Mayor Gregor is about to open Vancouver’s alternative-media centre Wednesday morning, one of the buildings opposite Woodward’s on Hastings that will be run by W2 for the blogger/non-accredited media/citizen journalist crowd to post their assessment of the Games. (Look for the building with televised flames in the windows, making it look like the whole thing is on fire.)
I, for one, can hardly wait to see what this crowd produces and if it does indeed change the coverage of the Games. (And I plan to go down to do a couple of posts from there, just for the fun of it.) In the meantime, here is one assessment of what their impact is going to be.
For those who want more details or to go to the opening party for the community on Feb. 11, 4-7, here’s their news release below.
Mayor Gregor Robertson will officially open W2 Culture + Media House on Wednesday morning, a media centre hosting independent journalists and bloggers from across the globe.
A morning reception with Salt Spring Coffee Co. and fresh croissants will take place from 9am to 10am on February 10, 2010, at 112 West Hastings with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9.30am with Mayor Gregor Robertson.
Located in the heart of the Downtown Eastside, across from the historic Woodward’s site, the W2 Culture + Media House is a 24 hour/day media centre for non-accredited bloggers and journalists to share their perspective on the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver with the world.
The 1903 heritage building provides infrastructure, resources and support for unaccredited media and features 13,000 sf (over 4-floors) of media production resources, daily morning press briefings and an epic mix of programming highlighting Vancouver’s diverse cultural scene. Fourty events over 24 days featuring 150 Vancouver and international artists working in creative technology, literary, music and interdisciplinary arts. W2 will present artists and producers from Nunavut, Quebec, USA, UK, and the Netherlands. The complete program is to be launched at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the Fresh Media Olympics Conference will be introduced, which will assess the impacts of Vancouver’s social media and journalism communities half-way thru the Games, on February 22.
Local and international media using the W2 Culture + Media House during the 2010 Games include: CNN iReport, CNN Chicago affiliate, CJSF Radio, CFRO Radio, 24 Hours, Vancouver Sun, Open Media, Vancouver Observer, The Tyee, Rabble.ca, and bloggers from the UK, Norway, USA, Japan, and the Netherlands. More are registering each day at unaccreditedolympics.eventbrite.com. The registration process provides subsidies for DTES and community media who are looking to share their view of this historic Vancouver event.
W2 is also inviting the Vancouver community to celebrate the opening on Thursday February 11th from 4pm – 7pm at the centre’s daily Cinq à Sept reception with wine provided by Ganton and Larsen Prospect Winery, hors d’ouevres and live music.
For more information on the W2 Culture + Media House, as well as W2’s upcoming programming and events, visit www.creativetechnology.org.
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Press Call – Wednesday, February 10, 2010. 9–10am – Official Opening with Mayor Gregor Robertson at 9:30am.
Opening Event – Thursday February 11, 2010. 4 – 7 pm – W2 Culture + Media House, 112 W. Hastings, Vancouver
For more information visit www.creativetechnology.org.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Chris // Feb 9, 2010 at 9:22 am
Your “one assessment” link (in the 2nd paragraph) is to your gmail account. You might want to fix that.
2 Booge // Feb 9, 2010 at 9:44 am
“W2 for the bogger” I assume you don’t mean booger so maybe you meant Blogger.
W2 Culture + Media House _will_ indeed change the discourse about the games. Just like Twitter and the other social media outlets have already begun to affect old media. The old Centralized control of the message has been given the boot for good. And there is no getting the genie back in the bottle. A thousand voices and a thousand sources lighting the blog-sphere.
PS that American News Reporter that was denied entry to Canada can now add his voice to the debate.
3 Wayne // Feb 9, 2010 at 9:53 am
The flames are a great effect, it’s worth a look.
4 Glissando Remmy // Feb 9, 2010 at 6:47 pm
THREE, 2, 1…The Olympic Countdown Thought of the Day
“Does anyone remember the names of any Mayor from the cities that hosted the Olympic Games, winter or summer, say, in the past 20 years? My point exactly! So, Gregor, open W2 while you can, cut the drama, get your well worn tights and ballet shoes and… Demi-plié, 1,2, Glissade, 3,4, Jeté en avant, 1,2 Arabesque, 3,4, hold it, hold it, applause…and bow. Curtain”
THE PENNY HILL SHOW
I wish you could read this aloud in high pitch and fast, same as a “Silent” shot in “undercranking”.
Scene1/ T4; Interior. Office. Day time.
We see Penny talking over the phone: “How are things at the City, anybody working in here these days? How embarrassing for me, for that, I should be asking someone in my Repo team who knows someone related to someone working here that really does work in the working department. Nah, too much of a hassle, I’ll better ask a Volunteer”
FRANKENSMILE
By the way, to all Volunteers out there, please, please loosen that surgically enhanced looking smile of yours when you answer to the question”Could you point me to the Washroom, please?” It freaked me out, not to say that you completely blocked my prostate function for fifteen minutes.
HI, MY NAME IS DICK. LADY DICK.
This is the absolutely last call for you to book your pole dancer/ athlete during the opening ceremonies. “Georgia Straight” might give you a hand with that, in full colour. Anything that’s booked with less than 24 hours notice it’s going to cost you double. Like everything else around. I’m starting to feel sad for the accounting profession. So much to hide, so little time!
STREET SWEET STREET
A group of homeless people are planning a one week vigil on behalf of people with homes. They will spend one night inside one’s home so they can experience firsthand the warmth and cosiness others can only read about from the pages of the Real Estate Weekly. One sponsor may provide them with English breakfast and Cart Valet parking. Gordon Campbell’s (who’s known to like his bird from KFC) bungalow was drawn for Tuesday. Toonie day!
OLYMPIC FELLOWS
All criminals caught by Police during the Games will be identified as “Olympic felons” so they could be easily differentiated from the real ones. Lean on an official vehicle, look -up at the CCTV cameras for more than 5 seconds, or have your Roast Lamb Dinner at Olympia’s (Not an Olympic backer) on Denman and you’re IT!
THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT
After a thorough check inside The Ark of the Covenant, archaeologists found an eleventh tablet containing the words: “By the way, don’t bestow Olympic Games on to other people!” Yep, I always knew that there were more. My wife’s shopping list is bigger than that, for Goodness’ sake!
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
5 Joe Just Joe // Feb 9, 2010 at 7:13 pm
You also need to edit the address it’s 112 W Hastings, not E Hastings. It is correct further down in your post but incorrect up top. We wouldn’t want any boggers to get lost.
6 Frances Bula // Feb 9, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Okay, I take the blame for saying the wrong day and for boggers. (Typing too fast too early in the morning.) But it was W2’s news release that said East Hastings not West Hastings.
All fixed now
7 jimmy olson // Feb 9, 2010 at 10:38 pm
@FB it has to be said that you are a blogger pioneer when it comes to Vancouver civic coverage. Keep up the good work.
And do partake in the W2 Culture + Media House blog/ events etc. You voice can be added to the others in providing a counter-blance to the “hype”.. .which many of us no longer dial into.
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