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/
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