More Travel and Dining Expenses for "Bowdlerizing Brigham"?

[drumdude]

I always have to laugh when DCP mentions Redbrick Filmwork’s budget as if it’s separate from Interprerer.

“I was only paid/reimbursed from Redbrick!”

The same Redbrick that has taken in millions of dollars from Interpreter in the last 5 years. I’m absolutely positive DCP will never disclose an exact amount that he has shoveled into their coffers. He could easily include it in Interpreter’s “transparent” financial disclosure. He deliberately chooses not to.

If it all came from specific donors for that specific purpose, he could just say that. But I doubt the funds were not co-mingled.

[Marcus]

What I find fascinating is that 'royalties' were donated, according to the Interpreter Foundation's 990 form in 2023, in the amount of $9,906. The 'Donated Royalties' are listed in the Program Revenue section, the next line after Witnesses revenue of $37,308. In the 2022 990 form, 'Donated Royalties' are $7,947. In the 2021 990 form, 'Donated Royalties' are $5,313.

Who would be donating Royalties that are listed as Program Revenue? Maybe the Executive Producers who want to be seen as donating to their charity?

In the 990 form for 2024, the Royalties are no longer listed as 'donated Royalties' under the Witnesses movie revenue. They are listed as just Royalties revenue, in the amount of $8,779. Does this mean the Foundation earns Royalties? Or is it still the donations from the executive producers? Or maybe someone pointed out that earning money off your foundation's charitable work and getting personal tax benefits by donating it back again is a type of personal inurement, a no-no in the benefit world.

[I Have Questions]

An interesting (but not quite true?) admission

One of the sleuths over at the POB smells a rat here. There’s skullduggery going on! My wife and I were both listed as executive producers for Witnesses (2021), Undaunted (2022), and Six Days in August (2024) and yet my expenses were covered while hers were not? Plainly, in my incompetent and ham-handed way, I’m somehow trying to deceive them or to conceal something untoward.

Here’s the truth, though: Neither one of us has ever been paid for our work as executive producers. Nor have we ever had our expenses covered as executive producers.

This is actually useful to understand; I myself didn’t fully understand an executive producer’s role in filmmaking before I began to function as one.

In movie production, the executive producer secures funding, manages the budget, and oversees the entire production process from development through distribution. He or she might be involved — as, in fact, we were — in major casting decisions, but an executive producer is certainly involved in hiring the director and key members of the production crew, in reviewing and approving the script, and in reviewing the film as it develops, as well as in legal and marketing decisions.

It’s a behind-the-scenes role. It doesn’t entail being present for filming. Which means, in our case, that my wife and I were very seldom on the set for Witnesses, Undaunted, and Six Days in August — and, even then, only when the shooting was local. Although we were once or twice on the set at LDS Motion Picture Studios in Provo and at This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City, we weren’t compensated for being there. It wasn’t necessary for us to be there, and we didn’t travel to Upper Canada or upstate New York or Tennessee. Neither us ever earned a cent or was reimbursed a penny for any of those three films.

My wife and I are executive co-producers for Becoming Brigham and, in that capacity, neither of us is paid or has an expense account. However, I’m actually in front of the camera for this current series, while she isn’t. That isn’t part of being an executive producer (and, incidentally, it wasn’t my idea to put me before the camera). So, because I need to be there on set, my transportation and lodging and food have been covered out of their budget by Redbrick Filmworks when we’ve filmed in Illinois, New York, Iowa, Missouri, and southern Utah. My wife came along on some of the early film shoots for Becoming Brigham but, since her presence there wasn’t essential, her expenses weren’t covered.

I’m finding it difficult to believe that the Peterson's did not avail themselves of the films catering when they chose to visit the filming of Witnesses, (Undaunted - was that a film?) and 6DIA. Yet that is what Peterson is saying “Neither one of us has ever been paid for our work as executive producers. Nor have we ever had our expenses covered as executive producers.” so no scrap of paid for film catering ever passed their lips. Apparently.

[Doctor Scratch]

Quite a clumsy response. He should have said something like, “*I* am the Priesthood holder here! *I* am the one who calls the shots!” Or even: “She doesn’t have any interest in filmmaking, so she chose to stay at home.”

Instead, look at these admissions side by side:

In movie production, the executive producer secures funding, manages the budget, and oversees the entire production process from development through distribution.

My wife and I are executive co-producers for Becoming Brigham and, in that capacity, neither of us is paid or has an expense account. However, I’m actually in front of the camera for this current series, while she isn’t.

“Manages the budget” means that they had a direct say on things like the “expense account” and who got paid for being “in front of the camera.”

But let’s be real here: he’s wielding his power over the budget in order to get free junk food and travel opportunities for himself. Did you notice how he says that Ex. Producers are involved in “major casting decisions” and yet that (somehow) it “wasn’t [his] idea to put [him] in front of the camera”? The inconsistencies here are all big red flags and are pretty clear signs of deception.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

https://interpreterfoundation.org/foundation

Deborah Peterson is both the Secretary and Treasurer of the IF. in my opinion, nonprofits are at risk when there’s a conflict of interest at hand. The wife of the President being BOTH the secretary and treasurer is a clear conflict of interest when it comes to expense accounts, outlays, and anything else financially tied to the nonprofit’s president.

Who controls approvals, payments, and recordkeeping? If there are vague expenses, unusual vendors, missing documentation, mini transactions, or muddied transparency then “strong safeguards” like separating financial duties, requiring dual approvals, or reconciling accounts are circumvented..