First, HarlemLive would like to thank AOL Time Warner for their generosity. After receiving a 25,000 grant from AOL Time Warner, staff members of HarlemLive paid a visit to AOL’s representatives. Throughout the day, we prepared our arguments for why HarlemLive was a wise investment, and our supervisor, Richard Calton, reassured us of our duties. Although Rich guaranteed he wouldn’t say much at the meeting, he seemed to be the most nervous.

After the initial anxiety and awkwardness, the crew relaxed. Everybody did their part and it went just as planned, if not better. The representatives were surprisingly “down to earth” and their personality helped us feel at ease It was up to the AOL representatives to pave the way for us. We entered knowing where we were coming from, and we left knowing where we were going; we left knowing a little bit of our future.

Overall, the meeting was a success. HarlemLive left with a better knowledge of what to do in the future, and AOL left with a better understanding of HarlemLive. We reassured the representatives they made a wise choice in teaming up with our news organization. HarlemLive can only grow and get better with AOL Time Warner's assistance.