Documentary industry veteran, and former IDA Board member, Louise Rosen is stepping down from her role as IDA (International Documentary Association) Interim Managing Director in early March to return to her production roots with the Ford Foundation-funded Gender Project, as well as several other soon-to-be-announced book-based projects.
In March 2022 the LA-based IDA brought Rosen on board as Senior Consultant for Programs & Strategy to help assess and rebuild IDA’s operational capacity. Five months later, she was promoted to the full-time position of Interim Managing Director. Key upgrades were subsequently made to the organization’s operational systems which along with a boost in staff numbers, made possible the return to in-person events, such as the IDA Awards, the bi-annual Getting Real conference, and the popular IDA Screening Series.
Board co-presidents Chris Perez and Grace Lee commented on Rosen’s tenure : “We’re very grateful to Louise for helping the IDA regain its footing during this transition period, bringing a depth of experience and great care for an organization whose future we are all invested in. Her foresight and support have been invaluable in introducing new systems and laying the groundwork for our ongoing restructure.”
Board member Ina Fichman commented: “Louise is a consummate professional, whose career in the documentary business brought needed expertise to IDA during a period of enormous change in the industry overall”.
Rosen comments: “As a former IDA Board Member, it has been deeply satisfying to be of service during this period of transition. There’s a strong, innovative team in place and every department – from membership to programming to grantmaking – is going from strength to strength. The organization is poised to grow its impact, continuing IDA’s proud legacy, and is well-positioned to amplify its advocacy on behalf of the documentary field, at a time when this important work is needed more than ever. With my production slate ramping up, I’m looking forward to returning to my work in the finance, production, and distribution side of the field, with Kimberly Reed on our Ford Foundation-funded Gender Project, as well as several other soon-to-be-announced book-based projects.”
Spanning a decade living in the UK and France, Rosen raised finance for, and distributed, award-winning works such as Eyes on the Prize, Anne Frank Remembered, Berkeley in the 60s, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Killing for Love among other series and features. Maine-based Rosen began her career in distribution as Director of International Sales and Co-Production at Boston PBS station WGBH, following work in the music industry with Grateful Dead Records, and network ad sales at Westinghouse Broadcasting and others.
Rosen further commented on the future structural plans for IDA following the resignation of Rick Pérez in December 2022 and engagement of Interim Executive Director Ken Ikeda. “[Ikeda] is spearheading an assessment of organizational and membership needs and is working with the board to launch the search for a new Executive Director. The new ED will certainly play a key role in determining the ways in which those needs can be best addressed, including whether to fill an MD position or devise a different organizational approach,” she told Business Doc Europe.
The US-based International Documentary Association has a stated mission to “support the vital work of documentary storytellers and champion a thriving and inclusive documentary culture.”
