Jenni Olson (born October 6, 1962) is an American film curator,
filmmaker, author, and LGBT film historian. She was born and raised in
Falcon Heights, Minnesota. She co-founded the pioneering LGBT website
PlanetOut.com, and campaigned to have a barrier erected on the Golden
Gate Bridge to prevent suicides.Olson was educated at the University
of Minnesota. In 1986, while still a student, Olson co-founded the
Minneapolis/St.Paul Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Transgender Film Festival,
initially under the name Lavender Images. Olson was inspired in this
move by Vito Russo's book, The Celluloid Closet. In 1992 Olson was
hired by the company Frameline and moved to San Francisco to work as
guest curator on the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film
Festival, before being appointed co-director alongside Mark Finch.
After three years Olson left this position to co-found the website
PlanetOut.com. Olson worked as director of entertainment and
e-commerce for the site, as well fulfilling the same roles for
Gay.com. She created the PopcornQ section of the PlanetOut.com
website, basing the section on her book The Ultimate Guide to Lesbian
& Gay Film and Video.In 1997 Olson attended the Sundance Festival and
arranged, along with Outfest executive director Morgan Rumpf, a small
brunch aimed at fellow queer attendees. The event has happened
annually since then being co-presented by PlanetOut.com and Outfest
until 2005. Since the demise of PlanetOut, it is now presented solely
by Outfest. The sponsors described it in 2005 as "the premiere gay and
lesbian industry event during Sundance". By March 2005, Olson was
named Director of E-Commerce & Consumer Marketing for Wolfe
Video/Wolfe Releasing.Olson initially compiled trailers into
documentary features, showing Homo Promo, her compilation of vintage
gay movie trailers at the Amsterdam Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in
1991, and her work in this area has been recognised as instructional
in teaching students contextualisation.
filmmaker, author, and LGBT film historian. She was born and raised in
Falcon Heights, Minnesota. She co-founded the pioneering LGBT website
PlanetOut.com, and campaigned to have a barrier erected on the Golden
Gate Bridge to prevent suicides.Olson was educated at the University
of Minnesota. In 1986, while still a student, Olson co-founded the
Minneapolis/St.Paul Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Transgender Film Festival,
initially under the name Lavender Images. Olson was inspired in this
move by Vito Russo's book, The Celluloid Closet. In 1992 Olson was
hired by the company Frameline and moved to San Francisco to work as
guest curator on the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film
Festival, before being appointed co-director alongside Mark Finch.
After three years Olson left this position to co-found the website
PlanetOut.com. Olson worked as director of entertainment and
e-commerce for the site, as well fulfilling the same roles for
Gay.com. She created the PopcornQ section of the PlanetOut.com
website, basing the section on her book The Ultimate Guide to Lesbian
& Gay Film and Video.In 1997 Olson attended the Sundance Festival and
arranged, along with Outfest executive director Morgan Rumpf, a small
brunch aimed at fellow queer attendees. The event has happened
annually since then being co-presented by PlanetOut.com and Outfest
until 2005. Since the demise of PlanetOut, it is now presented solely
by Outfest. The sponsors described it in 2005 as "the premiere gay and
lesbian industry event during Sundance". By March 2005, Olson was
named Director of E-Commerce & Consumer Marketing for Wolfe
Video/Wolfe Releasing.Olson initially compiled trailers into
documentary features, showing Homo Promo, her compilation of vintage
gay movie trailers at the Amsterdam Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in
1991, and her work in this area has been recognised as instructional
in teaching students contextualisation.
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