VanArts is proud to feature the following story re-posted from our Broadcasting & Online Media blog, written by current student Zane Buchanan.
Modern Journalism – Creating the Content that Interests YOU
by Zane Buchanan
Although the VanArts Broadcasting program is built on a singular standardized curriculum, I’m floored by the fact that it has attracted such a wide pool of assorted individuals. We all have vastly different motives for being here, find stimulus in different subject matter, and aspire for a diverse variety of subsequent outcomes. For me, the biggest perk of being a “creator of content” (as I like to call myself) is that it’s merely a vessel in which many of your interests can exist and flourish. Prior to enrolling in this program I studied and worked in Fine Arts. What came as a surprise to me, is that the opening of this new door did not necessarily coincide with the closing of the previous.
With the creation of content comes the freedom to utilize what captivates you and refocus it to potentially captivate an audience. For me, that’s music. Aside from the fact that I studied it for many years – I live and breathe it on a day to day basis – often without even noticing. It’s funny that when assigned the task of interviewing a notable figure, it took me some time to land on the idea of a musician. Subconsciously, I think I manipulated the assignment into a tedious task before realizing it didn’t have to be.
As an avid attendee of live music in Vancouver I dug into my database of upcoming concerts. I found that I had tickets to a concert that timed well with the assignment. To me – the concert meant that, not only would I have ample access to b-roll footage, but that the subject was to be in my city and was therefore accessible. I became instantaneously tenacious in making this my project, although in hindsight, I had no credentials to justify this artist giving me any of his time. It was by sheer luck, and perhaps a bit of charm, that I was able to wrangle him.
Gregory Alan Isakov
In order to do this I morphed into an investigative journalist. I felt like I was a member of the Spotlight team. I utilized any possible resources that could have connected me with this individual. When living in Toronto, I bartended at a music venue that hosted many popular acts. I emailed my old booking manager to see if he could offer me anything of value and all of the sudden I had the contact information of this artist’s manager. After filling their inbox with a copious amount of strategically worded spam I finally got a response saying that although the talent did not have the time to meet in person, he was willing to compromise with a ten minute phone interview prior to his show. As if that wasn’t enough, he gave me a “media pass” to his concert which would give me the go-ahead to bring gear into the venue and record his performance.
This artist’s name is Gregory Alan Isakov. Although this may not be a household name he’s extremely esoterically prominent – an A-Lister in the folk community. In Vancouver alone he sold out his first concert at the Imperial (a 6’000 square foot venue with no seating) and subsequently scheduled a second show which also sold out. In short, I was extremely honoured to have been given his time.
Check out the final product below. A project that, in itself, reaffirmed that I’m where I’m supposed to be: here at VanArts!
Visit us here for more information on Broadcasting & Online Media at VanArts >>