leadership change won’t place any unnecessary stress on the organization. I have great faith in our Deputy Directors, Amy Dotson in programming and membership, and Mitch Micich in finance and operations, and their ability to aid in a smooth transition.”
Byrd is presently in discussions on her next move, one that will build upon her relationships in the media space and unify her interest in global issues and technology.
“Michelle has been with IFP for seventeen years, twelve years as Executive Director, and has done as much as any individual to advance the cause of independent filmmaking in New York,” said Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, IFP Board Chairman. “All of us at IFP will miss her immensely, but we also acknowledge that this is an opportunity for a new infusion of leadership, energy and direction, and we are excited to begin the search and open a new chapter in IFP’s long history at the center of independent film.”
Leading the executive search process on behalf of IFP’s Board of Directors will be Joerg M. Ziegler and Andrew C. LaValle of Time Warner’s Worldwide Recruitment & Executive Search.
For Information on applying for IFP’s Executive Director position, please contact either:
Joerg M. Ziegler
Worldwide Recruitment & Executive Search
TimeWarner, Inc.
212-484-8623 direct
joerg.ziegler@timewarner.com
—or—
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Andrew C. LaValle
Worldwide Recruitment & Executive Search
TimeWarner, Inc.
212-484-7342 direct
andrew.lavalle@timewarner.com
About Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
After debuting with a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premier advocate for them. Since its start, IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers - voices that otherwise might not have been heard. IFP fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program. IFP publishes Filmmaker Magazine and produces the Gotham Independent Film Awards™, the first honors of the film awards season. IFP believes that independent films enrich the universal language of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. The organization has fostered early work by leading filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Edward Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Barbara Kopple, Michael Moore, Mira Nair and Kevin Smith. For information: www.ifp.org.
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by Eugene Hernandez (June 5, 2009)
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