Jeff Dooley
Volunteer of the Month - June

Why Volunteer of the Month?

Jeff is the tireless videographer for Cinnabar Opera, Cinnabar ETC and Cinnabar Young Rep. And he doesn’t just point and shoot. With Jeff Dooley, each show is carefully edited and produced in order to be enjoyed again and again. When you consider the number of productions Cinnabar produces, and the fact that Jeff doesn’t charge Cinnabar one red cent for filming them, it becomes crystal clear why Jeff is way overdue to be named Volunteer of the Month. It’s the support of people like Jeff that makes Cinnabar such a wonderful place to create and enjoy art.

About Jeff

Jeff Dooley was born in Hollywood, CA in the spring of 1946. His father was in the military so they moved around quite a bit. “I remember the snow in Washington DC, the beach at San Diego, and had a great time surfing in Hawaii, where I spent my high school and young adult years.”

After graduating from high school, Jeff received a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from University of Hawaii and a Master of Science in Cybernetics and Systems Science from San Jose State University.

“I’ve been fortunate (and old) enough to have had multiple careers. During the 1970s and 80s I ran a commercial photography business working in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. After graduate school I began work as a business consultant, diagnosing organizational work processes. I also taught Total Quality Management at UC Santa Cruz Extension for about a decade during that time. During the late 90s I began to shift my consulting work to include conflict management skill-building using Aikido principles. Presently, I am still offering occasional organizational workshops, but am spending more of my time as a video producer and photographer these days, in effect, coming full-circle.

“I have always loved taking pictures, and if it weren’t something I do for a living, I’d be a photo hobbyist. I also love cycling, scuba diving, and training Aikido.”

“My family is my greatest joy. My wife Lynn, to whom I’ve been married for 25 years, and our two daughters Johanna (16) and Rosie (13).”

Jeff and Cinnabar

“My daughters began attending the Cinnabar summer camps at about the ages of 6 or 7 each. Lynn and I were just happy to be parents in the audience.

“As the years rolled on and the kids continued to perform in summer camp and Young Rep shows at Cinnabar, I got more interested in producing video recordings of their shows. One year, my crummy, hand-held consumer video of one of the shows was all that ended up being available. From that time on I began trying to produce better quality videos of the kids’ shows, and found that working with Cinnabar staff, directors, stage managers, and performers was a lot of fun. My goal with the youth shows has always been to provide the kids with vivid, lasting memories of their very best performances.

“The primary benefit we’ve enjoyed has been that our kids have grown up with confidence and poise that comes from immersion in the performing arts and mentoring from great teachers and adult performers. We have made many friends through our connection with Cinnabar, and watching the kids deepen their relationships with other Cinnabar kids has been very enriching.”