NewsNews

The Open Media Foundation announced on May 8, 2013 that it is awarding 11 Denver-area nonprofits with grants totalling a combined value of $25,000 in media and communication services, training, and tools.

The largest grant was awarded to the Sisters of Color United for Education (SOCUE).  The Multimedia and Outreach Assistance Grant, which is valued at $15,000, will equip SOCUE with the tools and resources necessary to create their own media. In addition, OMF will work closely with SOCUE to produce both field and in-studio productions, including a quality promotional video for their organization.

The Multimedia and Outreach Grant includes:

  • Free-unlimited access to over $2 million in equipment and television studios for one year

  • Free media training for SOCUE staff and volunteers

  • Production support for studio and field productions

  • Web support to strengthen online video presence

"If your first issue is not media, it should be your second, " said Daniel Stange, Health Promotor and Program Manager for SOCUE.  “As a Promotora de Salud or ‘Promotors of Health’, being able to create media content that showcases not only health disparities but also the ability to overcome and the capacity of community to advocate and create change from within is a blessing” added Stange.

"Our selection committee was impressed by so many of the applicants" said Ann Theis, Station Director for Denver Open Media, an OMF project. "It was an extremely difficult decision to make, and we are very excited to begin working with SOCUE to help them accomplish their media goals to not only reach a larger audience but also to get their constituents engaged in making media", Theis added.

“We are grateful and humbled for this opportunity to create relevant content, gain valuable knowledge and skills necessary to become publishers of our collaborative journeys of survival, wellness, dedication, synchronicity and hope” Said Belinda Garcia, ED of SOCUE.

The grant is part of OMF’s initiative to engage and amplify the voices of Denver’s Latino community and individuals lacking post-secondary education in the local media conversation. With support from the Denver Foundation and Knight Foundation, OMF recently completed a year-long inclusiveness assessment that found these two groups to be the most underserved and underrepresented in the local media.  In the coming years, these two demographic groups will continue to be a primary focus for OMF's outreach.

Although OMF initially intended to select one recipient, the pool of applicants had many deserving organizations dedicated to serving the two target demographics. As such, OMF awarded an additional $10,000 in memberships and trainings to ensure these organizations would have the opportunity to access multimedia resources and let their stories be heard in the community.

The ten other recipients receiving a year-long Nonprofit Organization Membership to Denver Open Media are as follows:

  1. Project WISE

  2. Servicios de La Raza

  3. Colorado Progressive Coalition

  4. Latino Community Foundation of Colorado

  5. YESS Institute

  6. COLOR

  7. Rights for All People

  8. Cafe Cultura

  9. Escuela de Guadalupe

  10. Confluence Ministries

 

About the Open Media Foundation:

The Open Media Foundation (OMF) works to put the power of media technologies in the hands of civic-minded individuals and groups. OMF produces high-end media content for nonprofits and public sector organizations. It also provides access to affordable media education and technical resources to anyone interested in expressing their own voice. In addition, OMF operates Denver Open Media, Denver’s public access TV station. To find out more about OMF, visit www.openmediafoundation.org.

For more information contact: Ann Theis, Open Media Foundation, 700 Kalamath Street, Denver, Colorado, 80204, 720-222-0159 ext. 203, grants@openmediafoundation.org.

The City of Denver is currently in the final stages of negotiating with Comcast for a Franchise Agreement that will determine the next 10 years of Public Access TV in Denver, and its not looking good. 

As you know, DOM's three channels are currently in Standard-Definition, though the majority of Comcast Channels have moved to HD. The current state of the Franchise negotiations have a mechanism for only one DOM channel to move to HD in the next 10 years. While other cities have each channel mirrored in SD and HD, Denver's negotiators are accepting an offer that has just a single HD channel for Public Access (plus one for Government and another for Education). 

Your City representatives need to hear that all PEG channels should have a pathway toHD in the franchise. In ten years, Standard-Definition channels will be obsolete, and with no pathway to enable their transition to HD, we are essentially sacrificing those channels. Secondly, the negotiations have the PEG fee increasing by only 5%, a pace that is far below DOM's member growth, far below Comcast's annual bill increases, and even below inflation. DOM provides equipment to members through this PEG fee, and as the negotiations stand, we are not going to be able to keep-up with demand from members, meaning more outdated equipment and facilities. 

Please send a note to the At-Large City Council Member and the Mayor's Representative on the Franchise Negotiating Committee, who represent all residents of Denver. More information, including contact info for all 5 members of the negotiating committee can be found here.  Email these committee members to let them know DOM's channels need to be HD within 10 years: Deborah Ortega - At Large City Council Rep, deborah.ortega@denvergov.org, and Erin Mewhinney, erin.mewhinney@denvergov.org. 

