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Resource Report - 18 TCMedia · Resource Report

0:20
Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
0:22
share with you important information about local
0:25
nonprofits and resource organizations that support
0:29
the community we share, produced by Pathways
0:32
to Agency. I'm your host, Rainmaker. Today's
0:35
guests are Martha Correa and Tamara Erazo from
0:40
TC Media. I am here at TC Media on West Side
0:52
Olympia with Tamara Erazo and Martha Correa.
0:58
Hello, how are you guys doing? Hello. Hello,
1:01
we're doing well. How are you? Good. I'm just
1:05
so thrilled to be here with you guys today. Can
1:08
you introduce yourself, your position, and how
1:11
did you come to be here at TC Media? Sure. My
1:16
name is Tamara and I am the admin and development
1:21
director here at TC Media. I have been in the
1:26
area for quite some time and I recently learned
1:31
that TC Media was going through a new change.
1:35
They were looking for a new executive director
1:39
as Deb Vinsel was recently retiring. And so with
1:44
my background of TV producing and business administration,
1:49
I thought this would be a great fit for me to,
1:53
you know, dive into the community. So I sent
1:57
in an application and did the interview process.
2:00
And here we are. That's wonderful. Way about
2:04
you, Marla. So, yeah, my name is Martha Correa.
2:07
I am the new director of operations at TC Media.
2:12
I'm originally from Brazil. And in Brazil, I
2:18
went to college, reading television. And when
2:23
I moved to U .S., I wanted to work at public
2:27
access stations. So when I got to Olympia, I
2:32
contacted TC Media. And I started as a freelancer
2:37
at TC Media in 2007. And then in 2018, I had
2:43
the full -time position. And then, like Tamara
2:48
was just saying, the previous CEO of TC Media
2:53
retired after 35 years, I guess, in the job,
2:58
28 years in the same office. So then I applied
3:05
for the job and got the position. Now we just
3:10
started in January as the new co -directors of
3:15
TC Media. That's so exciting. What a long journey
3:20
you've been on to get here. I know. But it sounds
3:23
like it was rewarding for you. It was, yeah.
3:26
I'm very passionate about public access, and
3:30
I really like... the structure that TC Media
3:35
created that allows anybody in the community
3:39
to be a producer. So TC Media makes video production
3:44
accessible to all, and I really like this. Oh,
3:48
yeah, that's the key thing here is accessibility
3:50
to all. Yeah, can you share what exactly TC Media
3:56
is and does? Yeah, so TC Media, we are the public
4:01
access station in Thurston County. And so we
4:05
are a production hub that allows for any and
4:11
everybody to be able to come in and use the facilities.
4:14
We allow them the ability to create their own
4:18
productions and tell their own stories. So we
4:21
have, you know, access to our big studios, our
4:26
podcast suites. Our editing stations, our music
4:30
booths, voiceover suites. We have a bunch of
4:34
different amenities for the members of the community
4:36
to use the space. And TC Media is run off of
4:40
a membership structure where you pay the membership
4:42
and you have access to the facilities. And so
4:45
this year we restructured the membership and
4:48
kind of streamlined the process. And so the media
4:50
makers here is the $25 a month or $275 annually.
4:54
And so this is for just... regular creators in
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the area like you know college students people
5:00
that just want to just make media just regular
5:04
individual and so you have access to you Studio
5:08
A, the control rooms, the editing and podcast
5:11
suite. You can check out the equipment, the laptops,
5:14
take a camera home. But please bring it back.
5:18
And all of the accessories. And then we also,
5:21
we just recently added to the membership structure
5:24
that we're including one hour of assisted staff
5:27
support. So that way we can teach people how
5:30
to use the equipment. And so, you know, when
5:32
people come through and they're like, hey, I
5:34
have a production that I want to do. but I don't
5:37
know how to use the control room. Well, typically,
5:39
you know, we would charge for assisted staff
5:42
support. But when people sign up for a membership,
5:44
they have one hour is, you know, hands -on with
5:48
Kate, our channel and tech manager. And she'll
5:51
actually walk you through step -by -step of how
5:53
to use every single component of the control
5:55
room and how to set up everything in the studio
5:59
for your production. So that way you feel, you
6:01
know. good and well -versed on the equipment.
6:03
So that way when you come back, you already know
6:05
how to do it. You're good to go. So it really
6:08
is great that we added that to the membership
6:10
structure. But then also with the nonprofits
6:12
and then the business, nonprofits pay $50 a month
6:16
or $5 .50 annually. Business does pay $75 a month
6:20
or $8 .25 annually. People in these tiers have
6:23
a 15 % discount on all of the productions that
6:27
they contract us for. 15 % discount on any kind
6:31
of custom. training on and they have the same
6:33
benefits as the media maker so it just kind of
6:37
builds off of those and so whenever we have nonprofits
6:40
sign up They also have the ability to add three
6:44
additional authorized personnel from their organization
6:46
to come here to check out equipment. And so that's
6:50
kind of how we structured it with the nonprofits
6:51
and then the businesses. And then along with
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that, we also have the business rates for the
6:58
studio rentals. And so Studio A has their own
7:02
rental price, Studio B podcast suite. If you're
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a non -member and you're wanting to rent the
7:09
space, Studio A. we have it on rent for $100
7:13
an hour. For Studio B, the smaller studio, is
7:16
$75 an hour. And in the podcast suite, music
7:21
booth, $40 an hour, $30 an hour, etc. And so
7:26
in these prices, they're working with the members,
7:29
the non -members that do come. They're able to
7:33
do their production and pack on up and go home
7:37
at the end of the day. And it's an easy, straightforward
7:38
process to be able to get the access that you
7:42
need, do what you need to do. And you have your
7:45
finished product at the end of the day. So it
7:46
all works out for everyone. We also provide equipment
7:57
for community members to be able to check out
8:00
and go out into the field and, you know, use
8:03
the cameras, use the tripods and create their
8:05
own content. And at the end of the day, once
8:07
it's all finished and edited up, they have the
8:10
ability to post it to our channel. We are the
8:13
offerers of Comcast Channel 22. And anybody can
8:17
be able to submit their own content for everyone.
