Hey all,

We have some big and exciting news to share. You’ve heard rumblings over the past few months, and now, finally, the time has come.

Starting Friday, May 19th, 2023, we will officially leave our private Facebook group — and moving its very robust, excellent discussions and #gigalerts to A) VC Slack and B) our own forum. This is part of our continual shift away from Facebook-centric discussions and towards the professional community with equitable resources we’ve grown to become.

While many of you are used to the way we’ve been flowing on Facebook, in the long run, this change will be a great thing for everyone. Here's the lowdown.

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Context/Backstory:

• 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 update and transform our mission statement to focus on uplifting nonfiction storytellers from both within and outside of our community, after months of collaborative input from local teams, community chats, our board, advisory council, and members.
• 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 web presence 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 soft-launched our new site, forums, and job board. This new platform FINALLY brought all things VC under one roof and has allowed us to cohesively operate as a collective creative body. 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.

Why We’re Leaving Facebook:

• A plethora of privacy issues. [Insert innumerable reasons so many of us are leaving Facebook.]
• Younger VC members DO NOT USE Facebook. Posting great gigs only on Facebook is unfair. (A recent Pew poll noted that only 32% of Gen Z uses Facebook. Ouch!) It’s vital that we support our younger members, including students, and ensure connections and platforms are equitable for all…and that we future-proof this amazing and fast-growing community. (It’s also worth noting that many millennials are also leaving the platform. The exodus is happening.)
• Centralizing resources: our new site is easier to navigate, has language integrations to better connect you all, offers an email function that allows you to see gigs in your inbox, and more. Jobs posted on the site now comply with industry best practices, include wage details, and are more easily searched. (Not everyone needs to see your elementary school friend connections to find a gig.)

What YOU need to do:

• Make sure you have an active account here, on the new platform! Email community@videoconsortium.org with any issues. Forum conversations and jobs are available only to VC members.
  • Make sure your notifications are turned ON. After signing in, head to your account overview and toggle them on, if they aren’t already.
  • Get familiar with the new Forum! Post a formal job or a quick gig, and watch it get spread to fellow VCers all over via our Thursday weekly email.
• Make sure you’ve signed up here for VC Slack!
  • Download the app on your phone to get real-time notifications.
  • Toggle how you want to receive notifications within your preferences
  • Post in various channels: introduce yourself, post a gig! Note that you can direct message fellow VCers.
  • If you are unsure how to use Slack, it’s very intuitive once you poke around a bit. See some little tutorials here.

FAQ's:

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’re also saying farewell to 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.