Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Adios Valencia, Bonjour Brussels
More experienced and a little bit wiser, I have just said Adios to Valencia and have relocated to Brussels. After over three years of becoming almost a Spaniard, I've been lured to the European capital for professionals motives. New life plan is to get involved in tonnes of new projects and get going as a freelance journalist. Thankfully, I have some nixers up my sleeve and will doing various things from producing a professional blog about health for young people in Europe, web reporting for a famous American web tv and hosting media production workshops for young people. Although I don't even have a flat yet in Brussels, I have my mini DV and my laptop and am ready and available for lots of challenges. Bring it on...............
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Me as a Europocketer
For almost two years, I spent my Mondays to Fridays preparing, researching and presenting a news podcast about Europe for young people... With not an ounce of experience and a boss who didn't even understand English, I was expected to create an entertaining, informative news show.... in the end, I did it and with time I even did it well, but my gosh... does it make me laugh right now when I look back at some of my first podcasts..... my cheeks are rosy now but I'll get over it so here you go, heres one of them.......
With this article, i inaugurated the Youth & New European Media Festival in Valencia this year
Once upon a time, I sat in the front seat of a Black Volkswagon and was driven to a town in the outskirts of Valencia. I’d been told that a local production company was setting up some online TV station about Europe.
It was a stifling day back in August 2006. Just when the car pulled up outside the supposed production company, I got nervous. The front door didn’t have a sign and the building resembled a residential house. Confused as to why this small company in this small town would want to do such a European, innovative thing, I was sure that I’d been tricked into taking part in an audition for topless weather presenting.
But alas… The town was la Pobla de Vallbona and the tv was Europocket TV. Almost three years later, the Pobla has become a second home and Europocket a brand-name for dynamic, multi-lingual reporting. Visiting the Central London Mosque, cycling through the international music conservatorium of Maastricht, rapping with Asher D, talking politics with Paolo Coehlo, drinking tea with a Spanish Muslim film director and attending a Polish Christening are just a few of the tasks I have been faced as a ‘Europocketer’.
The phenomenon of the Europocketer relates to a young reporter who with big guts and small resources can create a good news report. The idea is that he or she can research the report, film it and then even edit it. Europocket has become a mini school of journalism where even a shy science graduate can stop by and find himself behind a camera on his second day. Although Europocket is the first ever Web tv that talks about Europe, there are plenty more movers n shakers out there who dedicate their 9 to 5’s to shouting out about Europe, writing blogs, creating radio programmes or capturing social realities. Since it was born, Europocket has sussed out the scene and made friends or more officially ‘partners’ with all these groups of people and organisations. Without this friendship or lets be official and say ‘partnership’, Europocket wouldn’t be still around today and YNEM 2009 wouldn’t be drawing it’s curtain right now!
So with adrenaline and excitement, let me say how priveleged Europocket TV is to host such an array of hard-working, inspiring young journalists and media makers in this Valencian village and how grateful and thankful we are to the Town Mayor and all the local Valencians to open their arms to us.
http://www.neweuropeanmedia.eu/en/
It was a stifling day back in August 2006. Just when the car pulled up outside the supposed production company, I got nervous. The front door didn’t have a sign and the building resembled a residential house. Confused as to why this small company in this small town would want to do such a European, innovative thing, I was sure that I’d been tricked into taking part in an audition for topless weather presenting.
But alas… The town was la Pobla de Vallbona and the tv was Europocket TV. Almost three years later, the Pobla has become a second home and Europocket a brand-name for dynamic, multi-lingual reporting. Visiting the Central London Mosque, cycling through the international music conservatorium of Maastricht, rapping with Asher D, talking politics with Paolo Coehlo, drinking tea with a Spanish Muslim film director and attending a Polish Christening are just a few of the tasks I have been faced as a ‘Europocketer’.
The phenomenon of the Europocketer relates to a young reporter who with big guts and small resources can create a good news report. The idea is that he or she can research the report, film it and then even edit it. Europocket has become a mini school of journalism where even a shy science graduate can stop by and find himself behind a camera on his second day. Although Europocket is the first ever Web tv that talks about Europe, there are plenty more movers n shakers out there who dedicate their 9 to 5’s to shouting out about Europe, writing blogs, creating radio programmes or capturing social realities. Since it was born, Europocket has sussed out the scene and made friends or more officially ‘partners’ with all these groups of people and organisations. Without this friendship or lets be official and say ‘partnership’, Europocket wouldn’t be still around today and YNEM 2009 wouldn’t be drawing it’s curtain right now!
So with adrenaline and excitement, let me say how priveleged Europocket TV is to host such an array of hard-working, inspiring young journalists and media makers in this Valencian village and how grateful and thankful we are to the Town Mayor and all the local Valencians to open their arms to us.
http://www.neweuropeanmedia.eu/en/
Snooping around Valencia
A while ago, my boss, who was feeling the heat of the financial crisis decided to do an experiment.. He threw me out onto the streets of Valencia with a camera man and told me to produce an attractive, punchy piece about his native city. Although the idea was to attract advertisers, it didn't really flourish as my boss didn`t know how to go about doing it. I even gave it it's name and one of the interns created a groovy graphic.... allow me to introduce you to SNOOP CITY TV..
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