Daneeta Loretta (Saft)* Jackson
daneeta@elektrikzoo.com

Biography:

Born in Big Branch, Louisiana in August of 1965. Moved around Southeast Louisiana a lot as a kid: Kenner, Thibadeaux, Paradis, Mandeville, New Orleans.

BA in Literature: Loyola University of the South. Intensive Japanese: Monterey Institute of International Studies. Lived in Virgina for 8 months: MA in Literature from George Mason University. Lived in Southern California for a spell. Worked odd jobs.

Moved to rural Japan. Two years teaching. Five years in Tokyo doing business, dancing on tables, and writing it all down.

Moved to London: MA/MFA from the London Film School. Worked as Writer+Director+ Producer. Produced 13 shorts and two feature documentaries. Main credits on seven other shorts and one feature. International experience includes Europe, Africa, Asia and the U.S.

Work mainly under the umbrella of the Elektrik Zoo, an international creative partnership co-founded by myself and Patrick Jackson.

Philosophy: Together we are stronger.

Selected Work as Director/Writer/Producer

Producer/Co-Creator
(with Patrick Jackson & Chard Gonzales
"Amused"
Dance/Video Projection Collaboration
The Elektrik Zoo
(2009)
Executive Producer
(with Patrick Jackson)
"The Green Money Crew"
Short Eco-mentary
NOVAC, The Alliance for Affordable Energy, LA Green Corps, Studio at Colton School (2009)
Producer/Co-Creator
(with Patrick Jackson & Chard Gonzales)
"Atawii"
Dance/Video Projection Collaboration
The Elektrik Zoo
(2009)
Performed at the Baton Rouge Little Theatre (2009)
Co-Writer/Co-Director/
Co-Producer
(with Patrick Jackson)
Little Baby Eyes: Franz Kirmann
Music Video
Loeb Records
The Elektrik Zoo (2009)
Co-Writer/Co-Director
(with Patrick Jackson)
Destiny After the Storm
(Working Title)
(Script in Progress)
Feature

The Elektrik Zoo (2008)
Co-Writer
(with Patrick Jackson)
Happy Rabbit: Breakbot
Music Video
Moshi Moshi Records
Day for Night Films (2008)
Official Selection: Slamdance Film Festival (2009)
Co-Director/Co-Producer
(with Patrick Jackson)
Loco: The Missing Limbs
Music Video

The Elektrik Zoo (2008)
Co-Director/Co-Producer
(with Patrick Jackson)
Tokyo Cowboys
Feature Documentary
The Elektrik Zoo (2008)
Notes:

Official Selection: The Japan Film Festival, Los Angeles  (2008)

Nominated, Best Documentary: The Little Rock Film Festival  (2008)
Rising Sun Award: The Seattle True Independent Film Festival  (2008)
Nominated, Best Documentary: Ischia Film Festival  (2008)
Cannes in a Van (2008)
Atlanta Underground Film Festival (2008)
Nominated, Best Documentary: Naperville Independent Film Festival (2008)
Nominated, Best Short Documentary: Thin Line Documentary Film Festival (2008)

Executive Producer Liza
Short Experimental Documentary
Director: Patrick Jackson
The Elektrik Zoo (2007)
Notes:

Nominated for Best Short: 21st Stuttgart Filmwinter
Nominated for Best Experimental Film: The London Short Film Festival
Institute for Contemporary Arts, London
Official Selection: 20th Filmfest Dresden: Special Programme – “Experimental Films”
"Days of Contemporary Art," Bialystok, Poland
The British Film Institute Southbank
Co-Writer/Producer Toasted
Narrative Short
The Elektrik Zoo (2007)
Notes:

Script Shortlisted: PULSE (Film London)

Co-Producer/Art Director Daybreak
Narrrative Short
Rickshaw Productions (2007)
Notes:

Official Selection: The London Short Film Festival (“Love on the Road” Series)

Selected for Festival Distribution by the British Council of Arts
Official Selection: Arrivano i Corti Short Film Festival

Producer/Art Director Fragile
Experimental Short
The Elektrik Zoo (2007)
Notes:

Official Selection: L'etrange Film Festival
Earlier Work
The Trousseau: Narrative Short Line Producer (Ghana)
We Should Have Blessed the Set: Feature Documentary Director/Lighting Camera/Editor My Beautiful Reward: Narrative Short Writer/Producer
This is What it Feels Like: Narrative Short Producer/Editor
Thicker than Water: Narrative Short Writer/Director/Producer
A Slice of Life: Narrative Short Producer
The Trouble with Being Lucifer: Narrative Short Producer
The Railroad Earth: Experimental Short Producer
Dr. Yalabeni: Narrative Short co-Writer/Producer
Dead Man Talks: Experimental Short Producer
Batman and Roslyn: Narrative Short Writer/Director/Producer
Cassandra: Narrative Short Writer
Pursuit: Experimental Short co-Writer/Producer/Editor
Works Published (Selected)

