100% Humboldt
Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.
We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.
We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing Northcoast of California 100%!
Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt
Learn More at https://100humboldt.com/
100% Humboldt
#103. From Stunts to Studios: Christina Jeffers Shares How Public Access Empowers a County
Ever wonder who keeps local voices on the air when big media moves on and broadband eats cable? We sit down with Access Humboldt’s executive director, Christina Jeffers, to explore how a PEG station—public, education, and government—safeguards free speech, broadcasts full civic meetings without edits, and gives anyone in the community the tools to make radio and TV. Christina’s story is a ride: theater and stunt acting in Los Angeles, a decade in an ER, bold creative development in Sacramento, and now leading a small but mighty team that treats transparency and storytelling as public goods.
We dig into what Access Humboldt actually does—five cable channels, a low-power FM station, and a programming approach that elevates citizen creators alongside government coverage—and why it matters more as algorithms shrink attention spans and national outlets chase hot takes. Christina explains the money puzzle: franchise fees were designed to compensate the public when cable used shared rights-of-way, but as telecoms shifted services to “broadband,” funding eroded. The stakes are concrete: fewer resources for distance learning, fewer hands to staff meetings, and fewer doors for new creators to walk through. And yet, the solution is close to home—local support, smarter partnerships, and programs like Boltfest, a year-round short film incubator that takes ten-page scripts to a real red carpet.
Along the way, we talk identity, belonging, and why self-expression fights isolation. Christina’s Burning Man stories aren’t about shock; they’re about permission and generosity—the same spirit she brings to Access Humboldt. If you care about open government, rural education access, or seeing your neighbors on screen instead of in the comments, this conversation will give you a map and a reason to act.
Subscribe, share with a friend who loves local media, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Want to keep community media alive? Donate, volunteer, or pitch a show idea—then tell us what you’d make first.
About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond
Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.
We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.
We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!
Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!
Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and neighbors from all over the world. This is Scott Hammond and the 100% Humboldt Podcast with episode this is like 103 or 4. It's great. With my new best friend, Christina Jeffers. Hi, Christina.
SPEAKER_01:Hello.
SPEAKER_06:How are you?
SPEAKER_01:I'm good. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_06:Thank you for being had. Um welcome, welcome, welcome to Freezing Humboldt today. Gosh, it's like freezing cold outside. Uh love to know your story. What's your day job? What do you what do you do here in Humboldt?
SPEAKER_01:So my day job and my night job and my spare time job is being the new executive director for Access Humboldt.
SPEAKER_06:Nice. And you guys are still at CR?
SPEAKER_01:Yes. For the time being.
SPEAKER_06:For the time being. Yeah. And what is Access Humboldt? Most of us still know what it is, so you should tell us.
SPEAKER_01:Well, first of all, we're not like some sort of um aid program that uh, you know, people are always like, I need access to healthcare. I'm like, no, that's not us. You know, and then the course they go, oh yeah, you're PBS. Like, no, no, no, that's not us. Get warmer. Get warmer though. You're in the TV realm. Uh we are actually your local Peg station. And PEG means um public access, education, and government channels. Nice. So we have five cable channels, and we also have KZZH, low power FM radio. And um basically you should consider us your television station and radio station where you make TV and radio because it's all public driven.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell Hear that, kids. You could go do one of these or something like it. Yeah. Or a Rails and uh Hubbold Outdoors series.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I know. You guys have a lot of content.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Ray's Ray's series is amazing.
SPEAKER_06:Oh yeah. Yeah. No. And I go way back to cable TV when Cox Cable did the contract with Sean and the group back in the day, and they negotiated for five channels. So way to negotiate the deals, man.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Hi, Sean.
SPEAKER_01:Hi, Sean.
SPEAKER_06:Is Sean still local?
SPEAKER_01:He is. Yes. And we we've retained him for some knowledge and consulting here and there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:All that embedded wisdom.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:For those who don't know, Sean's my predecessor. Aaron Powell What's his last name?
SPEAKER_06:Um We're joking about this about remembering names. Tell me his name, quick, your former boss.
SPEAKER_00:McLaughlin.
