I’ve been hearing about The Streamy Awards for the past couple of months. For those not immersed in web culture, The Streamys, hosted by Tilzy.TV, Tubefilter, and NewTeeVee, are basically meant to be for web shows, what the Emmys are to TV, the Grammys are to music, the Oscars are to movies…I think you get it, but I like analogies.

In the last few weeks I’d become more familiar with a few nominees and their shows after contacting them about coming on Live! From the Future. Two weeks ago we had Taryn Oneill from After Judgment, last week we had Rachel Risen of The Hayley Project, and tomorrow we’ve got Jeff Macpherson, Dr. Tiki himself, of TikiBarTV!

As I kept checking in with the Streamy’s website, reading blog posts about the upcoming event, and explaining what it all was to my parents a few times, I thought it would be great to go and cover the event, especially with one of TheStream.TV’s show, Monkey News Source nominated for an award. That idea sort of fell through, but on Saturday I got a call that The Bui Brothers could use an extra person to help out with the official photography. I threw on a dress and drove out to the Wadsworth Theater!

I have to say it was a fabulous celebration of web television, and it was great to be a part of it! While I wasn’t able to catch much of the show, I did get to meet all the winners and presenters when Lan took their pictures, post-win excitement! Doogie Howser aka Neil Patrick Harris signed my clip board. tee hee hee

As a new media noob, I felt a little bit as if I was crashing a party I didn’t belong at, or jumping on the bandwagon for a team that just made it to the world series after years of losing seasons. My metaphors probably suck, but I guess my point is, that while it was great to be a part of, it made me wish I was really in the world.

I do have one foot in, and I don’t want this to seem like a downer post. I guess what it really did was enlighten me to the growing and quickly changing world of new media. The great thing about it is that its still open to all. Still trying to see where I would fit into the fray, but thinking about it too much tends to give me a headache.

Got lots of new shows to start watching and now I’m inspired! Must make time to video blog. Must be creative. Do it. That is my inner-monologue chanting.

Some enjoyable and thought provoking reads/watches: Mary Rambin’s event coverage, Tilzy TV’s recap, Kent Nichols’ thoughts and ensuing debate. And check out all the awesome photos by the Bui Brothers!

A few weeks ago, about to give up on my job search, which mainly involved an addiction to twitter, craigslist queries, and linked-in connections, I struck gold! As anyone who has been following my blog for the past few months would know, I’ve been desperately seeking experience in new media — mainly in online video production.

About two days before I stumbled upon a Tubefilter tweet about a New Media Jobs Board they’d launched, I had read a mashable post about using social media to find a job. I was already doing most of the things they suggested so I just keep plugging along.

Used to sending out cover letters an resumes and getting no response, I sent in a quick email to a post seeking new media interns to work for an online TV station. It seemed like exactly what I’d been searching for and I wasn’t disappointed!

After a brief phone call and a visit to the studio for a live taping, Stuart brought me on as his Associate Producer mainly to help out with cutting highlight reels, managing online marketing efforts, and booking guests for LIVE! From the Future… with Stuart Paap which tapes and airs on the TheStream.TV every Tuesday from 8-9PM PST.

In a nutshell, the show is a live, streaming, interactive, future-leaning, comedy talk-show featuring unique guests and segments. The coolest part is because it’s live, viewers can become a part of the show via instant message and chat rooms. Having recently celebrated the 100th Episode, Stuart decided it was time to enlist some help. A collaborative effort always makes things better.

After working on the show for 3 weeks, I’ve now been promoted to Producer! Talk about making progress! Overall its a really exciting opportunity and I’m relishing in the chance to gain so much relevant experience in what I think is the future of TV and the Internet.

Make sure to tune in Tuesdays at 8PM to check out funny bits, cool guests, and a creatively produced show! If you’re on IM, add ‘thestreamdottv’ to your buddy list and chime in with a question/comment! Stay tuned for the coming youtube channel, facebook group, and show website which I’ll be working on.

The Cast– Host: Stuart Paap, Music: John Fulton, IM Girl: Jessie Schneiderman

The new spacious studio! It’s legit!

Photo Credit to Hogan Carter

Last night Natalie and I were out, and someone asked if I had heard about the pink dolphins. “Pink dolphins?!?!” I thought those only existed in the magical world of Lisa Frank trapper keepers from the early 90′s! (why did we call them trapper keepers anyways? –another story for another day)

Apparently Lisa Frank’s hallucinogenic visions are a reality. A pink bottlenosed dolphin was recently discovered in a lake in Louisiana. According to biologists it is closely related to a group of “pink dolphins” that live in the Amazon.

So is it a magical creature that could rival unicorns and my little pony? No, its actually an albino complete with red eyes, that has thus far lived a “normal life,” according to this article. The photographer is quoted saying Pinky “was absolutely stunningly beautiful.” I bet the other dolphins in its pod are jealous! I mean how could you not be when you look at your boring gray self swimming next to Pinky who looks like it “just came out of a paint booth.”

See the resemblance?

Credits to Natalie Williams who sparked this whole commentary!

I was so excited that weplay.com sent me out to Jennie Finch’s softball camp a few weeks ago in Mission Viejo. I captured a lot of great footage of her (and her Olympic teammates) interacting with the girls, teaching them the mechanics of softball, and sharing her own experiences from t-ball, to college pitching, to Olympic gold medals! Jennie is so down to earth and truly cares about the young girls who look up to her as their role model. I especially loved interviewing a few of the kids and capturing their excitement!

You can also find the video on Jennie’s weplay profile, and read her recent blog post about her Southern California camps. I also summed up my experience, complete with pictures on my weplay profile blog.

Video was shot with a Canon GL2 and edited with Final Cut.