{{Short description|American artist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} [[File:Douglas Gayeton Cusp Conference 2008.jpg|thumb|Douglas Gayeton presenting at [[Cusp Conference]] 2008, Chicago, IL]] '''Douglas Gayeton''' is an American [[multimedia artist]], filmmaker, writer, and photographer with ties to farming in Sonoma County, California and photography in [[Pistoia]], a medieval Tuscan town in North Central Italy.
He is the author of ''Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tabori|first=Lena|date=2010-03-18|title=It's A Book, It's A Restaurant Movement: "Slow: Life In A Tuscan Town" (PHOTOS, VIDEO)|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/slow-life-in-a-tuscan-tow_n_361899|access-date=2020-09-09|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-11-27|title=Petaluma's Douglas Gayeton left a film career to return to his family's agrarian roots|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/petalumas-douglas-gayeton-left-a-film-career-to-return-to-his-familys-agr/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Lexicon of Sustainability: Q & A with Filmmaker Douglas Gayeton|url=https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/42488/the-lexicon-of-sustainability-q-a-with-filmmaker-douglas-gayeton|access-date=2020-09-09|website=KQED|date=May 15, 2012 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gayeton, Douglas.|title=Slow : life in a Tuscan town|date=2009|publisher=Welcome|others=Waters, Alice., Petrini, Carlo., Fried, Katrina.|isbn=978-1-59962-072-5|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=303041911}}</ref> and ''LOCAL: The new Face of Food and Farming in America''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gunther|first=Marc|date=2014-03-25|title=Information artworks are using words to change the world|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/food-blog/information-artworks-words-change-world-douglas-gayeton|access-date=2020-09-09|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gayeton, Douglas|title=Local : the new face of food and farming in America|date=June 10, 2014|isbn=978-0-06-226763-4|location=New York|oclc=869802014}}</ref>
Gayeton's noteworthy film productions credits include: '[[Delta State (TV series)|Delta State]]', '[[Johnny Mnemonic: The Interactive Action Movie]]', ''Know Your Food'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/food/features/lexicon-of-sustainability-episodes/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305051149/http://www.pbs.org/food/features/lexicon-of-sustainability-episodes/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 5, 2014|access-date=2020-09-09|website=www.pbs.org|title=The Lexicon of Sustainability: Episodes List}}</ref> a film series on food and farming produced for PBS, ''Growing Organic'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Growing Organic - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4J8PxoprpGYCiGN0FNF8xfOU-kAi36pX|access-date=2020-09-09|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref> a docuseries on organics in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture. Gayeton is also the creator of ''[[Molotov Alva|Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey]].''
==Early life== Douglas Gayeton received his BA in Literature and Writing from the [[University of California, San Diego]] in 1983, where he studied under dramatists Adele Edling Shank and [[Alan Schneider]]. Under the guidance of [[Reinhard Lettau]] he also founded the literary magazine ''Birdcage Review'', which featured contributions from a mix of students and notable composers, writers and artists, including [[Ernst Krenek]], [[Eleanor Antin]], [[Robert Creeley]], and [[David Hockney]] (who provided artwork for the Fall 1982 cover).{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}
==Career==
===Prior to 2k=== Gayeton directed ''La Entrada'', a full-length documentary on the lives of Mexican [[migrant workers]] traveling to the US. The film was produced by <ref>Steve Reiss</ref> and later aired on [[KPBS (TV)|KPBS]]. A transcript of interviews the filmmaker conducted with key immigration figures in the US and Mexico while making the film were cited by Congress and read into the [[Congressional Record]] during the drafting of the [[Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986]].
Gayeton abandoned his Masters at the [[USC School of Cinematic Arts]] in 1985 to start a production company called Brass Ball after receiving startup funding from [[Quincy Jones]]'s [[Qwest Records]] (ironically, he later returned to the school as a Visiting Professor).
A series of [[experimental films]] made with Italian music group Minox led to Gayeton signing with Satellite Films, a division of [[Propaganda Films]] in 1992. His making of a music video for the band [[Semisonic]] is comically detailed in ''So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Slichter, Jacob.|title=So you wanna be a rock & roll star : how I machine-gunned a roomful of record executives and other true tales from a drummer's life|date=2004|publisher=Broadway Books|isbn=0-7679-1470-8|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=54371667}}</ref> by Jacob Slichter.
