Mary M. Lampe – Executive Director

For 13 years, Mary Lampe has served as Executive Director of Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP), a 35-year-old nonprofit media arts organization that supports the creation and appreciation of independent film. Throughout her tenure, she has developed innumerable educational programs and film programs for youth and adults. In addition, she has served on festival juries and panels as well as on grant committees for city, state and national funders.

She is most proud of  her efforts to provide direct support to talented filmmakers, resulting in the production of 27 short films through the Walt Disney ABC Television Talent Development Grant program and the eight month Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship Program, a bi-cultural collaboration with the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

Also, Mary has assisted experienced filmmakers in raising over $1.6 million through SWAMP’s Sponsored Projects program, which provides a nonprofit umbrella for non-commercial documentary films. Through her efforts, she has helped both emerging and experienced filmmakers combined to raise over $2.5 million for their film projects.

Mary Lampe was elected an at-large member of the founding board of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TXMPA), a statewide nonprofit organization which serves as a legislative advocate for professionals working in the film, video, interactive, and digital media production industries. She also served as the chair of the founding committee of the Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS), sponsors of the new Cinema Arts Festival Houston, and continues to serve on the HCAS board.

Mary is the Co-Executive Producer of THE TERRITORY, SWAMP’s international short film showcase series, broadcast on Texas PBS stations for 34 seasons. She was recently asked to curate a program of American short films for the 2012 Tour de Film in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Jenny Waldo – Program Coordinator

SWAMP’s new Program Coordinator is no stranger to the organization having been a board member for five years including her 2010 stint as board President.  For the past ten years, Jenny has worked as a writer, director, and producer of fictional, documentary, and educational films and videos, shorts and features.  A lifelong writer and photographer, Jennifer began her career working in the documentary/educational film industry of her hometown, Washington, DC. Wanting to hone her skills as a filmmaker, Jenny earned her MFA in Film Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts where she won the Edward Small Directing Scholarship for her existentialist film ROOM 119 and wrote and directed her 35mm graduate thesis film SEARCHING FOR ANGELS.  Festival favorites that Jenny produced include UNSYNCABLES AT ANY AGE, FIST OF IRON CHEF, and PEBBLES.

While living in Los Angeles, Jenny worked in development for various production companies including Intermedia (TERMINATOR 3, THE WEDDING PLANNER), Thunder Road (THE TOWN, CLASH OF THE TITANS) and National Geographic Films (MARCH OF THE PENGUINS).  After graduating USC, Jenny produced/directed a series of educational videos for a local Houston Montessori school and the educational doc EVERYTHING BEGINS AT B.I.R.T.H. about a local non-profit organization founded by midwives.  In addition, Jenny’s feature length scripts have been selected as finalists in competition and her novel won the NaNoWriMo writing challenge in 2008.  Most recently, Jenny worked as Associate Producer for former Program Coordinator Michelle Mower’s independent feature film THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER now in post production.   Jenny is also in post production on her own short SISTERS.