Pushing Milwaukee's Culture w/ MKE Film's Geraud Blanks
Geraud Blanks has always been willing to push boundaries. From his early days at UWM leading the student organization SCOPE—to his work as Chief Innovation Officer at MKE Film, Blanks has been driven by desire to act as a storyteller, to bring communities together around meaningful programs, with a taste for going “big.” Brought on to the team at MKE Film in 2014 to co-launch the Black Lens Series, Blanks brought with him a deep love of film, music, and poetry, and a vision for how MKE Film’s programming could expand.
Over the years, Blanks’ risk-taking for the sake of stirring “good trouble” has paid off. Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens program has blossomed and expanded, and the scope of Blanks’ role has too. He now curates the annual Cultures and Communities Festival, with its fifth iteration coming up this October. It’s a series of film screenings and events all over the city held at diverse venues centered on “health, wellness, joy, art, culture and ultimately, community.”
Though there have been times over the years when certain programs didn’t go the way he anticipated—Blanks’ innovative, boundary-pushing programming continues to be a labor of love, and a way of pressing the whole Milwaukee community forward.
Blanks sees Milwaukee’s future as bright. With increased support of local and state government, he thinks Milwaukee can become a film town on the level of Atlanta: a place where the film industry can thrive and infuse our local economy with diverse revenue streams in and around film productions, in hospitality and craft services, for example. Blanks wants MKE Film to lead and support the advocacy for film incentives, and continue to innovate and uplift emerging talent along the way.
Ultimately, as Blanks reflects, “culture is life.” He’s proud of the ways that the team at MKE Film is shaping Milwaukee—and he’s hopeful about the ways MKE Film and support for the arts including filmmaking may shape the community’s future as city that is renowned for its culture and opportunities in the arts. Read or listen to our full conversation with Geraud below:
Read/Listen:
Full Interview Transcript (Click to Expand):
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Welcome to Creative MKE, A conversation show from Imagine MKE, where we talk to creative leaders in Milwaukee to highlight all the incredible transformative power of their work in our region. We hope that after listening, you'll be able to imagine our city's arts and culture ecosystem, and all the awesome artists, organizations, and creative assets within it in a new way. I'm your host, Elizabeth Gasparka.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Hey there. Welcome to Creative MKE Today, along with my colleague Jazmine Holifield, I'll be speaking with Geraud Blanks, the Chief Innovation Officer at Milwaukee Film. In our conversation, we speak about his trajectory as a creative programmer and the power of storytelling and films to bring community together. We also hear his perspective of Milwaukee's arts and culture, and as a filmmaking hub on the Rise Blank's programming story started at uwm, where he was a founding leader of an organization called Scope or Student Creative Outreach, providing education slash entertainment. There he organized programming that included a renowned open mic series and events, including a talk from author Maya Angelou Blanks joined Milwaukee Film almost a decade ago, and co-founded Black Lens, which presents fiction and documentary films by emerging and established black storytellers. Before we jump into our conversation, I wanna say thank you to W U W M for the opportunity to share this season of Creative MKE on the airwaves each Sunday night at 7:00 PM Creative MKE is supported through a partnership with Shepherd Express. For more than 40 years, shepherd Express has proudly advocated for arts and culture in the Milwaukee area. You can hear more podcasts like this one at shepherdexpress.com. The feature music in today's episode is Guide Me Over by Adi Armour. Now stick around for our conversation with Geraud Blanks after the break.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Welcome to Creative MKE.
Geraud Blanks:
Thanks for having me.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
We're really excited to speak with you about your role at Milwaukee Film today. But before we get started, as a jumping off point, I would love if you could share an arts experience from your life that left a really strong imprint on you.
