The Digital Democracy team is growing, and I’d like to introduce myself as one of the latest members. I didn’t mean to lurk in the corner for five months, but here it just happened!
I help create Digital Democracy TV, our semiweekly internet television show that follows the adventures of Mark and Emily in the US and abroad as they meet like-minded organizations and initiate our pilot programs. I became involved in late May of this year when I approached Emily, Mark, Liz and Gabe about the possibility of using media as a tool in their outreach and relations with their supporters. Over the next few months I began work on short clips from the video footage they had available of activist leaders in refugee camps at the Burma border. The overwhelming power of these images brought us to consider the importance that people here these stories directly from the source. We brainstormed how to use media in their upcoming trip to Thailand and Bangladesh, and DdTv was born. As far as we know it is the first and only Internet TV show that follows the work of a nonprofit weekly.
You can read my story of DdTv’s inception, as well as the technical challenges we’ve faced and how we overcame them, over at my blog at mjmfilms.com. I’ve also got a reel of my other film work and a running blog on contemporary issues in film and politics.
A bit about me: I’m a film director doing both narrative and documentary work. My latest film is Castle on High, a 46-minute documentary that has been shown in film festivals and is set for a New York screening in November. I am in film because I believe in its power to make a difference and take a stand on important issues. Movies focused on bringing social problems to light and offering solutions are changing the world. Thanks to the power of video, we have a far greater understanding of the problems facing this world and the solutions available. I also like to make things look pretty.
DdTv is a great example of the power of this medium. Even as we entertain viewers, we allow them an opportunity to experience the areas we work in firsthand. You can engage with our work like never before because you can see us doing it, as it happens.
It’s great to finally meet you, and I hope you get the chance to check out the show. I’d love to hear your thoughts on our work! Michael can be reached at michael@mjmfilms.com or on Twitter at @mikeyla.