Petrelis Files

SFGovTV & League of Women Voters' Video
by Michael Petrelis

The five-minute candidate statement I taped last month as part of a joint voter engagement project of SF GovTV and the League of Women Voters is now on YouTube.

Seeing the finished tape, I feel I come across as a basically relaxed and rumpled younger brother of Harvey Fierstein, with just a tinge of nervousness reading off a teleprompter for the first time.

I told my social media guru Todd Swindell about learning to love my look on the tape, and he replied with this tale:

"Reminds me of a great scene from one of my fav films 'Broadcast News". William Hurt's character is trying to help Albert Brook's character to present better when doing the evening news report. Hurt tells Brooks to sit on the line of his coat but Brooks ignores him and keeps reading. Finally Hurt comes over and pulls it down. Brooks becomes all ruffled about being touched but, when he sees himself on the monitor, he says, 'Fantastic tip!'"

Let's go to the tape: