... in my hectic life? Well, there is plenty. First off, Africa is going well. We are in contact with Komaza in Kenya and have a phone or Skype interview with them next week to get more of the specifics of the exact schedule and any concerns that we have. We are aware of the most recent travel advisory and are going to be addressing that with Komaza. We are aware of the danger but I have also read most of the US Travel Agency's information on travel there. The northern areas are more dangerous while Nairobi and Mombasa (the main tourist areas) are fairly safe. We would be right north of Mombasa in a town called Kalifi at the headquarters of Komaza where we would be with other Americans, Canadians, British and native Kenyans who have lived there for the past 3-4 years. Still, we want to be safe. If any of you have concerns or questions, comment and we can relay that info on and then post it back to you to answer your questions. Or just talk over the phone or whatever. This is just a way to get all of the questions, concerns, hesitations, anticipations, etc our in open air so we can find solutions. Thanks for your help!
I interviewed for a short internship with BoomStartup because they are new and want to also have good media on their websites. I got the internship (aka work for free) and start this Friday filming some of the new company participants. This will (hopefully) be a good experience because of the networking opportunities. The guys who are helping start this new company recently sold their older company, Omniture, to Adobe for $1.8 billion. That is a whole lot. If I can network with these guys, I just might have a chance at scoring some good paying people that need help with their own company media or maybe training videos or something. I am also working in a team, but am the director and producer, and as such I get most of the credit.
More good news is that The Tipping Bucket has hired me as a paid intern for the summer. I am SUPER stoked about this one. They are my new favorite thing ever. They started their first funding project about a week ago and are half way there with 6 days to spare. If you read this please go to their site and help out with just $1 and please tell your families, friends, coworkers, neighbors and everybody else you can think of. This is a new company who needs your support. They are the best, economical approach to good development I could think of. Transparent, interactive, democratic. I really think they can change the world. So please, donate. Change the world or your money back. And I will be doing their media for the rest of the summer. How exciting!
My friend and I are also planning a new series for BYU TV International. They have a large latin audience but no latin specific programming. With the help of a great donor, they have some money to pursue new pilot shows and the executive director of BYUTVI is allowing us first shot at it. $25,000 to produce 4 half hour episodes of latin specific programming. We have a great program in mind and the executive was VERY excited with our idea. Right now it is going up through the bureaucracy to get OKed. I don't want to talk too much about it because it is not set in stone quite yet.
Other than that, I am just working, scholastic-ing, and spending time with my beautiful wife. I play basketball every Wed night. We have the scooter up and running. With part of our tax return we bought a new iMac (we really needed a new computer and this was one we could afford). I am filming a lot and am excited to get moving with all of this other stuff. My senior project is coming along well and things are good. I pray that they stay this way.
Well, if you were wondering what is going on in our lives, this is it. A long post full of new and exciting things. Thanks for your support!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I am still a good student...
... most of the time. Because I have not posted in a few days, I will make up for it with a few different posts throughout the day. Here is the first.
I have really grown to love school. I don't have to worry about generals and classes that are thrust upon me. I just have the joy of learning ahead of me these last semesters. I graduate in December (finally) and am really excited to move on into post-undergraduate life and get into the work force. I feel more and more ready to do so as each day goes by. But while I am here I might as well do well in school.
In my experience, school is a balancing act. You have to balance how much you spend financially, where you spend your time (work, school, social, wasting it) and sometimes you have to leave things behind. Maybe it was that weekend job that asked you to come in or maybe it was the reading for a class and so you miss a few points. There are things that need to be left behind. Because work and experience are so important to me the things that have usually been left behind are school and social. This semester I feel that I am doing a better job at not leaving those behind. I haven't done every assignment and I don't get ahead, but I do keep up.
To prove this I would like to show you this picture of my History of Film midterm.
Yep, that is a 99. Like 99% as in almost 100%. I don't think I have done that well on a midterm test since elementary school. That made me feel really good. It just proved that though I do leave many things behind, even with school, I can still temporarily achieve an almost perfect balance.
