The United Arts Media Group is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that relies on contributions, sponsors, and the hard work of its volunteers.
Our organization celebrates the arts in dynamic transition from visual to visceral, and from celluloid to binary.
Originally founded in 2001 by Steven M. Opsanic as the Great Lakes Film Association, the United Arts Media Group strives to accomplish our mission by showcasing new and veteran Artists, Musicians, and Filmmakers, and recognizing their outstanding achievement, while conducting competitions, and hosting public workshops and events.
Founding numerous film, art, and entertainment oriented projects and events including the Great Lakes International Film Festival and the Eerie Horror Film Festival, the United Arts Media Group is Northwest Pennsylvania’s only association for independent film, and is the first to organize an International independent film festival.
Though we have expanded our reach into every corner of the arts and entertainment field, our main focus is on improving and enhancing the arts and the independent film industry world wide, while adding to the tourism climate in Northwest Pennsylvania.
This is not something that we feel we should do, but something that we know in our hearts and in our minds that is our responsibility to do as a film, arts, and entertainment organization.
The United Arts Media Group works to facilitate the works of established artists and to bring to light the talents of those artists who have yet to be discovered. Every art organization has their own goals and purposes in mind and must work toward those goals and purposes. Each and every organization operates independently of the others.
One of the goals this organization is to pull together all of the arts organizations in not only the Erie area, but our region as well for the greater good of the arts community.
We at the United Arts Media Group believe the members of the arts community should work as a family. When one organization has a performance or show, we all should pull our resources and help to promote that show, collectively, and finally creating not an arts industry, or even an arts community, but an arts FAMILY.
The arts are here to open minds to what can be achieved in a short time period and with even a small or $0 budget. The arts are not just for the wealthy, red carpet type of people, but also for the guy that lives next door to you with a wife and 5 kids and wakes up every morning to head off to the shop, plant, or the restaurant or store. These are the people that we try to introduce to the arts in general.