BAVC Media Patrons Society

Dear Friends of BAVC Media,

Nearly 8 years into my tenure at BAVC, I can see how our work represents so much of what I have cared about throughout my career. Since my very first job out of college, to my work at Youth Speaks, I have maintained a commitment to investing in communities. When we make opportunities accessible, when we trust artists, and invest in community, we create change. But throughout my career, I have seen that no matter the investment, no matter the technology, it is the stories we tell and those that we share that make the most impact.

To clarify this point, I’ll turn to the movies. As audiences, when we watch a film, we often think we are seeing the final product. And while there is truth in that, it is the life of the story that I am most interested in.

A film begins with an idea that spreads to a collaboration (often multiple collaborations), it builds, it grows, it struggles. It finds its footing, its support, its network to will it into the world. Then even once the film is complete, the labor of festivals, of sharing it with audiences, of distribution carry on. The marketing, the messaging, the impact of conversation, often times of organizing, it is all so much deeper than just a simple work of art. It’s an ecosystem which starts with the creators before being nurtured in community; a rich environment filled with complexities that ebbs and flows over time but that shapes all who interact with it – be that in behind the scenes or sitting in a plush movie theater chair, bag of popcorn full, and with dimming lights. All while the makers behind the work remain attached for life as custodians of the craft, stories, relationships, memories, and multitudes a film holds.

BAVC Media is something like that. As an organization that started as a coalition of independent video artists, eager for support, hungry for new forms of expression, they banded together. Now, 50 years later, BAVC has grown. We have expanded our robust slate of program offerings to reach youth, emerging artists, workforce training, the preservation of magnetic media, public access, and production. Just like a singular film, we are expansive. We are rooted in the Bay Area but our reach is nationwide. Our legacy means that our doors have been open for people who started their careers here and have gone on to great successes. We are a constant. We embrace change but at our core, we remain committed. BAVC Media is a home for storytellers, no matter the form, no matter the outlet, we are a place where storytellers thrive. And where storytellers thrive, so does our community.

Your participation in our Patrons Society means that we can continue to transform access, build new pathways, and foster generations of storytellers. Your support means an investment in culture, whose stories are told, and how they are upheld.

As I reflect on our work, I hold the privilege of perspective. I see the artists who are experimenting, the young people who are finding their voice, the apprentices becoming professionals, the archivists preserving the past, and producers sharing a story only they can tell, and countless individuals who have come through BAVC’s doors carrying what they have learned out into the world.

That is why I give to BAVC Media. That is why I hope you will join me. Help us keep our doors open because we don’t know who will walk through them next. And we want to be ready for them.

With deep gratitude,
Paula