JOHN: June NIH/BMGF meeting

Gates Package, p.492 · gates:email:00399

Date: 2017-04-19 14:56
Type: email · email
cc: Marybeth Daucher, Alan Chan, Kathy Stover
sender: Courtney Billet
to: John Mascola
Topics: Gates Foundation involvement

Hi - a heads-up about this desire by the Gates Foundation to film Bill Gates visiting the VRC on June 2. Are you in the loop on this visit? We're working to get more information on what they have in mind. We'll work with them the same way we would with other visiting film crews, to determine scope and try to minimize disruption on the day of. We will provide more information as we get it - just wanted to put this on your radar screen for now.

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2017-04-19 14:56 Courtney Billet

Hi - a heads-up about this desire by the Gates Foundation to film Bill Gates visiting the VRC on June 2. Are you in the loop on this visit? We're working to get more information on what they have in mind. We'll work with them the same way we would with other visiting film crews, to determine scope and try to minimize disruption on the day of. We will provide more information as we get it - just wanted to put this on your radar screen for now.
2017-04-19 16:08 Courtney Billet open

Not sure - I've asked for more details and apparently Bldg 1 is waiting to hear more from Gates. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything else, and I'll also raise it with Tony in our morning meeting tomorrow, to see if he has more info. But if I had to guess, I suspect what they have in mind is essentially a VIP tour (like the one for President Obama) with cameraman tagging along.
2017-05-11 16:58 Courtney Billet open

Hi John - just wanted to follow up on this. Rob Eiss from Fogarty called me this afternoon and said that Gates would like to do the VRC tour from 1-2 pm on June 2. Can you confirm that that time would work for you all? They are suggesting that in addition to ASF, key participants would be you, Barney, and Peter. The hour is ours to design. Would you be able to sketch out a brief proposed itinerary? And, in the meantime, I'll bring it up with Tony in our daily meeting tomorrow too. Although these tours often start with a brief presentation in the conference room to orient the visitor to the history, mission, and science, I wonder if that might be shorter (or even dropped?) in this case, since you'll have been involved in discussions/presentations in the morning. I would think the main thing would be identifying things to see in the afternoon that would connect with what you discussed in the morning. Re: the filming request, Rob didn't have any more significant details about what they're looking to film. Right now it still sounds like a Gates cameraman will simply be trailing him, documentary-style.

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