For this week's podcast we're joined by DeeDee Halleck. We start with the 1988 conference she helped organize, "The History and Consequences of Anticommunism", which took place at Harvard University. We hear about her experiments within community media -- from super 8 and 16mm film, to video, to public access television, to satellite, to early internet video. She talks about going from college dropout to tenured professor, and reflects on the evolution of the education system in the US since the 50s. We discuss how she balanced the demands of being a media advocate, an artist, and a mother. We hear about her time living in rural artist communities, as well as her collaborations with artists ranging from Shirley Clarke, Richard Serra, Nancy Holt, and Robert Frank. READINGS: --"The Experience of Citizens' Television In the United States: Public Access/Public Sphere" - DeeDee Halleck, 1992: http://documentaryisneverneutral.com/words/ddhcittv.html --"The Censoring of Burn!" - DeeDee Halleck, 2003: https://electronicbookreview.com/publications/the-censoring-of-burn/ --"Video Activism as a Way of Life. An Interview with DeeDee Halleck" - Lora Taub-Pervizpour, 2011: https://ebrary.net/82041/sociology/video_activism_life_interview_with_deedee_halleck DeeDee Halleck is a media activist and filmmaker. She has been a leading figure in the media democracy movement for more than four decades, working to promote alternative and independent film and media production and distribution as a means of promoting social change. In collaboration with a number of known artists, including Joan Jonas, Jean DuPuy, David Tudor, Liza Bear, Richard Serra, Nancy Holt, David Behrman, Roberta Nieman, the Videofreex, Mary Frank, Reverend Billy, Morag Benepe, Ed Sanders, and Tuli Kupferberg among others, Halleck has produced and directed numerous documentary films that explore the intersection of media, power, and social justice. Apart from her work as a filmmaker, Halleck has been an educator and mentor to countless aspiring media makers, sharing her knowledge and experience through workshops, lectures, and other educational programs. In 1981, Halleck co-founded and organized Paper Tiger Television, a collective producing a weekly cable series. This project changed the way communities utilized the resource of public access. By contrast to network television, Paper Tiger inspired artists, local filmmakers, and activists to invent quick and easy, down and dirty content specifically designed for low budget local channels. Paper Tiger has created over 400 half-hour programs, which have been shown locally and at film festivals, media conferences, and art venues around the world. Halleck is Professor Emerita in the Department of Communication at the University of California at San Diego.
