This week’s story on the branded entertainment initiative that is funding the construction of an ambitious, much needed community center in New Orleans is certainly relevant from a business standpoint, showing how brand building and public service can go hand in hand, in this case entailing the production of a nationally syndicated, documentary-style TV series titled ReNew Orleans.
But for Damon Harman, CEO of DNA Creative Media, the Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based advertising/marketing agency behind the initiative, the community center development goes well beyond just his clients–most notably Brand Source and Fisher & Paykel–gaining a higher profile. He explains that as a kid growing up in a single-parent household, he benefitted greatly from a local community center, which gave him a place to go and not only kept him out of trouble but also schooled him on various fronts, including editing and filmmaking.
This community center experience and education propelled him at a young age into the fledgling directorial ranks and a slot in the bullpen at the former Propaganda Films where he created and helmed spec work that ultimately was put to use by Coca-Cola. From there Harman directed and/or exec produced or produced varied content spanning TV and new media. Last year he launched DNA Creative Media.
His belief is that the community center being built in Mid-City New Orleans will help locals recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and open up opportunities for youngsters just as a community center did for him years ago. Furthermore New Orleans area suppliers are being used for the center’s construction, which will also put local residents to work and provide a boost to the economy.
Indeed this 23,000 square-foot community center will be a haven for locals, particularly youngsters, providing them with such facilities as a basketball court, a fitness center, a video recording and editing center, a high-tech computer lab, play and arts-and-crafts rooms, a small library, a kitchen and an indigenous botanical garden. The site for the center is across the street from where there had been prior to Katrina a local YMCA, which is not reopening.
The aforementioned ReNew Orleans is a three-part series, with each episode being an hour. The show will feature the people, the culture, the music and the community of New Orleans while chronicling the construction of the community center itself.
Harman is gratified to be part of the initiative, yet he acknowledged that it might not be a template for fiscal success for him personally in that DNA currently stands to lose money in its earnest support of the project. But, he affirmed, the good being done is invaluable–and his clients as well as other sponsors will realize genuine brand-building benefits that justify their investments.
Harman is no stranger to connecting his expertise to a cause. In 2005 he directed and produced an ensemble music video (featuring such artists as Brian McKnight, Mya, Nate Dogg) for the Tsunami Relief Fund. The song and video sold on iTunes and all proceeds went to Tsunami Relief.
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