The Open Media Foundation’s Spring Fundraiser, 'A Higher Definition of Media' Free Breakfast will be held Wednesday, May 22nd at 7:30am at the Mi Casa Resource Center. At this one-hour, free introductory event, you will learn how OMF’s Services, Training, and Tools empower everyone to contribute to the Collective Perspective in our community.  Breakfast is complimentary.  Please arrive no later than 7:15AM as the program will start promptly at 7:30AM.  RSVP online today!

 

A Higher Definition of Media
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
7:30-8:30AM
Mi Casa Resource Center
360 Acoma Street Denver, CO 80223





View Larger Map

We will be announcing the grant winner no later than April 20, stay tuned to see which deserving nonprofit will be selected to receive $15,000 worth of OMF service to help promote their organization to the community!

The Open Media Foundation has submitted a proposal to the Knight Foundation for their News Challenge to improve Open Government. Watch our video that we submitted for the Open Media Project for Government, and show your support on our submission on the News Challenge website

 

 

 

Please come down, visit the Santa Fe Arts District and join the live studio audience for a great performance from one of Denver's best local bands, 

This month's festivities begin with a Donor/Volunteer-appreciation reception on the 2nd floor at 6pm, followed by a live broadcast in Studio A at 7pm featuring the Andy Hackbarth Band.
 
Even if you can't make it down to the studios, you can join in this broadcast by Tweeting your First Friday photos, text, or other comments using the #DOMFF hashtag. 
 

Special thanks to the sponsors of our Donor Cocktail Event:  Black-Eyed PeaWhole Foods  and Wynkoop Brewery

Please join us for OMF's Donor Cocktail Party on Friday March 1st.  Free food and drinks will be provided to all donors and supporters that RSVP.  This reception will be from 6 to 7 pm on the 2nd Floor of the OMF building at 700 Kalamath, Denver CO 80204.  First Friday festivities will follow immediately after downstairs in Studio A.

We couldn't do our community work without the continued support of our donors - please RSVP for this event at www.denveropenmedia.org/rsvp

Drinks and food are provided by our event sponsors, Black-eyed Pea, Whole Foods and Wynkoop Brewery.

     

The Open Media Foundation is getting ready for some big events.  Currently, we are seeking individuals to help expand our outreach and fundraising capacity through our Development Internship openings. This position is for someone interested in learning all the aspects of marketing, networking, fundraising and outreach for a non-profit organization. Tasks will focus on building diversity into outreach efforts, which in turn will build a strong base of different types of supporters including members, students, donors, watchers, supporters and champions within the community.  Students interested in nonprofit fundraising, event planning, outreach and independent media are encouraged to apply.

To apply, please complete the online application, and be sure to upload your cover letter and resume within the form.

If selected for an interview, you will be asked to bring a writing sample & a copy of your resume. If you have questions, email: intern@openmediafoundation.org 

Denver Open Media's February 1 First Friday celebrates Black History Month through poetic expression. This month's program features some of Denver's finest poets, sharing with you great poems that celebrates the historic accomplishments, vital struggle, and future hope of Blacks in America. 

    Featured poets include Lucifuri, Mahogany, Jovan, and Isis. Also featured during this program will be a visit by Denver historic figure, Dr. Justina Ford, known as "Colorado's Lady Doctor", portrayed by actor Adrienne Martin-Fullwood. And don't miss our video tour of the Blaire-Caldwell African American Research Library. 

On the first Friday of most months, DOM hosts a free community event with local performance groups, musical acts, and nonprofit partners. These events are broadcast live on Comcast Channel 57 as well as streamed on our website. They are rebroadcast on Channels 56, 57 and 219. They are also available online for on-demand viewing. This events are held inside Denver Open Media's Studio A.

     

How did you become involved in multimedia work?    

I first became interested in film and video production at a young age. My grandmother had a laser disk of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. I must have been 6 or 7 years old. I remember the first time I watched it, it scared the crap out of me. Then my grandmother showed me the flip side of the disk and it contained the behind-the-scenes footage. I was amazed at the whole make-up process, the big cameras on set, and how much fun everyone was having. I thought to myself "that's awesome, I want to be apart of that". 

Tell us about why you decided to do an internship with Open Media Foundation? 

I become involved in Denver Open Media foundation through a friend who had been a intern at DOM. She told me to fill out an application and then introduced me to guy who was starting work on a documentary. I worked with him for about a month before hearing that I had been approved for an intern spot. I have continued to work on the documentary which should be done some time this fall.

