Media Education Projects

We have several media education projects brewing at Portland Media! We just wrapped the first season of a new television show called, Bits & Bites: The Cooking Show which is a collaboration with The Boys and Girls Club and is led by a MECA&D Illustration major who develops recipes inspired by what she learned from her Puerto Rican family. Each episode she shares her approach to cooking with the middle schoolers at the club who help her make each meal. A catch phrase from the show is, “You measure with love” The show is produced by college students, high school and middle schoolers and the episodes will start rolling out this summer. Stay tuned for each episode and for Season 2 this fall!

We are also assisting a production of a television interview show created by middle school students from The Telling Room. They’ve been visiting our space on Mondays and they’ve been honing their media skills and collaboration skills while interviewing people (and animals) that inspire them. They’re working on the name for this show and some dance interludes. There will be more info about this project soon.

Students from Baxter Academy have been working at our space on Fridays during their Flex Friday period and over the last few months two short narrative films have emerged. After research and story development they’re now in production and editing will take place this summer.

We’re also working on a short documentary about the awesome teen radio program, Blunt Youth Radio. We’ve visited their host site at WMPG a few times and candidly filmed them at work and conducted interviews with Blunt Youth Radio members and staff. This projects is also in post production and will be airing soon. This is our first observational style documentary!

We have other projects, led by youth, that are just starting like a podcast about women’s health, a television show about dance and politics and a sports interview show. If you’re interested in an internship at Portland Media, reach out to the Education Coordinator to learn more and if you’re a teen or an adult that is a media beginner, check out our intro workshops here: https://portlandmedia.org/ and then click on learn for the three current workshop options.

May we continue…

April started with a bang. Our collaboration with WMPG and their end to the spring begathon, an event we called, ‘Fools Last Beg!’ was a hoot and a half. DJ Bobby Shax played a set from the windows on Congress Street and then we took to the studio and hosted the performance rock and roll band Crazy DejaVu. It was crazy. I felt like I’d been there before…it was like DejaVu all over again, crazy…

People came and dressed for the show and danced in our studio where our new cameras caught it all in action. It was a great display of community development and all around good time fun. Something a little different to show on our show.

There’s more in store. New episodes and live television events to explore and connect with. We are a community of creative media makers and we want you to come and join us. See the line up below and come by and say hello.

We are big supporters of our Improv Community.

The Teller’s Garden is in the studio on First Friday for another ‘made up on the spot’ showcase of community and comedy.

And Yes & Co will be back there next Saturday bringing their style of improvisational funny.

Steal This Story, Please! is a portrait of Amy Goodman’s commitment to independent journalism and truth-telling over the past three decades. Directed by Academy Award-nominated Directors and Producers, Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, the documentary will be playing in Portland at the Portland Museum of Art starting Saturday, May 30th. For more information, visit stealthisstory.org.
The film will play at the Portland Museum of Art opening Saturday, May 30th

Coming through our broadcast this month, Pachios on the News will come to you on Wednesday with another diplomatic conversations with a civic leader in discourse about current events. Harold always brings respect and good conversation to the table.

A new episode of Rescuing the Rule of Law will come through in the beginning of May, this episode will feature two justices from the Maine Supreme Court discussing the importance of the courts in our legal system.

Moon Machar and Shay Stewart-Bouley are back on May 13 with their show From Away To Me, in a lively conversation about identity and sense of place and belonging. Musical guest Kenya will join.
Tickets available on our website soon.
Audience interaction is encouraged.

Spring Has Sprung…

I know that because I wrote that it means six feet of snow will fall in April…

But that’s not what I’m writing about. Portland Media Center continues to stretch and grow and host more programming and events. Such as the Democratic Gubernatorial Debate that drew an oversized crowd that filled the studio and the Congress Street Studio where folks watched on the newly mounted television.

We had four candidates live in the studio, a youth moderator and a candidate streaming in from distant climes.
Thanks to Community Organizing Alliance, Young People’s Caucus, and Maine Youth Power.

This was a great event.

And wait…there’s more…This event allowed us to utilize some fancy new equipment. The studio cameras have all been updated. We are rolling it out…sort of…well, we already did. They are in the studio. Four new Black Magic 4K Pro G2 Cameras. And these babies can purr. They talk so nicely to our Black Magic ATEM switcher, and the Black Magic Camera Control Unit (that’s called a CCU in producer parlance…) and all of this is setting us up to become the go to studio for all your broadcast and podcast and image making and media and communications needs…and if you just want to come and sit under some plants, we’ve got some of those too.

We contain multitudes.

Pachios on The News brought Admiral Gregg Johnson into the studio. He’s been a guest before but he still has things to talk about. Who doesn’t when Harold is asking the questions. I’m still amazed at the lively, respectful conversations with thought leaders on both sides of the aisle. The conversations are exciting and respectful and always informative.

And tomorrow night, or tonight, depending on when you read this, a surreal party and celebration of two great community efforts.

WMPG & Portland Media Center. Right here, we broadcast live to WMPG and to PMC WATCH and to Channel 2, and to our YouTube feed. And what do you ask are we broadcasting live? DJ Bobby Shax is doing Left of the Dial from the behind the glass on Congress Street and then the dance party in the studio. It’s all live, but it’s all happening here at Portland Media Center.

And then, on First Friday, the Improv is back with Teller’s Garden in the studio, and we will have a little bit of some music in Congress Street Studio hosted by our associate producer, Stella, as she sets to jet to the west coast. She’s put together a little 4-6pm entertainment center up front before Teller’s Garden hits the stage. Some come and enjoy a little music then watch the improvisation from the talent of Teller’s Garden.

From Away To Me – Live Studio Taping-

Join us! Be a part of the show!

Moon & Shay chat with Dr Ahmed about what concerns him as and educator and leader.
Music from the Kenya Hall Band. In the studio at Portland Media Center.

Get tickets now and support something great!

So, That was February…

So much is going on.

Here’s what we did.

We launched a show about what it means to be a Mainer. It is a brand new show taped in front of a live audience hosted by Moon Maschar and Shay Stewart-Bouley and the first guest was Dr. Nirav Shah. Kenya Hall Band filled the studio with soulful soothing music in between the discussion these incredible minds had. It was in depth, it was vulnerable, it was great, and they made it entertaining too. To watch the first episode click on this link here. From Away To Me.

To be a part of the next episode, and to be a part of history. Click on the image below.

After we caught our breath, we launched another show called Rescuing the Rule of Law, brought to us by the nonprofit Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law. This show tackles the blatant and illegal over reach the federal government is engaging upon its citizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They discuss complicated legal nuances with an ease of breath and tone. Even I understood what they were discussing, I am not a lawyer. This was great.

Maine Lawyers for The Rule of Law.

There’s more brewing too. First up is the return of From Away To Me. Tickets on sale on our site.

We are working with a number of new nonprofits helping to message their mission through media, it’s what we do! We can train you to do it too, or come to your nonprofit and make something moving.

And that’s not all. We made some cooking shows with Boys & Girls Club, we had students in the studio workshop learning how to produce television; it’s not dead yet! In fact, it’s thriving here at Portland Media Center. And not to mention podcasting and editing workshops. They are thriving too.

And while we were doing that, we still had time to bring our friend Harold Pachios with Pachios on the News back, like we do every month. In case you missed it, he had a great conversation with Bill Harwood in regards to the nonprofit mentioned above, and the rule of law in general. You can find it here.