| First Friday at DOM, July 5 |
Join DOM on July 5th for a live show with artist Esmé Patterson and nonprofit Comic Book Classroom!
Esmé Patterson is a folk & roll songwriter and a founding member of the Denver based, seven-piece Americana collective, Paper Bird, having performed with them in venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater and the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Listen to Esme's album online.
The show will also feature Comic Book Classroom, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization that provides free comic book based curriculum which improves literacy and art skills, increases student achievement, and develops personal awareness.
Learn more about CBC on their website.
Food from Illegal Pete's and adult beverages available, suggested donations are always welcome and encouraged!
On TV Denver Comcast Channel 57Time: Doors at 6 p.m. Live Show is 7-9pm
Location: Denver Open Media, Studio A
700 Kalamath St, Denver, CO
On the first Friday of each month, 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 DOM's website. Events are cablecast and streamed live in Denver Open Media's Studio A.
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We're Hiring! IT Project Manager
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The web department at OMF is hiring a Project Manager. This position is in charge of managing all digital projects for the web team, including client relationship management, schedule of work, and project planning through implementation to launch. We are looking for a candidate that has experience working in a web design environment and experience working with governments or nonprofits. The complete list of duties and skills needed are described in full on our website.
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| Get Involved: OMF and DOM September Block Party |
In September, DOM and OMF are joining forces to put together a big event for the La Alma neighborhood during First Friday on September 6, 2013. There will be food, music and games, all with the help of special donations and sponsorships from OMF supporters. Do you want to be involved in this exciting event?Event sponsors can contribute in a number of ways, all focused on creating a great family-friendly event inviting the La Alma neighborhood to 7th and Kalamath.
Contact Heather Schreck, Events Coordinator, with questions or if you'd like to participate in this event, heather@openmediafoundation.org.
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| Producer Spotlight: Geoffrey Gordon and MMJ-TV |  How did you become interested in creating media?
My father's brother was making movies in Hollywood, so because of their intense competition, my family had been making "home movies" that were like "hollywood movies" for most of my childhood. In college, I started producing (shooting, editing, titling) educational movies and other entertainment shorts. I minored in Journalism, had a late night AM radio show and hosted a weekend talk show on a local TV station during my many college years. So one might say that I've always had an interest in and have been involved in audio and video media.
Do you have plans for your own show? If so, what will the message of your show be?
I would love to host my own show! However, in today's youthful society, I am self-conscious of being elderly so I would rather produce shows that might better appeal to a broader, more youthful audience. As laws pertaining to the use of marijuana (cannabis) have changed dramatically over the past several years, there seems to be more and more questions about the use of it, both growing and cooking and other uses as well. So I figured that since I had so many questions that needed to be answered, perhaps others did as well. So I decided, and after a slight nudge from a few friends who knew of my production skills, to produce a show about marijuana. I did not want to do the usual Youtube type videos that show you how to roll a joint, or how to water a plant, or even just a "watch us smoke" video that seemed to be all that was out there and/or available. So I started producing educational, informative shows at DOM. My first show, Moms for Marijuana Regulation, was so informative and educational, that I knew right away that this was the type of show I wanted to do. These were mothers and a retired police lieutenant that were proponents of changing the laws with regard to the use of marijuana. And if they could get their message out, I knew that I could help get 'the message' out from other such proponents, as well. Producing several other shows like What's Next with Wayward Bill, C4CPR Live, and The Rob Corry Show have allowed me to put educated, authoritative persons in front of the camera to speak intelligently about the subject matter.
What do you do outside of producing videos?
Having semi-retired, I live in the mountains now. I have wanted to do so most of my life. I still take hikes, bicycle, and ski up here, but I no longer participate in what I might call "city" activities such as "keeping up with the neighbors", working on my old muscle cars, or bar hopping down the mall on weekends. I enjoy taking in a 3D movie (even if it's one designed for the grandkids), and Imax movies. Of course, I still go for rides in my jeep on the weekends and I enjoy listening to what might be called classic rock & roll but am expanding my listening to other music available these days, as well. Read more from Geoffrey on our website >> |
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| Executive Director Report from Tony Shawcross |
The past year has been an exciting one for OMF, and this month I'm pleased to announce the completion of our 2012 annual report.
Ten years ago, a group of friends and I began working on what is today the Open Media Foundation. It all started with the realization that our perspective is shaped through communication. We recognized that large media corporations served as gatekeepers for mass communications, the shapers of our collective perspective. We saw the perspective of the media invariably slanting towards the audiences advertisers want to reach, and towards messages advertisers want to support and we set out to shift that conversation in Denver.
Read the OMF 2012 Annual Report online >>
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| Web Spotlight: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and OMF launch new website | |
Voc.org is the new online destination for Volunteer for Outdoors Colorado (VOC). VOC's new website was custom-designed and built for the Drupal 7 CMS by the OMF web team. The website features integration with the core software that allows users to see all opportunities for volunteering and training courses not only on their desktop, but on tablets and mobile phones, as well.
This website offers information on volunteer opportunities in the state of Colorado, news and contact information for VOC, and anything you want to know about outdoor stewardship in Colorado. Visit the site and learn more - www.voc.org.
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NEW Denver Open Media Summer Special:
Get a Free Class Coupon in July
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 Sign up for any new membership with Denver Open Media this summer and take your first class for free!
Signing up for a new membership in the months of July and August will not only provide you with a discount on all of our classes throughout your membership but will also give you your first class at no charge (value up to $150).
To sign up for your new membership, go to denveropenmedia.org/getinvolved. When you register for your free class, use the coupon code "SummerDeal2013". Valid only in the months of July and August this year. Online Only membership not included.
For a list of classes, visit openmediafoundation.org/education.