I have really grown to love school. I don't have to worry about generals and classes that are thrust upon me. I just have the joy of learning ahead of me these last semesters. I graduate in December (finally) and am really excited to move on into post-undergraduate life and get into the work force. I feel more and more ready to do so as each day goes by. But while I am here I might as well do well in school.
In my experience, school is a balancing act. You have to balance how much you spend financially, where you spend your time (work, school, social, wasting it) and sometimes you have to leave things behind. Maybe it was that weekend job that asked you to come in or maybe it was the reading for a class and so you miss a few points. There are things that need to be left behind. Because work and experience are so important to me the things that have usually been left behind are school and social. This semester I feel that I am doing a better job at not leaving those behind. I haven't done every assignment and I don't get ahead, but I do keep up.
To prove this I would like to show you this picture of my History of Film midterm.
Yep, that is a 99. Like 99% as in almost 100%. I don't think I have done that well on a midterm test since elementary school. That made me feel really good. It just proved that though I do leave many things behind, even with school, I can still temporarily achieve an almost perfect balance.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Well, its official...
... Becky and I are going to Africa. We had our final interview with the Peery Foundation and we got the confirmation email today telling us that we each got the grant to be able to go to Africa and profile a social entrepreneur and their work. We will probably go in early June. The social venture we decided on working with is Komaza They help subsistence farmers get access to a cash crop of fast growing, drought tolerant eucalyptus trees that they can farm and then sell. This helps them increase their profits bringing them out of poverty and bringing resources to the family (ie education, sanitation, etc).
Here is a short video I found by a person I have ended up admiring quite a bit for his work in documentary that is about a very similar thing to what we are doing (at least I imagine it as such).
Becky and I still have a TON to learn and to do and we are excited to start. I feel like this is a true answer to many prayers and I hope to do my best in helping out with what I can.
Thanks for your support! We will keep you posted on progress with this.
P.S. Have you noticed how good I have been about posting? Pat on the back for me.
Here is a short video I found by a person I have ended up admiring quite a bit for his work in documentary that is about a very similar thing to what we are doing (at least I imagine it as such).
Bio Shields - IDRC from jason taylor on Vimeo.
Becky and I still have a TON to learn and to do and we are excited to start. I feel like this is a true answer to many prayers and I hope to do my best in helping out with what I can.
Thanks for your support! We will keep you posted on progress with this.
P.S. Have you noticed how good I have been about posting? Pat on the back for me.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
This is my new favorite thing...
... because it is so SO great. It is called The Tipping Bucket and it is an organization who is going to completely change how development is done.
First of all, you should know that it is a BYU development that was encouraged by the Brigham Young University Center for Economic Self-Reliance in the Marriott School of Business (currently ranked #1 in the nation) and that it was pretty much a student project that really took off. The idea won the Social Venture Competition and got $10,000 in seed money. After some more was raised they started off running. They just got the website up and have their first project.
So, this is how it goes:
The selectively choose a small venture to invest in and then they post that venture on their website. This first one highlights a school in the DR Congo in Africa that is raising money for solar equipment so it can be financially self-sustained. It is a project that is inexpensive and very worthy.
Now, this is where you come in.
They need $2500 to purchase the last of their equipment and get the project running. The Tipping Bucket is where we can donate our pocket change to help fund the project. It utilizes social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs to spread a call to help donate. Just think, 2500 people is not that much and if we all donate a dollar and invite our friends to do likewise we can raise that money in no time. If we don't raise the money then you get your dollar back and the next project is up.
I don't see any reason why we should not be able to raise that much money though. I am a poor college student and Becky and I donated $2. I think I can afford a couple bucks every couple weeks to help promote world change.
So go to the website, sign-up and "change the world, or your money back"!
This is also the company that I applied to an internship with yesterday. Let's help them out. If you have questions or concerns, email me or comment and we can talk about it.
A short video highlighting what The Tipping Bucket does.
