One of the most dramatic chapters in recent Lansing history involved the groundbreaking effort to ‘Keep GM’ that began in 1996. Former Mayor David Hollister remembers well the day General Motors’ executive Ed Donovan shared with him “some good news and some bad news.” After the 100th birthday of Oldsmobile, the company wouldn't have any new product for Lansing.
Mayor Hollister responded with an ambitious and collaborative public campaign to ‘Keep GM.’ It meant bringing together disparate stakeholders---unions, the automaker, political leaders and residents across the area.
Late last year, this chapter in Lansing’s recent history became a documentary film, titled ‘Second Shift: From Crisis to Collaboration.’
It’s been screened several times in venues like Detroit’s ‘Freep film festival’ and is set to be shown again Saturday afternoon at Dart Auditorium as part of the Capital City Film Festival.
To update us on their moviemaking adventure, Current State welcomed back two of the four producers of “Second Shift,” Mayor David Hollister, along with Terry Terry, president, CEO and founder of MessageMakers, Lansing’s longtime communications firm.