Notes from the Director

It is a busy summer at the Portland Media Center. The Civic IQ initiative is underway and there is a buzz of activity in here daily. Young minds are finding a voice while exploring ways to communicate. They are interviewing city councilors, news editors, touring news rooms and engaging in the civic discourse the initiative set out to explore. We are grateful for our partners in this endeavor. Funded in large part through a Davis Family Foundation grant, Opportunity Alliance was also instrumental in connecting us with a cohort of curious, intelligent and super fun youth leaders.

On another note, I wanted to mention an interaction I had recently with a curious community member who came in for a tour. A delightful media professional was curious about what was offered here at Portland Media Center and as I was showing him the Congress Street Studio, the podcasting studio, the new edit suite classroom, the broadcast studio, and the control room we began a discussion about what it is I’m trying to build here. He mentioned how social media has us all so isolated, there’s hardly any community connectivity available in our daily lives. It’s true, we are all on our own. Thus, the Portland Media Center. This is the community hub for those with stories and wanting to share. This is where stories are shared, created, curated & cultivated. Please, bring your ideas and come in and become part of the community. You are welcome here.

Some exciting notes on what’s coming in August.

Luigi Scarcelli and his tireless team are returning to LIVE broadcast for Friday PM. Be sure to tune in to it on Friday, 8.1 at 9pm LIVE on Channel Five.

The Teller’s Garden is in the studio on First Friday for another improv night on 8.1 at 7pm. It’s a hoot of an event and it sells out every month, so come early and tell a story and watch these talented folks perform it.

Connor Ratliff is performing his solo improv act “The Acting Class” on August 7, at 7pm. He’s here in Maine with Guster but the show on August 8 is already sold out. So come in and see him the night before. Tickets available now.

https://portlandmedia.org/airwaves/connor-ratliff-presents-the-acting-class/

Yes & CO are improvising with Joshua N Hsu on August 9. They are sure to fill the room with fun and laughter and tickets are on sale now

https://porttix.com/whats-on/yes-and-co-joshua-n-hsu/

Our workshops are evolving and expanding. If there’s something you’re interested in learning or if you want to be one of our master teachers, please reach out to me directly. nate@portlandmedia.org

Check out the website to see where you can learn more skills in media.

Want to take an editing course? Come on in.

Curious about podcasting? Come and try it out.

Have a story you want to tell? We can help.

So much going on. Come in and enjoy. Be a part of something, make something great.

Future Media Leaders, CIVIC IQ Initiative.

Teen youth workers from the MYAN (Maine Youth Action Network) program
at the Opportunity Alliance in collaboration with The Cutler Institute
at USM are working here at Portland Media Center for six weeks
creating a news show about civic engagement. Through interviews,
research, workshops, and filming scenes around Portland the message
that the group is working to convey is that there are many ways that
youth, and all people, can be civically engaged in their community,
it’s not just about voting every four years.


Mia, Angela and Douglass film scenes around Portland with the field
camera for their intro sequences in the news show. The show is called,
The New Youth Times.

Liv from The Cutler Institute at USM brainstorms with the group on a
logo design for the show in our PMC meeting/classroom space.

Mia interviews Michael Kebede, the Policy Director at the ACLU of
Maine, about his path to becoming a lawyer focused on criminal justice
and his advice for youth. On this shoot, Angela and Douglass worked as
Director, Cinematographer, and Sound recordist.

Daniel Karambelas from the Maine Improv Studio led an awesome improv
workshop with the group to help get everyone more comfortable with
performing which we found helpful toward creating our news show
characters and for interviewing.

Editing! We’ve been editing as we go with Premiere Pro and one of the
youth workers, Loic, has been working on music for the intro and
credits.

We conducted an interview with Chris Busby, founder and editor of The
Bollard in the PMC podcasting space, we asked him about how he started
the publication, how he finds his stories and how he engages with the
community.

A local band called the Shank Painters stopped by for an interview and
to perform a song. We interviewed them about how they weave activism
into their music.

The TV studio space at Portland Media Center is where we’re going to
film the news segments and the weather report in between the
interviews.

