How to serve the Public Good through Public Media: Challenges and Opportunities
Submitted by IreneV404 on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 12:02pm
Short Description:
The media landscape is in a state of flux. From the polarizing views of mainstream media outlets to the unbridled terrain and 29 million different viewpoints available on the Internet and blogosphere, the concept of “public media for the public good” will be discussed from a variety of perspectives. The panelists, whose range of expertise includes traditional journalism, outreach, and independent media-making, will share how they have developed and/or employed content to foster thought-provoking discussion among diverse communities.
Presenters
Presenter One Name:
Candida Portugues: Journalist/Photographer
Presenter One Info:
With Master´s Degrees in Visual Arts and Journalism from the Complutense´s University of Spain, this Madrid native started her career as writer and photographer in the headquarter of the Spanish News Agency EFE in Madrid, where she worked as reporter. Afterwards she worked for more than a decade for the Spanish Television and on many film projects of her own as well as others. She has traveled all over the world and has lived in France, Great Britain, Morocco, Vietnam, Bosnia, Herzegovina. Candida who literally, fell "madly in love with New York" packed her bags and made New York her home in 1997. Once in New York she worked as a freelance writer and photographer for Spanish language publications such as El Vocero de Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Dia and Primera Hora. She has also worked as freelancer for the Tiempos del Mundo, Noticias del Mundo and the monthly supplement of the Daily News: Viva. In addition, she worked as Associate Producer for the Spanish language version of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and as editor and reporter for the Radio Station "Noticias 1380." and in 2002 she started to work full-time for El Diario/La Prensa. Candida also runs a multimedia/translation minority/woman-owned business, Bercany and her photography has been the subject of several solo shows in both Spain and New York.
Presenter Two Name:
Laura Checkoway: Director/Writer/Producer
Presenter Two Info:
Laura Checkoway has been writing about hip hop culture and music for more than a decade. Known for her revealing celebrity profiles and investigative features, she has penned numerous cover stories for Vibe, The Village Voice, Latina, XXL, Giant, and Missbehave magazines, among others. She is the former Senior Editor of Vibe. Along with co-authoring the autobiography of Queens rap luminary Prodigy from Mobb Deep (Simon & Schuster, 2010), Checkoway is a regular contributor to RollingStone.com. She has an audience of loyal readers around the country and can't wait to share her first story through film.
Presenter Three Name:
Irene Villaseñor: Media Educator/Community Organizer/Producer
Presenter Three Info:
Irene Villaseñor is an independent media professional and non-profit consultant. Originally a youth producer at Educational Video Center, Irene served as the Youth Views Director for 8 years at P.O.V., the longest running nonfiction film series on television. She has also served as an advisor for the Ford Foundation, Kentucky Foundation for Women, Tribeca Film Institute and the Women, Action and the Media Conference.
Presenter Four Info:
Neyda Martinez formed Monserrat Ltd., in 2002, to serve a range of clients from major corporations to individual artists with marketing, communications, programming and business strategies. Her client roster includes “Enrique's Journey” by the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Sonia Nazario (Random House Books); the Latin Grammy's®; the Marguerite Casey Foundation; MacArthur Fellow, Pepon Osorio; PINTA, the Latin American Art Fair; and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Minority Consortia. In addition, she co-produced a tribute to American independent filmmaker John Sayles at the Museum of the Moving Image for the North Star Fund. For public and private sector institutions, she led departments and/or initiatives for organizations such as El Museo Del Barrio, GLASS Magazine, The Joseph A. Papp Public Theater, Salomon Smith Barney/CITIGROUP, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, Chicago International Art Exposition, and the Vidal Partnership (one of the largest full-service Hispanic marketing and communication agencies in the US), among others. Most recently, she concluded a five-year tenure as Senior Marketing Manager for P.O.V. | American Documentary Inc., television’s longest-running award-winning showcase for independent non-fiction films on PBS. Martinez is co-curator/producer of Creatively Speaking™, a multi-ethnic forum for independent film, and is the founder of Habana | Harlem™. Currently, she is a communications consultant to Hachette Book Group/Grand Central Publishing, the world’s second largest book publisher, and the Mayor’s Office for Adult Education. In 2008, Martinez earned a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University.
Presenting organization:
Monserrat Ltd: cultural programs, publicity, marketing & business strategies