Geraud Blanks:
There are so many, so to think of one is difficult, but I would say for me, one of the first experiences I had with my mother that really has stayed with me was going to the movies. Right? And so there are too many movies to, to, to recount. But I'll tell you this, the Karate Kid is a film that I have never stopped watching, never stopped loving. And I, I remember coming out of the movie theater and jumping around and doing kicks and all of these things and turning to my mother and I was like, I, you know, I want to take karate. I want be a martial artist. And that moment always sticks with me because that's what movies have meant for me. Hmm. You know, connection with my mother and imagination.
Jazmine Holifield:
Thanks for sharing that. I can definitely relate to the connection with the movies and going to the movies and also having family nights. So definitely relatable experience there. So tell the audience about your professional trajectory up to the current role that you hold at Milwaukee Film.
Geraud Blanks:
So, I've been with Milwaukee Film for about nine years. For the first half of that, I was either a seasonal or part-time employee. I've been full-time probably for only maybe four years. And my role as Chief Innovation Officers, actually, it's interesting how it came about. When I first came to Milwaukee Film, I was brought on to help create the Black Lens program. And what I imagined, what I wanted to do with it wasn't necessarily what I think others had in mind. So it's been a slow process of me sort of learning how to balance my expectations around what I want to do and see with others. And so, for the past nine years, I have been really, I think, pushing the boundaries in a good way, right. For the most part. Right. I've made a lot of mistakes, but that's primarily because, again, when I came here, I think the idea around what Milwaukee Film saw my role is, was not the vision I had in mind. So, but before I got here, I was in social service. That's a passion of mine. That's my background. My mother worked in social service for years. And before that I was a band manager. I have <laugh> <laugh>, you know, we'll have to do another podcast. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, just for me to talk about all my other lives.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
So you just mentioned about your own trajectory within Milwaukee film and how you evolved over the years in, in your professional capacity there. But Milwaukee film itself has also evolved immensely over the years from an annual film festival and nonprofit organization to an organization that operates multiple festivals, a historic theater venue, and produces ongoing cultural opportunities for enrichment learning and of course cinematic experiences. So how did you envision the future of the organization when you joined? And was there a particular point at which you realized you wanted to be part of shaping that evolution?
Geraud Blanks:
From the day I got there, I'm good friends with Professor Dante McFadden. He is now at the University of Buffalo, but for years he was a volunteer and a seasonal employee for Milwaukee Film. We went to college together. We, you know, we were in film school together. And until I dropped out, that's another story for another day, <laugh>. But, but here's the thing though. He called me and said, Hey, we're gonna start a new program here focused on black filmmakers. Do you wanna be a part of it? And I was like, of course. And so when I came in and met with the C e O and with Dante, instantly, I, I was making plans. I was already creating my vision. And like I said, they knew of me actually. 'cause I was writing for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I wrote for them freelance for the music section.
Geraud Blanks:
So I used my credentials at the Journal to get a press pass at the Milwaukee Film Festival. And so they knew about me because I would do reviews of films, even though I was a music writer. I, you know, I worked it out <laugh>. And so anyway, when I came in, I was really excited, but I also felt like I'm gonna make this big, right? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And initially it was like, you and Dante are gonna select films for the festival under this umbrella called Black Lens. And I was like, that's cool. And, and then what? Mm-Hmm. Mm-Hmm. And it was like, well, that is the what. Hmm. And I remember saying to them, it was 2014, I remember saying to Jonathan Jackson, the c e o, and to Dante, I said, in three years, in 2017, it's gonna be the 20th anniversary of a film called Love Jones.
Geraud Blanks:
And Jonathan had never heard of it. Most people at Milwaukee Film had never heard of it. But I was like, trust me, this is a big deal in the black community. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, we need to do something. We need to bring somebody from the film. And for three years I worked on that and we ended up bringing Lorenz Tate, who was the star of Love Jones. And it was a huge event. 900 people came out. And that was, I think, the point when people at Milwaukee film start to trust me a little bit more and say, oh, maybe he knows what he's talking about, you know. But from day one, from day one, I was like, I'm gonna take this thing and I'm gonna run with it, you know?
Elisabeth Gasparka:
And you have a background of programming big time. In reading a little bit about your history, I did see about your time programming at uwm mm-hmm. For Scope. Yeah. And can you tell our listeners the, the get that you got there?
Geraud Blanks:
Well, the, and again, that's me and Dante. So I went to an open mic in the Union Coffee house, and I was blown away at this time. Spoken word poetry was really taken off. And I went to the leader of the B S U and said, how do I get in? And, you know, they were like, oh, we'll get back to you. And when I didn't hear from 'em, I was like, I want to do my own thing. Mm-Hmm. And I remember my girlfriend was laying on my mother's couch, and she was like, anybody can start a student organization. And I was like, really? And then that's where it started me my girlfriend at the time, Dante and a few other folks, we just started having meetings and we were like, okay, we're gonna do some open mics. And that was it originally. Mm-Hmm.
Geraud Blanks:
And open mics turned into much bigger events. And eventually one of our biggest events is we brought Maya Angelou to campus. We did yeah, we created this thing called Woodson Week, which was a week long African American cultural festival. It just went on and on and on. And at some point I stopped going to class <laugh> <laugh> because I was so into this thing we were building. I mean, if you're familiar with the Bader Foundation, right? It's a local charitable foundation. I got my first Bader grant for, what, $40,000 when I was like 19. Wow. Yeah. And I just taught myself how to write grant applications. And I got in trouble. Actually, my life is full of me getting in good trouble. <Laugh>, the John Lewis kind, but I didn't know there was a protocol. Mm-Hmm. Right. And so the UWM Foundation called over one.
Geraud Blanks:
I thought I got the money. Like I thought Bader wrote the check to me. I didn't know what I was doing. Right. <laugh>. But I, I could write, come to find out, U W M Foundation says, we just heard from Bader that some student organization is getting $40,000. And it was a big deal because, you know, there is a line, the science department is trying to get money, right? Mm-Hmm. The astronomy department mm-hmm. The Ale. Right. And they were like, you don't get to write grants. And so long story short, we got the money and we got more money and more money, and we started putting on big events. And once I got a taste of that, I, I was, I was sold
Elisabeth Gasparka:
<Laugh>. So, shifting back to the work that you do at Milwaukee Film, can you speak to a little bit more about how film as a medium can create magic for people? How does it affect communities? What is it about film itself that is so powerful and has drawn you to doing your work through Milwaukee film?
Geraud Blanks:
Well, you know, it's visual storytelling. You know, I have attention Deficit Disorder, right? And so I would often find it difficult when I was in school to focus and read something without my mind strain. What I could lock into though was the visual. Hmm. Right. And so what I realized is I loved documentary films. Mm-Hmm. And I could watch, I could really nerd out on a documentary film for hours and hours, because that's just what engaged and ignited my brain, right? Mm-Hmm. And so I, I wanted to be a storyteller. I wanted to harness this power. And I realized that there were a lot of people like me that need the visual, right? Because it's hard sometimes to keep your, your mind from wandering so that visual stimulation can lock you in mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. And it's so powerful. And then identity, right? Like, storytelling is how we share, we share cultural identity, social identity, right?
Geraud Blanks:
All identity is tethered to some group or another. And how do groups, how do they communicate well through stories? So it's like, it's so important. And it's not just the movies. Right? And think about this too. Most people, when I ask them, where did you go on your first date? Probably the movies <laugh>, right? <Laugh>, everybody has a, a so a memory of going to the movies with their family mm-hmm. Or with their friends. It's just so ingrained in our lives. And I, I, again, I just wanna harness that power to, to do something meaningful.
