Jenni Olson
Encyclopedia
Jenni Olson was born and raised in Falcon Heights, Minnesota
. Olson is a film exhibition curator, director
, award winning documentary
filmmaker, and author. Olson co-founded and still writes for PlanetOut.com, and campaigned to have a barrier erected on the Golden Gate Bridge.
. In 1986, while still a student, Olson founded the Minneapolis/St.Paul Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Transgender Film Festival, initially under the name Lavender Images. Olson was inspired in this move by Vito Russo
's book, The Celluloid Closet
. In 1992 Olson was hired by the company Frameline and moved to San Francisco to work as guest curator on the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, before being appointed co-director alongside Mark Finch
. After three years Olson left this position to co-found the website PlanetOut.com. Olson worked as director of entertainment and e-commerce for the site, as well fulfilling the same roles for Gay.com
. She also created the PopcornQ section of the PlanetOut.com website, basing the section on her book The Ultimate Guide to Lesbian & Gay Film and Video. In 1997 Olson attended the Sundance Festival and arranged, along with Morgan Rumpf, a small brunch aimed at fellow queer attendees. The event quickly established itself as a regular occurrence, and in 2001 Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival became sponsors to the event. The sponsors described it in 2005 as "the premiere gay and lesbian industry event during Sundance". By June 2006, Olson had become Director of Consumer Marketing for Wolfe Video
/Wolfe Releasing.
's Gay Men's Press
. Although the book was turned down by both them and Serpent's Tail
, to whom the idea was pitched as a follow up to her previous book, Olson was eventually commissioned to write the book in 2002. Olson based the work in part on her own collection of such material, which she has subsequently donated to San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society. Her collection was exhibited at the San Francisco Public Library in 2004, with Olson delivering an accompanying lecture.
In 2005 Olson released The Joy of Life
, her debut feature, which won Best Outstanding Artistic Achievement at the 2005 Outfest
and at the 2005 Newfest received Best U.S. Narrative Screenplay, and has been favorably reviewed in a number of publications. It also garnered Olson the Marlon Riggs Award by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle
in 2005. Working on the film led Olson to pen an open letter to the San Francisco Chronicle
on the matter of the Golden Gate Bridge
's position as the top suicide landmark in the world. Olson's former colleague, Mark Finch, had jumped from the bridge on January 14, 1995, and Olson used this event to inform her own film. Her letter was published on the tenth anniversary of Finch's death and supported the Psychiatric Foundation of Northern California's launching of a campaign for a barrier to be installed on the bridge. Olson also distributed her film to the bridge's board of directors, noting "several of the bridge directors told me they appreciated seeing the film and found it illuminating", and in March 2005 the board voted to explore the installation of a barrier to prevent jumping.
Falcon Heights, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,572 people, 2,103 households, and 1,434 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,487.9 people per square mile . There were 2,136 housing units at an average density of 953.7 per square mile...
. Olson is a film exhibition curator, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, award winning documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
filmmaker, and author. Olson co-founded and still writes for PlanetOut.com, and campaigned to have a barrier erected on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Biography
Olson was educated at the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. In 1986, while still a student, Olson founded the Minneapolis/St.Paul Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Transgender Film Festival, initially under the name Lavender Images. Olson was inspired in this move by Vito Russo
Vito Russo
Vito Russo was an American LGBT activist, film historian and author who is best remembered as the author of the book The Celluloid Closet ....
's book, The Celluloid Closet
The Celluloid Closet
The Celluloid Closet is a 1996 American documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The film is based on the 1981 book of the same name written by Vito Russo, and on previous lecture and film clip presentations given in person by Russo 1972–82.Russo researched the...
. In 1992 Olson was hired by the company Frameline and moved to San Francisco to work as guest curator on the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, before being appointed co-director alongside Mark Finch
Mark Finch
Mark Finch was an English promoter of LGBT cinema. Having founded and expanded several international film festivals he created the first LGBT film market for distributors, sales agents, and independent film producers....
. After three years Olson left this position to co-found the website PlanetOut.com. Olson worked as director of entertainment and e-commerce for the site, as well fulfilling the same roles for Gay.com
Gay.com
gay.com is a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site is a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site features LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2005, San Jose Mercury News ranked gay.com as the most...
. She also created the PopcornQ section of the PlanetOut.com website, basing the section on her book The Ultimate Guide to Lesbian & Gay Film and Video. In 1997 Olson attended the Sundance Festival and arranged, along with Morgan Rumpf, a small brunch aimed at fellow queer attendees. The event quickly established itself as a regular occurrence, and in 2001 Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival became sponsors to the event. The sponsors described it in 2005 as "the premiere gay and lesbian industry event during Sundance". By June 2006, Olson had become Director of Consumer Marketing for Wolfe Video
Wolfe Video
Wolfe Video is the oldest and largest exclusive distributor of gay and lesbian films in North America.Founded in 1985 in New Almaden by Kathy Wolfe, the company began as a consumer mail order distribution company for lesbian VHS videos but has evolved over the years to become a full-service...
/Wolfe Releasing.
Works
Olson initially compiled trailers into documentary features, showing Homo Promo, her compilation of vintage gay movie trailers at the Amsterdam Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in 1991, and her work in this area has been recognised as instructional in teaching students contextualisation. She continued compiling trailers throughout the 1990s, with her last such compilation released being Bride of Trailer Camp, released in 2001. During this period Olson also wrote Ultimate Guide to Lesbian & Gay Film and Video (1996). The book was based on Olson's BA thesis,. Her next book was The Queer Movie Poster Book (2004). This book was suggested in 1991 by Stuart Marshall, who recommended Olson pitch the idea to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Gay Men's Press
Gay Men's Press
Gay Men's Press was a publisher of books based in London, United Kingdom. The company published from 1979 until 2006.Launched in 1979, the publisher was a welcome company for gay writers attempting to get published. The book business had been unwelcoming to such writers, publishing only works of...
. Although the book was turned down by both them and Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It is notable for its translated works, particularly European crime fiction, and is the British publisher of Elfriede Jelinek and Lionel Shriver...
, to whom the idea was pitched as a follow up to her previous book, Olson was eventually commissioned to write the book in 2002. Olson based the work in part on her own collection of such material, which she has subsequently donated to San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society. Her collection was exhibited at the San Francisco Public Library in 2004, with Olson delivering an accompanying lecture.
In 2005 Olson released The Joy of Life
The Joy of Life
The Joy of Life is an experimental landscape documentary film about the history of suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge, and the adventures of a butch lesbian in San Francisco, California. This feature-length film world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005.-External links:* *...
, her debut feature, which won Best Outstanding Artistic Achievement at the 2005 Outfest
Outfest
Outfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
and at the 2005 Newfest received Best U.S. Narrative Screenplay, and has been favorably reviewed in a number of publications. It also garnered Olson the Marlon Riggs Award by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
The San Francisco Film Critics Circle was founded in 2002 as an organization of film journalists and critics from San Francisco, California based publications....
in 2005. Working on the film led Olson to pen an open letter to the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
on the matter of the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
's position as the top suicide landmark in the world. Olson's former colleague, Mark Finch, had jumped from the bridge on January 14, 1995, and Olson used this event to inform her own film. Her letter was published on the tenth anniversary of Finch's death and supported the Psychiatric Foundation of Northern California's launching of a campaign for a barrier to be installed on the bridge. Olson also distributed her film to the bridge's board of directors, noting "several of the bridge directors told me they appreciated seeing the film and found it illuminating", and in March 2005 the board voted to explore the installation of a barrier to prevent jumping.