Hi Jen,
Good talking to you tonight. For those reading, Jen is my partner in reelblue, a media production company that we started nearly a decade ago with the idea of harnessing Jen’s expertise in ocean science and public health (she’s earned a lot of letters over the years including a BS (Bachelor of Science) from Brown, an MPH (Masters of Public Health) from Yale and an ScD (Doctor of Science) from Harvard) and my knowledge and work experience in film and media (I started with a BA (Bachelor of Arts) from Brown, worked in commercial and feature film production for 10 years before earning an MJ (Masters of Journalism) from UC Berkeley and have since worked on the video and multimedia staffs at FRONTLINE/World and the LA Times). I just started a tenure track job at San Francisco State University teaching multimedia journalism, so I guess you could also call us Dr. Galvin and Professor Cunningham. But we just call each other friends. The goal for reelblue was and remains to harness our expertise into one kick ass team that would tell stories about a topic that we love: the ocean and all things water. We’ve since told stories collectively about kids learning to swim in the Bahamas, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and big wave surfing to name a few. We’re currently working on a story about an 80-year old fisherman that helped catalyze the largest dam removal project in history.
But that’s not what this blog is about. This blog stems from being inspired at the Online News Association Conference that I just attended in SF. I went to a panel about beat reporting, which motivated me to call Jen and get started with the obvious extension of our film work: a blog. We’re envisioning it as a series of letters with each other at first, with people joining the conversation as we go. But like water, we’re fluid.
Jen: I’m posting this photo that I shot last year of Greg Long in Puerto Escondido, Mexico first because it epitomizes for me what I love about the ocean: the solitude and simultaneous embrace of feeling like a small speck of sand in a vast universe with infinite possibility and beauty. At the same time, it reminds me of the community that we need to rally to tackle the oncoming waves of environmental issues facing our oceans.
Onward upward,
Sachi