Jazmine Holifield:
Nice. Yeah. I like what you said about being able to lock in on the visuals. And I also appreciate the fact that films incorporate so many other art forms. You can add music and language and like fashion. So it's a good way to speak to all of those senses, including the visual. Yeah. So going back to Black Lens, which Milwaukee film began in 2014, and considering what you mentioned about after Love Jones and how it began to take off, what kind of considerations did you have in its creation? And then how has the program evolved over time?
Geraud Blanks:
So, once I started getting more resources at Milwaukee Film, after probably the third year after Love Jones, I just went for it. Me and Dante were out in the community all the time. There was nowhere we wouldn't go. If you had a meeting, rotary Club NAACP meeting, it didn't matter. Base. Someone had a baseball practice, we would go there with flyers and talk and say, Hey, have you heard of Black Lens? And that Hustle and Grind, I think attracted others. And we started to build this volunteer committee of people like Corey, Joe Biddle, who's over at few Milwaukee Renell, Washington, social Ex and fam. Mm-Hmm. We started to build this little crew, and, and that's when it really started going. And so at that point, I start to think really big. I start to think about, could we take this national mm-hmm. You know, could I potentially do this full time? And for me, the thing that sort of has kept us going is the feedback from the community. And, you know, next year's our 10th anniversary. Oh, wow. Yeah. So I've got really big plans, right? Because for me, I'm only gonna do this for so long. Like, at some point I gotta pass the baton mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. So I just wanna make sure this is legacy for me. I want to make sure that this thing is where it needs to be. So when I move on, that next group can take it even farther.
Jazmine Holifield:
So I love that you mentioned about the feedback from the community as one of the things that's kept it going. So that actually leads us into our next question. As the Chief Innovation Officer, you're constantly thinking about the ways that the programs can serve the audiences, but you're also learning from the audiences. So what's something that stands out to you as a moment when the audience of a program revealed something to you or surprised you?
Geraud Blanks:
So we don't put anything on screen. We can't stand behind. That doesn't mean it's perfect. Right? We've had our moments where we sort of reconsidered whether that film was the right film at the right time, those things. But I tell you, I remember, are you familiar with G'S Clippers? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. All right. We, it was funny. We would try to get g to come out to something. And finally, we, we had this screening of DeAngelo of a DeAngelo documentary, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, very few people have seen this film. Right? Right. Wow. So we invite g we invite a bunch of people. And the reaction, when people came out of the theater, g grabbed me <laugh>. And he was so excited about that film, and he was thanking me, and he was giving me a hug. And, and I, we get that a lot. Like, people see a film and they, they're emotional, right?
Geraud Blanks:
Mm-Hmm. Because he was just like, and it was a good film, but he was like, man, that right there, that film, you got me G <laugh>, like, yeah. Like, I'm coming out next time. And I remember having a conversation with Eve Hall, who is the head of the local Urban League, about that film at an event we had. And you know, Eve Hall is, is, is so smart, right? Having this great intellectual conversation about black men's emotional and mental health, right? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And so there's just so many moments like that that give me chills, where I just feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing, right? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And so, and then there are those moments where I've, I've gotten those emails or calls where it's like, oh man, what, what was that film? Or even, there's even been moments where I said, look, we made a mistake.
Geraud Blanks:
We brought a guest once or twice where, you know, they didn't connect with the audience in the way we had hoped. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, let's just say it that way. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. And so, and you gotta stand on that. And sometimes you just gotta take those, right? But I hope people trust us. And I'm one of those people, I'm not big on apologies 'cause I feel like saying, sorry, a lot of people are really not that sincere, right? Mm-Hmm. They're saying that to get outta trouble. But I'm big on acknowledging when we make mistakes. And I think we, we hit the mark more often than not.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Now, with all of the trust that's been built with the community and the members of Milwaukee film, there's been a lot of momentum, exciting momentum for the organization. And now Milwaukee Film is approaching the Cultures and Communities festival this fall. Yes. So, please tell our listeners, what is this festival all about and what can they expect from the programming and the experience?
Geraud Blanks:
This festival is a labor of love. So is Black Lynn, so is everything I do, quite frankly, right? It started off as this thing called the Minority Health Film Festival. And I always apologize to people 'cause that's a horrible title, <laugh>. But it, the idea was April's Minority Health Awareness Month. I was like, oh, well let's do like a couple films over the weekend, like a little series mm-hmm. <Affirmative> tying into health and wellness for people of color, particularly, particularly black folks, but people of color. Right. And Heidi Moore, formerly, she used to be at Freighter. She got the proposal, I had written the proposal for someone else. She got hold of it and she said, oh, freighter needs to do this. And overnight, what was supposed to be this small little thing turned into a much bigger, it turned into a festival, basically. Mm-Hmm.
Geraud Blanks:
<Affirmative>. And we learned a lot of lessons in the first couple of years. Right. You don't program a film about, you know, generational trauma at 10:00 AM on a Saturday. That's a tough one, right. <Laugh>. But over the course of five years, we've gotten to this point where now we understand what we're doing. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, it is this thing. And, and I'm hoping both of you come out. It's about 15 to 20 films. It's about 30 events all over the city. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, big events, small events in the community. We got stuff at the Paps Theater. We got events at like c o A, we've got something for everybody. And I hate when people say that. 'cause Generally that means you're doing too much mm-hmm. <Affirmative> mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. But it's, it's about joy and celebration. It's about arts and culture. It's about health. It's about wellness. But most of all, it's about community. It's exciting to see this event evolve and, and I can't wait to see where we go next.
Jazmine Holifield:
So, you know, in your own words, what would you consider the footprint of Milwaukee film within Milwaukee's creative economy?
Geraud Blanks:
Ooh, <laugh>. I'll, I'll say this again. We're not just the movies. Right. I feel like, and, and I'm gonna be really candid with you. There are times where when you think of arts and culture, right? You think of the ballet and you think of the symphony orchestra, right? All of these things. And film is a part of that. But either people think we're too highbrow or we're not highbrow enough. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, and I'm biased of course, but it's like nobody does what we do. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, and, and I mean, anywhere, a lot of people can put a film on a screen. A lot of people can have a post panel, but nobody has a theater like we have. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, nobody's got my team. Mm. Nobody knows how that DeAngelo film. Mm-Hmm. The next night we had an event called Groove Theory. So we did a tribute, a musical tribute to DeAngelo.
Geraud Blanks:
Wow. And then had this amazing after party who's doing that? Nobody. So, right. So, where do we fit in the footprint? You know, I, that's one of those, I can't, I can't answer without beating my chest a little bit <laugh>. So, but I, I just think we're, we're integral. We're integral to everything that's going on. And again, I'm always trying to push the boundaries, and I want us to lead the way in terms of where we're going next. When you talk about the creative economy, it is important for us to support local folks trying to get their, their foot in the door. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So that's another part of, of what I feel like is our mission.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Awesome. All right, Gerard, I have a bit of a chicken and egg question for you. So here in Milwaukee, you know, we know that film is a huge deal. We know that we have a very robust film community of people who are working at all different areas within the profession. There is a stat that shows that the film industry in Milwaukee actually outnumbers the number of workers in the brewing industry, for example. So do you think Milwaukee has become, in some ways a film place, a film town because of the work of Milwaukee film? Or did Milwaukee film evolve here and become what it is here because we are a film town?
Geraud Blanks:
Both. And, or <laugh>. I mean, like, I mean, I mean that's, you know, here's the thing. There are a few things that need to be done on the political level to get Milwaukee to where it needs to be. But I tell you, this could be the next, the next boom town. Like when you think of like Atlanta, do you know how many films are made in Atlanta now? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, it's, it's sort of become the Hollywood of the South. It's amazing. Places like Virginia, there are so many places in the country now that have, have welcomed the film industry. Mm. And it was interesting because I think I can say this governor Evers came by our office over, during Juneteenth. And, you know, our office is in the No studios building, which is owned by John Ridley. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. He happened to be there.
Geraud Blanks:
We had to ha we happened to have an interesting conversation. And it was so cool to see John Ridley advocating for bringing the film industry to Wisconsin on a major level and saying, look, whatever you need from me mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, I'm here. Because if we can really open the doors to bringing more film productions to Milwaukee and Wisconsin, do you know what that does for the local economy? And it was so interesting 'cause John Ridley, who was this Academy Award-winning director and writer, is breaking it down on such a simple level. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, he's like, from craft services to the hotels to mm-hmm. <Affirmative> to the Uber drivers. Everybody's making money when you bring these large productions. And so we have been a big part of advocating for film in this city. And I wanna say, obviously we are at the forefront. We're at the Vanguard. Mm. But we wouldn't exist if there wasn't a desire, a creative desire, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And so it is, it's a push pull. And it's like our job is to support, but at the same time we get support from those creatives.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
You're teeing things up really beautifully. Also for my interview with some representatives from Action Wisconsin. in a few weeks. Stay tuned listeners more on that in terms of advocating for film incentives in our community. Yes. So, I wanna tease out something that you touched on though, when you were just reflecting on the film industry and it's potential. Can you weigh in on what Milwaukee looks like if and when our art sector and specifically our film sector has more support infused into it?
Geraud Blanks:
Hmm. I brought up Atlanta a minute ago, and it's funny because Milwaukee's seen as a small city in terms of population, in terms of size. We're as big as a city as Atlanta, 40% black, a majority minority city. There's all of these perceptions of this city that don't fit the reality. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. But can you imagine if we start investing more in arts and culture? 'cause Let's be real, what is one of the issues, right? Why do, why is, why is the brain drain such an issue in a city like Milwaukee? Because people want more to life than just food, clothes, and shelter. That's very important. Don't get me wrong. Those are the basics. But then after that, what do you want? You want a vibrant social life. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, you want culture, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And when you feel like you can't get it somewhere, you're gonna go, especially if you're young and talented mm-hmm.
Geraud Blanks:
<Affirmative>, you're gonna say, Hey, I can go, I can go an hour and a half south to Chicago. I was over there, I was there over the weekend. Oh, oh man. It was, I was at a, at a restaurant that stayed open past like nine o'clock, you know what I'm saying? <Laugh>, <laugh>. I'm just, I'm just being real. But it's like, for far too long, we've sort of said, no, that's not that important. Mm-Hmm. No. Yes it is. Mm-Hmm. Culture is life. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> and Art is whether we're talking about B-Boys and, and Breakers and DJs as art, or the art that hangs on the wall in the, at the museum. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, at the end of the day, people want to be stimulated. We were just talking about that, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And they want to have something to look forward to other than work. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So we start to build the sector. And remember, we're talking about jobs, right? Robots haven't taken over yet. <Laugh> people have to still do these things, right? Right. So we're talking about jobs, which means more money. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> more money means hopefully bigger and better things, more resources. I just, it's, it's frustrating sometimes, but I feel like we are starting to turn the corner, right? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. And we're starting to understand how much art and culture means to a city, to a community, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Absolutely. Well, thank you for imagining that future for us a little bit.
Geraud Blanks:
Oh, it's not that far off.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Agree. Agree. Well, thank you so much for your time, Gerard. This has been a wonderful conversation. We're so grateful.
Geraud Blanks:
Well, thank you for having me.
Elisabeth Gasparka:
Thank, thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the show, please share it with others. Post about it, leave a rating or review or contact us. Creative. MKE is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Elizabeth Gaspar. It is recorded in beautiful downtown Milwaukee with engineering support from the good folks at PodCamp Media Creative MKE's theme music was written and produced by Bobby Drake. To get involved or learn more about the work of Imagine MKE, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or visit us on the web.
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