Portland Media Center is proud to welcome Nate Eldridge as its new Executive Director. A seasoned storyteller, community builder, and media professional, Nate brings decades of experience connecting people through the power of narrative.
With a background in visual storytelling, education, leadership, and innovation, Nate is deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and collaboration. He envisions a future for PMC that expands educational programs, builds strong partnerships with institutions like USM, SMCC, and MECA, and develops content that reflects Portland’s full diversity.
We caught up with Nate as he steps into his new role to learn more about what inspires him, what he’s excited to tackle first, and how he sees PMC evolving in the years ahead.
Airwaves: What drew you to Portland Media Center, Nate?
Nate: As a media and communications professional in Portland for the past twenty plus years, I knew about PMC and its place in the community. I have been involved with various projects that have utilized PMC throughout the years. Having an organization that caters to the storytelling and visual communication fields in the community is a blessing. When I heard that PMC was in need of a new director, I felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass. I am excited to shine a new light on PMC and bring the organization into a new media landscape, encourage more people to engage with PMC and grow the organization into a hub of storytelling, communications and media.
Airwaves: What excites you most about stepping into this position?
Nate: I feel that PMC is an under-utilized resource in the Portland community. With two camera/television studios, a podcast studio, a whisper booth, editing booths, and more, the Center has an opportunity to become a vital resource to any media professional, or those that are media curious, in Portland.
Airwaves: What’s your vision for Portland Media Center over the next few years?
Nate: I see the Portland Media Center as a hub of activity and awareness and media production. I hope to strengthen its current base, offer the membership more of what it needs and grow the organization to attract more users, storytellers and those curious about media. I see potential for growth in media education, workshops and seminars, as well as teaming with other non-profits to help broadcast their mission while staying true to the Center’s mission: to give everyone the opportunity to have a voice through media production.
Airwaves: How do you plan to connect with the Portland community and PMC’s members?
Nate: I welcome members to introduce themselves. I look forward to hearing the needs and interests of the current membership. I also hope to create an event series that happens at the Center–workshops, seminars and experiences that cater to the membership and their needs, continuing education courses taught by industry professionals and leadership. I hope to encourage cross-pollination with other non-profits such as AIGA Me and Maine Film, to name a few, in hopes of collaboration and dual opportunity creation. It’s so much fun to get together with like-minded people and share ideas and techniques and expertise. I want to ignite the public at large on the importance and potential of Portland Media Center.
Airwaves: What principles and values guide your leadership style?
Nate: I strive to create an open, dynamic and engaged work environment. I value input and collaboration because so often the best result is better than the sum of its parts. There is a vast institutional knowledge in the staff at PMC that I hope to utilize and learn from and cultivate while growing towards reaching a broader awareness of the Center in the community. I hope to bring in more like-minded, media-savvy, and excited people to PMC and expand the awareness of membership of the Center in the community.
Airwaves: What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
Nate: I’m a competitive swimmer and have made it a daily practice for almost forty years.
Airwaves: When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time in Portland?
Nate: So many ways. I love Portland. I walk around town to various coffee shops and restaurants daily. I like to shoot pool and go to the museum. It’s a vibrant and easy place to walk and feel a part of something bigger. So many bookstores and cool craft stores, vintage and secondhand shops. It’s a wonderful place that welcomes creativity and originality. I hope to cultivate awareness of PMC to an expanded audience in the heart of Portland.
