Below are links to some of the videos, events and multimedia projects Ian has created since 2009. To read a selection of articles Ian wrote while working as a print journalist, click here.
Select Projects and Events Produced by Ian
Facebook Amber Alert(ABC10, June 2016; GIF and Facebook Live video). Amber Alerts generate a significant engagement on social media; audiences want to know about them and want to share them so they can help law enforcement find a missing child. On June 23 ABC10 received information about an Amber Alert that had been issued for a 6-year-old missing from the Reno area. Ian built rotating GIF using the missing girl’s photo and the description of the vehicle sought through the Amber Alert, then broadcast the GIF for 90 minutes on Facebook Live. This resulted in many users receiving a notification about the Facebook Live broadcast and the Amber Alert. The Facebook post with the live video reached more than 1.1 million users and generated more than 3,500 shares. It also resulted in more than 270 comments from users stating that they were sharing the video in their communities. The missing girl was later found.
Open Newsrooms(KQED, May 2012; event series). Given the realities of the modern news business, how does a reporter get to know their community today? One possibility is to set aside time in reporters’ schedules specifically to meet the residents they were covering on the residents’ home turf. Ian helped establish a model for this through a collaborative project with the Center for Investigative Reporting. The project featured meetups between reporters and residents in five San Francisco Bay Area communities. The response was almost overwhelming – every venue KQED visited was packed with residents looking to share stories about what was happening in their neighborhoods. Click here to learn more about KQED’s open newsrooms.
Voice of the Young Voter(KQED, October 2012; audio and blog posts). An estimated 46 million eligible voters in the 2012 election were between 18 and 29 years old – part of the Millennial generation. To ensure that those young voices were included in coverage of the election, Ian led an effort by KQED and three other public media organizations to interview hundreds of college students along the West Coast, including 50 students from the San Francisco Bay Area. The result was a project that highlighted the opinions of young voters on the country’s most-listened-to public radio station as well as and on its web site and social media.
Tainted Water(ABC10, November 2015; social promotion strategy). In 2013 and 2014 the City of Sacramento tested a new chemical at its main water treatment plant. An ABC10 investigation discovered that the test led to the formation of substances linked to cancer in the city’s drinking water system. To promote the investigation on social media, Ian created a strategy calling for the station to share a series of videos that featured ABC10’s reporter providing updates on his progress in the investigation. The videos were shared in sequential order over several days, creating a narrative. Whenever a new video was posted, links to the earlier videos were shared in comments so that users could review the narrative.
Social Media Promotion for September Sweeps(ABC10, September 2015; social promotion strategy). From the Muppets to pope coverage to Dancing with the Stars, ABC10 featured a variety of exciting content on air during the September 2015 sweeps period. Ian created several posts and videos for social media to promote the station’s programming, including a campaign urging followers to support a local Dancing with the Stars contestant. His work resulted in hundreds of Likes, comments and shares.
Better Jobs(ABC10, September 2015; videos for social media and social promotion strategy). In September 2015 ABC10 launched a strategic effort to focus on content that provided information benefitting the station’s middle-class audience. To promote the strategy change Ian used archive content to produce more than 30 new videos with tips for the station’s Facebook fans.
A Snapshot of Bay Area Voters’ Experiences(KQED, November 2012; audio and interactive map). A record number of Californians were registered to vote in the 2012 general election. KQED wanted to hear about their experiences at the polls: How long was the wait? Were the volunteers helpful? Did anything prevent them from voting? Ian worked to set up a hotline to ask voters to share their polling place stories, then worked with his colleagues at KPCC in Los Angeles to create an interactive map that was updated live on election day. The map featured green pins for positive polling place experiences and red pins for negative experiences. Users who clicked on the pins were able to listen to voters’ stories from that polling place.
What Californians Say About the California Accent(KQED, December 2012; interactive map and audio). Do Californians have an accent? Inspired by an effort by Stanford researchers, Ian collaborated with colleagues at SCPR on a project to collect and share opinions on California accents. He set up a voicemail that attracted more than 70 calls from across the state, then worked to help create an interactive map with recordings of the calls. The project also received coverage on Jezebel.
National Security and Free Speech(KQED, April 2011; event, web page). In 2010 WikiLeaks gained worldwide attention for distributed hundreds of thousands of classified documents around the globe and providing an unvarnished view of U.S. foreign policy. Some heralded the release of the documents as a victory for free speech and open information. Others contended that it undermined national security. As part of that debate Ian brought experts from around the country to the University of California at Berkeley for a series of panels on issues surrounding national security and free speech. Panelists included Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers, as well as Frontline Producer/Correspondent Lowell Bergman. The panels drew a packed crowd of about 400. Ian also covered the discussion live online and built the web page for the event, which was sponsored by POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series, and the ACLU of Northern California.
PubCampWest(KQED, August 2011; event, web page). PublicMediaCamp, or PubCamp for short, is a nationwide series of gatherings focused on forging greater collaboration between public media organizations and their communities. In August 2011, Los Angeles public media station KPCC hosted the first-ever PubCamp on the West Coast in collaboration with PBS SoCal and KQED. About 60 public media staffers and others attended. Ian worked with his colleague at KPCC in Los Angeles in advance of the event on promotion and organizational details. He also designed the PubCampWest logo and developed and designed its online presence. During the conference Ian managed the PubCamp blog, editing and posting photos, video, audio and social media content. Ian also managed a live video stream of the project pitches held on the final day of the event.
209Vibe(San Joaquin Media Group, 2007-2009; music community web site, print publication). Outside-the-box is a good way to describe the philosophy behind 209Vibe. It was designed to be unconventional even though was part of a mainstream newspaper group. The product was meant to rely heavily on user-generated content before many newspapers became familiar with the term. It reaches young people in a language and manner they understand. And it generates excitement in a demographic that the newspaper industry continues to find elusive. Read more >>
Fireworks over Stockton(Recordnet, July 2009; Flash). After Stockton City Council eliminated its 2009 Independence Day fireworks display to save money, Ian created an interactive fireworks display that could provide users with a little July 4 spirit any time during the year. The project was developed with the Flint Particle System and it became Recordnet’s most-viewed Flash feature to date.
Select Videos Produced by Ian
Ian’s videos have generated thousands of Likes, comments, shares and pageviews on digital and social media. Here are a few of the videos he has created.
Double homicide near Oak Park(June 2009). Two unarmed guards with Stockton-based Ad Force Private Security were shot and killed early June 2 in Park Village apartments on Alvarado Avenue north of Oak Park.
Stockton dropout rates falls(May 2009). Stockton Unified School District officials held a news conference May 12 to announce a double-digit reduction in the district’s dropout rate.
Stockton’s Neglected ready for new album(March 2009). The Stockton rap group Neglected performed March 14 at the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in downtown Stockton. In this video, Neglected’s Marcos and Stephen Herrera talk about their music and rehearse for their weekend concerts.
No bidders for Lexington at $12 million (August 2009). No bidders emerged for the Lexington Waterfront Plaza Hotel at an auction outside the San Joaquin County Courthouse. The minimum bid was $12 million. Spectators included the hotel’s vice president and its former employees.
Chavez students prepare for arts fest (May 2009). This video shows students at Chavez High School rehearsing for the 2009 Stockton Arts and Multicultural Celebration.
Preparing pork adobo(July 2009). In this video, the staff and co-owner of Best Lumpia restaurant in Stockton show how to prepare the Filipino dish pork adobo.