Background Statement
Open Media Foundation, formerly Deproduction: The [denverevolution] Production Group, began as an independent arts and progressive events calendar (www.denverevolution.org). The founding members of [denverevolution] came together around the common belief that the influence of mainstream media on our communities was the single biggest hurdle to achieving positive social change. The founding members wanted to find a way to counteract the pressure on individuals to isolate themselves, become apathetic towards their communities, and to allow their primary contact with society to be limited to a profit-motivated media system.
At the end of 2003, Kevin Price joined Tony Shawcross to focus full-time on Deproduction. In the spring of 2004, with an increased focus on our educational programs, Deproduction began a series of workshops and classes and moved its offices to Denver's PS1 Charter School -- officially becoming a 501(C)(3) in 2004.
In September 2005, after years of failed attempts to make Public Access TV in Denver self-sustaining, the Denver City Council shut down Denver's Public Access Station and issued an RFP for organizations to re-launch Public Access TV in Denver under a new model that could sustain itself without the significant general-operating support usually provided by the city through Cable Franchise and PEG fees they traditionally have passed on to the Public Access Provider.
Deproduction responded with a model that would extend its user-driven, constituent-led business model to a new level, putting the community in the driver's seat. Developing interactive website technologies and voter-driven programming models, Deproduction has taken television media to a new level.
In 2008, Deproduction and Civic Pixel merged to form what became in 2009, Open Media Foundation. Today our mission is served by three key business areas: Professional Services, Education and Tools which encourages all constituents to eventually become self sufficient in using media to create positive social change.
Recently, we have begun working with local governments to ensure local city council meetings are broadcast to the public. We believe that providing transparency and access to decisions our local representatives are making will engage the community in creating social change and public policy. 14 governments are now using our service to stream and archive video of their proceedings.
In 2018, Open Media Career Engine was born. Did you know newsroom employees are nearly 40% less racially diverse than the general US workforce? We are partnering with local media organizations to match them with diverse applicants, and supporting them with needed trainings and professional development opportunities.
This year, we also launched a radio station 100% dedicated to local music, local podcasts, and other local content creators. Come listen to local makers, musicians, and podcasters on Denver Open Media 92.9FM and 89.3HD3 and visit denveropenmedia.org to submit content, become a DJ, and help build a new community radio station that celebrates the best Denver has to offer.