This Is East Video Project
The video project is a true representation of the community living and working in East Somerville daily. The interviews come from over 70 community members of all age ranges, cultural backgrounds, incomes, and general walks of life. The people who worked hard in collaboration on this project include: Carrie Dancy, Gordon Nelson, Rachel Strutt, Wendy Blom, Meagan O’Brien, Teresa Vazquez-Dodero, Hannah DePaoli, and Jessica Barnthouse. A full list of individuals who were important to the project can be found in the movie credits.
The project was created in collaboration with help from Somerville Community Access Television, the Somerville Arts Council, and dozens of community members. View the full movie below, or view each individual interview by clicking the links.
Individual Interviews:
Sergio Estany
Joanne "JoJo" LaRiccia
Nicole Pierce
Wadson Michel
Robson Lemos
Martin Henry
Luis Morales & Luis Morales Jr.
Lynn Gervens & Orsula Susan Fontano
Michelle LaFaille
Maria Salmeron
Contributors:
Rachel Strutt has worked at the Somerville Arts Council for the past 15 years, working collaboratively to cultivate and celebrate the creative expressions of the Somerville community. She launched and runs multi-cultural initiatives such as: Intercambio, a culture and language exchange; and Nibble, a cultural economic development project that includespublic arts programing—market tours, cooking classes and pop-up restaurants— and a culinary entrepreneurship program for immigrant cooks. For the This is East Somerville video project, she worked as a producer, focusing on overall mission of project, lining up interviewees, conducting interviews, and working with team to edit final project into a cohesive and compelling piece. Prior to joining the Arts Council, Strutt was a journalist; she has written dozens of articles on art and culture for publications like Boston Magazine and the Boston Globe. She holds a Masters in Art History from Tufts University.
Jason is a Somerville native & Somerville High School alumni. He has attended the University of Rhode Island for Film/Media & is currently a wedding photographer. He has been involved with Somerville Community Access Television for many years, being introduced during his freshman year at Somerville High. Since then, Jason has developed a passion for all aspects of media. Jason is constantly creating, filming, and editing videos for the Somerville community while manning the front desk at SCATV.