In 1993 Gayeton directed ''Tomorrow'', the first documentary about [[interactive television]]. The film featured interviews with [[Bill Gates]], [[John Malone]], [[Barry Diller]], [[Sumner Redstone]], [[Geraldine Laybourne]] and others.
Gayeton ultimately left Propaganda Films in 1994 to start his own media consultancy, Gayetonstudio, where he created interactive projects for dozens of clients. Most notable are: "Plug In", precursor to the first teen channel on [[AOL]] with [[Bart Decrem]] (1995); "Vanishing Point", first original content acquisition for [[MSN]] (1996); "Yahooligans", animated series for web and television for [[Yahoo]] and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] (1996); "Plug in", first teen channel on [[AOL]] France (1997); "Zap!", first kids channel on [[AOL]] France (1997); "Very Small TV" and "Very Small City" (later renamed www.yafoule.com), online community for [[Vivendi]] (1999).
Gayeton provided creative support to [[Electronic Arts]], [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]], [[Sega]], [[Intel]], and [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]. An in-depth survey of Gayeton's interactive work is featured in ''The Interactive Writers Handbook'' by Jon Hamsel ({{ISBN|1885452039|9781885452030}}).<ref>{{cite book | isbn=188545211X | title=Interactive Writer's Handbook | last1=Wimberley | first1=Darryl | last2=Samsel | first2=Jon | year=1996 | publisher=Carronade }}</ref>
With [[William Gibson]], Gayeton wrote and directed the 1995 [[CD-ROM]]-based game ''[[Johnny Mnemonic (video game)|Johnny Mnemonic]]'', the first interactive CD-ROM-based movie, for [[Sony]] Imagesoft.<ref>Carless, Simon (October 23, 2007). [https://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/10/qa_douglas_gayeton_on_johnny_m.php "Q&A: Douglas Gayeton On Johnny Mnemonic's CD-ROM Wetware"]. Game Set Watch.</ref> He then wrote and designed a CD-ROM sequel to [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' with Media-X and designed an interactive version of ''[[Einstein's Dreams]]'' with writer [[Alan Lightman]].
From 1997 to 2000 Gayeton worked with [[Alphanim]], a Paris-based animation company, where he developed a number of animated television series, the most notable being [[Delta State (TV series)]], a project based on his [[graphic novel]] of the same name. Purchased by Canal +, it received a Special Award for a TV series at the [[Annecy International Animated Film Festival]] and the Frames 2004 Award for best Asian Production. The fourth episode of his series ''Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator'' was included in the [[Animation show of shows|Animation Show of Shows]].
Following Gayeton's experience making ''Molotov Alva'' he joined MTV to work on their virtual world projects. This was followed by a brief stint as Chief Creative Officer of [[Millions of Us LLC]], where he developed content for a variety of social network and virtual world platforms including [[Gaia Online|Gaia]], [[Habbo Hotel]], Scenecaster, Zwinktopia and most recently Sony's [[PlayStation]] Home, the world's first high definition virtual world.