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| Meet Heather Rutherford, OMF's New Operations Director | 
Tell us a bit about yourself.
After graduating with a degree in both Business and Speech Communication from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX I spent 5 years working at the Vanguard Group Inc, one of the nation's largest mutual fund companies. I managed people and process improvement projects in a variety of departments including small business and sales. Hoping to use my skills in a different way, I left Vanguard and joined the U.S. Peace Corps where I spent 27 months living and working in Georgia (the country not the state). In addition to complete cultural immersion, I developed training curriculum and mentored numerous villagers on project design, funding, implementation, and evaluation. I also had the privilege of working on health and empowerment projects for women and girls. After returning to the U.S., I earned my M.A. in International and Intercultural Communication from the University of Denver, with the goal of working in a Denver area nonprofit. I love the mission of OMF and am thrilled to be joining the team! In my free time I enjoy hiking, camping and backpacking in the great Rocky Mountains!
Why do you think community media centers are important?
Repeatedly throughout history we have seen the power of even a single individual's ideas to enact social change. There are great ideas and movements out there, but too often their voices are drowned out by the immense flood of powerful political and corporate interests that discourage truthful, honest public debate.
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| Client Spotlight: Booktrust | 
Please provide a brief description of your organization.
More than 20 years ago, a young Fort Collins student was distressed to realize that many of her classmates were unable to purchase books through the monthly Scholastic Book Club catalogs because their families didn't have enough money. Years later, when the little girl had become an adult, she returned to Fort Collins and began Book Trust to insure that all children would have the chance to choose and own their own books. In 2001, Book Trust began operating as a pilot program under the fiscal sponsorship of the Serimus Foundation; this pilot project was able to reach 170 students across Fort Collins. By 2006, Book Trust had obtained independent nonprofit status. Our mission is to uniquely deliver choice and ownership of books to low-income children, increasing their literacy skills and fostering life-long learning. Our organization firmly believes that by inspiring a passion for reading one child at a time, we will help increase the number of children with strong literacy skills who are prepared to be successful in school and beyond.
Tell us about your experience working with OMF.
We have been continually impressed with OMF's professionalism and high quality video product. OMF has produced two phenomenal videos, which have been used both locally and nationally to promote our program. In addition, the support they have shown for our organization through social media and other outreach initiatives has been extremely appreciated. We hope to continue our work with OMF on future endeavors.
What are the issues that you are trying to bring to a larger audience?
Over 31 million children are living in low-income families in America.
Research indicates that children living in middle-income communities, on average, own 13 books. Yet, more than half of the children living in low-income communities do not have any books in their homes. In fact, in areas of poverty, the ratio of books to children is one book per every 300 children. In our increasingly information-based world, a child's ability to read proficiently is closely correlated with the child's later successes as a student, an employee, and a citizen.
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| Intern Spotlight: Leticia Campos, Community Engagement Intern | 
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
"The latina who dreams, believes and is becoming" is the name of my book that will be written before I am thirty. My name is Leticia Campos and I am a senior at the University of Denver. I am an International Business major with a minor in Marketing. I am an entrepreneur at heart and am ready to take risks to start my own businesses. I enjoy being involved within my community, currently I am a sister of Pi Lambda Chi Latina Sorority Incorporated, which focuses on creating an educational support network for women on college campuses. During my free time I enjoy dancing. I love dancing to salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, and country music. I love the way dancing makes me feel free, and relaxed. I love to inspire and be inspired. I also love to travel. I have traveled to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guatemala, and Mexico. My next destination is Costa Rica and Paris! I consider myself a kind-hearted, positive woman who loves life. I am a firm believer of the law of attraction, you attract what you believe. Positive attracts positive. When I dream, I dream big, the sky is the limit and our potential is limitless.
Lastly, I love my family and friends for they keep me going. They make me laugh, smile, and feel loved. Family is a blessing, you are a blessing, I am a blessing, life is a blessing.
How did you become involved in Inclusiveness and Outreach work?
I became involved with Inclusiveness and Outreach in my second year of college as a Resident Assistant. Through my role as a Resident Assistant I became familiar with inclusive excellence and what it meant to be inclusive. My role as a Resident Assistant and a sister of Pi Lambda Chi involved outreach in terms of reaching out to different communities on the University of Denver's diverse campus and providing them with tools/skills to excel at the University and beyond.
Tell us about why you decided to do an internship with Open Media Foundation.
My internship with Open Media Foundation sprouted because of The Denver Foundation Non-Profit Internship Program. The Denver Foundation Non-Profit Internship program aims to enhance leadership and community engagement skills, allow students to gain real world work experience and skills, broaden their understanding of the nonprofit community, the issues addressed, and the people they affect. Through the Denver Foundation's Internship application process I was asked what I was interested in in terms of my community. Education and Economic Opportunity were my main interests. The Denver Foundation went through a selection process and matched interns with a non-profit organization. The Open Media Foundation's focus of, "Putting the power of the media and technology in the hands of the people" matched my interests, and after an interview process I was chosen to be the Community Engagement intern for the summer.
What have you gotten out of your internship with OMF?
I have only been here for about 3 weeks and so far I have met amazing people and learned about media and technology. I have taken two classes so far, Pre-Production Basics and Final Cut Pro X workshop. Both classes taught me different skills in video editing, as well as being properly prepared to start creating a production. I look forward to engaging and sharing Open Media Foundation's mission with the community, so that they may use media and technology to represent their own voice.
Why do you think community media centers are important?
I believe community media centers are important because they allow for a diverse showcase of different perspectives, opinions and stories. Often we encounter mainstream media suppressing the voice of the people and it is thanks to community media centers and other outlets that these people get the opportunity and tools necessary to express themselves.
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