Hopeful…

October came in warm and went out with the leaves. The days are shorter, the nights come early, and the windows at 516 Congress glow a little brighter when you walk by after dark. Charlie Hewitt decided to brighten our mood and the neighborhood and we’re delighted for the huge message that lights up our studio windows.

THIS THURSDAY · NOVEMBER 5 · 5:30-7:30PM

Annual Member Meeting

This is the big one. Our Annual Member Meeting is this Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 7:30pm, right here at Portland Media Center, 516 Congress Street. (It won’t take that long.)

We’ll look back at the year, introduce you to the people behind the cameras, and give you a first look at our brand new Annual Report. There will be board updates, member business, light refreshments, and one juicy surprise. I’m not saying a word about it until the night of. Don’t ask.

This is your media center. Come tell us what you want to see next.

RSVP Now

ON CHANNEL 5 THIS WEEK

Pachios on the News: Tony Payne returns

Harold Pachios on the set of Pachios on the News

This week on Pachios on the News, Harold welcomes back a familiar face. Tony Payne returns to the table for some respectful political dialogue, the kind that’s getting harder to find.

Two people who know Maine, talking it through with curiosity and good manners. Catch it on Channel 5.

FIRST FRIDAY · NOVEMBER 6

The Teller’s Garden

The Teller’s Garden is back in the studio for First Friday, November 6. Come early, grab a seat and settle in for a night of live performance right here at 516 Congress.

https://www.tellersgarden.com

SECOND SATURDAY · NOVEMBER 14

YES&Co. Improv

YES&Co. takes the stage on the second Saturday, November 14. Long-form improv, built on the spot, from a crew that never plays it safe. Nobody knows what happens next, including them. That’s the fun.

https://porttix.com/partners/yes-and-co

TRY IT YOURSELF

Improv workshops with Maine Improv Studios

An improviser on stage at Portland Media Center

Ever wanted to try it yourself? If you’re interested in learning improv, or you just want to have some fun, sign up for a workshop with Maine Improv Studios. Learn to listen, say yes and think on your feet. Good skills on stage, even better ones off it.

https://www.maineimprovstudio.com

LAST MONTH

The New Youth Times premiere

On October 8 we premiered the latest episode of The New Youth Times. This summer’s crew, our second cohort, built with our partners at The Opportunity Alliance and the Maine Youth Action Network. They reported it, shot it, edited it and put it on the air.

Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer them on. Watching young people see their own work on the big screen never gets old.

2026 ANNUAL APPEAL

Help Build What’s Next

Our annual appeal is live. Every gift keeps the mics open, the cameras rolling and the next generation learning. Our goal this year is $50,000, and every member who gives helps get us there.

Give Today

LEARN IT HERE

Workshops at PMC

Come in, learn a new skill, and have fun with all of us at the media center. Pick a door:

Adobe Premiere

Podcasting

TV Studio

Adobe After Effects

Aerial Drone

See everything we offer on our workshops page.

Stay hopeful. See you Thursday.

Seasons are Reasons for Change…

{Eventually, I’ll stop all the change talk…eventually…honestly it’s probably never going to change…}

September brings the cobalt blue skies and the crisp apple air. I love this time of year.

The seasons bring their own characteristics to our environment and wash away the heat of summer. While the plants and the animals may find this time to hoard, and hibernate, and go dormant, it is full steam ahead at Portland Media Center.

One super important note I want to make right off the bat, our annual meeting is slated for NOVEMBER 5, 6-8pm. Please come and join us. We want your feedback and we want to show you what we are up to. There are big plans for the future. Big announcements will be made, and we want to hear from you.

Please come by and learn about what we are doing.

See you then.

NOVEMBER 5, 6-8PM

MEET THE NEW TEAM MEMBERS- MICHAEL GAGNE, PRODUCTION DIRECTOR & JENNA HORNER, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR, MICHAEL GAGNE

Michael Gagne joins us from nearly three decades of commercial television production to lead and direct our production department. He is a huge talent and can-do and brings a wealth of knowledge, ability and professionalism to our team.

He’s also a licensed Aerial Drone pilot and will be offering drone workshops to help you take your creative imagery to new heights…

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, JENNA HORNER

Jenna Horner has joined us as our new development director. She wowed us in her interview process at the ease in which she carries herself and a conversation. She’s a firecracker with a solid background in nonprofit fundraising and relationship building.

Here’s a note from Jenna –

“I’m thrilled to have joined the team at Portland Media center this fall. It’s a place where development can truly drive impact, as a media center that’s refocusing its mission and vision as not only a central hub for local access broadcasting, but also as a modern media center where the Portland public can learn new skills to amplify their voices. Nonprofit development isn’t only about finances—It’s about resources, relationships, and collective liberation by providing a community with tools that will help it thrive. I’m excited to meet more of you in person, as I grow with this team and our collaborators in Portland. My door is always open—or even when it’s not, I’m just a knock away.”