The group interviewed a fashion designer in the PMC front studio on how his work is socially engaged. 

News Center Maine, News Director, Mike Redding gave the group an awesome tour of News Center Maine and he shared about his path to journalism. 

//

Reach out to us if you’d like to be involved with the project. Email Victoria: victoria@portlandmedia.org

Cut, Print, that’s a review.

On this month’s episode of Cut, Print, That’s a Review, Brendon covers a number of different movies out in the theaters now and some that made an appearance last year. It’s a robust show of reviews. If you’re looking for something interesting to sink into, here are some suggestions.

Ballerina, the latest John Wick spinoff starring Ana De Armas written by Shay Hatten an directed by Len Wisemen. It continues to tank at the box office, watch here to see what Brendon thinks.

The latest Wes Anderson movie The Phoenician Scheme, a flick about family in business staring Benicio del Torro, Michael Cera and Scarlet Johansson. This also features Bill Murray playing God…

Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck, a vignette on the ‘multitudes contained in all of us.’

Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides, an examination of the psyche of modern China, a docu-drama that received a 99% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. See what Brendon thought about in this episode.

To round out the show, Brendon also waxes poetic on Joseph Kosinski’s new sports based thriller F1, starring Brad Pitt, Danny Boyle’s return to the world of the undead in 28 Years Later, & Pixar’s newest Sci-Fi feature Elio, and lastly Thug Life, a new film from the director of Dil Se. 

That should feed most appetites

Check it out at Cut, Print, that’s a Review.

A Note from Programming

This month, I have been researching new children’s shows to add to our early Saturday morning lineup and have picked up Cosette’s Enchanted Journeys. It is described as, + ”Timeless tales, fun crafts and merry making with Jenny the Storytelling Genie…Join Jenny, a whimsical and friendly Storytelling Genie, who travels on her magical carpet to a different, enchanting location each week.” Jennifer McGrail stars as the Genie and is accompanied by her cat Cosette. She puts a new spin on reading books to children and incorporates some fun craft projects into the tales. 

Another fun and interesting children’s book reading show is Ben and Bella Read Along. The intent of this Telly Award winning show is to “combat the issue of children entering school unprepared. Ben & Bella Read Along uses an immersive language approach to introduce children to English pronunciation, vocabulary, and essential phrases. Language learning is presented through fun and engaging topics that are familiar to children with animations, live action, chants, and songs. Children will relate to the program’s two main characters, Ben (a bear) and Bella (a hippo), who are learning along with the children as they experience a variety of everyday adventures.”

And for the adults, look for a new episode of Cut, Print, That’s a Review! by our very own talented producer Brendon McDonald who gives his experienced and honest analysis of current movies. 

Derry Rundlett and Rob Baldacci are back with guest Greg Powell (Harold Alfond Foundation) for their latest Rundlett and Baldachi Report. 

There are new episodes of Heart of Maine (Irish heritage in Maine), PMC Studio, and New American with Mr. Baziaa in the works. So stay tuned!    

Portland Media Alumni – Cassidy Brothers


Nick & Cash Cassidy are the brothers behind Cassidy Pictures, an indie film production company based between Los Angeles and South Portland, ME. Nick first developed his passion for acting in the Cape Elizabeth High School theater program. Cash grew up in South Portland and was a regular director at the Portland Media Center. Today, staying grounded in a grassroots, community-driven approach, Cassidy Pictures tells emotionally resonant stories centered on authentic performances and real, relatable characters—starting with their debut feature, Childish Things.

Nick is a 30-year-old musician grappling with the pressures of adulthood and a push from his longtime girlfriend to settle down. He embarks on a roadtrip from Maine to California to sell his beloved blue tour bus, accompanied by his brother, Cash, who documents the journey. They visit family and friends, each at their own life crossroads, and meet a young woman looking to hitch a ride west.A fully improvised film shot on an actual roadtrip across America, Childish Things is a funny, poignant, and honest exploration of the time in every artist’s life when they wrestle with whether to persevere in their creative pursuit.