Features
"Wherever I lay my Hat," The Guardian, 11 September 2008
Homecoming, The Guardian, 10 March 2007
Blood is Thicker than Floodwater,” The Guardian, 28 August 2006
“Emotional Suicide,” Tokyo Journal, February 1999
“Friendship,” Being A Broad, September 1998
“Part-time Entrepreneurs,” Being A Broad, November 1998

Social Media Advertising
"Derek Says": New Orleans Insectarium (Unofficial)

Columns

City Life Examiner: Examiner.com (2008 - Present)
Senior Blogger: London Metblog & New Orleans Metblog (2005 - 2008)
“Healthy Bytes,” FEW Review (monthly), 1999-2000
Alternatives,” Metropolis (bi-weekly), 1999-2000
Jobfinder,” Metropolis (bi-weekly), 1999-2000
“Date Lines,” Tokyo Journal (monthly), 1999 (sample)
“Money Matters,” Tokyo Journal (monthly), 1998-1999
“Broads on the Web,” Being A Broad (monthly), 1998

Articles
“Just Like Heaven,” The Guardian, April 2006
“Big Apple Films in the Big Mikan,” Tokyo Journal, March 1999
“On a Shoestring: Budget Traveling on the Web,” Tokyo Y.Y. August 1999
“Film Buffs: Indulge Yourselves on the Net,” Tokyo Y.Y. September 1999
“Food, Glorious Food,” Tokyo Y.Y., November 1999
“Bound to Please,” Being A Broad, September 1998
“Paula Terry – She Will Survive,” Being A Broad, August 1998
“The Wa of Weight Training,” Traffic, January 1995
“Foreign Rice Declared National Disaster,” Traffic, March 1995
“Please Study!” Traffic, June/July 1994

Interviews
“One Woman in Japan: May Leong,” Being A Broad, April 1998
“The Men of Being A Broad,” Being A Broad, September 1998
“One Woman in Japan: Nobuko Muromatsu,” Being A Broad, October 1998
“In the Spotlight: Shoichi Kaku,” Traffic, September 1994
 
Poetry
Poet Laureate: Joseph Nils (2009)
“My Grand Mistake,” The Abiko Quarterly, Winter/Spring 2001

“Tsunami,” The Abiko Quarterly, Winter/Spring 2000
“The Fourth Sin,” The Abiko Quarterly, Winter/Srping 2000
“My Response to your accusation of throwing away a bowl of Tapioca Pudding,”
Traffic, December 1994

Essays
“American Mythology and Michael Herr’s ‘Dispatches,’”
Kita-Kyushu University Press, June 1995
“The Heroic Nature of Satan in John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’”
Kita-Kyushu University Press, March 1995
“’Desire and Domestic Fiction’ and Miss Sidney Bidulph,”
Kita-Kyushu University Press, June 1995

Books
“No Mickey Mouse Courses in America,” Yamaga Publishing, 2000
“Story Truths,” Kita-Kyushu University Press, 1995

Web

Websites Created and Maintained

www.elektrikzoo.com  (2002 - Present)
www.tokyocowboys.com (2002 - Present)
Healthy-Bytes.com (1998-2000)
Being A Broad (1997-1999)
Foreign Executive Women (1998-2000)

Blogs

City Life Examiner: Examiner.com (2008 - Present)
Content Manager: Down in the Parish (2007 - Present)
Content Manager: Tokyo Cowboys (2002 - Present)
Content Manager: Elektrik Zoo (2006 - Present)
Fiction/Non Fiction Writer: Story Truths (Syndicated on Examiner.com) (2004 - Present)
Senior Blogger: London Metblog (2005 - 2008)
Senior Blogger: New Orleans Metblog (2008)

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Teaching & Workshops

Documenting your World - New Orleans Video Acess Center/LA Green Corps (2009)
Everybody has a story to tell, but do they have the skills, desire and motivation to tell it well? This 11-week workshop was conceived and developed by The Elektrik Zoo and is aimed at motivating young people to tell their stories in an interesting and compelling way. The first run of this workshop saw at-risk, urban youths conceiving, shooting and editing their own short documentary about their work to help New Orleans become a greener city. Picutres here. Video is here.
Substitute Teaching - Recovery School District (RSD), New Orleans & St. Bernard Parish Board of Education (2009)
Writer/Director Masterclass - Department of Media Studies (Christopher Jeansonne)
Lusher Charter School, New Orleans, LA (2008)
Filmmaking Masterclass (with Patrick Jackson) - Department of Music (Jim Gabour)
Loyola University, New Orleans (2008)
Writer/Director Masterclass - Department of English (John Biguenet)
Loyola University, New Orleans (2006)

Education

Master of Arts
Distinctions: Directing & Producing
The Art and Technique of Filmmaking
MFA Equivalent
The London Film School
(2003)

Master of Arts
English Literature
George Mason University
(Thesis Published)
(1995)