COLLABORATION WITH MAYO STREET ARTS FOR PUPPETS IN PORTLAND!

Last month we teamed with Mayo Street Arts to host an interactive VR puppetry experience. Participants were donned with VR goggles in the studio and had an immersive experience of the puppetry museum in Berlin.

SAVE THE DATE! THURSDAY OCTOBER 8! THE PREMIERE OF THE LATEST EPISODE FROM THE NEW YOUTH TIMES INITIATIVE

October 8 we will be premiering the latest edition of the New Youth Times Initiative. For the second summer we teamed with Opportunity Alliance and Maine Youth Action Network to host another summer intensive for new youth media leaders. They created another edition of the program and we found more young minds to bend and fuel with media awareness, ability and skills. This program is growing and we love to watch it happen.

iN CASE YOU MISSED IT. WE HAVE A SLEW OF NEW WORKSHOPS. COME IN, LEARN A NEW SKILL, AND HAVE FUN WITH ALL OF US AT THE MEDIA CENTER.

See, change, it is the only constant…
Hope to see you soon.

September Welcome.

I always like the fall. The brisk air, the blue of the sky, the explosion of color that reminds us of the power and the beauty of natures truth. It is change. I know, I use that word a lot. But a very wise person once said, ‘Change is the only constant.’ And considering many of us have recently seen The Odyssey, it’s not a bad idea to nod to the old Heraclitus.

As August closes, the second installation of The New Youth Times also wrapped. Another cohort of five young media minds put their efforts into learning and absorbing the magic of media making. It is breathtaking to be around those that catch the fire. It reminds me of the joy behind storytelling and the tools we use. We ‘get’ to do this work. That can be forgotten sometimes in the day to day. Then we show it to a young mind and their eyes light with possibility and the pure joy of the floods back in. Look for the release party invitation coming soon.

The Cassidy Brothers have a new film screening. Here’s what the press release says about it…
Maine Filmmakers Launch Grassroots Theatrical Run of New Movie Saving Black Bear

The sophomore feature film from the Cassidy Brothers is a love letter to indie film, indie cinemas, and the state they call home

Now, after a sneak preview at the Vacationland Film Festival in Biddeford on August 23rd, Saving Black Bear will return to Black Bear Cinemas in Orono for its World Premiere on September 9th, then continue to its Portland Premiere (sponsored by StreamState) at O’Maine Studios on September 13th. Additional screenings and more can be found at savingblackbear.com.

DREADLINE FILM FESTIVAL HERE AT PORTLAND MEDIA CENTER

A film festival of short horror films that will send your popcorn to the roof and back. Local and beyond, these films are fear on film.
Click on the the image or click right here to get your tickets now.
https://portlandmedia.org/events/

August already…and I am Hopeful.

I try not to repeat myself, but these are repetitive times. Change is constant. Turning this institution into a real modern media center takes heavy lifting, and it takes many hands, many minds, all pulling in the same direction.

That’s the mission. Make this space a community space. Share our stories and our skills with the people who call this place home.

At this time, so much of that community is aching. There’s real fear moving through it, fear that’s being inflicted, not imagined. And in times like these, coming together matters more, not less. We open our doors as a safe space and a communal one, a place to hold and share the stories of who we are.

Portland Media Center keeps changing and evolving as the community around it also changes and evolves. We tell stories on broadcast, on podcast, in video, in spoken word, in improv.

However you tell yours, there’s a place for it here.

Come in. Join us. Share your story.

July brought some visitors in.

Story Corps

was here at Portland Media Center for the last week, conducting interviews for the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress about what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic. This brought in so many from the community to share their stories. These will be available for generations to come to hear the experiences of those who lived through the pandemic.

Charlie Hewitt the creative genius behind the sculpture across the street and the ‘Hopeful’ sign was here and he gave us the sign you can now see in our front window. Such a great message to display to Portland.

NEW YOUTH TIMES 2.0

For the second year in a row we have offered a cohort of students an opportunity to engage with Portland Media Center, Portland at large and the tools of the trade of media storytelling with the New Youth Times Initiative. They are working very hard on creating their project.

Watch The New Youth Times at work.

WATCH VIDEO HERE!

It is exhilarating watching them work together and learn the basics of our profession. Young media makers are our future.

ONE MORE THING! OUR ANNUAL MEETING!

We are planning our annual meeting for September 24. Please hold the date so we can discuss the past year and what the future holds. There are big ideas brewing. We’re looking forward to seeing you then.