All Star Code

All Star Code is a non-profit initiative that prepares qualified minority boys for full-time employment in the technology industry by providing mentorship, industry exposure, and intensive training in computer science. ASC is dedicated to closing the opportunity gap between young men of color and the tech industry.  

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Ariana and the Voices of Fillmore Place

Voces de Fillmore: Celebrating Stories from Los Sures from Voces de Fillmore on Vimeo.

Voces de Fillmore is a film tracing the memories and experiences of families living on one block in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The block, Fillmore Place, is a small street nestled in the Southside, or more affectionately known by long time residents as Los Sures.

The Southside’s Latino population has steadily decreased from seventy to forty-five percent of the neighborhood. In the past decade, the population has gone from roughly 20,000 to 15,000 Latino residents. Voces de Fillmore is a first-person narrative of families who have lived and raised children in Los Sures for several decades and their quest to preserve a sense of community in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

One of the fillmmakers is our own Ariana.  Ariana was born in 1987 in Northern California.  She attended Fordham University graduating in 2009. She was accepted into an AmeriCorps program and placed at New Design High School. She was hired after her internship by Urban Arts Partnership to develop a new program at the school that targets low attendance and low overall school engagement through counseling, academic advisement, art classes and family involvement.  She currently runs the iDesign program at New Design.  She has been engaged in filmmaking for a number of years.   Her advice to young Mediastormers, “Never underestimate the power of human connections!”

Swan Song

Luis Weinstein on 'Swan Song' from World Press Photo on Vimeo.

Swan Song follows the story of Marilyn, diagnosed with dementia at age 58, and her daughters as they refocus their lives to care for her during her most precious years. They try to juggle it all until they are forced to make a heartbreaking decision.

The film grew out of a project commissioned by the Neighborhood Centers Inc. to profile the organization’s work in the city of Houston. While documenting the stories of the people the organization works with everyday we discovered “The Greer Girls.” Swan Song takes a deeper look into this amazing family of women dealing with dementia, using their personal narrative to illustrate the struggles of families dealing with this difficult disease.

The film was awarded  3rd Prize in the Online Feature category of the 2014 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest.  First place in the Online Feature category was awarded to Witnessing Gezi by photojournalist Emin Özmen and second place went to Hers to Lose by Brent McDonald and Stephen Maing. A complete list of winners with links to the winning entries can be found on the World Press Photo website.

World Press Photo organizes the leading international contest in visual journalism. The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. Its aim is to generate wide public interest in and appreciation for the work of photographers and other visual journalists, and for the free exchange of information.

I Believe Tweets Ideas

Larry Ackerman is an identity consultant.  He describes his work as

I help organizations, and the men and women who lead these organizations, come to terms with who they are, what they stand for and what to do about it. I bring them face to face with their uniqueness, and the potential it implies. I have other credentials as well, which in many ways, have proven to be more powerful than my professional experience. Because of its profound influence on everything I am and do, I need to tell you my story.  My story revolves around all things visual: sight, vision, eyes, perception, seeing, discernment.Call it what you will, this is my world. When I was four-years old I underwent eye surgery to correct a muscle problem; I was born cross-eyed. Medically speaking, the operation was a success, but during that operation the course of my life was altered forever.  The first moment I am able to recall is being on the operating table, looking around with a mix of childlike curiosity and growing trepidation. The doctors, nurses and various assistants were moving about, preparing for the procedure in their businesslike, matter-of-fact way. The operating room was coming alive with activity. I, however, had no conception of what was going on, no earthly idea why I was there.  Lying on my back, a cold, tingly fear crept up along both sides of my body and settled firmly in my heart. I figured something must be wrong with me; after all, my parents had put me in this place of sick people. And if something was wrong with me, then I needed to be “fixed;” I needed an operation. As I saw it, my eyes were the problem. I say that because that is what my mother and father had told me; that was the reason they had brought me here: I was cross-eyed and that apparently wasn’t OK. So, I concluded, it was my eyes that had gotten me into trouble. Suddenly, I saw my life in stark, black and white terms: fix my vision, fix myself.  To this day, I can recall being tethered to the operating table, canvas straps pulled snug across my chest and pelvis. I watched in terror as the gas mask was brought to my face. My control over myself had been torn away from me. I began repeating to myself, Doesn’t anyone care about me? Quickly, however, a new question consumed me: What is so wrong with me that I must be changed from who I am? All I could figure was that my eyes were hopelessly flawed and, therefore, so was I. I sensed imminent death. “No!,” I shouted to myself. “Please, don’t hurt me!” I begged, beneath the mask that muffled my growing horror. At that excruciating instant, unable to breathe, part of me went away down a black hole—my “tunnel” to freedom and survival. I had abandoned my identity to save my life. At the instant I slipped away, however, in the midst of my living nightmare, I pledged to myself that I would return. “No!, I screamed again. I will not die! I will be back.”
Forty years passed before I become fully conscious of this experience. My will to “return” had remained alive. If I was to come back, I needed to know exactly what had happened to me. I needed to know what had led to my obsession to be whole again and, in recent years, to help others benefit from the trauma I had survived. Since the day I slipped away, I have been at work, more unconsciously than not, to restore my integrity as a complete person. A supposedly routine medical procedure had forced me to confront the question, who am I?, far sooner than I was prepared to do so. Reconnecting with my identity, and helping others do the same, has been the governing force in my life ever since.  My identity journey has been a long, sometimes trying, often joyous, always adventuresome trek. It has been worth the trip, for I know who I am; I know my purpose: I am driven by the need to help people to see. To see the futility of some actions and the power of others. To see one’s potential as prescribed by their identity. To see the importance of living one’s difference. 