First of all, you should know that it is a BYU development that was encouraged by the Brigham Young University Center for Economic Self-Reliance in the Marriott School of Business (currently ranked #1 in the nation) and that it was pretty much a student project that really took off. The idea won the Social Venture Competition and got $10,000 in seed money. After some more was raised they started off running. They just got the website up and have their first project.
So, this is how it goes:
The selectively choose a small venture to invest in and then they post that venture on their website. This first one highlights a school in the DR Congo in Africa that is raising money for solar equipment so it can be financially self-sustained. It is a project that is inexpensive and very worthy.
Now, this is where you come in.
They need $2500 to purchase the last of their equipment and get the project running. The Tipping Bucket is where we can donate our pocket change to help fund the project. It utilizes social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs to spread a call to help donate. Just think, 2500 people is not that much and if we all donate a dollar and invite our friends to do likewise we can raise that money in no time. If we don't raise the money then you get your dollar back and the next project is up.
I don't see any reason why we should not be able to raise that much money though. I am a poor college student and Becky and I donated $2. I think I can afford a couple bucks every couple weeks to help promote world change.
So go to the website, sign-up and "change the world, or your money back"!
This is also the company that I applied to an internship with yesterday. Let's help them out. If you have questions or concerns, email me or comment and we can talk about it.
A short video highlighting what The Tipping Bucket does.
I am a super lucky person...
... for a myriad of reasons. Number one: I have an awesome wife.
Number two: We really don't have to worry about things that much.
Number three: I have at least 100 more reasons that I am a super lucky person...
but I won't bore you with all of the details. One of the reasons that I am feeling so blessed right now is that I never have a lack of opportunities. One such opportunity came up last weekend at the Hunger Banquet right as we were leaving. Though I was not happy that we were leaving early, I still wanted to stop by an area where a bunch of social entreprenuers and NGO's and non-profits had set up booths to help inform people about what they are doing and possibly get help. I quite a few that I recognized and was familar with and then I saw one that I had recently just become aware of. The organization is called The Tipping Bucket and they help generate money for small development projects using online social networks and pocket change. Earlier that week I had recieved a small notice that they were offering a paid internship for the summer. Well I talked to the guy at the booth and we exchanged information and yesterday I submitted my application for the internship and should hear back by the 15th.
The reason this is significant is because this is exactly what I want to be doing. This, the Peery grant that Becky and I want to do this summer, my own work with Central Utah Gardens seem so serendipitous. I am not even graduated and I already have more work offers than I can take and not even that, they are all in the specified field that I want to work in. I thought that I would have to "blaze the trail" but I have found that the trail has more or less made itself.
What I am trying to say is that I appreciate it, so thank you.
Here is a neat video that accompanies my thoughts. It was even made in Kenya (fingers crossed).
Number two: We really don't have to worry about things that much.
Number three: I have at least 100 more reasons that I am a super lucky person...
but I won't bore you with all of the details. One of the reasons that I am feeling so blessed right now is that I never have a lack of opportunities. One such opportunity came up last weekend at the Hunger Banquet right as we were leaving. Though I was not happy that we were leaving early, I still wanted to stop by an area where a bunch of social entreprenuers and NGO's and non-profits had set up booths to help inform people about what they are doing and possibly get help. I quite a few that I recognized and was familar with and then I saw one that I had recently just become aware of. The organization is called The Tipping Bucket and they help generate money for small development projects using online social networks and pocket change. Earlier that week I had recieved a small notice that they were offering a paid internship for the summer. Well I talked to the guy at the booth and we exchanged information and yesterday I submitted my application for the internship and should hear back by the 15th.
The reason this is significant is because this is exactly what I want to be doing. This, the Peery grant that Becky and I want to do this summer, my own work with Central Utah Gardens seem so serendipitous. I am not even graduated and I already have more work offers than I can take and not even that, they are all in the specified field that I want to work in. I thought that I would have to "blaze the trail" but I have found that the trail has more or less made itself.