8:21
greater Thurston County to be able to see locally.
8:24
That's amazing. And on top of that, we also offer
8:28
training and education and volunteer opportunities
8:32
so people can get hands -on training, right?
8:36
So there are several classes that we offer through
8:39
the year, editing classes, production classes,
8:43
studio classes. anything that would help the
8:50
producer to develop the skills necessary to their
8:57
projects. That's great. For people who are no
9:01
longer enrolled at Evergreen, there's an alternative
9:03
to checking things out at MediaLoan. And as well,
9:08
for having the training and classes if you are
9:12
not an Evergreen student. That's right. Yeah,
9:15
so let's get into breaking down the details about
9:19
those facilities you just mentioned. Yeah, so
9:23
we're a pretty big facility. We have plenty of
9:28
space here. We have a large studio, which we
9:31
call Studio A, and it's, I think it's like 1
9:37
,500 feet by some other big number. We can have
9:45
a production there, but we also can seat audience
9:49
if the production requires audience. So there's
9:54
space for everything there. And that Studio A
9:58
is connected to a control room. It could be a
10:01
very professional. production that requires a
10:05
lot of technology or it can be a very simple
10:08
production. The studio offers two cameras that
10:12
need an operator and two robotic cameras. The
10:16
control room for Studio A, I have the, and also
10:20
the control room offers the capability of sharing
10:25
the program, Zoom meeting. So let's say somebody
10:28
is interviewing some. a person in India, we can
10:32
make that happen. That person can log in the
10:35
Zoom and we can incorporate that Zoom feed into
10:39
the video. And then we have Studio B. Studio
10:45
B is a much smaller studio that can be used for
10:48
photography or even a larger podcast or a classroom
10:55
or... break room when we have summer camp. So
11:00
Studio B is very flexible and can be used in
11:04
many ways. And then we also have a playback room.
11:10
The playback room is where we send the signal
11:13
to Comcast. So community producers, they submit
11:17
their programs here and then we air them on Channel
11:21
22. And for that, it requires technology machines.
11:24
It requires A person, an operator, it requires
11:29
a lot of very specific equipment that is located
11:34
in the way back room. And we also have an equipment
11:38
room. Our equipment room is very, we have a lot
11:43
of equipment available and we try to offer several
11:47
levels of equipment, like equipment that is very
11:51
automatic and you just push a button and the
11:54
machine will do all for you. Or we have more
11:57
elaborate cameras where you really can use a
12:01
lot of techniques and skills. We have all sorts
12:05
of microphones and boom poles and tripods, mic
12:10
stands, all sorts of cables, C stands, flags
12:17
and panels, pretty much anything to do a production.
12:25
On location, right? So just a couple of days
12:29
ago, we were in the back of Three Magnets with
12:33
the Free Music Project. Free Music Olympia, yeah.
12:36
Yeah. And then we recorded eight hours of live
12:42
music there. We brought cameras. We brought a
12:45
live stream machine. And with this machine, we
12:49
were able to live stream to our YouTube channel.
12:54
So we're pretty much equipped to do any kind
12:57
of production. And so apart from that, we also
13:12
have an editing room. It has one computer that
13:17
has editing apps. It could be the Adobe Cloud
13:22
or Final Cut, and people can edit their project
13:27
there. We also have laptops that people can check
13:32
out and edit their projects at home if they wish.
13:35
And the laptops have the same apps in them. We
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also have a voiceover room. It's just a small
13:43
room with a soundproof and where people can do
13:48
voiceover and other kinds of recordings too.
13:52
We had recently someone come in and recording
13:55
their song with an acoustic guitar, so voice
13:58
acoustic guitar, and it was very good for this
14:02
musician to be able to have all her songs recorded.
14:07
And then most recently, we have fired a podcast
14:11
suit. And the podcast suit has the capability
14:15
of doing a videocast. And it has three cameras.
14:22
And you can plug in several microphones. The
14:25
space is not very large, so it's suitable for
14:28
three people. But if you have a larger roof,
14:31
and then, like I said before, you can... do a
14:35
different setup and stability. Yeah, and then
14:50
we do have a cafe with a kitchenette. So if people
14:56
have to be here all day, they can use microwave,
14:59
make coffee. Tea, there's a little fridge. And
15:04
so, yeah, we're pretty much equipped to any kind
15:08
of production. You can set up and make your office
15:11
away from home right here. Ah, that's so convenient.
15:16
Yes, it is. That's great. Yeah. You are listening
15:27
to Resource Report on Chaos. After a brief message,
15:31
we will return to Martha and Tamara from TC Media.
