TRACS Takes Bold Steps

At Chicago Showcase

Filmmaker Monty Brown, TRACS new president.

The Travel Adventure Film field took several bold steps at its annual Showcase in Chicago to significantly improve its century- old art form that has been shaky in recent years caused by the disappearance of venues and members.

Travel Adventure Cinema Society members also elected British-born Filmmaker Monty Brown as its president. A first.

TRACS Film Artists showcased 24 films for the attending Presenters, ranging from Indonesia, Europe and the Mediterranean to the Grenadines and San Francisco. The annual Burtie Award for best Showcase, given by Travel Adventure Cinema, will be announced later.

Executive Secretary Kathie Veach, in a message to members, said, “If you didn’t attend (the Chicago Showcase) you missed a great one. Ask anybody who was there.”

Tom Sterling shooting in Bhutan.

Presenters voted veteran Filmmaker Tom Sterling into the TRACS Hall of Fame. There was no award announced for annual Presenter of the Year.

Steve McCurdy, the new Film Artist chairman, was upbeat when he announced that the filmmakers were forming a new group within TRACS called Travel Adventure Documentary—TAD. “During the next year we will create a  filmmakers/producers organization worthy of membership.”

He said it was the artists’ goal to drastically increase membership over the year. He added, however:

“We believe membership can only be increased in direct relationship to perceived benefits. As a result, we will begin to explore, formulate, develop and provide new membership and organizational benefits.”

He said these could include travel benefits, music licensing agreements and  professional

Steve McCurdy

development opportunities.

The filmmakers, acting on a suggestion from Al Nader, head of Questar, one of America’s largest video content providers, asked McCurdy to ascertain how the Artists “can serve the media needs of Questar,” and any benefits from such a relationship.

Nader had invited TRACS members to visit Questar’s Chicago headquarters before taking them to a Chicago restaurant for dinner..

TRACS members apparently liked the Chicago meeting site because they voted to return   to the Windy City in 2010—hoping they will get the same Showcase venue—the   Chicago Conteporary Museum of Art—and the same hotel, the Seneca.

Other board members beside Brown and McCurdy: Steve Smith, treasurer; Mary Ann Foss, Presenter chair; Stan Walsh, member at large; Mike Kinsel, past president.