SPEAKER_06:That's right. And then we have Matt.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, Matt Knight.
SPEAKER_06:Matt Knight. Oh, you got a last name? And then John. I've had John on the and Matt on the show.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and John Hauser. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:John Hauser's cool. Yeah, he's rad. Matt's pretty cool. He does his rock and roll with that other guy.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:From um our he must be from the works. I don't know who the other guy is.
SPEAKER_01:The other guy? Are you talking about Nate?
SPEAKER_06:Must be.
SPEAKER_01:Nate Daugh.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, he's got his Pink Floyd shirt on and they also talk rock and roll.
SPEAKER_01:Oh.
SPEAKER_06:And music and musicians.
SPEAKER_01:That may be another.
SPEAKER_06:Not Nate Dog. Nate Dog's on your team.
SPEAKER_01:Nate Dog's on my team. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:He's a nice guy.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Really nice. Yeah, you have a great team. So you're the how long have you been the director there?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, about 15 months now.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Welcome to Hubble.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Tell us the whole uh Christina story.
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Powell Oh my gosh. You don't have time for that.
SPEAKER_06:I have 55 minutes left. We do have time. We will make time.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_06:So where were you born and raised? Where'd you go to school?
SPEAKER_01:Once upon a time, a long ago. So yeah, I'm a I'm a Northern California girl and a Southern California girl. Spent my time in uh Davis, San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Tahoe.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I really love California.
SPEAKER_06:Did you move a lot? Was it Navy, family, or military?
SPEAKER_01:I actually, my dad did do military contracts. But he was out of the military by the time I was born. So he was a specialist in IT and standards for IEEE, doing some work. Whatever that is.
SPEAKER_06:What's that?
SPEAKER_01:You know, we used to joke around as kids that my dad was actually a spy. Oh. Because, you know, he traveled a lot.
SPEAKER_06:CIA.
SPEAKER_01:He did these like high-level contracts for the government. And, you know, he'd come home and we'd be like, oh, Dad, like, you know, what'd you do? Was it a good trip? And he'd be like, well, you know, he'd start like quoting IEEE standards, and we're just like, he stopped asking. And we're like, wow, it's a great cover.
SPEAKER_06:Wow. If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
SPEAKER_01:It's, you know, and some of that kind of like, you know, I mean, like just before Y2K, um, you know, there was a lot of talk about, you know, the nukes possibly going off because of the whole rollover of two digits to four digits. Freaking out. The ATM machine spewing out money. Oh, yeah. They didn't know what's going to happen. Well, my dad was working on that. And uh he, like, I don't know, three days before New Year's Eve, he was like, Hey, honey, did you uh did you go out and buy heavy plastic and um, you know, get some food rations and uh, you know, pull about like five hundred bucks on the ATM?
SPEAKER_06:Wow, was he serious? Yeah, I was serious. Oh, that's okay.
SPEAKER_01:And like he had reminded me to do that, and you know, I totally spaced it and I was like, You're joking, right? You got this. And he was like, Well, you know, testing went really well, but we just had a glitch. And I'm like, Huh. Huh.
SPEAKER_06:Huh dad, come on now.
SPEAKER_00:You're joking. Yeah, I was just like, I was numb.
SPEAKER_06:So, you know, I'm like, And buying dad's dad's kind of tease too a little, maybe.
SPEAKER_01:Sometimes, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Did you dig out the bomb shelter? Did you click on the Do we have a basement dug out yet? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:No.
SPEAKER_01:I I basically, uh my husband at the time and I were like, well, if the nukes go off, we're gonna go outside and and not be the survivors, right? We wanna go.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_01:We don't want to be, you know, fighting the mole people for supplies.
SPEAKER_06:Right. The walking dead are around.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, exactly. Yeah. I um so where did you actually go to high school or grade school?
SPEAKER_01:So um I I went to I I would say m most of my my early school days was in San Diego. Um I went to Poway High.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um great school. Um, lots of of interesting things there. Powi is a small town in San Diego where you could ride your horse to school if you want.
SPEAKER_06:I know it well. I was I was raised in San Diego.
