The entry period has opened for the Hollywood Production Alliance’s (HPA) fourth annual J. Michael Brinkman Scholarship and Mentoring Fund. The total value of the Brinkman Scholarship awards have increased to $9.335 for 2008. This year, a stipend has been added for the faculty member who nominates each winning student.
Former winners include students from Los Angeles City College, California State University Northridge and UC San Diego as well as individuals already working in post.
Application is open to any resident of Southern California who meets at least one of the following criteria: Entrant is currently working in the postproduction industry and looking to advance his or her career; entrant is currently working in the entertainment industry and looking to cross over into a post career; or entrant is a student (minimum of nine credits) working toward a degree and has a strong interest in a career in post.
The ’08 Brinkman Scholarship provides: up to six Scholarship Awards of $1000 to be given to the college or university where award winner is currently enrolled, on their behalf, to cover tuition or related educational costs; up to six $250 awards to the nominating instructor of each of the students who win a Scholarship Award to be used for scholarly activity such as books, research materials, or equipment (instructor winners will be recognized along with the Scholarship Award winner); conference registration for 2009 HPA Technology Retreat, February 17-20 in Palm Springs plus $500 towards the cost of transportation and lodging in Palm Springs; and registration to three HPA networking events.
Applicant does not need to be an HPA member. For additional info and to enter, visit www.hpaonline.com and click on “J. Michael Brinkman Scholarship Fund” in the left menu. Application form and required materials must be in the HPA office by 5 p.m. on June 15. Awards will be announced on July 15. For further questions, contact the HPA office at 213-614-0860 or e-mail hpastaff2@earthlink.net.
SHOOT is glad to get the word out in that we have fond memories of Brinkman, the VP of strategic business development for Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 54. I last saw him in ’02 in Los Angeles. We met because he wanted to discuss the recent formation of the HPA. A mainstay member of the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers and the defunct International Teleproduction Society (ITS), Brinkman became a founding member of the HPA because he believed the demise of the ITS created a void that needed to be filled. He felt the HPA could do even more than ITS to better the industry and foster a sense of community.
Brinkman talked about the need for post artisans and executives to band together, share information, address issues and have a collective voice. He also envisioned the HPA as being inclusive of all those who make their livelihoods in post, and in helping to mentor those who aspired to careers in the industry.
So it’s most fitting that this Scholarship and Mentoring Fund bears his name. It continues Brinkman’s quest to open up opportunities for others and serves as an occasion for us to remember his legacy.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More