Watch Duty CEO Honored at American Cinematheque Event: “‘Hero’ is Something I Find Hard to Bear”

by

On a recent Friday evening, the American Cinematheque held their Tribute to the Crafts event, making it one of the initial gatherings back in Los Angeles following the wildfires that occurred in Pacific Palisades and Altadena on January 7th.

The evening honored artisans from productions such as “Wicked”, “Dune: Part Two”, “Emilia Pérez”, “Challengers”, and “The Substance”. Unlike traditional events, this gathering had a more relaxed atmosphere, with attendees invited to dress casually. Many were seen in jeans and sneakers, deviating from the usual Hollywood glamour. A unique aspect of this night was a tribute to John Clarke Mills, CEO and co-founder of Watch Duty, the creators of the wildfire alert app that kept millions of Los Angeles residents informed during the crisis.

Inside Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre, Mills received the Unsung Hero Award. However, he was hesitant about being called a hero, stating, “The term ‘hero’ can be difficult for me at times.” Instead, he highlighted his firefighter companions who accompanied him and praised the “men and women, predominantly men, who are jailed yet work tirelessly in the dead of night to rescue Brentwood from Mandeville Canyon for just $1 an hour.”

This version maintains the original meaning while using simpler, more conversational language to make it easier to read.

In 2021, Mills initiated the development of the app, driven by the near-loss of his Sonoma residence to a fire. He personally invested a substantial sum of $1 million into this project.

In addition to expressing my gratitude, I want to acknowledge the residents of Los Angeles who persistently work hard and refuse to abandon their city, California, the American West, and their dreams. I intend to keep fighting for as long as possible, continuing my efforts to protect them and support our first responders during their battles. To put it simply, I am honored to receive this award, but I don’t consider myself a hero; those individuals are right here in this room with us.

As I stood there, beaming with pride, Steve Guttenberg – a true community hero – handed me my award. In those turbulent times when fires ravaged Pacific Palisades, he selflessly moved cars abandoned by evacuees, ensuring that fire trucks could swiftly reach the flames and save our neighborhood.

I was operating vehicles and relocating them, but some folks had locked their cars and taken off with the keys, seemingly headed for Macy’s. I also encountered cars, like a Tesla, that I hadn’t driven before – I’ve never owned a Tesla, and there were about 20 of them in total. Guttenberg joked about this situation. I had the opportunity to drive cars I’d never operated before. People brought down their luxurious vehicles such as Lamborghinis and Maseratis, and then the firefighters instructed us to exit the vehicles and flee because a fire was approaching. So, I jumped into a Lamborghini – though I only drove it about 20 feet – and I got to drive a Lamborghini!

Among the recipients, such as Paul Tazewell (Wicked costume designer), Jomo Fray (cinematographer of Nickel Boys), Juliette Welfling (editor of Emilia Pérez), the hair and makeup team from The Substance, stunt coordinators for The Fall Guy, and visual and sound teams from Dune: Part Two, along with Ed Lachman who received a career achievement award, expressed gratitude towards firefighters and conveyed affection to those affected by wildfires in their acceptance speeches.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who earned acclaim for their work on the “Challengers” score, shared a video message. In it, Reznor expressed, “We’ve recently returned to our workspace following an evacuation, and I must say, we’re all a bit mentally shaken, just like everyone else here probably is. I sincerely hope that everyone is managing as well as possible during these incredibly challenging and unusual times we’re experiencing.

Read More

2025-01-25 20:55