That's a Wrap

We have received notice that some local videographers are massing to storm the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors next week in response to the "Rebranding Humboldt" YouTube campaign we wrote about a couple of weeks ago ("Rebranding Humboldt," June 25). The videographers, we understand, are more than a little incensed that out-of-county talent was hired to shoot the series of spots, which seek to promote a more "positive" image of Humboldt County than the one that actually exists -- that of a place where the streets are paved with cannabis indica.

Lest we be accused of inciting this mob with false facts, we would like to let the videographers know that we have discovered that certain aspects of that story, while not wrong, could be a bit misleading. We reported that the "Rebranding Humboldt" project has a budget of some $96,000 -- $44,000 of which came from the county's ever-controversial Headwaters Fund for economic development, another $40,000 of which came from a federal grant. These are the figures we got from the Humboldt County Economic Development Department, and they are still correct, so far as we know.

But it seems that there is more to "Rebranding Humboldt" than the YouTubes -- there's gonna be logos and packaging studies and a bunch of other cr... uh, stuff. According to Humboldt County Film Commissioner Mary Cruse, who led the film side of things after her agency won a bid to produce the spots, the Headwaters Fund only chipped in $10,000 to the YouTube project, with local businesses also kicking down a still unknown amount.

It's maybe natural that Economic Development gave us the sum total of their project, which may have led to the misleading perception that these quasi-government types were dropping $100 large on some YouTube videos. I had assumed that was the case, after reading Ryan Burns' story; only when I went back and read it did I realize that Burns had phrased things slightly more cautiously. Now Cruse is feeling besieged by the insurgent videographers, so we want to make the above facts crystal-clear, whether or not those facts can or should make any difference in the argument. So we do apologize for any confusion caused.

But it's all a bit galling, because Cruse pointedly refused to discuss her own portion of the budget when Burns asked her to do so before the fact. The numbers we had from Economic Development were the only accounting of taxpayer dollars spent on this project available. On Tuesday, I asked her why she declined to disclose to our reporter the amount of public funding she had received for this project.

"It just didn't seem like the right time," Cruse said. "I wanted to wait until we had all the facts in. I didn't want to give just part of the story -- I wanted to give the whole story. The people who have worked on it have worked so hard, and it's been a remarkable collaboration. It's been beautiful. And now people are trying to make it into something ugly."

There's maybe one other bit that needs clearing up, here. The Humboldt County Film Commission is supported almost entirely by taxpayers' dollars. Cruse herself has an official title: She is the Interim Humboldt County Film Commissioner. And yet the film commission itself is technically a nonprofit organization, not a governmental entity. So despite the quasi-official status of her agency, she may technically have the legal right to pick and choose when to disclose how, where and why she is spending public money.

Also, it appears she doesn't comply with the strict bidding procedure of a public agency. In this case, Cruse said, she did hire many local citizens to work on the "Rebranding Project," but the director of photography for the project does live in Los Angeles. (Though she called him a "part-time" Humboldt County resident.)

Cruse said she had a whole plan about how to roll the story out. It apparently did not involve pesky people wondering why they didn't get the job, or newspapers asking about the particulars of how much public money was spent. And the way she described it, it really did sound like something else -- almost the subject of a film itself. She talked about an opening night event at the Arcata Theater. There was to have been a Facebook page, where information would be slowly and tantalizingly leaked out in advance of the big night. There would have been an outpouring of thank-yous to everyone who made this project come true. There would have henceforth been a permanent change in the way Humboldt County looks at itself, and the way the world looks at it.

Well, all that is kinda ruined now. Does that make you happy, you awful people? Go smoke your reefers and giggle away. When these spots hit YouTube, boy -- then we'll see who gets the last laugh.

comments

1. Annamoose:

July 9, 10:02 p.m.

I must say I'm fairly new to the area and enjoy the insightful comments of Hank Sims and the NCJ. I did want to comment on the Film Commission. I've had the opportunity to meet a few and with all due respect they seem to be a bunch of bitter old lesbians and a couple gay guys (oh wait...maybe that was the high school drama club). They originally were part of the Convention and Visitors Bureau but thought Tony Smithers was a dildo and have now gone on to obtain their own financing (Federal, Headwaters, County and Municipal...all tax dollars in one way or another - quite resourceful). I would point out that most of them likely started there "film careers" in a dark room. Like any good pyramid scheme they prosper from the funds obtained to keep themselves employed at the expense, and or, exclusion of the new, innovative and talented film makers in this area.