15:36
Thurston Community Media makes it possible for
15:38
anyone to become a video producer. As a Thurston
15:41
Community Media member, you can take video training
15:44
classes, use our state -of -the -art video production
15:46
studios to make a show, and then schedule your
15:49
program on our local cable channels. To learn
15:52
more about Thurston Community Media and the services
15:54
we offer, you can visit tcmedia .org. Thurston
15:58
Community Media. Communication resources to build
16:02
stronger communities. Welcome back to Resource
16:07
Report. Let's return to my interview with Martha
16:10
Correa and Tamara Erazo of TC Media. Going back
16:22
to mentioning the Free Music Olympia, that's...
16:28
That's an amazing resource right there that people
16:30
who couldn't maybe come downtown was able to
16:34
catch it on your YouTube channel. Is it recorded
16:38
for later publication? Did I understand that
16:41
right or did I misunderstand? Yeah, the video
16:45
is still on YouTube, and then we are working
16:48
on breaking down to events. And one thing that
16:53
happens when we help them, The audio we get first
16:59
is not the best audio. They're going to work
17:02
the audio and then later we get a better audio.
17:05
So if people watch the video not very satisfied
17:10
with the audio, know that later we have better
17:13
mixed audio coming to us. And yeah, we not only
17:19
we cover this big day of the Olympia Free Music,
17:26
where they were putting several bands from the
17:29
Olympia Music History Project. Yeah. So, yeah,
17:35
there's this group in Olympia that is making...
17:40
Oh, yeah. Kristina has a button of the money.
17:45
I was at that little raffle fundraising event
17:48
for Olympia Music History Project. I interviewed
17:52
Markly Morrison for our ninth episode, and
17:55
he talked about his work with Olympia Music History
17:58
Project, as well as what he was doing with Scherler
18:02
Sundays, turning it into Free Music Olympia,
18:05
actually. So we've been partnering with Markly.
18:09
The Olympia Music History is going to be
18:14
recording their interviews at our podcast suit.
18:18
And we also record two of the concerts that he
18:25
had at the Free Music Project. And yeah, that's
18:32
another example of how community media can serve
18:35
the community and partnering with these very
18:38
important local projects. Yes, indeed. Yeah.
19:03
So you mentioned a little bit about the equipment.
19:06
But I have a question there regarding equipment
19:11
and how there's now in our today's age we're
19:16
having overlap with AI usage and like anybody
19:21
can just come along and like make something using
19:24
AI tools on their computer or phone even. And
19:29
so how do you work with AI tools and what is
19:36
the comparison between working like somebody
19:41
totally doing something on their own versus utilizing
19:44
the resources here available? What's the difference
19:47
in quality of content, type of content, and anything
19:53
that you can think of that might clarify something
19:55
around that? It's part of the Adobe Cloud, right?
20:02
So it's a computer resource, and you can create
20:09
imagery for you, right? So you type, like, you
20:14
know, whatever soccer field, and then the AI
20:21
produces that for you. A man runs... And now
20:25
a man scores a goal or a woman or whatever. And
20:29
then the computer creates all that imagery for
20:33
you. And you have to start with a real image.
20:39
There's some tricks to it. But in any event,
20:42
that's part of adult code that would be available
20:44
with the computer if people check out the computer
20:50
or the edit room. So what is the difference?
20:54
The difference is as technology evolves, technology
21:01
offers us more options in aesthetics. And so
21:09
it all comes down to what is the message that
21:13
you're trying to communicate. And if your message...
21:20
accommodates that kind of imagery and it's appropriate
21:23
to your message, then you have this resource.
21:27
But if you're trying to accomplish a different
21:32
thing, different message, and then you utilize
21:36
different resources. So now that film production
21:44
started more than 100 years ago, so we are...
21:48
accumulate all these skills and aesthetics, and
21:51
they're still available. We can still get a very
21:56
basic camera. We can even make a camera with
22:00
a can, right? When you get the can, put the little
22:03
hole there and put the photographic paper inside,
22:06
and you can take a picture that way, or you can
22:09
go to AI and say, make this for me, you know?
22:13
So it really depends on what you're trying to
22:17
accomplish. Yeah, I think it has a lot to do
22:20
with the, you know, the image that you're going
22:24
for. I mean, and it definitely plays a big part
22:27
into like the special effects and things like
22:29
that. I don't see AI playing much of a role in,
22:33
you know, the actual video production because
22:36
there's nothing that compares to picking up a
22:39
camera and going to shoot physical content. Unless
22:43
your goal is, like you said, to... What is the
22:47
purpose? What is the idea that you're going for?
22:50
Unless you're going for computer -generated imagery,
22:53
then you have AI for that resource. But I think
22:58
most of people's feelings on AI in the arts community
23:03
is it can come across as disingenuine or unauthentic,
23:09
especially just depending on the message that
23:12
you're trying to convey. However, if you use
23:15
it as a tool, then that's a different conversation.
23:18
So, for example, you know, we have green screens
23:22
available for, you know, the creators to come
23:25
in. And so whenever we have, you know, like the
23:28
kids camps and they want to put a green screen
23:31
behind themselves and, you know, you can put
23:33
those prompts into the software and come up with
23:36
some. One of the kids was talking about doing
23:40
a Spongebob background with some spaceship, something.
