Ted Faye was someone you saw occasionally at the corporate headquarters and over time many people had the pleasure of getting to know him. Ted has many gifts, but one of them is to make movies and when I was taking bus loads of kids out to the Boron Mine I was reminded of Ted each time as we sat in the Visitor Center theatre and watched a movie that he had created for Borax. More recently, after watching the Ken Burns movies on our National Parks there were so many scene’s that reminded me of the way Ted made movies that I asked him if he had ever met Ken Burns. His response was “Yes, briefly. I told him I was working on a project on Death Valley and his response was. "OOOhh, Hot!" I told Ted I thought maybe they had gone to school together ….which prompted this note from Ted:
Wow, Betty. Thanks for such a nice compliment. Well, actually I didn't go to film school. I went to Asbury College in Kentucky and got my BA in Bible/Speech with a minor in drama. And then came out here and went to UCLA and got my MFA in Theatre/Acting.
Everything I learned about production I learned on my own. I got a job at Capitol Records when I left UCLA and...
We set up shop in Venice with our new equipment in a garage of a third partner we brought on. This was January of 1989 and for the next twelve months I made cold calls every day. I lived off of my savings and $10,000 I won on the game show "Sale of the Century"! One year later all my money was gone and I had not had a single return call on my phone calls.
In January of 1990 I was going to go to work for a telemarketing firm when I checked my messages. There was a phone call from Allergan (the eye-care company) and they wanted to meet about a video. That was my first job I landed - a $10,000 video. I hired my crew and directed my first project. That year the cold calls came in and we actually started making money. It wasn't much, as costs were so much - but I always like to say that I got paid to go to film school as I learned everything I learned when I hired people to work - and they taught me!
By 1992 the recession had hit marketing videos very hard. Everyone was cutting back. It was then that I saw Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War. I loved and felt I had to find my own documentary subject. At the time I was following the fight over the California Desert Protection Act. As I kept going out to the desert I often wondered who lived in those little shacks, dug out those little holes, and put up with the terrific heat. I did a little research and ended up talking with folks in Death Valley. I read Richard Lingenfelter's book and loved the stories. I decided to produce a documentary on Death Valley.
I approached the Death Valley 49ers for funding but they wanted to see a little more than what I had in terms of footage. I then approached Borax, and though Chuck Davis thought it was interesting (I actually went down to Wilshire to meet him) they couldn't do anything. So I left a message on the phone machine of Dial Soap and marketing director Marcia Joseph contacted me - actually called me back. She asked how soon I could get to Phoenix. I flew over that week, met with her, and in a week I had a modest check to get a project on Death Valley moving.
I went out and started gathering interviews with folks who had memories of Death Valley. I put together a little selection of those interviews and again approached the Death Valley 49ers. This time they came in with some funding. Then I went back to Borax and Will Brown (under Maureen) matched the contribution by the 49ers. That allowed us to move forward with "Death Valley Memories." And then I approached Ronald Reagan's office. He agreed to do a brief introduction for us and we went to his offices in Century City and there I "directed" the president in giving us a brief video introduction.
We premiered "Death Valley Memories" at the Death Valley 49er Encampment in November, 1994. Then in early 1995 I received a call from Tana Burrows at US Borax. She said that an executive at Borax by the name of Maureen Lennon wanted to meet with me. That April, Tana, Maureen and I met. Maureen brought me on as historical consultant to work in the archives; I also produced the corporate video (showing at the mine) and began producing other Death Valley stories such as "The Twenty Mule Team of Death Valley," "The Great Desert Railroad Race" and "Chasing the Rainbow." I've always been grateful for my time at Borax and how it helped me launch into my desert film career and gave me the opportunity to help work with, protect and preserve one of the country's most fascinating corporate archives.
