1. Call to Order
Chair, Ross Berenson, called the meeting to order at: 6:03 pm Eastern
2. Roll:
Present: Jake Darrow, Ross Berenson, Aslynne Howes, Afton Benson, Lindsey, Phillips, Niels Duinker, Kate Mason, Benjamin Domask-Ruh, Sofia Nothe, Noel Yee, Martin Frost
Absent: Luther Bangert
Recorder: Benjamin Domask-Ruh
3. Approval of Agenda
Motion: Noel Yee
Second by: Benjamin Domask-Ruh
Discussion: n/a
Vote: Pass Unanimously
4. Approval of Minutes:
Business Board Meeting (LINK)
Motion: Niels Duinker
Second: Sofia Noethe
Discussion: n/a
Vote: Passes Unanimously
5. Reports
Please keep verbal reports to 5 min or less except for festival discussion.
2024 Festival Report (Afton Benson & Noel Yee)
Discussion:
Sofia – What do you need help with?
A – Marketing!
Niels – Albert is open to continue helping sponsor Joggling
Martin – Ignatov was at JA festival 1991 in St. Louis. 11 ring flash on stage!
Niels – Update on old drama about Ignatov’s lights and such!
Noel – Update on Fire Jam: Location up in the air. Looking into permits and such. (Ask the fire department for good location!)
Benjamin – Connect old fire marshalls with new ones?
Afton – Yeah! They ask for references sometimes! (Cedar Rapids is our strongest Reference.)
Afton – Working with GB tourism about grants. Cross fingers! (Go up in amount.)
Financial Report (Afton Benson)
Discussion:
Martin – Clarifying about restricted funds (Scholarship funds)
Aton – Goes on to explain about how the contribution should go on the P&L and how the current numbers aren’t matching up with what was given out.
Martin – Did we give out too much?
Afton – No, just not on the proper sheets.
Future Festival Site Report (Mike Sullivan)
Discussion: no news at this time
eJuggle Report (Scott Seltzer)
Discussion:
Afton – Reached out to Thom Wall (Tricks of the month – Tutorial Videos) Thom IS INTERESTED especially if all he has to do is reach out/delegate. Wants some metrics/plans. Afton is in the process.
Benjamin – happy to look over that
Membership (Marilyn Sullivan)
Membership Data
Discussion:
Marketing Report (Matan Presberg)
Discussion:
IRC Report (Erin Stephens)
Discussion:
Ross – Asked for a report. She seemed surprised. Will ask for January.
Princess – Reports are required. Giving them a week notice and a follow up a few days before due date is helpful.
YJA Report (Benjamin Domask-Ruh)
Discussion:
Meeting on Friday to finalize digital proofs and GET THAT QUOTE for BADGEBOOK
In the process of updating YJA web page
Test Run IJA Youth Program (called Club YJA) at MONDOin January
Sofia – 72 catches! “I’m so excited, it’s so great!
OpsO Report (Ross Berenson)
Discussion:
Ross – Kelsey Stark help of website design/restructuring. Might be too big, but explaining its not necessary to be a quick thing. Monthly tutorial idea already covered. CD updated already. RFP meeting tomorrow (in progress work)
6. Motions for Consideration
7. Varia:
Festival Teaser Video: (Afton) Any notes? I was thinking it’d be good to add juggle.org or festival.juggle.org thoughts?
Filming Crew for film project at 2024 IJA:
Kate – Sent a pitch deck to Afton. (She has dispersed in previous meetings) Interested in hearing concerns/questions. Still working on the project to make it happen this year or next.
Lindsey – Referencing November conversation and want to hear feedback!
Ross – Questions about storytelling aspect. What is the story?
Kate – Specific to whomever are the main participants/characters. Want to build it collaboratively. In the past came out of our own fun ideas and conversations from what ‘you want to see/hear.’ The theme we are finding is about people breaking out of patterns and trying new things. Will try to steer each person towards that type of story. ‘Potential you want to break out of and achieve.’ Degree of ‘acted’ vs ‘reality depends on the person who wants to be filmed.
[ Niels signed off @ 6:22 PM ET ]
Lindsey – Been talking with people for reference of WHO might be the best people to talk with.
Kate – Important to show the variety of people that attend the festival. Siteswap, toss, flow, circus, professional, hobby.
Ross – Not hiring actors, meet people in the community.
Kate – yes, develop our vision together. It is important that we will be providing some compensation to people that are participating/performing. Seen as controversial in the documentary world. But helps us to have an open conversation before we film and help support the fictional aspect of the documentary.
