We had a chance to sit down and talk to Ivy Pharr, OMF's new Interim Office Manager. Ivy has also served as a Station Intern with Denver Open Media for multiple terms. This is what she had to share with us.
Tell us about yourself.
When I was four I got my first camera, a cheap 110 film camera, and I had lofty dreams of becoming a National Geographic photographer. Being painfully shy, cameras gave me a voice without ever having to say a word. I passed on scholarships to study photography at Pratt Institute and Syracuse because I couldn't afford the remaining tuition. Instead, I took my time and graduated in 2010 from the University of Colorado Denver with degrees in anthropology and political science. During my last year of college, I was fortunate to learn video production in anthropology, giving me the opportunity to work creatively again.
Why do you think community media centers are important?
Everyone has a story, but not everyone has the means to afford an increasingly expensive education, and most stories do not fit in the narrow-minded box that is mainstream media. I am grateful that community media centers exist because I know they play an important role in empowering citizens to contribute their points of view to the greater dialogue.
How do you plan to apply your knowlege, experience and skills to your work at OMF?
Since I began interning at OMF in May as a station intern, I have used my knowledge of photography and editing as a starting point to help members and I have taken most, but not all (yet!), of the classes offered here to broaden my skill set both for my own interests and to better serve our members.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
Not here. Don't take it personally, I love the community I've found myself in thanks to Open Media Foundation. But I've lived overseas before and my number-one goal in life is to live abroad permanently. I've learned to keep my goals somewhat open-ended, but I would consider it a success to have any career in media.