Bachelor of Arts
English Literature
Loyola University of the South
(1988)

Workshops/Courses

Doc/Fest Pitching Workshop
UK Film Council and
Sheffield Documentary Film Festival
(2008)

Improvisation for Directors and Screenwriters
with Sean McCann
The London Film School
(2008)

The Craft of the Director
with Paul Cronin
The London Film School
(2008)

Sales, Marketing and Distribution
with Mia Bays
The London Film School
(2008)

Writer's Gym
with Ellis Freeman
The London Film School
(2007)

Directing & Writing
Director's Guild of Britian
(2007)

Documentary Filmmaking
Temple University, Japan
(1998)

Creative Writing
Short Stories
Temple University, Japan
(1997)

Intensive Japanese
Monterey Institute of International Studies
(1989)
Awards/Distinctions
Chairwomanships
  • Thrice chaired and organized the "Elektrik Zoo Review" ("Fostering & celebrating international and cross-cultural dialogue through art, music and dance in Central London")
  • Co-Chaired the FEW Career Strategies Seminar in Tokyo, which aimed to address career issues relating to foreign women living and working in Japan
  • Co-Organizer of the quarterly “Together We Are Stronger” LFS Alumni Networking Events

Affiliations/Memberships

The Elektrik Zoo
(Co-Founder)

Sigma Tau Delta
(English Honor Society)

Foreign Executive Women

Tokyo Women's Connection (London)
Founding Member

Shooting People

The London Film School Alumni Association

Media Rights
Random Work Experience

Alumni Liaison - The London Film School, Covent Garden, London (2004 - 2008)

  • Conducted informal “surgery” sessions during student pre-production period to ensure proper
  • scheduling and budgeting and to anticipate problems during the shoot
  • Worked as “staff on set” during student productions
  • Responsible for building relationships between this 52 year old school and its alumni
  • Planned, coordinated and conducted weekly open day sessions for prospective students
  • Worked as part of a team responsible for creating marketing materials for the school including print, web and video
  • Worked as part of a team responsible for organizing short courses, weekend workshops and Q & A sessions, which included curriculum development, recruitment of top film professionals as participants and moderating events
Freelance Producer, U.K., Japan, Africa, U.S.A. (2003 - Present) (See above for credits)
  • Producing short and long-form projects
  • Fund Raising
  • Budgeting
  • Scheduling
  • Recruiting and Hiring Cast and Crew
  • Line-producing
  • Managing post production
  • Marketing and Selling
  • International Experience
  • Experience with 16mm, 35mm, miniDV, HD
Freelance Web Content Developer, London/Tokyo (1995 - Present) (See above for links)
  • Working at the Internet Access Center, Developed content and web marketing materials for multi-national companies
  • As founder of the Elektrik Zoo, develop and maintain websites and blogs for film and writing projects
Freelance Writer, London/Tokyo/USA (1993 - Present) (See above for credits)
  • Work (including articles, creative non-fiction and poetry) published in the Guardian (London), English language publications in Tokyo, and in academic and literary publications as well as on various blogs.
Web Content Development/Training Manager – Internet Access Center, Tokyo (1995 - 1998)
  • Planned and managed the development of web content for clients including Ford, Coke, McVities and Budweiser.
  • Developed and maintained software training department for this start up Internet Service Provider

Teacher – New Horizons Computer Learning Center, Buzen Board of Education, Catena Training, Center &  Kanda University (1990 - 1995)
  • Trained adults and university students on various software packages including Office, Internet, Web Authoring, DTP, and Photoshop.
  • Taught Jr. High School students in English and American Culture specializing in the Deep South.
Odd Jobs
  • Present Wrapper, Beale's Department Store, Covington, LA (1981)
  • Drive-Thru Window Girl, Popeye's Fried Chicken, Covington LA (1982)
  • Waitress, Spats, Metarie, LA (1984)
  • Cocktail Waitress, Polo Club Lounge, Windsor Court Hotel Bar, New Orleans, LA (1984) Promoted to:
  • Restaurant Cashier, New Orleans Grill Room, New Orleans, LA (1984 -1986)
  • ESL Tutor, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA (1986 - 1987) Promoted to:
  • Computer Tutor, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA (1987 - 1989)
  • Doctor's Assistant, Children's Hospital, New Orleans, LA (1988)
  • Graduate Assistant - English Department (Andrew Horton), University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA (1988 - 1989)
  • Resume Writer, AAA McKinstry, Santa Anna, CA (1990)
  • Curriculum Development (Motorcycle Industry) (1991 - 1993)
  • Desktop Publishing Sprog (1993)
  • Business Process Re-engineer (1997 - 1988)
  • Wall Painter (2003)
  • Camera Assistant
  • Art Department Assistant
  • Location Scout
  • Newsletter Editor
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* I have recently married Patrick Jackson and am in the process of changing my name. This is a long process. For full information, see this article.