PRESS RELEASE

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Wire Notebook Films Announces Development, Fiscal Sponsorship, and Fundraising Launch for West Coast Cool Jazz
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — November 25, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sandra Evans
Wire Notebook Films
(415) 596-2089
sandra@wirenotebookfilms.com
www.wirenotebookfilms.com

Wire Notebook Films has announced the development, Fiscal sponsorship with Filmmakers Collaborative, and the fundraising launch of West Coast Cool Jazz, a feature documentary produced by Sandra Evans in association with Frank Zamacona of Zamacona Productions, with cinematography by Steve Condiotti and Eli Adler, and historical commentary by jazz historian Ted Gioia.

Currently in development, West Coast Cool Jazz explores how California’s light, space, and post-war optimism shaped one of America’s most distinctive musical movements. The film traces how the hard-edged bebop sounds of the East Coast interplayed with the uniquely West Coast expression — lyrical, modern, and infused with the creative freedom of California itself.

A Cultural Story Beyond Music

Set against California’s post-war design and cultural renaissance, the film examines how music, architecture, art, and lifestyle converged to create a new aesthetic known as California Cool.

The project plans to feature interviews with musicians, historians, and contemporary artists who reflect on the continuing influence of this period. Archival and visual research draws inspiration from collections and materials housed at institutions such as the LA Jazz Institute, SFJAZZ, Fantasy Records, the North Beach Beat Museum, and the William Claxton Photography Archive, among others. These archives represent the creative centers where West Coast jazz and modern California culture flourished.

“West Coast Cool Jazz isn’t just a film about music—it’s about a cultural inflection point,” said creator and producer Sandra Evans. “California’s creative energy in the 1950s shaped how the world saw modern art, architecture, and sound. We’re capturing that moment — and the spirit that still lives here today.”

Director Frank Zamacona added, “We’re creating a film that’s cinematic, tactile, and deeply visual — mixing rare archives with new interviews and performances to show how the freedom and optimism of that era continue to inspire artists now.”

Fiscal Sponsorship and Fundraising Underway

West Coast Cool Jazz has been accepted for fiscal sponsorship through Filmmakers Collaborative, a nonprofit organization based in Boston that has supported independent filmmakers for more than 35 years. This partnership allows tax-deductible donations to support the film’s completion, including archival research, licensing, and production.

Filmmakers Collaborative’s members include award-winning creators whose work has appeared on PBS, HBO, Netflix, and at major international festivals. Through this sponsorship, both individual donors and institutional partners can contribute directly to the film’s development.

Wire Notebook Films is also seeking private investment and brand partnerships aligned with the film’s focus on creativity, innovation, and California’s enduring artistic influence.

Join the Cultural Moment

Supporters can:

• Donate through Filmmakers Collaborative or at www.wirenotebookfilms.com
• Follow the project on Facebook and Instagram @WireNotebookFilms or @WestCoastCoolJazzFilm and YouTube @WestCoastCoolJazzFilm
• Sign up for our newsletter for information about production milestones, the jazz quiz, and upcoming events

Engaging the Jazz Community

To build meaningful connection with audiences, the project will introduce a series of witty, tongue-in-cheek jazz quizzes that blend entertainment with education. Designed to appeal to both jazz purists and casual listeners, these features highlight musicians, landmark recordings, and key cultural moments — creating a playful yet informed space for discovery. The goal is to encourage participation, spark radio and community conversations, and celebrate the depth and legacy of the era.

About Wire Notebook Films

Wire Notebook Films is a San Francisco–based production company founded by Sandra Evans, a longtime creative director and producer with a background in branding, marketing, design, and communications. WNF develops and produces documentaries and cultural storytelling projects that celebrate art, innovation, and creative legacy — bridging the past and present through cinematic craft and design.

Current projects include:

• West Coast Cool Jazz= — a feature documentary exploring California’s jazz legacy, the explosive rise of East Coast bebop, and the evolution of the West Coast sound rooted in Central Avenue’s vibrant Black music scene. The film reveals how this era reshaped American culture, influencing design, architecture, and lifestyle far beyond the music itself.
• The Arrangers — The Arrangers tells the story of the people who quietly created the magic behind America’s most iconic songs. Though rarely recognized by name, music arrangers like Gordon Jenkins, Nelson Riddle, Marty Paich, Neal Hefti, and Billy Strayhorn determined how songs would sound, feel, and live on — influencing what we now celebrate as the Great American Songbook.

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FILM SYNOPSIS

West Coast Cool Jazz

West Coast Cool Jazz explores the musicians, artists, producers, photographers, club owners, and cultural innovators who shaped a defining era of American jazz between 1949 and 1969. With aging archives, shifting ownership, and dwindling first-generation voices, this vital history faces real risk of disappearing without dedicated preservation.

From Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ groundbreaking 1949 Birth of the Cool collaboration to the vibrant Black music scene on Los Angeles’s Central Avenue — and from the bebop fire of Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk to the spacious, modern California sound of Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Chico Hamilton, Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, and Dave Brubeck — the film traces how these creative worlds influenced one another and reshaped the direction of American music.

This is not only a jazz story. It is a portrait of a cultural moment when music, design, photography, fashion, and a new West Coast “cool” sensibility converged into a Californian identity admired around the world. Despite segregation and unequal access to venues and recording opportunities, collaboration and innovation still emerged across communities, forging an era whose influence continues to resonate across American culture, film, and contemporary music.

A Feature Documentary by Wire Notebook Films
In Association with Frank Zamacona & Zamacona Productions

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CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

Sandra Evans — Creative Producer / Producer, Wire Notebook Films

Sandra Evans is a creative director and producer with extensive experience shaping visual stories across nonprofit, commercial, and arts-driven environments. Her background includes work in corporate and commercial video, design direction, brand development, and managing creative workflows from concept through post-production.

Originally from Los Angeles and based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1981, Evans brings a deep personal connection to California’s cultural landscape, creative communities, and design heritage. West Coast Cool Jazz draws on her long-standing interests in cultural history, visual storytelling, and music research, bringing thoughtful structure and narrative clarity to a film that preserves an important moment in American creative history.

Frank Zamacona — Executive Producer / Director, Zamacona Productions

Frank Zamacona is an executive producer and director with an extensive background in documentary, broadcast, and arts programming. His work includes television specials, cultural programming, and long-form projects for PBS, ABC, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, HGTV, and Link TV, as well as theatrical and syndicated releases. He has received multiple Emmys, a Clio, Promax, CINE Golden Eagle, and other national awards.

For decades, Zamacona has maintained his production office at the historic Fantasy Studios in Berkeley — a legendary recording space closely associated with the very musicians and era explored in West Coast Cool Jazz. He is a longtime member of the DGA, NABET, and AFTRA, and previously served on the Board of Governors for the NATAS San Francisco/Northern California Chapter.

SPECIALIZED DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

As part of the development phase, West Coast Cool Jazz collaborates with leading specialists in editing, cinematography, music rights, and archival research:

Steve Condiotti — Cinematography Consultant / Director of Photography

Award-winning cinematographer with extensive experience in documentary and nonfiction storytelling. His work spans broadcast, feature documentary, and cultural

programming, bringing a refined visual approach to the project.

Eli Adler — Cinematography Consultant / Director of Photography

Documentary cinematographer known for visually driven nonfiction work, contributing camera direction and visual strategy to the development of West Coast Cool Jazz.

Brooke Wentz — The Rights Workshop

Music rights consulting and preliminary clearance strategy for the expanded fundraising trailer.

T.M. Christopher — Editor / Editorial Consultant

Tom Christopher brings extensive experience in documentary, feature, and effects-driven filmmaking. Credited as the Co Producer and editor of Facing Fear — an Academy Award–nominated documentary short — he contributes editorial leadership and narrative shaping to West Coast Cool Jazz. His earlier career included work on major studio blockbuster productions, providing a strong technical foundation that supports the project’s creative vision.

Blanche Chase — Archivist & Archival Research Consultant

Archival sourcing, collection research, and early-stage identification of film, photography, and ephemera essential to the project’s development.

Brooke Wentz / The Rights Workshop — Music Rights & Clearances

Management of music rights and clearances for West Coast Cool Jazz. With deep experience in music licensing for film and television, The Rights Workshop plays a critical role in securing and protecting the film’s archival and recorded music assets.

These partnerships strengthen the film’s development and ensure awell-supported transition into full production.

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PRESS KIT

The following materials are available. *These upon request

• Official Press Release (PDF)
• Film Synopsis
• Production Credits
• High-resolution Photos*
• Logos and Branding Assets*
• Trailer
• Director & Producer Bios (and others)
• Press Kit (PDF)

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QUICK FACTS

Title: West Coast Cool Jazz
Production Company: Wire Notebook Films
Status: In Development / Fundraising Phase
Fiscal Sponsor: Filmmakers Collaborative (501(c)(3))
Genre: Feature Documentary
Themes: Music, Culture, Design, History, Legacy
Location Focus: California, 1949–1969

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CONTACT

For press inquiries, media requests, or interview opportunities:

Wire Notebook Films
info@wirenotebookfilms.com
www.wirenotebookfilms.com

© Wire Notebook Films