Anita Ondine
Encyclopedia
Anita Ondine Smith is an Australian-British filmmaker and transmedia
storyteller.
, Australia
, Anita is the daughter of Anka Makovec, a Slovene artist and Albert Arthur Smith, an Australian carpenter
.
After a short period living in the former Yugoslavia
Anita and her mother moved to Tasmania
, where they became deeply involved in the largest environmental battle in Australian history - the battle to save the Franklin River
from being dammed
.
The Tasmanian Dam Case (Commonwealth v Tasmania
), was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law
. After years of protests and grass roots action led by Dr Bob Brown
(now Senator Brown, leader of the Australian Greens
), the High Court of Australia
decided that the federal law protecting the Franklin River was valid, 4 votes to 3. This landmark decision motivated Anita to become a lawyer.
Anita graduated with Honours in Law from the Australian National University
, where she specialized in intellectual property
, technology and international law. Her graduating thesis was entitled Lex Cybertoria: International Law and Copyright on the Internet. Anita also holds a B.A. from the Australian National University in Political Science.
While working as a technology lawyer in 1998 for Freehills
and an IBM
subsidiary, Anita wrote a book called The Millennium Bomb Disposal Kit about the impact of technology on business and for several years was a frequent speaker at international conferences such as TTI/Vanguard
, on the intersection of law and technology.
Anita moved from Australia to London
, England
in 1999, where she worked for Shaw Pittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
) on complex technology outsourcing transactions as well as cutting edge internet advisory work, with clients including Reuters
.
Still in the City of London
, Anita worked for Lehman Brothers
from 2000 to 2006 in legal, operational risk and executive management functions and held the position of Senior Vice President. Anita was a key organizer in raising awareness of disability issues at the firm, including writing and directing a short film entitled Disability Diversity at Lehman Brothers. Anita was also on the board of trustees for the Disability Equality in Education charitable trust.
After a decade in law and business management, Anita moved into filmmaking
full time in 2006.
production company, in partnership with Lance Weiler
and David Beard.
Anita also writes, directs and produces via her company, Touch Light Media. Touch Light Media is specifically focused on three core themes: technology, the environment and women's stories.
The Franklin River Story is one of several films in development and is an environmental tale based on the true events surrounding the battle to save the Franklin River
in the early 1980s.
In 2007 and 2008 Anita co-produced the dark comedy feature film Drop Dead Gorgeous, written and directed by Philip Alderton, due for release in 2009.
Anita has an ongoing artistic collaboration with American singer and performance artist Rodleen Getsic
, having filmed together many times from 2005 to 2008.
John Perry Barlow
, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
and former lyricist for the Grateful Dead
is a member of the Touch Light Media Advisory Board.
Anita currently serves as a Founding Board Member of BlueGlobe, is a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and supports various collaborative culture initiatives, including the Creative Commons
.
Transmedia storytelling
Transmedia storytelling, also known as multi-platform storytelling, cross-platform storytelling, or transmedia narrative, is the technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies...
storyteller.
Biography
Born in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Anita is the daughter of Anka Makovec, a Slovene artist and Albert Arthur Smith, an Australian carpenter
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
.
After a short period living in the former Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
Anita and her mother moved to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, where they became deeply involved in the largest environmental battle in Australian history - the battle to save the Franklin River
Franklin River
The Franklin River lies in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Its source is situated at the western edge of the Central Highlands and it continues west towards the West Coast of Tasmania...
from being dammed
Franklin Dam
The Franklin Dam or Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.The dam was...
.
The Tasmanian Dam Case (Commonwealth v Tasmania
Commonwealth v Tasmania
Commonwealth v Tasmania 158 CLR 1, was a significant Australian court case, decided in the High Court of Australia on 1 July 1983. The case was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law, and was a significant moment in the history of conservation in Australia...
), was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law
Australian constitutional law
Australian constitutional law is the area of the law of Australia relating to the interpretation and application of the Constitution of Australia. Several major doctrines of Australian constitutional law have developed....
. After years of protests and grass roots action led by Dr Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
(now Senator Brown, leader of the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
), the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
decided that the federal law protecting the Franklin River was valid, 4 votes to 3. This landmark decision motivated Anita to become a lawyer.
