Film producer Erin Pauahi Auerbach spoke with us this week about her fiscally sponsored film project. “Paradise Transformed” explores how the people of Hawaii were affected by the attack on Pearl Harbor. In Erin’s words, “we are very good about honoring the military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice that Sunday morning, but we have forgotten about Hawaii and its people, and what happened to them when war arrived on its shores.”

How did you get involved in filmmaking?

Honestly, quite by accident. I didn’t go to film school and I hadn’t ever thought of making a film. Growing up in Hawaii, I was a Hula dancer, and at the age of four began performing on stage and in competitions. In college, I studied voice performance and then sang opera and musical theatre professionally. While singing, I worked on Madison Ave managing marketing and advertising for Fortune 100 companies. Ultimately, I decided to go to business school to put everything all together - my goal then was to become a Broadway producer. When I finished my MBA, I started Aria Arts Consulting, through which I now manage marketing for Broadway shows and fundraising for performing arts organizations and non-profits that serve children.

When I had the idea for this project, even though I knew I couldn’t shoot and edit a film myself, I understood that the work I do has fully prepared me to step into the role of film producer.  I know how to run a business, I know how to fundraise, I know how to develop and implement a marketing plan to reach the right audience, and most importantly, I know how to build a strong team that will work hand in hand with me to see the project through.

How does your MBA and consulting influence your artistic process?

Both remind and allow me to look at this film project through the lens of managing a business. I feel like these disciplines keep me grounded as a creator. I’m energized by the spiral thinking of the creative team: Director, Stephen Higgins (The Matador; Harmony: The Road to Carnegie Hall) and Director of Photography, Henry Chen (Harmony: The Road to Carnegie Hall) , and as we work together I understand that we need to consider cost implications before we  go off in a direction that’s not appropriate for our budget. Of course, I’m careful to squeeze the budget the most in areas that are non-creative. And, since I love getting a good deal, anywhere I can save in terms of overhead is money I can put toward creative. I think this is a good balanced approach.

What inspired you to start on “Paradise Transformed”?

I was originally inspired by a visit I made with a friend in 2004 to the Arizona Memorial Museum where I was disappointed to find no mention of the local experience. While I understood that it was a military war museum, something just didn’t feel right, but at the time I wasn’t prepared to do anything about it. Fast forward to July 2008. I flipped into a Pearl Harbor documentary at the precise moment when the museum’s curator was asked about the local experience. He answered that it had largely been ignored. That was my lightbulb. I googled every possible combination that could bring up such coverage and kept hitting a story that ran via the AP NewsWire in December 2007. A woman who had been interviewed about her experience as a child was a friend of my parents. I realized I knew A LOT of people like her since both sides of my family have lived in Hawaii for generations.  I knew I had to do this!

What interests you about this story? What can we learn from the way that the people of Hawaii recovered from the catastrophe that they endured?

The Hawaiian Islands are the most remote archipelago on earth. Everyone and everything that calls Hawaii home came from somewhere else - including the Native Hawaiians who navigated from the South Pacific. In a place like this, people have to get along, there’s nowhere else to go but ocean. The People of Hawaii refer to themselves as “locals” although they might be ethnically Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Caucasian, Hapa (Hawaiian:  portion, part, fraction). That simple general identification, “local”, speaks to the notion that “we’re all in it together”.

When war arrived, locals had no option but to work together in order to come through the crisis together. The tectonic cultural shifts that took place as a result of the attack were forces that shaped modern day Hawaii, and have much to teach us about transcending fear and allowing humanity to triumph even in war. This is directly relevant to discussions taking place today about the “Ground Zero mosque” or the pastor who planned to burn Korans to commemorate 9/11. It was immediately evident that without any prompting, each kupuna (Hawaiian:  grandparent) interviewee immediately correlated 9/11 and the treatment of Muslim-Americans to the suspicion experienced nearly 70 years ago by the Japanese in Hawaii and on the US mainland.

What have you learned in the audio interviews you have held? Are there stories or people that stand out?

Our kupuna are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Unlike today, where we are very open (often too open) about our personal experiences, these folks come from a generation that did not so willingly share their emotions in public. At first I was nervous about seeming “niele” (Hawaiian:  inquisitive, nosy) when asking my pointed questions. I quickly learned that they were now quite willing to talk about what happened to them, their families, and community. Honestly, I had secretly hoped to capture emotion and drama in their voices on my recorder, but as they told me their stories in their measured manner, I was the one who was overcome by emotion! I recall two striking conversations during which I heard an elderly man or woman say, “the FBI came to our house that night and just took my mother away. No questions asked,” or “my mother was the enemy!”

How has your membership with Fractured Atlas helped you as an artist?

Securing fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas was the first step in legitimizing this project. I had spent almost a year considering various business set-ups and funding plans and took MANY classes at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts to determine the best practice. Since this film felt like it would be more of a “social good” vs. a “financial investment opportunity” I decided I would want to raise funds through foundation, corporate, and government sources that would have interest in the film and its subject matter. This meant that I would need to find a fiscal sponsor.  I researched various possibilities, including those that were singly focused on film, and spoke with colleagues whose projects were fiscally sponsored via Fractured Atlas. Their positive experiences helped me make my decision.

Once I had Fractured Atlas on my team, I felt more confident about the reality of the film and was able to demonstrate to potential funders - including Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), part of the PBS Minority Consortia - that I was serious in my pursuit and already on a logical and solid path. And, PIC became the project’s first funder!

I’d like to reiterate, I consider Fractured Atlas as part of my team. Their support and encouragement - even in the worst fundraising economy - is unparalleled. Over the course of my first year as a member, I have asked them a bazillion questions, and each time Juliana and Dianne are friendly and patient, even when I split hairs re-posing a question in a slightly different manner to determine nuance. On the day that I received my first grant award, they were right there cheering along with me. It wasn’t just a win for me and “Paradise Transformed”, it was a win for ALL of us!

What are the next steps for the project?

At the moment, my team and I are planning for our first shoot in Hawaii. This will allow us to create our “fundraising trailer” which will be a valuable tool for us solicit funds as we move forward. For the last year, I have been in heavy-fundraising mode. Now, I’m shifting focus to creative - although I’ve still got a bunch of proposals in the works!

Photo courtesy of the Auerbach family. In the photo are Erin’s dad, uncle, neighbors, and dog Spot.