“In high school, I was very influenced by the academic and sports culture and did not discover until the very end that I was attracted to performing arts. By that point it felt too late because it was not part of my identity, and so I went to college with a plan to be pre-med. I majored in the humanities while completing pre-med requirements but, while on a gap year teaching English as a Second Language at a medical school in Japan, I discovered I really loved teaching.
This led me to join the Mississippi Teacher Corps after college where I was placed in an English classroom. I found that using drama, screenwriting and video production engaged students who had otherwise given up on school. My love of collective storytelling on stage and film led me on a path to film school in California.
When I came back to the Upper Valley for family reasons, we intended to stay only one year. But I found the creative community had really grown since I was a child here – Parish Players, White River Indie Film Festival (WRIF), Lebanon Opera House, AVA, Upper Valley Music Center, Cartoon Studies, Northern Stage, JAG – it goes on and on. I felt so nourished by the cultural organizations contributing such richness to life in the Upper Valley that we decided to stay.
Three years ago, I was hired as Executive Director at Community Access Television, now JAM – Junction Arts & Media, at a point when they were looking to develop a new model. We still operate two cable channels but now also support podcasting, the WRIF Film Festival, and year-round media events and education with the goal of creating community through media arts in the Upper Valley.
Film, theater, and video production are very collaborative, which naturally encourages cross-fertilization of people’s diverse talents and expertise, but technology can be an intimidating barrier. As a public access organization, we are always asking who does not have a voice in our community and how we can help them learn these tools. We want to signal: Bring your ideas, we’ll learn together how to achieve the best way to express them. We level the playing field as a community of lifelong learners.
Media are radically transforming our culture, and the pace of change in media production only continues to accelerate, with both risks and opportunities. There are so many local people who are very creative and inventive with media tools. By coming together to learn, play and experience media arts, we believe we can put the power of media to work for our common good.”
Samantha Davidson Green, Plainfield, NH
