The Teri Rogers Filmmakers Fund

Vibrant. Classy. Cool. Creative. Mentor. Friend. Mother. Colleague.

Just a few of the many words to describe the inimitable Teri Rogers. She was an enthusiastic and inspired leader and we will always hold her dearly in our hearts and minds.

ArtsKC is honored that Teri’s family has chosen to celebrate her creative spirit through the formation of The Teri Rogers Filmmakers Fund at ArtsKC.

All contributions made to the Teri Rogers Filmmakers Fund will support and empower emerging filmmakers in the growing KC film industry. Thank you for helping to continue her legacy.

Founding Members of the Teri Rogers Filmmakers Fund

Ellie Bowen Kara Brock Time Cowden Jauqui Craig DEG Bruce Davis Marissa Devins Erik Durbin Jeff Eden Thom Gonyeau
David & Katie Goode Darcy Groce Chris Gutierrez Ashlie Hand Ann Hartley Bush Dale Hazlett Shirley Bush Helzberg Bev Hessefort Dick & Patrice Jobe KC Film Office
Mary & Jack Kilroy Laura Laiben Mary Lockton Kelly Ludwig Laura Lynch Jennifer Lyon Gary Mallen Amy & Matt McCammon Jill McCarthy Catherine McMahon
Eric & Shanny Morgenstern Julie Nelson Meers & Sam Meers Rachel Merlo Louis and Kelly Cassidy Mini Sky Morey Loretta Nichols Angela Orr Jami Owens Chan & Linda Phillips Diann & Greg Roche/Clinkingbeard
Neal Sharma Jasvindarjit Singh Teck Hwa Sit Cyd Slayton Susan Stanton David & Theresa Thornhill Debra Turpin Maggie & Cory Ward  Donna W. Ziegenhorn  

Why is it important to our community?

As we continue to build our Teri Rogers Filmmakers Fund, we want to explain this fund’s purpose.

Teri was known for fostering creative excellence as the owner of Kansas City’s award-winning production company Take Two/T2 Productions/HINT. We strive to honor her legacy by supporting emerging talent in the art of storytelling in a narrative short or feature film. Considering Teri read over 150 ArtsKC grant applications from the local arts community, she recognized the need to support the development of creative entrepreneurship from our local artists. Teri’s husband, Martin Mini, announced his retirement from KCADC in May of 2020. He continues his commitment and support to sustain the fund and its impact on the filmmakers of our region.

The Teri Rogers Filmmakers Fund at ArtsKC highlights why Kansas City was named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker (2019).

The establishment of this fund:

  • Elevates an emerging artist’s career
  • Enhances the film-friendly atmosphere in Kansas City
  • Establishes a strong connection between a filmmaker and our community
  • Empowers a filmmaker to create meaningful work that reflects Kansas City
  • Puts Kansas City on the map as a film production hub in the Midwest
  • Founds the first dedicated filmmakers fund for the Kansas City region.

We have had talented filmmakers and crew move to other markets like LA, NYC, Atlanta, Nashville. For these filmmakers who want to bring a project home and film here, this fund will help make that possible. Our hope is that this fund supports KC filmmakers who create impactful, high-quality work that can have success at major festivals like SXSW, Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, etc., and ultimately find a home with a distributor.

With the close partnership and expertise of the KC Film Office, we will work to make the Teri Roger Filmmakers Fund as impactful to Kansas City as it will be to our local filmmakers.