23:43
And it's a very funny and creative way to use
23:47
those tools and things. So it just really just
23:50
depends on how you're planning to use the AI.
23:54
Okay. Talk about what services you provide. And
23:58
I know you also have personal trainings and professional
24:01
services. So can you break that down a little
24:03
bit? Yeah. A little bit about the services that
24:08
we do offer along with, and this is a new development
24:14
that we just rolled out this year as far as,
24:18
you know, offering studio rentals. We have a
24:23
vein, thank you, where non -members can start
24:28
to reserve the space. And so some people, they're
24:31
just in town for the weekend and they just want
24:33
to. you know set up shop and produce their content
24:37
over the weekend and so they have the ability
24:40
to check out our rental facilities usually want
24:44
to check out studio a or studio b do they just
24:47
need the podcast suite for a couple of days so
24:50
we have that available for them to you know rent
24:54
our facilities some of the other services that
24:58
we offer are for the members. Sometimes there
25:03
are people that come through and they have a
25:06
production, but they don't want to be in the
25:09
control room. They want to use the staff to help
25:12
them run their production. And so we call that
25:15
staff support, which we offer at $65 an hour.
25:19
And so, for example, we had a casting call come
25:24
through where they were able to you know, set
25:29
up the entire Studio A. They brought all the
25:32
cast members through and, you know, we set up
25:34
the lights and moved the room around and threw
25:38
up some lower thirds on the screen for them and
25:40
directed the whole production for her. And so
25:42
that will be an example of, you know, using the
25:47
staff support. What else do we offer? We offer
25:49
a lot. We have the other contracts where we do,
25:53
you know, With Panorama, for example, we do the
25:57
personalized trainings and things like that.
25:59
Do you want to talk about that? Yeah. We offer
26:02
technical support to Panorama TV. Panorama is
26:06
a senior community, and they have their own TV
26:10
channel there. They produce regularly every week.
26:14
They produce around 40 shows a month, and we
26:18
provide the technical support. for them and also
26:22
we help them editing their their shows and air
26:27
their shows and we provide uh the training as
26:31
well and uh so we have regular class that we
26:35
teach the the volunteers there and so that's
26:41
one thing we do we we also um do lot meetings
26:47
the board meetings we We run the meeting for
26:52
them in a control room. The lot has its own control
26:54
room that we send our producer assistants there
27:01
and they do the lot meeting. And then we are
27:04
on the channel as well. And we also contract
27:10
with, you know, independently, like people that
27:14
need a video project, they talk to us. Recently,
27:19
we helped the Cooperative Northwest. They had
27:25
a series of webinars that they wanted to train
27:29
a little bit and make it look better, and we
27:32
did that for them. We're going to produce a video
27:36
pretty soon for Thurston County Regional...
27:44
The Realtors Association. Yeah. TP Car? I
27:48
don't know. But it is a non -profit. So, yeah,
27:54
we help businesses and non -profits to make their
27:58
video and they can hire us. We make the whole
28:01
project for them. They just tell us what they
28:04
need and we make the whole project for them.
28:11
So, yeah, technical support, classes, or production.
28:18
And production, there's so many different elements
28:22
of production. We even had a couple of businesses
28:25
approach us to do their social media production
28:28
and help them, you know. kind of, you know, form
28:31
their brands and things like that. And so anytime
28:35
there's a need for, you know, either digital
28:39
design or video production, we are here to serve
28:44
and we can definitely, you know, assist in that
28:46
aspect. And so, yeah, we're here as a resource
28:51
and, you know, we really encourage people to,
28:53
you know, reach out and use us. Oh, that's great.
28:57
And on your website, it's all very clearly explained
29:00
the different trainings and classes too. So definitely
29:05
go to tcmedia .org. That's right. tcmedia .org.
29:09
You have all the information needed to become
29:12
a member or to hire us. Yeah. And then you were
29:24
talking about the kids at the camp and the little
29:27
green screen. So do you want to talk about your
29:30
summer camps? Oh, yes. So our summer camps, we
29:34
have a series of camps that we've been doing
29:37
this summer. And we also have other educational
29:40
classes, like Martha mentioned. We do some winter
29:44
classes and things like that. But the summer
29:46
camps specifically are targeted towards the youth
29:50
and being able to get them exposed to, you know,
29:53
digital media, video production, all of the works.
29:57
And so we partner with Olympia Parks and Rec
30:01
they post our classes to the greater you know
30:07
region and we're also in their pamphlets and
30:10
their booklets that get mailed out with the class
30:12
selection so people can know ahead of time what
30:16
classes that they might be interested in signing
30:17
the kids up for and then they when the classes
30:21
roll around then you know you come in and then
30:23
you check your your student in and then you know
30:25
we will have them from anywhere from Was it 9
30:28
a .m. to noon or if it's an all day camp, it'll
30:32
be 9 a .m. to 5 p .m. And some of the classes
30:36
that we have available are, you know, let's make
30:39
a movie. And that's basically where the kids
30:42
go through and, you know, they kind of group
30:44
up and they make their own scripts. And then
30:46
they, you know, do the production and then we
30:49
edit the videos for them. And then at the end.
30:53
of the camp season that we'll do a big old screening
30:55
and all the kids come back with their friends.
30:57
And then, you know, we watch the videos and everything.
