- Amy Sewell
Infobox actor
name = Amy Sewell
caption = Amy Sewell
birthdate = birth date and age|1963|4|23
location =Cedar Rapids, Iowa
occupation = filmmaker, director, writer, producerAmy Sewell (born 1963) is an American author and filmmaker, best known for "
Mad Hot Ballroom " (Paramount, 2005), in which she debuted as a film writer and producer.Sewell is also the founder/director of a non-profit organization, Give It Up for the ARTS. The non-profit's main mission is to help kids gain exposure to the arts.
Early career
Although born in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1963, Sewell grew up in suburbanChicago andDetroit . In 1981, she earned a degree in marketing and communications from theUniversity of Michigan .After working in public relations for several years, Sewell enrolled in
Schiller International University , located inParis, France , where she studied business administration. Armed with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Sewell moved to New York in 1989.In NYC, Sewell spent 15 years as a marketing executive in the publishing industry before leaving corporate America to spend more time at home with her twin daughters. Following a short stint as a stay-at-home mom, Sewell soon re-entered the workplace as a writer, reporting local stories for her neighborhood newspaper, the "
Tribeca Trib ", in lower Manhattan. [cite news | title=Amy Sewell ‘Takes Five’ Mad Hot Ballroom writer wanted to put positive spin on life | url= http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=552945 | work= Milwaukie Journal Sentinel| date=15 Jan 2007 ] In July of 2003, following the publication of a feature story in the Tribeca Trib about New York City public school children studying ballroom dance, Sewell joined forces with film producer Marilyn Agrelo to turn her story into the hit documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom."Films
; "
Mad Hot Ballroom ": Sewell received acclaim for her debut film, "Mad Hot Ballroom". Based on a feature article written by Sewell, "Mad Hot Ballroom" looks inside the lives of eleven-year-old New York City public school kids. Pieces of themselves are revealed along the way, as the children strive toward the final citywide competition and journey into the world of ballroom dancing. Told from the students' perspectives, the film highlights the cultural diversity that is the soul of New York City.
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