SPEAKER_01:That's right.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, National City, not Power.
SPEAKER_01:I dated a guy from National City.
SPEAKER_06:Oh no.
SPEAKER_01:Who's a hockey skater.
SPEAKER_06:Real hockey skater.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Really? Did you go to Sweetwater High?
SPEAKER_01:Um, I don't know about that. I don't remember.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Great. The 70s actually done you know, it's all crowded now and too many people, but the weather's good and traffic's awful and tacos are world class. Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_05:I miss the food so much.
SPEAKER_06:Tacos on Gordo. Five locations. Just delicious. Every time we go down, there's like tacos daily. It's like okay. But Powie, yeah, my dad lived in Oceanside.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, North County. I like North County. North County was fun.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Remember when Tomacula was a truck stop and we skinny dipped in bonzel in some pond and it was just good times. Nice. Avocado trees everywhere.
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah. Everywhere. And then you can go up to Julian and get some pie.
SPEAKER_06:Apples, yep.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:And we were just like feral hippie children growing up in the throes of um San Diego when it was still kind of not LA yet.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah. I last time I drove down, um, I was very confused. Because I was like, where's the space in between?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, the yeah, no, it's gone. It's it's fun though. Bellboa Park's still fun.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So uh Pauway to where?
SPEAKER_01:To college or uh so from Poway, I ended up in Davis in Sacramento for college and grade school. Um yeah, and um just I I lived with my grandmother at the time. And sweet. Um had a very um vivid imagination as a child. Um and was always a performer. Um, you know, my parents are the they're a bit older than my contemporaries' parents. And I think they believed in like, you know, kids should be seen and not heard, and also not parented. You know, like here's the key, come home.
SPEAKER_06:It's funny how that goes together, that philosophy. It's like, yeah. And get out of here.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. You know, and go away. Um So they had me in all these programs from the time I was a little girl to um, you know, tap, jazz, ballet, uh, hip-hop, gymnastics, theater arts. Karate. Um actually taekwondo. Nice. Um I am a black belt instructor of Taekwondo.
SPEAKER_06:I bet you are with the dancing dance thing. Yeah, our daughters all did ballet after they were black belts at karate and McKillyville.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, nice.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah. They kind of go hand in hand, like, body mechanics, yeah. Yeah.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Hi, Calia. Hi, Bree. They jokingly say they're gonna go back and do a dojo in Mc in Medford where they live, and they're gonna play all dumb until like the second or third lesson, and then go to a tournament and just whip on everybody. Kar karate it up. I said, good luck with that. Yeah, I don't know. Anyway.
SPEAKER_01:Oh well.
SPEAKER_06:So what'd you study at UC Davis?
SPEAKER_01:Um so actually I lived in Davis, went to school at Sacramento.
SPEAKER_06:Sac State.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Zach State. So um theater arts major, uh music minor. Um almost got the uh the musical um theater degree, but I was like one dance class short or something, and I just it was time to get out of college. I was burning those precious early actress years. And my dad was a graduate at Purdue, and he was like, No child of mine is gonna drop out of college.
SPEAKER_06:Stay there.
SPEAKER_01:So I was like, well, I'm just doing this and this and not staying for one more class. I'm out of here.
SPEAKER_06:Right. You know, and wait to leave.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, took off to LA.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, of course. Like all graduates do. So what did you do in LA?
SPEAKER_01:Uh I was an actress and uh stunt actor. And um yeah, uh worked in a few movies down there and then um came back up north and um ended up getting married for a while.
SPEAKER_06:North Northware, like Humboldt.
SPEAKER_01:To Sacramento. Yeah, quasi-North, I guess. Now that I live in Humboldt, right?
SPEAKER_06:It's more central, yeah. Maybe Southern California. We don't know.
SPEAKER_00:I love that because you know, in Sacramento, they're like, oh, San Francisco's not NorCal. We were in NorCal.
SPEAKER_06:It's not even I don't even know. Is is it more northern along?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, it's kind of like latitude. It's right. You know, it's like so close.
