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Organizing the inaugural Detroit-Windsor International Film Festival has been an exercise in building a network of participants and contributors. Scott Dunham, the festival manager, provides insights into role of universities, the city of Windsor, and John Kelly in bringing it all together.

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Filed under: Detroit, MI | Detroit-Windsor International Film Festival | Finding Gaps | Media | Non-profit | Scott Dunham

This weekend will mark the inaugural running of the Detroit-Windsor International Film Festival. As with many non-profit undertakings, organizing the festival has been an exercise in building a network of participants and contributors. Scott Dunham, the festival manager, provides the highlights of getting this year's festival together:

• From the beginning, the commitment was to develop the festival with "Detroit style" using resources from Michigan and Windsor. The organizing committee specifically ruled out using one of the canned approaches available for purchase so as to maximize the contribution from local Michigan groups.
• Significant contributions have come from two academic institutions whose missions coincide with the goals of the festival: Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies.
• Windsor has provided an important link into the Canadian film industry and into the Toronto Film Festival, a major North American festival.
• While the festival has been a coalition effort, John Kelly's leadership as festival director has been the glue that holds it together.

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Anan Ameri has lived the immigrant story she and her staff document in the Arab American National Museum. Here we discuss her personal journey starting in the Middle East, moving to the United States, and ultimately landing in an environment that permitted her to launch a museum.

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Filed under: Anan Ameri | Arab American National Museum | Dearborn, MI | Defining New Markets | Education | Non-profit | Twelve Month Goals

Anan Ameri, director of the Arab American National Museum, lived in Jerusalem, Jordan, and Lebanon before coming to the Detroit area. Highlights from this segment include:

• Anan obtained her doctorate from Wayne State University and briefly taught at the university level.
• Anan decided she was most comfortable doing community work. This work involves harnessing networks of people to get to a common goal.
• She views the establishment of the Arab American National Museum as the crowning acheivement of her career.
• In the near term, she is looking to expand the current location's square footage. She would also like for more traveling exhibits to originate from the current museum.
• Ultimately, she sees no reason there could not be multiple, affiliated Arab American National Museums established around the country.

John George, founder of Blight Busters, is working to create a critical mass that will bring culture and development back to West Detroit.

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Filed under: Blight Busters | Defining New Markets | Detroit, MI | John George | Non-profit | Twelve Month Goals

The main message that John George wants to send over the next month is that Detroit is working together to solve its problems (download 3.5 minute iPod compatible video, 17MB). Among his specific goals, he wants to turn Blight Busters' neighborhood into the Detroit arts district. To that end, he has partnered with the Motor City Theatre Organ Society to restore the Old Redford Theatre and has plans to refurbish the 350 seat theater in the third floor of his headquarters. Combined with the existing Artist Village and the upcoming Motor City Java Cafe, these initiatives should create a critical mass to bring more culture and development into the area.

Blight Busters' sister organizations each take ownership of its front in the war on blight.

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Filed under: Blight Busters | Defining New Markets | Detroit, MI | John George | Non-profit

John George, founder of Blight Busters, feels non-profits need to think like businesses to survive (download 7 minute iPod compatible video, 36MB). To this end, he has created a series of sister organizations, both for-profit and not-for-profit. These separate organizations each have their own director, own board, and own focus. In this way, each organization takes ownership of its front in the war on blight.

Two examples of these partnerships are:

• Good Faith Homes which buys and rehabs homes, splitting the profits with Blight Busters.
• The Artist Village which combines community art outreach with a coffee shop and cafe.