31:00
And it's a really fun time. So that screening
31:02
is coming up, I believe, was it September 6th,
31:05
a Saturday? So that's coming around the corner.
31:08
Some of the other classes we do are the garage
31:11
band camps for the kids that are interested in,
31:14
you know, making their own music. We have the
31:17
animation classes where we teach the kids how
31:21
to do stop motion. There's definitely a variety
31:25
of classes that we offer, and they're very popular,
31:27
very successful, and we're very proud of that.
31:30
Oh, wow. What are the age ranges that you have
31:33
for the kids? Are they grouped into age ranges?
31:37
Yes. The classes we offer, I believe, are between
31:41
ages 6 to 10 for the younger kids groups. And
31:45
then from 10 to 15 or 11 to 15 for the teens
31:49
and the preteens. Okay. And what are the costs?
31:53
And is there a sliding scale or tuition? Yes.
31:57
So the costs are anywhere from about $200 to
32:01
$400 per class. It just depends on like the length
32:07
and the duration because some of the classes
32:09
we have them for a couple of days. Some of the
32:11
classes we have them for a whole week. Some of the
32:15
classes are for I believe two weeks. Yeah, yeah. And so, yeah, it's
32:18
definitely, you know, an outlet for the kids
32:22
to be here. We have snacks and things for them.
32:25
We have incredible instructors that work hands
32:27
-on with the kids. And so it's definitely an
32:31
experience for sure. And we've received great
32:34
feedback from the parents. And it's been a very
32:37
great season so far because we have a couple
32:43
more camps. I believe we have one more camp.
32:46
Two more. Two more camps, yeah. So it's been
32:49
a fun summer with them. Yeah, in terms of our
32:51
scholarship, before we, until 22, we were funded
32:57
by the government. And then at that time, we
33:00
were able to accommodate financial aid. And lately,
33:06
we... We are not in a very good financial position,
33:12
but if anybody is interested in taking the class,
33:15
please talk to us and we can always accommodate
33:19
something because everybody is welcome. That's
33:23
good to know. Yeah, the current administration
33:26
has done a lot of changes to... public broadcasting
33:34
funding and stuff like that. And I see that hitting
33:38
many communities hard with their public broadcasting.
33:41
What are your thoughts on that? And how is that
33:44
affecting you moving forward? It's completely
33:48
affecting us. So we are a public access station,
33:53
but also known as PEG fee station. So what is
33:57
PEG fee? PEG fee is a public education government.
34:02
So the subscribers of the cable company, Comcast
34:07
subscribers, every month when they pay their
34:12
cable service, they pay a PEG fee to ensure that
34:17
they get in their cable public access, government,
34:24
and education programs, right? So that is an
34:32
old law that was created when cable came about.
34:39
So why this law? Because the cable company needs
34:44
to use the city or the county land to lay their
34:50
cables. And so because of that, they created
34:55
this fee, and this fee goes back. into the community,
35:00
right? And in a form of a public access station
35:04
or a community media like we have here where
35:08
we can offer all this service at a low cost to
35:12
the public, right? So during Trump's first administration,
35:18
the federal ordinance regulates public access
35:24
television. changed and which allowed the jurisdictions
35:29
not to pay us the PEG fee anymore or any public
35:34
cell stations. And this started happening in
35:40
22. So since 22, City of Tumwater, Lacey, Olympia,
35:47
and Thurston County that would pay a good amount
35:52
of money that would come to us to be able to
35:55
provide all this service to the community, all
35:58
this money went, gone, completely gone. And so
36:04
that's Tamara and I, our mission is to turn this
36:09
game around and diversify the company and offer
36:13
more services and survive and keep Thurston Community
36:19
Media for the community. So that's how our efforts
36:25
come into place where Tamara bringing her business
36:30
vision where she completely diversify our way
36:34
of doing business. So we're now including serving
36:38
for profit. Before 22, we only served individuals
36:45
in the community. Now we serve. companies or
36:49
serve anybody that need a video. If they're for
36:54
profit, they're just going to pay a little more,
36:56
but we're still going to serve that. And also
36:59
Tamara brought the sustaining partners. Do you
37:04
want to talk about that? Yeah. So the sustaining
37:07
partners is our current initiative. So we have
37:11
a sustaining partners program where we are approaching
37:14
different banks, different organizations, different
37:17
you know, leaders in the community that we can
37:21
rely on to, you know, sustain TC Media. And so
37:25
what's included in the sustaining partnership?
37:28
So, of course, Martha has already touched on,
37:31
you know, the use of PEG fees and how PEG fees
37:35
were sustaining the public access stations like
37:38
TC Media. Well, we no longer have the PEG fees,
37:42
and so we now have to rely on community support.
37:45
And so that's where the Sustaining Partners steps
37:47
in. And so we have three tiers. And the first
37:51
tier would be the Executive Producer tier, which
37:54
would give $100 ,000 over the span of three years.