Anita graduated with Honours in Law from the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, where she specialized in intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, technology and international law. Her graduating thesis was entitled Lex Cybertoria: International Law and Copyright on the Internet. Anita also holds a B.A. from the Australian National University in Political Science.
While working as a technology lawyer in 1998 for Freehills
Freehills
Freehills is a commercial law firm that operates in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia it is considered one of the 'Big Six' law firms.-Offices:Freehills has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane in Australia...
and an IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
subsidiary, Anita wrote a book called The Millennium Bomb Disposal Kit about the impact of technology on business and for several years was a frequent speaker at international conferences such as TTI/Vanguard
TTI/Vanguard
TTI/Vanguard is an advanced technology conference series for senior-level executives. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, TTI/Vanguard explores emerging and potentially disruptive technologies and their global impact. Five times annually, corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs,...
, on the intersection of law and technology.
Anita moved from Australia to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1999, where she worked for Shaw Pittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international, full-service law firm with strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors and offices located throughout the United States and the world, including key financial centers such as New York, London, Tokyo and...
) on complex technology outsourcing transactions as well as cutting edge internet advisory work, with clients including Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
.
Still in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, Anita worked for Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...
from 2000 to 2006 in legal, operational risk and executive management functions and held the position of Senior Vice President. Anita was a key organizer in raising awareness of disability issues at the firm, including writing and directing a short film entitled Disability Diversity at Lehman Brothers. Anita was also on the board of trustees for the Disability Equality in Education charitable trust.
After a decade in law and business management, Anita moved into filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
full time in 2006.
Current work
Anita is CEO of Seize the Media, the transmediaTransmedia storytelling
Transmedia storytelling, also known as multi-platform storytelling, cross-platform storytelling, or transmedia narrative, is the technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies...
production company, in partnership with Lance Weiler
Lance Weiler
LANCE WEILER'S RÉSUMÉLance Weiler is an American film-maker and writer from Pennsylvania. Initially working as an assistant cameraman and camera operator on large commercial shoots, in Pennsylvania and later New York City, he then co-directed, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in The Last...
and David Beard.
Anita also writes, directs and produces via her company, Touch Light Media. Touch Light Media is specifically focused on three core themes: technology, the environment and women's stories.
The Franklin River Story is one of several films in development and is an environmental tale based on the true events surrounding the battle to save the Franklin River
Franklin River
The Franklin River lies in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Its source is situated at the western edge of the Central Highlands and it continues west towards the West Coast of Tasmania...
in the early 1980s.
In 2007 and 2008 Anita co-produced the dark comedy feature film Drop Dead Gorgeous, written and directed by Philip Alderton, due for release in 2009.
Anita has an ongoing artistic collaboration with American singer and performance artist Rodleen Getsic
Rodleen Getsic
Rodleen Getsic is an American singer, activist, actress, film producer and performance artist.-Biography:...
, having filmed together many times from 2005 to 2008.
John Perry Barlow
John Perry Barlow
John Perry Barlow is an American poet and essayist, a retired Wyoming cattle rancher, and a cyberlibertarian political activist who has been associated with both the Democratic and Republican parties. He is also a former lyricist for the Grateful Dead and a founding member of the Electronic...
, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
and former lyricist for the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
is a member of the Touch Light Media Advisory Board.
Anita currently serves as a Founding Board Member of BlueGlobe, is a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and supports various collaborative culture initiatives, including the Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
.
External links
- New Models of Funding: Beyond the Big Screen: Video of Anita Ondine speaking at the DIY Day conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1 August 2009, on the topic of new funding models for those willing to think beyond the big screen.
- What's The Hold Up? Real Versus Perceived Risks in Online Commerce Conference Paper by Anita Smith presented at the Australian Computer Society Information Industry Outlook Conference, 7 November 1998, Canberra, Australia
- Identification, Authentication and Anonymity in a Legal Context Article by Anita Smith and Roger Clarke presented at the User Identification & Privacy Protection Conference, Stockholm, 14–15 June 1999, republished in Computer Law & Security Report 16, 2 (March/April 2000) CLSR 95-101
- Safe Sales in Cyberspace Article by Helena Haapio and Anita Smith originally presented at the American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) and simultaneously published in the ACCA Docket (July/August 2000)
- Seize the Media
- Touch Light Media