Category: HCTV Government
HCTV Introduces New Executive DirectorHCTV Introduces New Executive Director
Hello community members of the Greater Hardwick Area!
I would like to introduce myself: I am Elizabeth Rossano, your new executive director of Hardwick Community TV. You might also know me as “Liz on tech” if you watch the Hazen sports coverage, or “the donut lady” if you drive to work early Monday mornings. Here is a little more about me!
Taking on the executive director role of HCTV feels like a story of coming full circle for me. I grew up in Woodbury and attended Woodbury Elementary School. I attended Montpelier High School, but maintained my friendships with my Hazen friends and spent a lot of my teen years socializing in Hardwick and Greensboro. After graduating high school in 2003, I attended UVM and Burlington College where I studied media production and film theory. My interest in public access TV began when I started working part-time at two of Burlington’s stations, covering local meetings and events as well as teaching media production to access users who had a story to share and needed the tools to do it. I grew into a full time position there, but had a feeling that something was missing.
When I found myself living in Hardwick while working remotely temporarily, I felt this was the place I was meant to be all along. After leaving my job at VCAM in 2016, I changed my focus to my own creative voice by doing freelance videography in the area, working part-time for HCTV in the meantime. When HCTV needed a new director, it felt like perfect timing to shift my focus back to community media.
I am excited to bring my experience and passion to this new leadership role. I am grateful for the solid foundation I have inherited from Leif and hope to build upon it by growing a strong sense of community identity and pride through media production. I would like to know your thoughts on how HCTV can best support the community, what you value about it now and what you might like to see different or expanded!
If you have previously been in touch with Leif through HCTV’s email, I am now the one receiving emails there. It’s hardwicktv@comcast.net. I am keeping the same office hours for now: Tuesday 9 AM–1 PM, Thursday 2 PM–6 PM, or by appointment. You can call the office at 472-6655. I look forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards,
Elizabeth
Hardwick Community TV Meeting Minutes ~ October 28, 2021Hardwick Community TV Meeting Minutes ~ October 28, 2021
Called to Order by at 7:12. Present Kurt Bos, Jim Kelty, Michael Gray (Chair), Rip Keller, Leif Goldberg (Station Director) and Rachel Kane (recording secretary for 10/28) . Absent: Wiz Dow and Robin Grant.
Minutes of the 7/28/21 meeting approved with corrections. Motion to accept by Rachel Kane, second Kurt Bos.
Profit and Loss Report.
The station has had better than expected income, due to increased underwriting. Comcast income was up slightly. Coin drop and donations income was 1073.36. Leif will make the usual request for appropriation in 2022 of 3000$ from Hardwick, and 750$ from Woodbury. In 2020, HCTV received a grant of 11,000$ as part of covid-19 response, which we decided should be dispensed directly as ‘Community Creative’ grants to local filmmakers, to support the creative community. Motion to accept by Rachel Kane, second Kurt Bos.
Balance Sheet.
The report numbers were not precisely up-to-date for the day of the meeting, due to slow communication from the bookkeeper. We continue to search for a new bookkeeper. Leif will send the directors an email with hours and specific duties of the bookkeeper, so we can ask around for leads. Motion to accept by Rachel Kane, second Kurt Bos.
Budget for 2022
Average yearly expenses are 32,000. Discussion of the idea of keeping two years worth of money on hand, and extra money could go to an ongoing ‘creative fund’. (At a July 14, 2021 meeting out of 10 applicants, we settled on awarding the following: Elizabeth Rossano 2500$, Meredith Holch 4000$, Rip Keller 3060$ and Roy MacNeil 2340$ = total 11,900$). Discussion of having a public presentation of the work created by the grantees in May/June of this year, combined with a fundraising element, and to open the Community Creative Grant to new applications. Currently HCTV has had all our videos since 2013 hosted by Vimeo, and we have about reached the limit of space we can get for $400 per year. The directors agree that increasing the capacity of Vimeo is important, and agree to the increased level of $600 per year. We also have our videos on Youtube, and will keep it, for we use that service for our livestream events. Motion to accept by Kurt Bos, seconded by Rip Keller.
Station Report by Leif
Soccer season has been busy, we’ve covered 9 of 12 games, as the weather permitted. In August the Vid-Kids program went well, with 6 kids taking part, including some new faces. They did some editing too. HCTV is now a sponsor of WGDR/WGDH, and our ad is associated with the weekly show ReLocalizing Vermont. It cost $600 per year, and Lance Hall recorded the ad. A new high school student has been coming in to learn video editing. The Creative Community grantees have been advanced 50% of their grant amounts. Jim Kelty has been covering Hardwick Electric meetings. Leif announces that he would like to step down as station director, it has been 9 years, and he’s ready for a change. The directors accept this announcement with sadness but understanding. Leif will write up a job overview, and the directors will meet to discuss next steps in hiring a new director. Meeting Adjourned approx. 8:30.