TomKat Media

29/03/2024

We have a new page! Stay tuned for exciting updates!

Follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/people/TomKat-Media/61557244177181/

28/02/2024

TomKat MeDiA celebrates the work of Erika Alexander, who previously collaborated with TomKat Films as a leading actor in LA MISSION. Last year, Erika directed THE BIG PAYBACK, a documentary on the reparations efforts in Evanston, Illinois. Check out the link to her work in our story.

28/02/2024

17/02/2024

published its latest article in a series on toxic fertilizer and the courageous whistleblower who is still fighting for safe soils. This journalism was supported with a grant from TomKat MeDiA. For more information on our feature film in development, visit our website linked in bio.

22/01/2024

Our colleague from our 2021 music storytelling project CAMINO CHRONICLES, Petie Ronstadt, has a show coming up on Jan. 28. Check it out! And listen to Petie and Michael Ronstadt’s album THE ROAD at the link in our bio.

05/01/2024

TomKat MeDiA celebrates National Screenwriters Day and the storytellers we’re honored to know and support through our own work.

04/01/2024

Congratulations to our colleagues at the Office Of Kat Taylor working on this important “School Meals for All” initiative and to the hard-working school districts making sure school children receive essential nutrition.

Read more on how Sacramento City Unified School District is providing free locally sourced breakfast and lunch for students regardless of their socioeconomic status.

15/12/2023

Thank you to our colleagues at Environmental Health News for highlighting the Yakima-Herald Republic’s report on toxic chemicals in fertilizer!

TKM is currently developing a feature film based on FATEFUL HARVEST, Duff Wilson’s gripping chronicle of the origin journalism of this story. Follow for updates in 2024.

Link in bio.

06/12/2023

Here’s to ‘s tremendous legacy of equity, humor and generosity he creatively rendered during a life well lived.

We’re so glad to have experienced his genius and warm soul. He will be sorely missed.

04/12/2023

Want some lead with your french fries? This series from the Yakima Herald Register blasts the practice of recycling hazardous waste into fertilizer wide-open. The second article was published yesterday, investigating the impact to food and soil. Check out our story for the link and details.

23/11/2023

Congratulations to our colleagues at , WGA and in the producing community for a very strong resolution to their contract negotiations. We are thankful and grateful to be part of our industry and the community of storytellers. Have a wonderful holiday with your family!

22/11/2023

Congratulations to our colleague, Héctor Tobar, screenwriter for our film in development, FATEFUL HARVEST, on the inclusion of his book “Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on the Meanings and Myths of 'Latino” in Books We Love!

22/11/2023

TKM managing partner .consuelo is also a freelance writer and book critic. Three titles she reviewed for are featured in NPR’s 2023 Books We Love recommendations. Check our story for links to the article and Marcela’s reviews of Isabel Allende, Roxanna Asgarian, and Christine Lai’s wonderful books!

25/10/2023

Congrats to JoAnn Falleta, grammy award winning music director, for celebrating 25 years as conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

JoAnn was the conductor for the premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s D’Colonia Californiano, which was commissioned by TKM.

Check out the interview with JoAnn in The Buffalo News and Gabriela Ortiz’s piece on the TomKat Website.

17/10/2023

The artistry of Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz continues to enchant concert audiences worldwide and especially in California. TKM commissioned her work and produced the premiere of D’Colonial Californiano

Listen to the project using the link in our story, and read LA Phil’s feature of her work.

16/10/2023

Our Founder and Partner, Kat Taylor, was awarded this year’s Resilience Rockstar: Thriving Communities award at Greenbelt Alliance’s “Blueprint for the Future” gala. She also received a certificate of recognition from the California State Senate, presented by Senator Josh Becker.

Congratulations, Kat! We are so proud of the strides you have taken to create an inclusive and sustainable Bay Area.

Check out the article from the Nob Hill Gazette linked in our story.

13/10/2023

Congratulations to Héctor Tobar, the screenwriter for our upcoming feature AIDA, for winning the Kirkus prize for nonfiction. Thank you, Héctor, for being such an inspiration to the Latino community!

Check out the NPR article featuring Héctor and fellow Kirkus prize winners. Find the link in our story highlights!

11/10/2023

Read the groundbreaking reporting from 1997 about the small town of Quincy, WA standing up against corporate agriculture. At the time, fertilizer was largely unregulated, allowing companies to mix in toxic industrial waste.

Check out the link in our story or highlights.

11/10/2023

Congrats to our colleague Edward James Olmos, and thank you for your service to the community and artistry!