SPEAKER_06:You go do east on 80 and you hit SAC. That's right. Is that north? It's it's not really. That's fun. So um wow, so you've traveled a bit. Yeah, quite a bit. Did you guys have kids?
SPEAKER_01:Uh we had the one.
SPEAKER_06:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_01:And um she's great. Um we oh gosh. I went through um like a few career changes during that time. Um I worked in the emergency room for 10 years.
SPEAKER_06:Whoa.
SPEAKER_01:Um and then I did a lot of um consulting, um, had my own nonprofits, um, started building um some projects around film and things. And then that kind of snowballed into creating a neighborhood for the creative class. Um, I kind of took 13 screenplays and um used my networking with other filmmakers in Northern California to create a concept known as Indiewood, um, which ultimately failed. Um but over about seven years' time, I developed this huge live, work, teach, play space just north of the rail yards in Sacramento, had a lot of strategic partners. And um when uh Trump got into office the first term, I was one of three producers being highlighted worldwide for my project. And my um the Chinese delegation immediately pulled out in the middle of the conference. Wow. And basically I lost my Chinese investment.
SPEAKER_03:Oh no.
SPEAKER_01:It's like this huge political thing. And I was like, no, no, no, no. Um and so, you know, the um some of the the EB5 financing I had through the Chinese delegates, um, that was like a major uh portion of the funding that I needed. So that all fell apart. And then like my my other finance was like, well, you know, without that, we're not gonna do this. And it was like a house of cards. Wow. So um rebuild. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Reinvent.
SPEAKER_01:I did. I did. For several years, I tried to reate different iterations of Indiewood. Um there was Indie House, Indie Bus, um finally uh Capital Indie Collective.
SPEAKER_06:It's all web-based.
SPEAKER_01:Uh no, this is uh This is live. Live, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:And the North Rail Yards up that way.
SPEAKER_01:Um Yeah, mostly like uh downtown, midtown, up in that area.
SPEAKER_06:I like sex. Sach's a fun town.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It's uh you know, everybody says it's a really great place to raise a family. And I I think you know, it's pretty accurate.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um and it's grown up.
SPEAKER_06:My brother-in-law is a b pretty big radio guy there. So Scott Hansen, Hanson McLean, they he has the Money Matters radio show that's been on for 25, 30 years.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:He's just a one of my favorite human beings, but really nice guy. And heck of a show. Really legit money advice that's not you know gussied up with anything other than real. Yeah. So they live out in El Dorado, of course, where it's kind of nice. Hey Scott. Scott Hammond, he's got Anson. So don't get us confused. So wow, so what what after that?
SPEAKER_01:Um let's see, where are we in the journey? Uh Capital Indy Collective. Um I so I left the industry for a while. I got a little fried um because I could I have so many almost famous stories. And you know, we're about to hit, it's gonna pop, and then it explodes, you know. Right. Um so I threw up my hands and I um I just wanted a regular job. And because my skill set was so extraordinary, it was really hard to find like a regular job, right? And so um I decided to just kind of take off into the rural, like the most rural part that I knew of uh Tahoe outside of Truckee. Sure. And I worked as a work camper for a campground association.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell What is a work camper? I think I know what that could be.
SPEAKER_01:Do you not know this world? Um it's actually it's pretty awesome. Um the nomads will know what I'm talking about. Um but basically um national parks and um, you know, other kind of campground associations, they have these positions where it's temporary. You go in. Um some parks they have like pit toilets and uh fireplaces you have to clean out.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell on the West west side. Um there's a bunch of campgrounds over there.
SPEAKER_01:And yeah, there's there's a lot.
SPEAKER_06:Those are mostly state, I would guess, but I don't know that.
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Ross Powell Well, so the place that I was at was a private association. Okay. And um you might want to think of it as like super glamping. Uh we're talking luxury, fifth wheels with outdoor decks, rock walls. Um these are regular campsites that people had rights to use your pool, like at some of the campgrounds have like full-on facility stuff. Yeah. Okay. They had like a lodge, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Very cool.
SPEAKER_01:And then um, so I was running chainsaws, doing uh forest management. Wow. Um driving uh a backhoe.
SPEAKER_06:Wow, