local documentary ‘ten at the top in tampa bay’ is top-notch
permalink | categories: bragging rights, business, citizens, diversity, film, government, names, tampaby tampafilmfan @ 4:01 pm
After months of anticipation, I finally had a chance to see the local documentary Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay last night. It was worth the wait. Tampa native Renee Warmack noticed that the Tampa Bay area has ten women currently heading governmental institutions:
- Pat Bean, County Administrator, Hillsborough County
- MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent, School District of Hillsborough County
- Pat Frank, Clerk of the Circuit Court, 13th Judicial Circuit
- Nancy Fryrear, Postmaster, Tampa — United States Postal Service
- Julianne Holt, Public Defender, 13th Judicial Circuit
- Pam Iorio, Mayor, City of Tampa
- Dr. Luanne Panacek, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Board of Hillsborough County
- Dr. Gwendolyn Stephenson, President, Hillsborough Community College
- Dr. Judy Genshaft, President, University of South Florida
- Colonel Margaret Woodward, Commander, MacDill Air Force Base
Warmack did more than merely notice; she decided to become a documentary filmmaker, to interview these remarkable women, to embody the spirit of the Ophelia Project, to encourage children to dream big and to inspire everyone, especially women. Warmack was able to interview eight of the ten women (Dr. Genshaft and Col. Woodward weren’t available) and get them to open up about their education, childhoods, dreams, goals, challenges and mentors. Dr. Stephenson spoke about her original goal of becoming a doctor, the career challenges she has faced as an African-American woman and the advice her mother gave her (”read everything”). Ms. Frank quoted her father’s advice (”go to college, take care of your teeth and buy expensive shoes”) and talked about the hideous bow-tie fashions that career women adopted in the 80s to try to fit into the male suit-and-tie world. All of the women shared funny, touching, poignant stories from their own lives.
I found Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay not only inspirational, but honest. The interviewees were very open in discussing the ups and downs of their careers: the prejudice and sexism, and the mentoring, encouragement and support. I was glad to see the women identified almost every time they were on screen, which kept the viewer from getting confused about who was speaking. Also, I enjoyed the photos of the women as children, teenagers and young women at the beginning of their careers. However, I wish that Warmack had mentioned Dr. Genshaft and Col. Woodward more than just the one time at the very beginning of the film. Very brief bios and a mention that those two were unavailable for interviews would have filled in the very small gap (for me, anyway) of featuring only eight women in a film called Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay.
Before filming, Warmack made a commitment not to sell DVDs of her film. She said last night that she plans to honor this promise, but is sharing her film with schools and other organizations since her motto is “go forth and mentor.” I hope others discover this remarkable and inspirational mentoring tool that Warmack has given the Bay area.
Visit www.tenatthetop.com for more info or to view a trailer of this film. Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay will make its broadcast premiere on March 25 at 4 p.m. on WEDU. The film will also screen at the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image on April 22.
(cross-posted at www.tampafilmfan.com)
Tags: citizens, super, tampa-bay, top, women
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March 24th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
I know almost every person on this list, personally. I’ve been stalked by one, threatened by another, worked with several of them and in a 30-second take: this is a joke.
And, more than one of them is an outright thief.
Out of all of them: perhaps THREE could at one point be labeled decent human beings. Perhaps one of them is worthy of a few minutes of film.
And they all know it, just as well as I do.
Welcome to the Twisted SisterHood.
Fill in the blanks, yourself.
This is horrifying: this habit of tampans to hold up for admiration among the worst members of this community.
I am DISGUSTED
March 27th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
To each her own, I suppose. I don’t know any of the ten women personally. The film is about the fact that there are currently ten women in top government positions in the Bay area and examines the trials and tribulations those women faced to get there. That’s a remarkable achievement, no matter what.
April 4th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
“”"the trials and tribulations those women faced to get there. That’s a remarkable achievement, no matter what.”"”
This ‘no matter what’ is the problem. What it took for them to ‘get there’ was family connections, fraud, looting the taxpayers, media control and the rest. Business as usual in Tampa.
It would be a remarkable achievement IF they had done so on their merits. Not by their marital and familial connections. And then used their positions to wreak havoc on others. Out of that entire list, perhaps two are actual meritorious positions. Maybe. Maybe only one. I’m being generous because I happen to like one of the ladies personally even if she’s from the dark side …
I only came to link this post to another and I’m sorry I did not see your reply before now.
I’ve visited your site, lisa. Nothing personal on you (I hope you can discern this because my comments were not in the least directed towards you nor towards Ms. Wormack)
However, any woman who upholds for praise another woman who is not fit for the position she is in and stomped all over OTHER women and did god knows what else to get there? Something’s wrong with that picture.
Even the MSM has been informative on some of these women and the horrendous things they have done to the educational and other systems in Tampa FL. Dead wood, aside, some of the acts are outright criminal and thievery of tax payer dollars. It’s been proven in the Federal court system.
If one reads the paper or in the least educates oneself — it’s right there in black and white.
That I have further knowledge is because of a unique vantage point of knowing these women.
Again, nothing personal. I love your reviews. But, I’m not about to say nothing when there is an attempt to glorify something that is SO WRONG.
There are real people, real women in Tampa Bay Fl who get up every day and do more in that one day for the good of this city than these women ever did in their entire career.
And, I’ve never been stalked by one of these real heroes. I get the feeling that real heroes don’t have time to stalk.
February 18th, 2008 at 11:21 am
[...] 10 extraordinary women led governmental institutions, in positions traditionally held by men. The women who agreed to be filmed were asked to share the paths they traveled, the risks they took, the decisions they made, and who [...]