It's finally happening! Here's what you need to know.
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In early 2015, VC was born as a video journalist + documentary filmmaker gathering in downtown Manhattan, and everyone kept in touch via a private Facebook group. We owe it to Facebook because the group allowed VCers to keep in touch, trade jobs, and share resources as we continued to expand around the world.
In 2019, we launched our own Slack channel, at the request of many members, and reviewed our application process to be more equitable. Slack has since exploded. (Members only: sign up for it here!)
In 2020, we continued to evolve, amidst a global pandemic and racial reckoning, to uplifting nonfiction storytellers from both within and outside of our community, after months of collaborative input from community members, local team members, our board, and advisory council.
In 2021, we expanded a ton and truly went global — starting virtual-first programming, workshops, mentorship, and more. For the first time, we began to fundraise, via individual donations and grants, including a catalytic Knight Foundation grant to improve our digital footprint and offerings (this platform!).
In late 2022, with our continued growth — ~20 local hubs, 4000+ members, regular programming and a variety of incubators, mentorships, industry initiatives like the Pay Transparency Project — we launched our new digital platform featuring a new website, forums, job boards, and more. This new platform FINALLY brought all things VC under one roof and has allowed us to cohesively operate as a collective creative body, rather than having our communications dispersed across a variety of incompatible platforms and digital channels as was formerly the case. Already, we’ve been able to invite filmmakers from regions we previously weren’t able to reach and get resources shared in a more seamless way. The future is bright (despite the state of the world being very weird), and we’re 110% here for it.
So there are now two active forums instead of three?
You got it. While we’re leaving the world of Facebook, both our website and Slack options will remain strong to ensure max accessibility for you, no matter where you are. While our website Forum is built from scratch and doesn’t feature instant notifications, Slack does, so dive in, and check the #gigalert channel, et al.
What about the public VC Facebook page?
Well, we’re not just leaving our private Facebook forum; we’ll also be going inactive on the public page. Our collaborators, members, and teams are most active on Instagram and Linkedin, so that’s where we’ll be. We encourage you to to tag and interact with us on these platforms and we’ll always do our best to promote you and the amazing work you’re doing.
Wait, so what's happening to the private Facebook group?
On May 19th, 2023, it will become read-only, and new members will no longer be admitted to it. For folks already in there, you can refer back to it as a resource.
I don’t know how to use slack. Don’t make me.
If you can work a camera, write an email, or edit a doc, you can use slack. It’s easy. Check out some of these super quick tutorials and join the future.
I can’t sign into the new site. Help!
Don’t worry, we’re here! Email us at community@videoconsortium.org.
We understand that this transition may be tough for some, but we are committed to making it smooth for all. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask. And if you have any suggestions for what to include/change/update on the new site, directory, job board, please let us know on our website feedback page.
Let's do this, VC. We're in it to win it, together. Cheers, and onward.
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