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His friends affectionately call him only Kramer. New York politicians know him as a hard-nosed political consultant and the go-to-guy for get out the vote operations. But for the next six months, Steve Kramer will have a new title: producteur executive.
As many of his fellow political consultants are enjoying some down time during the lull in American politics before the 2008 elections, Kramer is preparing to go France to produce a documentary on the French presidential elections. Because of the off-year in politics, Kramer can take a semi-hiatus from his company, Target Marketing USA, which boasts an impressive client list that includes Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) and over 60 members of Congress, among many others.
Kramer’s company carries out phone and voice mail campaigns, focusing primarily on getting out the vote. With call centers in California, Virginia, and New York, Kramer is a political consultant with a national reach.
Now with his documentary, Kramer is looking to go international. Titled “Democracy in France” after Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” the film will use four different directors and include over 30 interviews with French politicians, labor and student group leaders. The elections are scheduled for April 22, with a likely run-off to be held May 5. The film will be shot and produced exclusively in French and distributed in France and French-speaking countries.
Kramer’s role on the film will be mainly operational—making sure that permits, rights and, especially, money are in place.
One place he will not be is behind the camera.
“I’m not the most creative guy you’re going to meet,” Kramer admitted, explaining his path to producing. “My entertainment friends have been reaching out to me for a number of years because they never have enough money.”
Kramer claims that he is already halfway to his fundraising goal of $420,000, and says he is realistic about what a limited budget can produce.
“We’re not looking to make ‘Titanic’,” he said.
However, Kramer says this election promises to be “revolutionary” for France. Current President Jacques Chirac is expected to step aside, though he has not ruled out making another run. The field of candidates is expected to be crowded, but Kramer says he is particularly interested in one of them: Ségolène Royal, a female Socialist, whom he thinks might prefigure Sen. Hillary Clinton’s run for the presidency.
He does not expect to do any consulting for French politicians. But he has not ruled the prospect out entirely.
Jerry Skurnik, head of Prime New York, which has had a “symbiotic” relationship with Kramer for the last few years, said that the most disconcerting aspect of the project thus far for him were the daily visits from Kramer’s French tutor, with whom he has worked two hours a day for six weeks, in addition to using the language program Rosetta Stone.
That is not the only thing that has Skurnik wondering.
“I’m somewhat skeptical that a movie about French elections would be popular somewhere,” Skurnik said, though admitting, “I’m not a sophisticate. I watch a lot of crap.”
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