Jamie Moffett is an American independent motion picture director, producer, and social activist.
Personal background
Moffett attended
Eastern University. After graduation, Moffett co-founded The Simple Way, a non-profit organization focused on community development in
Kensington, Philadelphia
Kensington, colloquially known locally as “Kenzo,” is a neighborhood in Philadelphia that belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia. As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the b ...
along with
Shane Claiborne
Shane Claiborne (born July 11, 1975) is a Christian activist and author who is a leading figure in the New Monasticism movement and one of the founding members of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Claibo ...
in January 1998.
Career
In 2003, Moffett was nominated for a
Barrymore Award
The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre is an annual, nationally recognized award program by Theatre Philadelphia for professional theater productions in the Greater Philadelphia area. Each season culminates in the Fall with an awards cerem ...
in Outstanding Theatre Sound Design.
In 2008 Moffett premiered his first feature documentary film, ''
The Ordinary Radicals'', in which Moffett followed authors
Shane Claiborne
Shane Claiborne (born July 11, 1975) is a Christian activist and author who is a leading figure in the New Monasticism movement and one of the founding members of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Claibo ...
and
Chris Haw on their 11,000 mile "Jesus for President" book tour.
Moffett's second feature, "
Return to El Salvador", documents the aftermath of a 12-year civil war and the interplay between the Salvadoran people and the US politics and policies that directly influence the Central American country.
Narrated by
Martin Sheen
Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...
, the film includes an interview of former US ambassador to El Salvador
Robert White,
and an endorsement by Nobel Peace Prize winner
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and Christian theology, theologian, known for his work as an Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Anglican ...
.
Social activism
Jamie Moffett has also gained media recognition for his advocacy efforts in the areas of urban poverty, crime reduction, and homelessness. He is the founder of a Philadelphia-based campaign, Kensington Renewal Initiativ
which was created to garner local and statewide support to decrease drug related crime in the low income, urban
Kensington, Philadelphia, Kensington neighborhood. Moffett established his film studio across the street from The Simple Way in Kensington in 2007, and was immediately troubled by the high levels of drug activity within the vacant house behind his studio. Moffett discovered that the house and over 300 other vacant properties in the area were owned by notorious slumlord, Robert (Bob) Coyle.
[Thompson, Isaiah. “Two Years After His Real Estate Empire Falls Apart, Slumlord Bob Coyle Indicted.” Philadelphia Citypaper. http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity/Two-years-after-his-real-estate-empire-falls-apart-slumlord-Bob-Coyle-indicted.html . March 2, 2012.]
After a failed attempt to purchase the blighted property from Coyle in 2007, Moffett launched the Kensington Renewal Initiative to make an official, determined effort to lessen the crime correlated to the vacant properties by working to rehabilitate the homes and resell them as owner-occupied properties. In 2012, Coyle was indicted and imprisoned with multiple counts of fraud,
and the
Kensington Renewal Initiative rehabilitated its first home.
Moffett explains his perspective on why he began Kensington Renewal Initiative, “The light bulb went on for me when I took a look at the city block and thought of it from a movie director’s perspective. The question became, what kind of movie do I want to be in? Do I want to be in a crazy drug-addled, post-apocalyptic nightmare or do I want to be in a great clean environment with plants and trees and flowers and kids playing?"
Moffett's Initiative takes the position that by denying loans to high credit families pursuing lower-value homes, illegal drug activity is perpetuated in dilapidated, owner-vacancy lots in urban neighborhoods like Kensington. Moffett's initiative gained the support of Senator
Bob Casey, Jr.
Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Pe ...
when the Senator toured the neighborhood with Moffett in October 2012. The Senator found Moffett's platform be true, and began efforts to ease this burden and increase opportunities for homeownership for low-income families.
Moffett's ultimate goal for Kensington Renewal Initiative is to develop a best-practices model from the Kensington project to be implemented to other urban areas in the United States to decrease crime by increasing the opportunities to establish owner-occupied properties in low income neighborhoods nationwide.
[Krost, Chelsea. "Social Good: Episode 2." April 2013. Minute 13:00. http://chelseakrost.com/watch-episode-1-online-the-chelsea-krost-show/ ]
Filmography
*''Return to El Salvador'' (2010)
*''The Ordinary Radicals: Special Topics Volume 1 - Heaven and Earth'' (2009)
*''The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera'' (2009)
*''Cornel West: A Dialogue on Race in the Church and Society'' (2008)
*''The Ordinary Radicals'' (2008)
*''Another World Is Possible: Volume 3 - Creation'' (2007)
*''Another World Is Possible: Volume 2 - Poverty'' (2006)
*''Another World Is Possible: Volume 1 - War'' (2005)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moffett, Jamie
1976 births
American documentary filmmakers
American film directors
American film producers
American film editors
Living people
American people of Scotch-Irish descent
American anti-poverty advocates
Nonviolence advocates