Annenberg alumna Amelia Brodka’s documentary, Underexposed, will be screening at the Santa Monica Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on July 27 at 6 p.m. The documentary showcases women skateboarders and addresses their underexposure across media and marketing platforms.
In an interview on USC Annenberg’s website, Brodka described the growth she has seen in women’s skateboarding and the lack of support and publicity throughout the industry for female athletes. Brodka, who started skateboarding when she was 12 years old, credits the idea for the documentary to Communication Professor Alison Trope and her course Gender in Media Industries and Products. For her final project, Brodka reversed the gender roles in a popular skateboarding magazine to prominently feature women skateboarders with male models dominating ads.
The documentary that highlights Brodka’s journey as a female skateboarder has been well received. It premiered in the summer of 2012 at a small venue in Orange County, screened at the Thin Line Film Festival in Denton, Texas in February and has been shown across the country throughout the past year. Brodka, a 2012 graduate with degrees in Communication and Narrative Studies, hopes the documentary will raise awareness among marketing and media executives of the underexposure of female skateboarders and stimulate change. Brodka currently coordinates an annual benefit event that serves as an avenue for amateur and professional female skaters to showcase their skills and raises money for victims of domestic violence.
Watch the trailer for Underexposed: UNDEREXPOSED trailer from Amelia Brodka on Vimeo and Tony Hawk's YouTube Ride Channel.