37:57
On a monthly basis, that is about $2 ,778. And
38:04
so the executive producer, those funds are really
38:08
geared toward strengthening our infrastructure,
38:11
our channel operations, because the channel that
38:15
we use to post the, you know, community members'
38:20
content is very costly to operate and maintain
38:24
that. And we have the Channel 22 without any
38:29
financial backing behind that. Financial backing
38:33
also went away when the Peg fees went away. So
38:36
that is part of what the Executive Producers
38:40
will, you know, contribute towards. And so this
38:44
is more of an organizational longevity. Money
38:48
will also be supporting like the staff, the live
38:51
streaming, the VOD upgrades that we have. And
38:54
as also a part of that is the investigative journalism
38:58
initiative. So we want to be able to bring hyper
39:04
focus news to Olympia. That's just very fact
39:08
based. But of course, we need, you know, funding
39:11
towards that. And so that's all part of what
39:13
the funds from the executive producer would go
39:16
to support. Okay, so then next we have the Director.
39:20
So this person or this group or individual would
39:23
give $50 ,000 over the span of a three -year
39:26
timeline. And so monthly that breaks down to
39:29
$1 ,389 a month. And so the funds from the director
39:35
partner would be driving the educational programming.
39:38
So like how we mentioned with the summer camps
39:40
that we offer with the winter classes that we
39:43
do. training the public on editing and hands
39:48
-on workshop, how to use the equipment. So that
39:52
way they can use it for their own production.
39:54
That's what this money is going to be for. We
39:57
also are going to be focusing on, you know, career
40:01
development. So being able to allow college kids
40:04
who are just leaving school, getting them, you
40:08
know, hands -on experience working. So paid internships,
40:11
career building experiences, mentorships, workshops,
40:15
people who are in, you know, career development
40:18
changes. So if someone's, you know, wanting to
40:21
change. you know, careers and they want to pursue
40:25
a career in digital media. This is what that
40:27
funding would be going towards. All of those
40:31
resources are very vital in allowing people to,
40:34
you know, pursue this career. So that is what
40:38
the director's funds would go toward is, you
40:41
know, educational programming and then, you know,
40:44
those career workshops and experience building.
40:48
And then lastly, we have, we call the production
40:51
crew. And this person, this is the lower tier,
40:54
but this would be a $25 ,000 commitment over
40:57
two years. And monthly that breaks down to $1
41:00
,041 a month. And so this goes toward, the funding
41:06
from this tier goes towards, you know, improving
41:09
our studio's infrastructure. So like our lighting,
41:12
our cameras, the gear, and just being able to
41:16
support. beginner level training and workshops
41:18
and just, you know, being a resource to the community.
41:22
And so, you know, there's a lot of equipment
41:25
out there. And, you know, we still need to be
41:28
able to keep up with the changes and be able
41:31
to evolve and be, you know, one of the, if not
41:35
the top leader in digital media, we want to be
41:38
a top leader. And so, you know, that also comes
41:41
with being able to have new equipment upgrades.
41:45
And so. We've been around for a really long time,
41:48
over almost 40 years, I want to say. And so the
41:52
equipment that we have is good and it's sustained
41:56
us this long. But we are at a point where we
41:59
need to upgrade a lot of the technology that
42:02
we have in the studio. And so, you know, being
42:04
able to rely on the community partners to fill
42:07
the need where we personally cannot fill it.
42:12
That's what the funds are going for. It's going
42:14
to the new equipment. It's going to, you know,
42:16
career development. It's going towards the channel
42:19
operations. It's going towards everything because,
42:21
like I said, we don't have the PEG fees anymore,
42:23
so we have to rely on the community partners.
42:26
And, of course, in exchange for the investment,
42:28
we do, you know, tailor, you know, the benefits
42:31
for an organization. So if we're working with
42:33
a bank and they're focused on, you know, financial
42:36
literacy, of course we're going to work with
42:38
them towards their mission and, you know, creating.
42:42
programming for, you know, each partner that
42:45
we're working with. So it is going to be a tailored
42:47
experience. So that way, you know, they're able
42:50
to fulfill their mission and we're able to fulfill
42:52
our mission. And, you know, hopefully those missions
42:54
align previously. But yeah, it's going to be
42:58
a mutually beneficial program. And we're already
43:02
in talks with several. people in the community.
43:05
And I'm very excited. I'm very optimistic. And
43:08
so this is just a work in progress. And so we've
43:10
only been in these positions for seven months.
43:13
Just launched the program last month. And so
43:15
we're still making traction. That sounds very
43:19
exciting for future developments. I see yellow
43:23
shining and glowing. Oh, my gosh. The future
43:26
is very bright. Yeah. Yeah, and the community
43:31
involvement is a key aspect here of this. This
43:35
media is really a great resource for the community.
43:38
It allows people in the community to not only
43:41
learn a skill that is so important these days
43:45
to learn, but also to express themselves. And
43:49
also because it's a matter of media literacy,
43:53
so it is a very important resource to the community.
43:58
For the kids, we teach the kids about media,
44:02
and then it touches exactly the point that you
44:04
just said, like media can be so deceiving, but
44:09
once you learn how it's made, then it's not so
44:13
deceiving anymore. Yeah, that helps people understand
44:18
how to use their discernment when fact -checking
44:22
for themselves. Right, and they can see how...
44:27
how you can create facts. Indeed. Using media,
44:33
right? So when the kids come here and they make
44:35
their own video, they start being aware of what
44:38
goes on in the background. And then as an adult,
44:42
you're not going to be so easily fooled, you
44:44
know? Right. So y 'all have a call for community
44:54
content. So y 'all are looking for people to
44:57
come and make shows for y 'all. Yeah, we have
45:00
a channel 22 that needs 24 -7 programming for
45:05
stuff to show. So you're welcome. But also we
45:10
want the community to publish their videos on
45:16
the channel. We want that. We are here for this.
