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February 04, 2005
Moving to Multimedia
It is 2 in the morning and, of course, I'm unable to sleep. So I walked down the hall and hooked up to the community Internet connection. Great!
My host and friend is Fr. Jerry Martinson, a long-time producer at Kuangchi Program Service, having served as its President in earlier days.
My first visit after I arrived at 5:30 AM and proceeded to take a quick shower was to Kuangchi Program Service where Jerry has worked for decades. Among many of the shows and series that he has produced, one strikes me as particularly charming. He was featured as "uncle Jerry" in a show that teaches English to kids. As we walked down the street in downtown Taipei, teenagers would say hi to him...."I grew up learning English from you!"
I am amazed by the resilience and creative resources of this Kuangchi, for it has morphed from a large broadcast production company (six production studios, from very large to medium in size), to a multi-media production center involved in digital posting, large size digital displays, dvd and other productions. This they've done through partnerships with cutting edge artists and producers in Taipei. I keep thinking of the Good Samaritan in all of this.
Jerry takes it all in stride that the team has been able to change so readily and successfully, indicating that when you are faced with harsh realities, you simply have to look for opportunities and take them. But the real story in my eyes is the Good Samaritan who is available to do God's work as it arrives in new circumstances.
The Christian view of this place is to emphasize the services of love that grows from faith. Social outreach - fidelity to social justice - clarity about committment to the weakest. Working in these areas is the Gospel witness.
Renting out studio space and production services to outside producers of soap operas and other cable shows, nevertheless the Kuangchi-produced programs are clear in their option: a series by and for aborigines in Taiwan; a weekly series for "mail-order" brides to teach them some English phrases that help lead them to available services such as health providers and other support.
After dinner I met with the editors and publishers of a monthly new magazine (one year old) of the Ricci Institute. The monthly magazine, Renlai, is about spirituality, culture and society and is bold and highly attractive. More about that later.
Tomorrow at 9:00 am I am visiting with Taiwan Church Press. It is of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.
I'm off to bed, looking forward to later this morning.
Adán
Posted by Adan at February 4, 2005 12:52 PM
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