Afton – Sounds like you’re approaching it from a juggling aspect and less of an IJA aspect?
Kate – not meant to be a dive into the IJA organization. Meant to be about the community and how people make it a part of their lives. Appreciative of the way the IJA community has been growing and changing. Not saying there wouldn’t be any interest level in the film. But also flexible to the degree the IJA is mentioned in the film/represented.
Ross – So if this is more about the community and less about the IJA, have you shot content at other festivals?
Kate – Not as much. A few hangouts/jams. The main interest in the IJA in general is Kate grew up going to IJA with Dad. The beginning of this project was the IJA interest and the variety and the changes and the international and the accessibility of it happening in the US.
Ross -To find your characters, do you plan to scout on day 1 or do you already have people in mind?
Kate – The other folks we are still talking to/taking suggestions. Looking for performers already to not have to take anyone’s experience away from the festival.
Afton – Are you consulting with anyone you are doing the change work you are talking about and consulting with anyone within marginalized communities and how they are being portrayed?
Lindsey – Yes. Working with another filmmaker as our story producer (Swetha Regunathan: https://www.swetharegunathan.com ) with a story consultation to help tell these stories. While on the fictional side of things we want to be in collaboration to build the story.
Kate – Worked with Taylor Glenn. Important to telling the stories. Thinking about making sure marginlaized stories aren’t being commoditized. As well as diversity in the crew.
Benjamin: Why do you want to fictionalize the story when the stories already seem interesting on their own?
Kate: It will make the whole process more creative and keep marginalized people safer
Benjamin: we put intense work into what we’re doing, that’s why there are so many questions and there’s a fear of fictionalized conflict to make a more interesting story. How do you think you’ll go about telling where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going?
Kate: The fears are important to them, how do we feel about the idea that the growth of the org and form (juggling) what about that feels scary
Afton: It felt like the film was a bit showcasing those marginalized and then trying to advance the narrative that juggling isn’t where we need to be.
Benjamin: There is power in your storytelling and we want that to be appreciated and respected.
Sofia: Main hangup mixing in the fictional narrative. If we’re trying to tell peoples stories, why aren’t we letting them tell their stories.
Noel: All this energy is coming from a protective place of juggling, but don’t take it as we don’t trust people. It’d be interesting to continue to have levels of insight once you choose your final characters and find the milestones where the iJA could be engaged in following up with.
Kate: Are looking to have ongoing conversations.
- – –
Post guest discussion –
Sofia – Wish it was just a normal documentary! Still not feeling great about it.
Benjamin – Agreed
Ross – Is it about juggling community? But… only filming at IJA? Afton brought that up.
Princess – I don’t feel like they have enough of a vision for us TO make a decision because they don’t know what direction it is going… Doesn’t feel like they’re asking for our opinion. But also doesn’t feel like they’re taking it.
Jake – Do they need our permission?
Afton – We don’t have to allow them to film at our private event.
Sofia – She is hyper focused on IJA. But you don’t HAVE to.
Afton – We’ve been trying to encourage them to go that way.
Ross – What is our biggest fear?
Afton – Not scared about the negative of the IJA. But, if it is about the broader community but tinged IJA, that makes a huge difference.
Benjamin – Fear that it feels like they are talking FOR the IJA
Martin – Agreed
Afton – Understand not paying people… but we already CAN’T pay people what they’re worth. Don’t want them NOT paying marginalized community members to tell the story. Feels bad and feels like we are using their voice to further a narrative.
Ross – Don’t want them to use a performer and take their brainspace away from performing.
Princess – Agree with Afton. They want the marginalized communities. But there’s more emotional labor here and targeting and feels bad!
Afton – Would feel better if they could get to a synopsis quickly to talk about. The board changes people! And if they can’t explain to actors/participants how they are going to represent them, that is dangerous. Also, Afton noted that people are already discussing the people filming and asking where the footage is.
Princess – We should be transparent about this.
Afton – Their current ‘main character’ is not an IJA member.
Benjamin – Write these thoughts up and share with them?
Sofia – Yes.
Princess – They did talk about using Taylor Glenn as a resource. However, that will be a lot on her and doesn’t seem particularly fair.
Afton – She hasn’t explicitly agreed to work with them yet.
Benjamin – Will write up draft and send to everyone for approval
8. Confirm Next Meeting
Next meetings will take place on…
for the next vision meeting: January 15, 2024 at 6pm ET
for the next business meeting: January 29, 2024 at 6pm ET
9. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 7:26 pm Eastern.