45:21
People in the community that want to show off
45:23
their products, they are coming over. You have
45:26
to sign a contract and be responsible for your
45:29
content. And after that, we can air the show
45:34
on the channel. And it's super fun to watch your
45:37
video on TV. And people can even maybe make their
45:40
own little commercials, their little advertisements.
45:43
Yes, they always on the end that they're doing.
45:45
Yeah, on the channel, you cannot ask people to
45:49
buy anything. Yeah, there's some rules and regulations
45:55
on the channel. You can't offer a product. Public
45:58
access channel is a little bit different, but
46:03
you can certainly call the attention to a cause
46:07
or... It sounds like it's a similar kind of rule
46:12
that we would have at KAOS. KAOS 89 .3 FM, Olympia.
46:18
It's with the independent public radio station.
46:21
There's a similar rule about plugola and payola
46:24
is what those terms are, where you can't really
46:26
do like a call to action. But you can say, hey,
46:30
this is here, and it exists. Yeah. It's a similar
46:33
kind of thing. It is, yeah. And also, whenever
46:36
producers want to submit something to the channel,
46:40
Martha mentioned the contract, and that has all
46:43
of the guidelines in print. Because I don't want
46:46
to misspeak here over the air, but if you reach
46:50
out to us and you're like, hey, I have a documentary,
46:52
or hey, I have a PSA, or an informational...
46:56
i forget what the exact word on the contract
46:58
says but you know something like that then what
47:00
we would do is we would send over um the document
47:03
for you to you know kind of check off like what
47:05
what type of programming is it um how long is
47:07
it what you know what genre um and then of course
47:10
it it talks about like you know things that you
47:13
can and can't air on the channel. And then you
47:15
just spill that out. You send us the MP4 file.
47:19
And then, you know, we'll go ahead and send it
47:21
off to Kate. And then Kate, our tech manager,
47:23
will go ahead and review everything and then
47:26
push it onto the channel for, you know, everyone
47:28
to see. But it's all written out in the contract.
47:31
And if you just reach out to us via the website
47:33
or just give us the call, then, you know, we
47:36
can get that over to you very quickly. That's
47:38
really good to know and have that clarified.
47:40
Thank you. Y 'all have a... fun run? We have
47:45
an event that we are planning. We were planning
47:50
to do this fun run and this is kudos to one of
47:53
our prior board members for getting this idea
47:57
started. But the fun run is currently set to
48:01
take place at Capitol High School. We are awaiting
48:05
for the application process to be approved. We
48:08
have it slated for sometime late December, early
48:12
November. So I don't want to say a date just
48:15
yet because we obviously have to wait for it
48:17
to get approved before we start advertising it.
48:19
But the idea behind the fun run is to basically
48:22
just call attention to TC Media. Hey, we are
48:24
in this new chapter of life and, you know, we
48:28
want to. call all of the media makers, all of
48:31
the kids that come to the camps, all of the people
48:34
that we do our production contracts with, the
48:37
organizations that we work with. Come out and
48:39
support TC Media at the Spun Run. Hopefully,
48:42
we'll be at Capitol High School on... early November
48:45
late the late October and but it will be a ticketed
48:48
event it is a fundraiser of course um and so
48:51
all of the proceeds will go towards um the mission
48:54
items that i mentioned earlier in the sustaining
48:57
partners program um is going to be towards you
49:00
know just being able to allow us to stay around
49:03
and it's going to be a very fun fun run billy
49:06
we'll have um you know concessions available
49:09
um a percentage of those concessions will go
49:12
towards our mission And then the other percentage
49:15
will go towards the businesses that are, you
49:17
know, volunteering to be there. So it's going
49:19
to be a fun event. Oh, that sounds like something
49:22
exciting to look forward to at all. We have the
49:27
fun run, but we have other events too. So just
49:31
please check on our page and there you'll be
49:35
able to see more events. We have an event coming
49:38
up on August 23rd. It's faith.. faith based concert
49:43
is going to be for Christian performers that
49:48
will be performing here. As you know, if you
49:51
follow Public Access Television, one of our major
49:56
contributors for content is the Christian community.
50:01
The Christian community is very present on the
50:04
Public Access channel. So we're doing this fundraiser
50:09
to keep, TC Media for the community. Wonderful.
50:15
Thank you for sharing about that. How can people
50:18
get involved? Yeah, so as far as like volunteership
50:22
goes, right now we have all of our, right now
50:27
we have all of our, you know, events on tcmedia
50:30
.org/ events. And so we will list on there,
50:35
you know, hey, we're doing a faith -based concert.
50:39
Go ahead and sign up to volunteer if you like.
50:41
And then, you know, we have, you know, slots
50:43
available in the control room where people can,
50:46
you know, come through and then, you know, direct
50:49
the show or do the robotics or I don't think
50:52
we'll have teleprompter rolling. But, you know,
50:53
there will be opportunities for people to come
50:56
through. We can do flyering. You can pass out,
50:59
you know, and brochures and things like that.
51:04
There's a lot that goes into, you know, our in
51:07
-house productions, but also we have the external
51:10
productions. And so, for example, when we did
51:13
Thriller Sunday on August 3rd, Free Music Olympia.
