Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Jennifer Siebel Newsom (née Jennifer Lynn Siebel; born June 19, 1974) is an American documentary filmmaker and actress. She is the director, writer, and producer of the film Miss Representation, which premiered in the documentary competition at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The film examines how the media has underrepresented women in positions of power. Her second film, which she wrote, produced, and directed, was The Mask You Live In, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Festival. It is an examination of American society's definition of masculinity.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom | |
---|---|
First Partner of California | |
Assumed role January 7, 2019 | |
Governor | Gavin Newsom |
Preceded by | Anne Gust Brown |
Second Lady of California | |
In role January 10, 2011 – January 7, 2019 | |
Lieutenant Governor | Gavin Newsom |
Preceded by | Laura Maldonado |
Succeeded by | Markos Kounalakis (as Second Gentleman) |
Personal details | |
Born | Jennifer Lynn Siebel June 19, 1974[1] San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Political party | Independent (2008–present) |
Other political affiliations | Republican (before 2008) American Independent (2008; by accident) |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | Stanford University (BA, MBA) |
Profession | Filmmaker |
Siebel is married to Governor Gavin Newsom of California, making her the First Partner of California.[2] She was previously the state’s Second Lady from 2011 to 2019 and First Lady of San Francisco from 2008 to 2011.
Early life and education
Siebel was born in San Francisco, to Kenneth F. Siebel Jr., an investment manager (second cousin to software entrepreneur Thomas Siebel), and Judy (Fritzer) Siebel, co-founder of the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito.[1] Siebel grew up in Ross, Marin County, California.[3][4]
She is the second oldest of five girls and attended Ross Grammar School and The Branson School. When she was six, her older sister Stacy died at age eight from a golf cart accident. Siebel has stated she carries a lot of guilt as she was present at the time of the accident. During high school, she played varsity basketball, soccer, and tennis. She later graduated with honors from Stanford University, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in 1996 and Master of Business Administration in 2001. Her studies focused on conservation policy and Third World development.
At Stanford, she was recruited to play on the women's soccer team. While pursuing her MBA, Newsom also studied at the American Conservatory Theater, where she completed a certificate program. After completing her education, Newsom traveled to Africa, Latin America, and Europe on assignments with Conservation International, a global environmental coalition.[3] Newsom worked in rain forest communities with a focus on helping indigenous populations and creating business enterprise opportunities for women.
Career
In 2002, Newsom moved to Hollywood, where she concentrated on building her acting career.[3] Newsom earned many roles in television, film, and theater. Newsom has appeared on such television shows as Life, Mad Men, Strong Medicine, and Numb3rs.
Miss Representation premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to mostly positive reviews.[5] The film went on to screen at numerous other festivals, including the San Francisco International Film Festival, Athena Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Palo Alto International Film Festival. The film interweaves stories from teenage girls with interviews with, among others, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rosario Dawson, and Gloria Steinem discussing the media and its message regarding women.[6] On February 10, 2011, Oprah Winfrey announced that she had acquired the film for the OWN Documentary Film Club.[7]
Newsom raised $101,111 on Kickstarter to fund the production of her second film The Mask You Live In, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.[8][9]
Newsom's third and most recent film was The Great American Lie.[10]
She co-founded The Representation Project, an organization which works to end gender stereotypes. The Representation Project's board members include Jan Yanehiro, Nathan Ballard, Susie McCormick, and Maureen Pelton.[11][12][13]
Personal life
Newsom is the First Partner of California, wife of current Governor of California Gavin Newsom. She met Gavin on a blind date set up by a mutual friend at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in October 2006.[14] The couple announced their engagement in January 2008.[14] Jennifer and Gavin wed in July of the same year at her parents' ranch in Stevensville, Montana. It was Jennifer's first marriage and Gavin's second. The Newsoms have four children: Montana Tessa Siebel Newsom,[15], Hunter Siebel Newsom,[16] Brooklynn,[17] and Dutch.[18]
