It would seem as if this story came from a Talking Heads song: Doug Chaney, 65, out of boredom that retirement had offered him, began volunteering at Iowa City's Public Access station, PATV, because it gave him something to do. "I saw one of their fliers and said, 'Wow, I can make my own TV show!" I sat down with Doug and talked with him about his four years working for the station and what it is about video production that keeps him going.
"I moved here six years ago. For a couple of years, I worked as a warehouse manager for the Crisis Center's food bank. And before that, I was Sheena, Queen of the Jungle," Chaney chides. "After seeing the flyer, I showed up at the station and told them that I was willing to do anything, from vacuuming to making coffee. Four years later, I'm still vacuuming and making coffee."
In addition, obviously, Chaney does a lot of video production and sound editing. "I'm a go-to guy, helping out on weekly shows, filling-in where I'm needed." He also has a weekly program called 'Live in IC' which showcases local bands during their live performances. "Recently, I did a lot of filming of the Mission Creek festival, including TECHNO-LINCOLN and The Technicolor Union's show at P.O.D. on the 29th of March and Skinny Chef at the Mill." Doug's work has also won him some awards, especially with his documentation of the Occupy Iowa City movement this past year.
Chaney then explained why he enjoys video production and working with PATV. "It fulfills a passion of mine to create. I love artistic people and being around those kind of people. Video production is another art form and life is about the perfecting of art. I like PATV rather than commercial broadcasters because they're willing to give anyone of any age a chance to be a part of the process. They have an energy of 'if you can help, then we'll let you help.' And I feel that PATV is really picking up as more people realize this."
He then talked about what he hopes to do with his passion. "I want to start a video production company. PATV is almost entirely volunteer run, except for the five or so board members. I would love to be able to have this as a paid hobby, to become a professional and charge for my services. I really want to produce music videos."
Doug left off with this adage: "Stop sitting around! Get off your ass, grab a camera, and go do something!"
Doug's show, 'LIVE IN IC', airs most Wednesday nights from10:30p-11:30p and also 2a-3a on Saturday nights.
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