Back To Our Roots: A Letter From Paula

Published On: October 4, 2019 |

Dear Friends of BAVC Media,

This week I’m celebrating my 40something birthday (see photo with birthday boots), and it’s a perfect time to recognize that BAVC Media has also been around since the ‘70s and Jimmy Carter’s presidency – committed to connecting communities with tools, resources, and a tricked out facility to tell their stories through media and film.

In recent conversations, we heard the painful feedback that more people and nonprofit organizations would like to participate in BAVC Media programs, but didn’t know how to access them, or couldn’t afford them. For the last few months, our team has been working on making our programs more affordable, accessible and engaging. We’re excited to share a few new offerings and upcoming events below, to refresh our commitment to access across programs, and to think critically about what’s next in media making at BAVC Media.

New membership levels offer access to affordable, quality programming, starting at just $10 a year.
Membership now comes with expanded use of our facilities, including our podcast-ready Living Room recording studio.
Have an idea for a show? SF Commons is recruiting new producers! San Francisco residents interested in creating content for public access TV can attend orientations and free trainings scheduled every week this fall.
BAVC Media now offers 40% discounts on our classes for nonprofits along with additional opportunities to collaborate.
We have a vibrant schedule of upcoming events for our members like the “App FAQ” panel on October 16th for documentary filmmakers applying for funding, or 4×10 roughcut feedback session later in the month, and our “Ask a Festival Programmer” event coming up in November.
For the first time, BAVC Media’s MediaMaker Fellowship is open exclusively to filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Plus we’ve opened applications early this year – live on our website now!
Community organizations are increasingly hosting gatherings at BAVC Media, like the San Francisco Podcasters Association’s meetup on October 8th or SF Commons’ collaboration with Reimagine End of Life, a creative community-driven exploration of death and celebration of life, with events hosted at BAVC Media at the end of October.
Have you met our friends at Pyramind, one of the premier academies for digital music and audio production, now co-located at BAVC Media?
On your next visit to BAVC Media stop and take a look at the work by visual and media artists from Creativity Explored currently on exhibit in our lobby.
Finally, we’ve brought back career skills workshops! Work on your resume, interviewing skills, personal branding, communication strengths, networking, LinkedIn, and more!

Whether you’re a seasoned filmmaker, community activist, teacher, artist, nonprofit with limited resources, or a student new to mediamaking tools, we hope that you’ll be a part of the BAVC Media community. There are many ways to plug in!

In creativity and community,

Paula