Jonathan Gratz interview video, 2022
Content Description
4 oral history interviews (approx 60 minutes each) and the full 23-minute short film “Feed/Back”, a short experimental documentary released in 2022 in partnership with the Center for Story-based Strategy and Village X Studio. The film wove together a futurist narrative of escape with present-day stories of food service workers, many formerly employed at Busboys and Poets, a cultural centerpiece in the DMV community. It was awarded Best Director (DMV Short Film Festival) and honorable mention for Best Documentary Short (Workers Unite Film Festival) following its release and premiered in three cities across the East Coast. These recordings offer first-hand accounts of sexual harassment, wage theft, and employee intimidation in the workplace, and echo the call for elimination of the tipped wage system coming from grassroots organizers locally and across the United States.
Dates
- Creation: 2022
Creator
- Gratz, Jonathan (Person)
- Foy, MacKenzie River, 1997- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no known restrictions to accessing this collection.
Biographical / Historical
Jonathan Gratz (he/him) immigrated with his family from Russia when he was young, and grew up in Gaithersburg, MD. He was raised in a religiously extreme environment, running away from home as a teenager to support himself as a construction worker. Gratz was incarcerated for a period of time, then later worked at the Gaithersburg Marriott in the kitchen and as a security officer. While employed there, he began to build the popular Rockville photography and videography studio, Future History Labs, with his business partner. The growth of the business along with his misalignment with “company culture” led to his termination from Marriott in 2015.
Extent
1 Files (length: 01:18:45 )
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Gratz narrates his experiences working with the Marriott family, the company culture, and the events leading up to his termination. He also recounts moments of intimidation, harassment, and assault that he or his coworkers experienced both from management and from fellow staff at Marriott.
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository