Downloads: Press Release
Application Deadline: Dec. 7, 2012
POV (Point of View), PBS’s award-winning independent documentary series now in its 25th season, has opened its call for participants for POV Hackathon 2, which will take place Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 12-13, 2013 at the headquarters of digital agency Huge in New York City. Applications must be received by Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at 5 p.m. ET. Visit www.pbs.org/pov/hackathon/ to apply and follow POV’s blog for application tips.
POV is seeking directors with bold vision for digital nonfiction projects, as well as developers and designers interested in flexing their Web muscles to create working prototypes. POV will play matchmaker to pair filmmakers with developers, creating 10 project teams. Filmmakers may submit documentary projects at any stage of production, from concept to post-production. Developers may bring their own libraries and toolkits, but it’s not a requirement.
POV Hackathons take inspiration from the “hack days” organized by the open-source development community and companies such as Facebook and Google. In a traditional hackathon, software coders get out of their cubicles and work together–generally racing against the clock–to solve a problem. At POV Hackathon 2, teams will work toward finished Web-based prototypes. (Sorry, there’s still a deadline!)
“At our first hackathon in August 2012, the participating teams produced an iPad app that connects recipes with documentary video stories, a ‘branching multimedia platform’ that links a film from 1984 to today, an animated documentary that updates itself by pulling data from the Web, an online debate with characters from a doc about reindeer herding and an audio slideshow powered by live news and events,” says Adnaan Wasey, director of POV Digital.
“POV’s first hackathon showed the amazing things that filmmakers and developers can do together when provided a collaborative structure,” he continues. “We’re organizing POV Hackathon 2 in order to share what we’re learning about how documentary filmmakers can engage audiences around issues in new ways. We don’t know what people will come up with next, which is part of what makes these events so exciting.”
About Huge
Huge is a digital agency that provides business strategy, design, marketing and technology services to some of the world’s largest businesses and best-known brands. The company is known for successfully harmonizing user needs and business goals to create industry-changing digital experiences for its clients. Huge has offices based in the United States, Europe and Latin America, and is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. For more information, visit www.hugeinc.com.
@hugeinc on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
About POV
Produced by American Documentary, Inc., the award-winning POV series is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. Airing June through October with primetime specials during the year, POV has brought more than 325 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide and has a Webby Award-winning online series, POV’s Borders. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. For more information, visit www.pbs.org/pov.
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the desJardins/Blachman Fund and public television viewers. Funding for POV’s Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.
POV Digital (www.pbs.org/pov)
POV’s award-winning website extends the life of our films online with interactive features, interviews, updates, video and educational content, as well as listings for television broadcasts, community screenings and films available online. The POV Blog is a gathering place for documentary fans and filmmakers to discuss films and get the latest news.
Social Contacts: @povdocs on Twitter, Facebook.
Contact:
POV Communications: 212-989-7425. Emergency contact: 646-729-4748
communications@pov.org; Amanda Nguyen, anguyen@pov.org
POV online pressroom: www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom
