The Spirit Awards turn 30 next February 21, and lots of the film we’ve shown, are showing or will show are up for shiny hardware. BIRDMAN and BOYHOOD are the worthy nominees with the most nods, but other terrific, startlingly original films you can see at Laemmle Theatres include CITIZENFOUR, MOMMY, WHIPLASH, SELMA, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT and more. John Waters, a frequent host of the proceedings, calls it his “kind of crowd…sexually confused…and financially challenged.” Here are his birthday wishes for Spirit Awards:

Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson of Indiewire are pleased with Film Independent’s Choices, which they think are a return to the organization’s non-conformist roots. (Last year the Spirit Awards and Oscars were carbon copies of each other in most of the major categories.) Listen to their conversation.

In last week’s issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal (membership required), Greg Laemmle urged leaders in Sacramento and Los Angeles to help create a greener, more connected Los Angeles through good policy, urban planning, and smart business practices.

Business owners often have a stereotype of being cold and dismissive of their employees and the local area’s needs. However, this is a stereotype of owners in the past and isn’t true for the newest, brightest owners and CEO’s who understand that in order to have a thriving business, every part of the business needs to be looked after.

For the employees, this includes providing employee benefits, have a high-quality HR system that deals with issues quickly, and look for new ways to keep employees engaged. Using Zenefits for HR software is a good idea for companies who want to maintain a good working environment for their employees. However, it’s not just the employees that need to be considered. Providing care and resources for the local area will help businesses be thought of fondly by the locals and ensure a good public image. This mutually benefits the area and business which is why Laemmle is calling for businesses to contribute to transforming neighborhoods into pedestrian-friendly business hubs. To contribute to this, businesses should really consider installing Burglar alarms in order to deter criminals from operating in the neighborhood which will, in turn, encourage more consumers and business owners to show an interest in the area. If businesses show that they care about their premises enough to take their security seriously, this will give customers confidence in their local businesses.

Greg cited the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena as an example of how an infrastructure that encourages walking, cycling, and public transit can benefit commerce and community.
“When we built the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena in 1999, we used shared-parking agreements. There was an understanding that as the area grew, the Playhouse District would add parking. Once the Gold Line started running in the area, many of the surface parking lots in the immediate vicinity of the theater were developed into mixed-use buildings with retail on the ground floor and residential units above. The area became denser, more vibrant – a real 24-hour neighborhood.

The Playhouse District never did add more parking but our business hasn’t suffered. Instead, people are finding alternative ways to get to the area – walking, biking or taking public transit. The economic boom that made the neighborhood more vibrant happened without adding parking – instead, we helped create a more authentic neighborhood commercial experience, and the city of Pasadena saved money for other vital needs.”
We hope to replicate the success of the Playhouse 7 in the coming months when we break ground on the Laemmle Lofts project in Glendale, a five-screen theater with 42 apartments and 6,000 square feet of commercial space.

Download and read the full article: Measuring-Commerce-by-Foot-LA-Business-Journal.PDF

A special note to our Valley fans: We continue to search for similar projects in West Valley neighborhoods and sincerely appreciate your support.