What I am trying to say is that I appreciate it, so thank you.
Here is a neat video that accompanies my thoughts. It was even made in Kenya (fingers crossed).
Djemba, a boy from Kibera from jason taylor on Vimeo.
Monday, March 8, 2010
So I will be writing more now...
... because apparently I am a bad writer. I met with my faculty advisor last week to follow up on my senior project (which is going to be GREAT) and he congratulated me on receiving some additional funding and then told me that though I was on the right track that I had a difficult time representing myself and what I was doing, mostly in my writing. I needed to be more concise but eloquent as well. He told me to read and write more so that is what I am going to be doing for the next while.
After this experience I thought about how I had always had more of a difficult time writing and depicting what I really think and feel. This also translates to my conversations and has recently made me extremely self-conscious. I feel like I need to look back at what I have said and see if it has context and is something that makes sense to the other person. I look into their faces in the hope that there is a glimmer of understanding. If not, I try to reword the sentence or make it more brief. Usually I think that I just dig myself deeper into the pit of no-conversational-return.
I feel that part of this is that I am pulling myself in too many directions. I am working 3 to 4 jobs always, working on at least 3 proposals, watching 2 internships and balancing all of that with 14 credit hours, church and of course, my lovely wife. Oh the joys of being a film-major. I do really enjoy it and I love being able to have my hands in so many cookie jars. I only have two steady jobs with the others coming in and out during the weekends and usually don't take more than 10 hrs to complete. School isn't too hard and I really only have like 6 credit hours I need to work on. The proposals do take a ton of my brainpower and when I get one done another starts right up (right now we are working on getting a project that has $25K behind it). So my life is not too crazy though it is busy.
I guess what I am trying to get to is that I have decided that I need to take more time to think, relax and better myself through literature and writing. I will have to let go of some of the responsibility that I feel for all these projects and give that time to myself. Becky is excited because now I have a huge stack of books to get through. I am also happy about that.
So, in summary, I am bettering who I am and by so doing, you will get a read a whole lot more from me most every day. Some topics that might come up are documentary, transcendence, technology, fishing, development, internships, and changing ideas about where we fit in. If you have a request of what I should talk about, leave a comment and I will get to it. Everyday is a lot for me, so I will get to it. Thanks for your help. Critiques are welcome as well!
After this experience I thought about how I had always had more of a difficult time writing and depicting what I really think and feel. This also translates to my conversations and has recently made me extremely self-conscious. I feel like I need to look back at what I have said and see if it has context and is something that makes sense to the other person. I look into their faces in the hope that there is a glimmer of understanding. If not, I try to reword the sentence or make it more brief. Usually I think that I just dig myself deeper into the pit of no-conversational-return.
I feel that part of this is that I am pulling myself in too many directions. I am working 3 to 4 jobs always, working on at least 3 proposals, watching 2 internships and balancing all of that with 14 credit hours, church and of course, my lovely wife. Oh the joys of being a film-major. I do really enjoy it and I love being able to have my hands in so many cookie jars. I only have two steady jobs with the others coming in and out during the weekends and usually don't take more than 10 hrs to complete. School isn't too hard and I really only have like 6 credit hours I need to work on. The proposals do take a ton of my brainpower and when I get one done another starts right up (right now we are working on getting a project that has $25K behind it). So my life is not too crazy though it is busy.
I guess what I am trying to get to is that I have decided that I need to take more time to think, relax and better myself through literature and writing. I will have to let go of some of the responsibility that I feel for all these projects and give that time to myself. Becky is excited because now I have a huge stack of books to get through. I am also happy about that.
So, in summary, I am bettering who I am and by so doing, you will get a read a whole lot more from me most every day. Some topics that might come up are documentary, transcendence, technology, fishing, development, internships, and changing ideas about where we fit in. If you have a request of what I should talk about, leave a comment and I will get to it. Everyday is a lot for me, so I will get to it. Thanks for your help. Critiques are welcome as well!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
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