By Jessica Kutz Direction. Career Path. Life Planning. Talk about pressure. I come from a generation of people who with the advent of the Internet, the instant connectedness to anyone and anything, Skype, social media, and Google maps, the world and its infinite possibilities are instantly available with a high-speed internet connection. How does one go about inserting themselves amongst all the noise and begin to look for a way to have a voice?
Maybe the answer isn’t looking, maybe it’s creating. I recently met with Jessica from Chance Multimedia. I was (and still am) at a point in my life were I am testing out all the different ways I can create a life and a life’s work that I find valuable. So I started reaching out to people who are doing things that I could envision myself doing in a couple of years, people who have forged their own road instead of following one. I had heard about Chance Multimedia through an internship I had at WorldDenver and felt instantly connected to the company.
I thought about majoring in journalism in university but I never really felt like I wanted to be producing mass media type news. I had little interest in five-second reports on gruesome murders, tsunami aftermath, or political candor. Now with the prevalence of social media, a tweet of 140 characters, every thing served on a spoon, media is reaching more people and becoming less informative. Now that’s a scary thought.
Thankfully there is a solution found in the Chance Multimedia/Stories without Borders approach. Empower the storyteller. There is a way to embrace the digital age, to evolve with the technology and let it bring us back to our oral traditions. Ancient history tells us that humans have always been storytellers but somewhere along the way it feels as though we have left that part of our culture behind.
I spent some time in the Australian outback and had the opportunity to work with and live with the Jaowyn –an aboriginal group in the Northern Territory. I remember one particular day I was talking to one of the Elder’s Johnnie and he was telling me dreamtime stories of the area. He talked about the Gorge created by Nabil the creation snake that carved its way through the hard barren Australian desert and created life and brought water. Aboriginals are well known for their dreamtime stories and even more so for their connection to the land. These stories are handed down orally from generation to generation and revolve around land formation and the creation of animals. A crucial part of these stories is that they create a deep respect and awe for the country. This tradition fosters a great sense of stewardship and a responsibility to protect and maintain the land.
It makes me wonder, if more news were focused on people’s stories rather than sensational events would we feel a greater sense of responsibility to protect humanity. Would we find more of ourselves in our neighbors than we thought possible? I think the answer is yes. I think if more media were focused on narrative rather than documentation, society as a whole would feel a greater responsibility to protect and enhance the lives of those around us. Topics like the Syrian refugee crisis would no longer be discussed in numbers or by what international agency is plastered on their identical white tents, instead we would hear about the individuals, their unique struggles, their identities as humans- not numbers.
In short, that is why I reached out to Chance Multimedia because they are reaching for a medium that endorses humanity and validates the success and struggles of people.
As a recent grad I, like many of my peers are feeling a need to connect to people like Jessica and James so maybe this hyper sense of instant connectedness can be used to our advantage after all.
On a side note don’t forget to check out their the Living with the Dead documentary March 29th at Sie Film Center!
Editor's note: Jessica has been volunteering with us to create a film poster and flyer as well as distributing it and engaging the community. She found us and has been an unexpected and great asset. We recommend her personally to anyone looking for help from a self-starting, talented, inspired and value-driven individual. I can see her looking for the same kind of help, soon! - Jessica Chance