 

What have you gotten out of your internship with OMF? 

Denver Open Media has been a great place for me to grow as a filmmaker. it has provided a place to exchange ideas with other filmmakers. I have learned a lot about parts of television production that I have previously not been familiar with. Areas such as the operations in the control room and in-studio procedures. Denver Open Media has help me to open up my creativity and my dedication to the craft of making films.

What are your career goals? 

Being a part of this great station will help me in the future by opening up doors for me to start my own production company and providing me a place to network and gain new cliental. 

Why do you think community media centers are important?

I believe that having a place like DOM is very important to our community. If theres not an outlet for the communities voice to be heard, then I think we lose out on oppertiunties to talk about important issues that will affect us. Without discussing the issues from both sides we miss out on coming up with a solution that will benefit both parties. Let your voice be heard. 

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I guess I've always followed my heart and dreams. So cheesy but very true. I have been truly blessed! I wanted to work in the film industry since the age of 5. It was my mission in life and so I attended Columbia College in Chicago which was like the TV show Fame with all the creativity and diveristy of the arts. I ended up leaving half way through my junior year when I was offered an internship on the remake of 'The Shining' which was filmed in Estes Park and Denver. I was very lucky that they had designed my internship to follow the career path that I was on at the time, a producer, so I interned in every department. After the show wrapped 2 months later I was offered a job on a TV show on HBO in Los Angeles, which was one of my dream companies to work for after watching 'And the Band Played On.' I would free lance jumping project to project but would find myself back at HBO for 2 years working in post production on the 1st 2 seasons of The Sopranos and then 6 years as the Festival Coordinator on the US Comedy Arts Festival which was a comedy/film festival in Aspen, CO. I went on to to AFI Fest and LA Film Festival. I had been volunteering during my 6 years at HBO for Afghan Women's Mission which is a nonprofit organization that supports the oldest feminist women's organization, RAWA. That's where things began to shift for me and I began to realize that I wasn't on the Hollywood path anymore but more of an activist one. I worked as an event coordinator doing nonprofit benefits and realized that through my event experience I wanted to help to raise the funds for people to do the good work. I wanted people to discover a great organization and the importance of their work and help them achieve it. That's how I ended up leaving Hollywood and taking me on this new path. One that is still new, exciting and the one I will follow the rest of my life. 

 

Why do you think community media centers are important?

Honestly, because they allow individuals to have a voice and to express themselves in a way that may not fit the status quo, but to also question it. More importantly I feel it gives people a way to connect with others that they may not have been able to otherwise and it allows conversations and ideas to flow. It allows a spark to start and thus can set us on a path for change and conversation. 

 

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Hopefully building outreach and policy skills so that I can have a stronger impact on policies that are made on issues I care about, especially violence against women which is something that has affected me and those around me pretty harshly.

 

What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

The people I work with here and the inspiration I have through them. The people I have met and worked with outside the organization during my job have been great too. Also, I enjoy that not one single day is ever the same. Events is a constant puzzle piece that you juggle on a day-to-day basis and I love trying to find the right fit and waiting for the unexpected.

Colorado's House and Senate will begin their 2013 session on Wednesday January 9 at 10 AM, and the Colorado Channel will continue to provide a live broadcast of the floor in both chambers on Comcast Channel 165 in Denver and live-streaming on their website at www.coloradochannel.net. The Colorado Channel is managed by the Colorado Channel Authority Board, but the work needed to keep the cameras rolling can be credited to the OMF video team, and the website's design and video archive is the work of the OMF web team.  OMF supports community engagement through media, and we encourage everyone to tune in and learn about what legislators are discussing at the capital this year.

For 2013, OMF is offering one organization $15,000 worth of media & communications services and resources.  This grant is for any local organizations who work with engaging and amplifying the voices and perspectives of Denver’s Latino community and/or individuals with no post-secondary education. By collaborating with your organization which is already connected to these communities, OMF aims to not only strengthen our own organization and the recipient of this grant but also the entire Denver community.  This grant provides for everything necessary for an organization to create their own short, promotional video, as well as other media, and share it with the world.  

Help us spread the word; if you are an organization that qualifies or if you know of an organization that does, please read more details on our website and fill out the online application.  The deadline to apply is March 20, 2013.

Watch this short video from the OMF staff wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season.

Choose from women's tanks, regular tees or men's long sleeve thermals ($10/$15/$20 donations respectively). Come into the office and get yours today!