===2000s=== In 2002 Gayeton was hired by [[Scripps Networks Interactive]] to explore new forms of "enhanced television", namely programming that allows viewers to migrate from television to the Internet and back again. The result was "Lost In Italy", a 26 episode interstitial series for the [[Fine Living Network]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lost in Italy - Fine Living Network|url=https://www.pressport.com/uk/media/database/usa/l/lost-in-italy-fine-living-network-131579|access-date=2020-09-09|website=PressPort|language=en}}</ref>
In 2003 Gayeton was commissioned by [[PBS]] and ''[[POV (TV series)|POV]]'' to document Italy's [[Slow Food]] movement. He focused on the lives of people from the town of [[Pistoia, Italy]]. "PBS ultimately premiered "''My Shoes are Caked with Mud''<ref>{{Cite web|title=POV's Borders . Environment . Talk {{!}} PBS|url=https://archive.pov.org/borders/2004/talk/dg.html|access-date=2020-09-09|website=archive.pov.org}}</ref>" as part of "Borders", a web-based series. It was awarded a [[Webby Awards|Webby]] for best broadband site of 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|title=8th Annual Webby Awards Winners Announced -- The Webby Awards|url=https://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases/may-12-2004-8th-annual-webby-awards-winners-announced/|access-date=2020-09-09|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2007 Gayeton created the first [[machinima]] documentary made in a [[virtual world]]: [[Molotov Alva|"Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey"]]. The American broadcast rights were purchased by [[HBO]] Documentary Films in August, 2007, marking the first time a US television network purchased a series which premiered on YouTube. The groundbreaking film has been profiled in two books, ''The Making of Second Life: Notes from the New World''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Au, Wagner James.|title=The making of Second Life : notes from the new world|date=2008|publisher=Collins|isbn=978-0-06-135320-8|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=155715254}}</ref> by Wagner James Au and ''I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Meadows, Mark Stephen.|title=I, avatar : the culture and consequences of having a second life|date=2008|publisher=New Riders|isbn=978-0-321-53339-5|location=Berkeley, CA|oclc=190873071}}</ref> by [[Mark Stephen Meadows]].
[[Slow Food Nation]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://gayeton.com/gayeton_photowork.html |title=Gayeton photowork |access-date=October 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029210530/http://gayeton.com/gayeton_photowork.html |archive-date=October 29, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> unveiled a retrospective of Gayeton's photographic work in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-06-23|title=The Lexicon of Sustainability • Slow Food USA|url=https://slowfoodusa.org/the-lexicon-of-sustainability/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Slow Food USA|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2009, Gayeton released his first book, S''low: Life in a Tuscan Town'',<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gayeton, Douglas.|title=Slow : life in a Tuscan town|date=2009|publisher=Welcome|isbn=978-1-59962-072-5|oclc=303041911}}</ref> which tells the story of the [[Slow Food Movement]] in Tuscany through a combination of photographs he took and essays.<ref name=tusc>{{ cite web|title=Life in the Slow Lane |url=http://www.zagat.com/Blog/Detail.aspx?SCID=42&BLGID=24764 |work=Zagat.com |date=November 3, 2009 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The intro to the book was written by chef [[Alice Waters]] and the preface, by the founder of the movement, [[Carlo Petrini]].<ref name=tusc/>
In 2013, Gayeton directed a short film, called ''The Story of an Egg'', which investigated the claims of "cage free," "free range" and "pasture raised" on eggs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNAFF 2013: Films: The Story of An Egg |url=https://www.unaff.org/2013/f_story.html |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=www.unaff.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-03-12 |title=WATCH: What 'Cage-Free' And 'Free-Range' Actually Mean |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/story-of-an-egg-film_n_2862282 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref>
==Filmography== * ''La Entrada'' (1983) * ''Suzanne Lacy and the Whisper Project'' (1985) * ''Not my LA'' (1985) * ''Tomorrow Project'' (1993) * ''U2's Zoo TV'' (1995) * ''WWW.MONDE.COM'' (1995) * ''[[Ultimate Book of Spells]]'' (2001) * ''Lost in Italy'' (2002–2005) * ''[[Delta State (TV series)|Delta State]]'' (2004) * ''[[Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey]]'' (2008)
===Selected music videos=== * "Freddie's Dead" by [[Fishbone]] (1987) * "Three Mothers' by ''Minox'' (1991) * "Limboland" by ''Minox'' (1991) * "2000 B.C" by [[Basehead]] (1992) * "Stormy" by Momma Stud (1993) * "Stay This Way" by [[Brand New Heavies]] (1993) * "Chains" by [[Collision (band)]] (1993) * "Time Capsule" by [[Matthew Sweet]] (1994) * "[[Down in Flames (Semisonic song)|Down in Flames]]" by [[Semisonic]] (1995)
===Other appearances in films=== * "Seagull" – writer (2004) * "Forever is a Long, Long Time" – actor (2004)
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gayeton, Douglas}} [[Category:1960 births]] [[Category:American multimedia artists]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni]] [[Category:University of California, San Diego alumni]]