51:16
Yes, yeah, Free Music Olympia. There was a...
51:19
bunch of opportunity for volunteers to come out
51:21
and, you know, just really get your hands on
51:24
the cameras. Like, I know there's a lot of people
51:25
that, you know, want to be, you know, videographers,
51:28
but, you know, maybe they can't afford a camera,
51:31
but they can go to tcmedia .org/ events
51:33
and they can see what is TC Media doing and then
51:36
just click on the volunteer sign up button. And
51:38
then you can be a part of, you know, Free Music
51:40
Olympia or you can be a part of the casting call
51:43
that we had going on where you can get in there
51:45
and start, you know, working with the gimbal
51:47
or working in control. So all those volunteer
51:50
opportunities are located on tcmedia .org slash
51:53
events. And how can people donate or sponsor
51:56
you? You can just come to tcmedia .org or you
52:00
can come in person and you can, you know, hand
52:02
us a check. But a lot of the donations go through
52:07
our online platforms, which would be either What
52:13
do we do? Via Stripe for the memberships. We
52:16
also have Give Butter, which is embedded in the
52:20
website tcmedia .org for people to donate, you
52:24
know, really any amount that they would like
52:25
to. We have a bunch of recurring donations and
52:27
we really, really appreciate that because without
52:29
those donations, we don't exist. Is there anything
52:38
else you would like to share? I'd like to share
52:42
that TC Media needs the community support. Right
52:46
now is a very critical moment where we're really
52:50
fighting to stay here for the community. And
52:55
so please participate in any level. Become a
52:59
member. Volunteer. Come here. Use the facility.
53:07
If you hear somebody that you think may be interested,
53:12
refer them to us and talk to your local politician
53:18
about peg fees. If you ask your leaders in your
53:26
community why we're not getting peg fees anymore
53:30
and is there any chance TC Media can get PEG
53:33
fees back. We need support right now. Definitely.
53:40
And also that reminds me, Darlene, one of our
53:44
producers, she's very involved in the peg fees
53:48
and local access media. And she was telling me
53:54
that some of the states, I believe Massachusetts
53:57
and Montana, they are actually changing the verbiage
54:01
from peg fees to changing it to... Somehow there's
54:07
a way where they can bring streaming fees because,
54:12
you know... Times are changing. Wines are evolving.
54:16
And so there's a way that some of those other
54:18
states have changed the verbiage to pass on streaming
54:21
fees to the local media access stations. And
54:25
so she is trying to find a way where we can approach
54:28
these leaders and get that happening in Washington
54:31
state. And so this is a very early development.
54:34
She just brought this to my attention sometime
54:36
last week. And so, yeah, we're definitely going
54:39
to explore this because, you know. You know,
54:43
we always have to stay abreast of the times.
54:45
And so if peg fees are out the door, streaming
54:48
fees are next. And that's what we're going to
54:50
try to tackle next. But also just spread the
54:54
word about TC Media. You know, we used to be
54:57
TCTV, but now we're TC Media, which we feel is
55:00
more inclusive of, you know, everything that
55:02
we offer. So just spread the word about us. And
55:05
if you're interested in joining the board, the
55:08
board of directors is also expanding or we're
55:10
looking for new members and new faces and people
55:13
from different communities. So if you're interested,
55:17
just, you know, reach out about joining the board.
55:19
Or if you don't want to do a commitment to serving
55:22
on the board of directors, we also have an advisory
55:25
board. And so our advisory board is, you know,
55:28
a much less. a strong commitment. But, you know,
55:33
this is an opportunity for our board of directors
55:36
to come to you and, you know, really just get
55:38
your opinion and your feedback on what do you
55:41
think TC Media should be doing? Where are we,
55:43
you know, where can we pivot or where can we
55:46
find inspiration to, you know, stay ahead of
55:49
the times? And, you know, so that's kind of what
55:52
the advisory board is for. But, you know, we're
55:54
definitely expanding it. We're looking for new
55:56
board members. So an advisory, being on the advisory
55:59
board is kind of more of like a more low -key
56:01
way of participating and having a voice with
56:06
the board of directors. Is that how that works?
56:09
Exactly, yes. Okay, wonderful. Well, thank you
56:14
both so very much for sitting down with me today,
56:17
giving me your time. Thank you, Kristina. And
56:22
here again, I'm Martha Correa from TC Media.
56:26
And we welcome all the community here. Come over,
56:30
visit us, and we're here for you. And thank you
56:34
again for having us. My name is Tamara Erazo,
56:36
and, you know, this has been a great pleasure.
56:39
Thank you so much. Okay. TC Media is located
56:42
at 440 Yauger Way, Southwest Olympia. And our
56:48
phone number is 360 -956 -3100. If you would
57:01
like to meet Martha and Tamara this Sunday, they
57:04
will be at Golden Hour Exotic Tea Bar at 502
57:08
4th Avenue East at 3 p .m., along with other
57:12
featured organizations on Resource Report, celebrating
57:15
with me Pathways to Agency's one -year anniversary
57:19
meet -and -greet networking and fundraising event.
57:22
Hope to meet you there! That's it for today's
57:25
resource report produced by Pathways to Agency.
57:28
At Pathways to Agency, we are driven by the belief
57:32
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57:34
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57:38
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57:41
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57:45
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57:49
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57:56
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58:07
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58:11
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58:24
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