Today (6/3) a new organization, ChicagoStreetMusicians.org–co-founded by Gabe Chapman and Sarah Barnes–debuts on its website, on YouTube and via links sent to key contacts an ambitious video designed to bring the music of the street to the ears of the general public. For the video Barnes secured the rights to “Sweet Home Chicago,” had noted composer Gary Fry draft a composition and lined up street musicians to sing the song–eight groups, eight locations, one day on the streets of Chicago.
Barnes gravitated to director Mark Schimmel (of production company Once Upon a Time, Inc.) whom she worked with a few years ago back when she was a marketing manager with Discover Card. According to Schimmel, she initially wanted a small student crew to shoot the video. Schimmel related, “I loved the concept and felt that the cause was worthy of my time and I offered to produce, direct and edit the project.”
The fledging organization paid for parking, sandwiches for the crew, and later dinner. Schimmel had several self-described ground rules for the one-day shoot, including the crew and gear had to fit in one large SUV–provided by ChicagoStreetMusicians.org–and all the musicians had to be secured every hour on the hour at the determined location. Schimmel also secured the promise of full movie credits and “the opportunity to create the movie I envisioned.”
He brought cameraman Randy Riesen and sound man John Mathie into the fold. “We hit the streets with a Panasonic 3000, handful of P2 cards, small monitor, reflectors and all of John’s gear in one neat package.” (Mathie provided all of the mics, stands, and critical gear to capture the incredible sounds of the street musicians.)
Schimmel characterized the situation as being “a step up from student film making and a step down from a documentary crew. No electricity–all battery power, God was my gaffer. Something really incredible happens when you are not getting paid to work. You fall in love with your craft all over again. You are not doing this because you have to, you are doing this because you want to, you need to and most of all, you love to. We, all eight of us, were there to create something special and if you believe, magical (me, Randy, John, two helpers, one PA, and the two organization founders).
The weather was cooperative during the weekday shoot as was the City of Chicago, police and the musicians, who were all on time and ready to play.
“Just after lunch,” recalled Schimmel, “I set a shot on the East side of the Art Institute for a young unknown artist named Crystal Bowersox. She arrived in a beat up vehicle with baby in one arm and a guitar in the other…As Crystal pulled up, her rear bumper basically fell off her car and landed on the pavement. I am not making this up. Gaffer tape was used to secure her bumper after her performance. Crystal and all the musicians were the real deal. People who have talent and the gift for creating music. They love to play and share their love with anyone who will stop and listen.
“We shot Crystal on the street corner as my 15-year-old daughter baby sat her son,” continued Schimmel. “Crystal sang ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ as passers-by never gave her a second look. Had they only known that months later she would be one of the most popular new musical talents in America (runner-up last month on American Idol). When Crystal was finished, everyone agreed there was something incredible about her voice and her performance.”
At the end of a long day, Schimmel had a couple hours of footage and 48 music tracks. Schimmel said, “It took Gary Fry over four months to edit the tracks and it took me slightly longer to edit picture to Gary’s brilliance. All of the music is performed by the street musicians. The project had a controlled release in April, only to be pulled (in anticipation of Crystal’s high finish on American Idol).”
Bowersox has proven she’s a primetime talent, and so too are other yet-to-be-discovered street musicians and vocalists. ChicagoStreetMusicians.org hopes its video will spur on that discovery process.
Television Academy Unveils Newly Elected Governors; Board To Become The Most Inclusive In Organization’s History
The Television Academy has announced the newly elected members to the Board of Governors who will serve two-year terms from Jan. 1, 2025–Dec. 31, 2026. More than 40% of the 31 elected governors are new to the Academy’s boardroom and represent a wealth of experienced professionals across the industry.
After years of outreach and engagement with the diverse television community, the 2025 Television Academy Board of Governors is the most inclusive in the Academy’s history. For the second consecutive year, the Board of Governors reflects gender parity. In addition, 47% of its members are from historically marginalized groups (based on racial and cultural identity, sexual orientation, et al.), the highest in its history, surpassing last year’s record of 45%.
The 13 newly elected governors who will serve a first-ever two-year term are: Kevin Blank (Special Visual Effects); John Boyd (Lighting, Camera & Technical Arts); Allison Dorenbosch (Children’s Programming); Megan Galizia (Television Executives); Trayce Gigi Field (Costume Design & Supervision); Phil Gurin (Producers); Shana Hagan, ASC (Cinematographers); Siddhartha Khosla (Music); Vicki Lemar (Sound); Joseph Litzinger (Reality Programming); Angela Moos (Makeup Artist/Hairstylists); Sean Presant (Writers) and Megan Sleeper (Casting Directors).
Fifteen governors were reelected to serve a second two-year term: Wendy Aylsworth (Science & Technology); Eva Basler (Daytime Programming); Bobbi Banks (Sound Editors); Mary Lou Belli (Directors); Hillary Bibicoff (Professional Representatives); Megan Chao (Documentary Programming); Yvette Cobarrubias (Commercials); David Hartle (Production Executives); Christina Lee (Public Relations); Kate Linder (Performers); Robert M. Malachowski... Read More