2. Carol:

July 10, 10:52 a.m.

This sort of issue would never have come up with the former Film Commissioner, unfortunately thrown out of the position.

What a difference good ethics and a genuine desire to improve the community would make about now, as opposed to what seems like the very self-serving agenda of the current regime. It was -- and is-- pretty obvious to lots of - though sadly not enough- people that the 'friends of' organization was -- and is -- ethically flawed.

3. OldGuardFriend:

Feb. 17, 6:52 p.m.

The Humboldt Film Commission has gone bye-bye, and has been replaced by self serving vultures. Mary Cruse used the non-profit status of the Film Commission to underbid all the truly credible, and actually "local" video producers around the area to get this project. Yes some are really living here - but not good enough to support themselves in the open market. She hired only family and close friends to produce, rather amateurishly I might add, these videos. "Director" Maria Matteoli is Mary Cruse' half sister, and Maria's brother Mario got to do the music, good friends from LA Andy Rydzewski and Kennith Thomas ran cameras (Directors of Photography) and another close friend, but locally failed videographer, Montel Vanderhorck got to "produce" and "write" on the project - all getting paid well. For what?

http://www.youtube.com/user/mariamatteoli

Maria's youtube page has some of these sad works, but cleverly disabled rating and comments because she knows in the real world what she has made is weak.

To anyone wanting to spend money to market your business - do not trust amateurs with good looking credentials. Use the truly local professionals even if it means spending a little more. None of the videos produced with this large budget will accomplish anything as far as marketing goes. Just search "Love, Humboldt" on youtube and watch with your own eyes. Judge for yourself. You'll only see 2 videos because they are putting them out slowly to make it seem like they are building buzz and wonderment - but it's because they need serious fixing. This is going to take much more tax payers' money to fix.

We got trouble! Right here in Humboldt County.

4. HFC WebPage:

Feb. 17, 7:27 p.m.

The Commission should have used some of the money they wrenched out of local video makers hands to at least update their own web page. There's not even a way to link local pros interested in working with commission projects - to commission projects! There are a few people that were allowed to list, but is there any chance these people are kept abreast of any projects without knowing personally, or being related to Mrs. Cruse? How about a Newsletter? Job board? Something they can at least try to bid on and show their portfolio? For a couple thousand bucks they could have made the site work - but I think they want it broken. That way they can blame it on the web page when nothing happens for local pros. They have made a wall rather than a hall with that site. At first glance it looks like they are helping locals, but at closer look it's just lip service. For shame!

http://iss-tech.humboldt.edu/filmdev/index.php

If they could put down the wonderful wine produced right here in Humboldt long enough to throw even a small scrap of anything to at least SOME of the great and truly talented people around here, instead of just FAMILY and FRIENDS, I might have a little respect for them. But as of now I don't.

Fix it now or lose all credibility with the real locals. Or should I say, "Fix it now if you want to regain the credibility you lost from the real locals". Spread some of that hidden grant money around. You're a non profit for Christ sakes - you're using public money for your personal crony back-scratching party. We are watching you now "Humboldt" Film Commission - and silence will not make us go away, in fact it will get you replaced sooner.

You need to be transparent now.

5. Disclose the Finance!:

Feb. 18, 9:19 a.m.

Mary Cruse paid herself $4,000.00 a month with the public funds. Period.

I hope the title "INTERIM Humboldt County Film Commissioner" is accurate, and we get the real Commissioner in soon. Please God let someone honest and helpful to the community take this seat of power! Please Lord let the talented get the jobs they deserve. And please Lord-God-Krishna-Jesus-Buddha, allow Karma to wash over the bureaucrat that went with the Film Commission for this job, as that bureaucrat took the lowest bidder and not the best qualified. The non-profit HFC was able to underbid all the locals because they are supported by our Tax money. How's that for Ironic? And who exactly accepted the HFC's low bid? Who Lord? That is really the person everyone should be mad at. I mean, do you get mad at a shark for biting you when you stick your bloody hand in the ocean? No. I have no real qualms with the HFC sharks that blew all that useful money on themselves rather than their community. I blame the ones with no sense of discernment who allowed the sharks to have the money in the first place.

6. Big Daddy:

Feb. 18, 2:15 p.m.

Whoa!!! Somebody's bitter and angry. Lesbians? Gays? What?

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June 25, 2009

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That's a Wrap

By Hank Sims