Here are some Tweet ideas from Larry.  Simply finish each sentence and tweet.
I believe purpose _________________________

I believe beauty __________________________

I believe integrity _________________________

I believe wealth __________________________

I believe trust ____________________________

I believe freedom _________________________

I believe leadership _______________________

I believe Twitter __________________________

I believe Congress _____________________­­­­___

I believe evil _____________________________

I believe good ____________________________

I believe I am ____________________________

I, Too, AM Harvard

A recent New York Times article, Students See Many Slights as Racial ‘Microaggressions’, looked at the term microaggressions.  The Times article says:

This is not exactly the language of traditional racism, but in an avalanche of blogs, student discourse, campus theater and academic papers, they all reflect the murky terrain of the social justice word du jour — microaggressions — used to describe the subtle ways that racial, ethnic, gender and other stereotypes can play out painfully in an increasingly diverse culture.

The article describes in depth the microagression controversy with some different emerging transmedia resources from college students such as the Tumblr site, I, Too, Am Harvard, and a student at Fordham University site, Dear White People.  The article also cites from videos such as, "Shit Whites Girls say to Black Girls" and "What kind of Asian are you?" which explores the microagression topic.  
   

Nuyorkcity Company Reel

NUYORKTRICITY COMPANY REEL from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.

Nuyorktricity is a boutique production and post production company based in Los Angeles, California servicing the art and entertainment industries.  Headed by husbNuyorktricity is a boutique production and post production company based in Los Angeles, California servicing the art and entertainment industries.  Headed by husband and wife team, Mike and Moni Vargas, Nuyorktricity brings an artistic aesthetic to projects and personal attention to clients in the theatrical, television, home entertainment, music and creative fields.  Nuyorktricity’s clients include Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Nike, Diesel, Absolut and Pepsi. Our work has been broadcast nationally and internationally, screened in 4 continents and our original series, Friends We Love, has been featured at the Bronx Museum and Brooklyn Museum of Art.  Nuyorktricity services include feature film featurettes, original short-doc series, commercials, music videos, behind the scenes documentaries, fashion editorials, branded entertainment, corporate promos, sizzle reels, EPKs and table reading productions.and and wife team, Mike and Moni Vargas, Nuyorktricity brings an artistic aesthetic to projects and personal attention to clients in the theatrical, television, home entertainment, music and creative fields.

Moni and Mike got known for their work Friends We Love.   Check out some of their work:

Pharrell
Femi Kuti
Street Artist Boy





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OFF THE WALL :: Doze Green - Studio Visit from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.

Jo Jo and New Design

Joanne and Rocketboom at New Design

Joanne Colan has a wikipedia site.  She has been an MTV VJ, host of the vlog Rocketboom and most recently the co-host of the Discovery's show "Dean of Invention" alongside Dean Kamen.

Today she will be talking to Mediastorm about her upcoming transmedia project, Eventually, which documents people who has are dealing with loss, death and dying. The project description is:

Our stories, about loss, death and dying are a critical part of our collective experience. Eventually is a serial documentary for the web comprising video, audio, and written testimonials from people who have experienced the death of a loved on and are able to talk about this difficult, often transformative and intimately personal undertaking. Sharing these stories provides comfort and meaning to those of us coping with loss. For everyone else, the testimonials offer a compelling glimpse into what we will all come to know, eventually.

Each testimonial will appear on the Eventually website as a stand-alone piece of content to be considered away from community feedback or advertising. The site design will feature a hand painted landscape and animated sky that transforms in real time from day to night. The site will be a serene and contemplative place to visit.

Joanne will talking to Mediastorm New Design today about the project, setting up shoots, the secrets behind intervewing people as well as the state of affairs of the transmedia world.  After her presentation she will be interviewing two New Design students for Eventually.

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What is Influencing Mediastormers Today? Faith

Ironlak is a p

Ironlak is part of AVT Paints.  AVT Paints prides itself on our 'more bang for your buck' approach, and we strive to maintain close working business relationships with our partners and associates.

They mainly sell aerosols paints bought by graffiti writers.  To promote their products they created Ironlak Films, an on-going film video series documenting master graffiti artists.  

New Design Mediastormer Faith is creating a graffit film and came across SOFLES - Limitless.  In just three days “Limitless” has surpassed over 2.5 million views and for a video based on graffiti that may be a record. After viewing this 5-minute piece of turnt up spray madness, you will have a clear understanding as to why. Australian graffiti writer, Sofles, with the talents of filmmaker, Selina Miles, just took the graffiti video of the year award. Also featured are artists Fintan Magee, Treas, Quench and we defiantly saw a Nekst tribute in there.

Faith is working on coming up with her own stylistic version of her film.