Sunday, September 1, 2013

Looking Back and Looking Forward

At the Awards Banquet on August 15th, 2013, I was sworn in for my 4th term as President of the LA 3-D Club. It has been pointed out that I am now the ‘FDR’ of club presidents. The following is the text of my acceptance speech:

I’ll keep this brief. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The year since our last banquet here has been something of an emotional roller coaster. 

This past year has seen it’s share of sadness, as we suffered the loss of two members of our family, with the passings of Ray Zone and Dave Washburn. Both Ray and Dave were devoted long-time members of the club, and invaluable members of the board, and they are both greatly missed by everyone who knew them. 

But this year has also had many moments of joy. We have had exceptional meetings at the Armory, fantastic screenings at the Downtown Independent, and some really great presentations, demonstrations and club outings. Our monthly newsletter has evolved, with the addition of color and a new format. We have participated and exhibited 3-D in numerous art gallery shows, film festivals, Maker Faire’s and even the Burning Man Decom here in LA. We have been working hard to increase our visibility, grow our membership, and maintain our relevance in the constantly changing world of 3-D. 

I want to personally thank everyone who served on the board during the past year for all of your efforts. The club is successful because of you, and I am honored to be able to continue working with you. As I begin my fourth year as your club President, I want to thank all of you for continuing to trust me with the stewardship of this organization. I look forward to continuing to ride the ups and downs with all of you. Thank you.

The coming year will be an exciting one filled with even more 3-D events and opportunities. Starting with this month’s participation in the World 3-D Expo III, where we will be helping to screen the program of rarities on the 14th, and the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival, where we are presenting 3-D films for the 7th consecutive year on the 21st. We are planning joint events with the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry and the Captured Aural Phantasy Theater company. And this December we will be presenting our 10th Annual LA 3-D Movie Festival. We are already making plans for this year’s Pasadena Art Night, the LA Burning Man Decom, and next year’s Maker Faire. And, of course, we are looking forward to watching a lot of great 3-D, from the stunning photos in our coming year of competitions, and the excellent programs and workshops at our meetings, to the great independent films we will be exhibiting at the Downtown Independent Theater. I’m excited about everything that the LA 3-D Club is planning to do this year, and I’m thrilled to have all of you along for the ride.