In 2011, Newsom and her family moved from San Francisco to Ross, where she'd grown up.[19]
Voter registration
Newsom was registered as a Republican in 2008 but has reregistered as an Independent voter. Prior to registering as an independent voter, she mistakenly registered with the far-right American Independent Party.[20]
Filmography
- Waiting for Anna (2002)
- Something's Gotta Give (2003)
- American Daylight (2004)
- Blonde (2004)
- Zen Noir (2004)
- Rent (2005)
- Raw Footage (2005)
- Safe (2006)
- In the Valley of Elah (2007)
- Bone Dry (2007)
- The Trouble with Romance (2007)
- The Butler's in Love (2008)
- April Fool's Day (2008)
- The Gold Lunch (2008)
- The Nanny Express (2008)
- Down for Life (2009)
- Sleeping with the Lion (2010)
- Tales of an Ancient Empire (2010)
- Miss Representation (2011)
- The Mask You Live In (2015)
Series
- Presidio Med (2002)
- She Spies (2002)
- Strong Medicine (2003)
- The Proud Family (2003)
- Cracking Up (2004)
- Numb3rs (2005)
- Life (2007–2008)
- Mad Men (2008)
- Trauma (2009)
Theatre
- Beauty at Globe Playhouse
- Cheaters at Globe Playhouse
- Sex & Work at The Lillian Theater
- Sisters at Court Theater
- Six Degrees of Separation at The San Francisco Playhouse
- Spotlight at St. Monica's
- The Twin Sister at Santa Monica Playhouse
References
- "Jennifer L Siebel, Born 06/19/1974 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". californiabirthindex.org.
- https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jennifer-siebel-newsom-20181124-story.html
- Maddan, Heather (March 11, 2007). "Girlfriend, uninterrupted/Actress Jennifer Siebel is standing by her man, who happens to be Mayor Gavin Newsom, and says there's no trouble in their romance". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- Bigelow, Catherine (2007-06-17). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle (Society column).
- "Miss Representation (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed By: Jennifer Siebel Newsom
- "Miss Representation" (Official film website).
- "OWN Acquires Miss Representation for OWNs Documentary Film Club". Oprah.com. February 10, 2011.
Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the Sundance Film Festival favorite is the 11th documentary acquisition for OWN.
- "The Mask You Live In by Jennifer Siebel Newsom — Kickstarter". 2013-08-08.
- Scheck, Frank. "The Mask You Live In': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- Canfield, David. "Meet the 2015 Sundance Filmmakers #79: In 'The Mask You Live In,' Jennifer Siebel Newsom Confronts Our Narrow Definition of Masculinity". Indiewire. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- "Our Mission". The Representation Project. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- Russell, Kaitlyn (February 25, 2015). "From the red carpet to college campuses, #AskHerMore inspires gender equality". USA Today. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- Bigelow, Catherine (February 26, 2015). "Miss Bigelow: Choices fundraiser shadowed by loss of Merla Zellerbach". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- Zinko, Carolyne (January 1, 2008). "Mayor Newsom, Jennifer Siebel engaged to be married - SFGate". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- Knight, Heather (2009-09-19). "Newsoms welcome daughter Montana". San Francisco Chronicle.
Montana Tessa Siebel Newsom, the first child for the mayor and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, was born at 12:39 p.m. Friday.
- Jones, Carolyn (2011-06-13). "Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's baby boy Hunter born". San Francisco Chronicle.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, gave birth Sunday morning to an 8-pound, 4-ounce boy
- Andrew Dalton (July 5, 2013). "Newsom Clan Adds Third Offspring". SFist.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- Vince Cestone (February 26, 2016). "Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom celebrates birth of his baby boy". KRON4.com. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- Jones, Carolyn (2011-06-13). "Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom's baby boy Hunter born". San Francisco Chronicle.
- "Newsom's girlfriend stumbles into wrong party". SFGate. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jennifer Siebel Newsom. |
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom – Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom on IMDb
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Facebook
Honorary titles | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Laura Maldonado |
Second Lady of California January 10, 2011 – January 7, 2019 |
Succeeded by Markos Kounalakis (as Second Gentleman) |
Preceded by Anne Gust Brown |
First Lady of California January 7, 2019 – present |
Incumbent |