Six candidates from across Micronesia have been selected to attend the first Television Producers Training Work organized by Oceania Television Network (OTV). The workshop, which is made possible by funding from PACMAS, ABC International and AusAID, will train these six candidates on how to research, write, film and edit stories for inclusion in regional television broadcasts.
Two week long workshops will be held in Palau and Majuro. The courses will include hands on training and presentations from Pacific island veterans. Lecturers will include Giff Johnson and Moses Uludong about news reporting; Mike Fox on editing; Jeff Barabe and Jack Niedenthal discussing production; and two representatives from SPREP to speak on climate change in the media.
As part of the program each of the six trainees will receive a production package including a Laptop computer, video camera, tripod and sound equipment.
The goal of the workshop is to create producers across the region that can contribute stories and news segments to a regional television program. Due to a lack of qualified candidates from Chuuk and Kosrae, two candidates from Palau and the Marshall Islands were selected, as well as one each from Yap and Pohnpei.
Kassi Berg, one of the founders of OTV said “this is an unprecedented opportunity for Micronesians to break into the television production business. We expect these young producers to be part of a growing base of contributors to our regional television programming. This is part of OTV’s ongoing effort to train media and support the creative arts in the Pacific region.”
Candidates will also be encouraged to join the North Pacific Media Federation, an NGO, that will establish journalistic guidelines and ethics for media producers across the region. The six candidates selected are:
John Zedkaia, Majuro, RMI
Fredrick Langmoir, Majuro RMI
Leo Pugnam, Yap, FSM
Darsy Augustine, Pohnpei, FSM
Rolynda Jonathan, Koror, Palau
Nikita Espangel, Koror, Palau
The six-day workshop is free to all others who would like to learn about video production but they must pre-qualify and reserve a space by emailing: news@oceaniatv.net
The workshop dates are:
Palau, November 12 to 17 at OTV Studios
Majuro, RMI December 3rd to the 8th, location TBD