Check out the LA Times article linked in our story to learn more about his work.

04/10/2023

A story of fateful courage, gaslighting and the fight to save our farmlands is re-told in this essential report. This independent journalism was supported with a grant from TomKat MeDiA.

04/10/2023

In 1997, an original report from Seattle Times exposed the story of toxic fertilizer in America’s apple heartland.

Duff Wilson’s Pulitzer-finalist reporting catalyzed his book, which followed up on his journalism four years later with the riveting story of a small town’s civil war over harmful waste.

Note: This article was originally published in The Seattle Times on July 3, 1997.

01/10/2023

A story of fateful courage, gaslighting and the fight to save our farmlands is re-told in this essential report. This independent journalism was supported with a grant from TomKat MeDiA. https://bit.ly/3RDO08L

In the late 1990s and early 2000s the community of Quincy, Wash., was rocked by the discovery that hazardous chemicals were added to fertilizer used by farmers without their knowledge,

29/08/2023

Congrats to our founders and Kat Taylor and colleagues Peter Bratt, , , and for having their work nominated by for the National Film Registry ! @ Huge props to Luis Valdez for his films La Bamba and Zoot Suit which are already listed!

04/02/2023

In the mid 1500s, an African prince was sold into slavery in Mexico. He would, however, eventually become known as “the first liberator of the Americas.”

While official reports regarding the history of Gaspar Yanga is lacking, he is very important to the people of Mexico and America. In 1570, Yanga led a band of enslaved people to freedom and together they built a refuge for slaves on the run. For 30 years, they survived in part by raiding caravans taking goods along the Camino Real between Veracruz and Mexico City. The Spanish colonial government repeatedly tried to conquer the territory but Yanga prevailed and negotiated a deal to self-rule San Lorenzo de los Negros. Since 1932, the Mexican town has bore the name of its liberator Gaspar Yanga.

TomKat Media’s Camino Chronicles collaborator wrote a work for choir, percussion quartet and orchestra entitled “Yanga,” as an homage. Ortiz's piece was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and you can listen to it by visiting .

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19/12/2022

Thank you to all of our creative collaborators in 2022! You bring joy and hope to our communities, and we’re honored to work side-by-side with you for the common good. Read more about our work together in Kat Taylor’s latest newsletter

19/12/2022

Thank you to all of our creative collaborators in 2022! You bring joy and hope to our communities, and we’re honored to work side-by-side with you for the common good. Read more about our work together in Kat Taylor’s latest newsletter. Link in comments.

15/11/2022

Congratulations , and
for your wonderful performance from one of the best orchestras in Mexico - State Orchestra of Mexico. Last week, Maestro Echenique conducted the Mexico premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’ D’Colonial Californiano with Canales performing solo flute. This new work for orchestra was commissioned and supported by TomKat Foundation, ’s Center for Steinbeck Studies, Camino Arts and . Después de dos intentos fallidos, uno por un dedo lastimado y otro por Covid, finalmente querida Marisa, este tan esperado estreno. Acompáñennos con esta fantástica orquesta llena de grandes músicos y entrañables amigos.

16/09/2022

Latin Grammy-nominated is one of the foremost composers in Mexico today, and one of the most vibrant musicians emerging in the scene. We're honored to have commissioned Ortiz’s world premiere, “D’Colonial Californio," along with and Camino Arts. Inspired by the Peninsula’s main route El Camino Real, Ortiz’s concerto for flute and orchestra is a musical reflection on migration and diaspora. Felicidades from your TomKat MeDiA family on the world premiere of your violin concerto, Altar de cuerda (String altar) featuring Spanish soloist María Dueñas and conductor Gustavo Dudamel at the L.A. Philharmonic.

09/05/2022

This song starts out with a beautiful instrumental break and provides a welcoming energy for its listeners. The chorus gently dominates this tune with its lyrics "let's share all we can't afford to give, with love," invoking a sense of a community welcoming people in and letting them know that they are not alone.

This performance of 'Into the Sea,' is part of a new album from called The Road, commissioned by Foundation, - Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, , and .

06/05/2022

A beautifully upbeat melody brought together by a banjo and cello duet, one can almost visualize themselves skipping down a dirt road while the sunshine shines, the breeze rustles your hair and brings the smell of local native wildflowers to your nose. Your packed duffle bag hangs loosely over your shoulder as you joyously accept the journey ahead. Where are you going?

This performance of 'Canelo Project,' is part of a new album from called The Road, commissioned by Foundation, - Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, , and .