Paper
Tiger Telvision Giving TV a Cutting Edge
by
Jamila De La Tour
Photos by Clifton Taylor
The office of Paper Tiger Television,
an alternative cable access production company, is located on the
corner of Lafayette and Bleeker Street in New York City. I was buzzed
up and walked into a small but extremely comfortable office, decorated
with plants, props, art and lots of videotapes. The staff of Paper
Tiger Television was sitting at a table covered with photos, cardboard,
even more videotapes, scissors and all kinds of art materials. They
smile and introduce themselves: Tara Mateik , the project coordinator;
Hashim Smith, youth outreach coordinator; Orlando Richards and Carlos,
both distribution co-ordinators and Kayco, youth programming coordinator.
Harlemlive:
When was Paper Tiger Television (PTT) started?
Tara: PTT was started in 1981 and we did a live weekly
cable access show.
HL: What is PPT all about?
Tara: If you watch mainstream media and think it sucks,
come to PTT because you can talk about it or make shows that you'd
like to see out there.
Carlos: We hold screenings and produce shows. Hashim:
We have lots of different workshops and projects that we work on.
We did one day with South Asian working women and girls.
HL:
What steps would someone take to become part of PTT?
Hashim: Check out our web site at www.papertiger.org
.
Carols: They can watch some of our broadcast on channels
such as MNN and BRONXNET.
Tara: Or they could come and see us here in the office
between 12 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
HL: What kind of experience do you need to be involved
with PTT?
Carlos:
None. We hold workshops--media literacy, video production, alternative
media, etc.--to help people gain more knowledge in areas of their choice.
HL: What involvement with youth does PTT have?
Tara: PTT has presented workshops in many schools and
universities, both nationally and internationally, including : the
South Bronx Satellite Academy High School, Duke University, Hampshire
College, the Sommerville Community Access TV Center, the San Francisco
Art Institute and the Media Academy in Koln, German.
Orlando:
Access Orbit is a five-hour youth-produced and created series. We
have screenings that started December 2 and our last one is this Saturday,
January 13. Within the project, we deal with issues, the first being
Identity, the second Community Independence, the third Youth Creative
Culture, the fourth Social Justice, and the one this Saturday is Methods
of Change. At our screenings we have an open mic, so people can showcase
their talents. A lot of youth come in and do their thing on the spot.
Access Orbit will be showcased in 4 million homes. We have videos
from across the nation and we have worked hard to distribute Access
Orbit in every way possible.
Tara: Access Orbit is also going to be webcast through
MNN. We send our tapes free to access centers and access stations
and then MNN will help to webcast the series.
Hashim: Other things we do involving youth are media
literacy and video production workshops. We did some projects called
Street Works, the New Neutral Zone, and Youth Peace.
For more information on Paper Tiger Television:
Paper Tiger Television Collective
339 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 420-9045 Fax: (212) 420-8196
Email: info@papertiger.org
www.papertiger.org
