Cast Commentary

Get to know the “cast” here at the Jacob Burns Film Center: the employees, volunteers, and interns who make it possible to bring over 400 films a year to the community.

Featuring Abby Popper, Public Relations

What about your job do you find most satisfying?

Since I am a “people person”, I find that reaching out to individuals and special interest groups is a most satisfying part of my work at the JBFC. It is rewarding to explain why a particular film would appeal to a group. For example, this past fall I was in touch with several organizations who were interested in birds and preservation of ecosystems. I was able to peak their interest in the film Saving Jamaica Bay, which was part of our annual “Focus on Nature” film series.

What about working at the JBFC might people find surprising?

I think people would be surprised to know that I am older than most of the employees here but it is wonderful to work with so many technologically savvy young people who know so much about film. There is always good lunchtime conversation.

Talk about an important or influential experience in your life that sparked your interest in film. 

My parents took me to see Dumbo when I was very young and that was the beginning of a life-long interest in film. I also wrote a letter to Walt Disney asking him if he would ever make a film of Peter Pan and much to my delight, he responded that it was a film he was working on. (I wish I still had that letter but it is long gone!) I find, as I am sure everyone does, that film is a great escape from the daily routine; it is local, it is good, and it leads to stimulating conversation.

What’s currently decorating your work space? 

My “retirement career” started at the JBFC in April of 2001 (after 21 years of working in marketing and public relations in Westchester County government) so my bulletin board partition is “decorated” with plants, (my orchid is doing very well) and photos and cards of events we have promoted that I enjoy looking at that make me smile, like a card we did many years ago to promote membership that pictured celebrities who had been at the JBFC (i.e. Meryl Streep, Woody Allen, Angela Bassett among others) sitting in Theater 1 along with animated characters. The card read “spend time with some interesting character”.

If you could have a one-on-one dinner with anybody in the world—living or dead—who would it be?

Who would I like to have dinner with? That is a hard one since there are so many people who I would like to chat with but Eleanor Roosevelt would be a first choice.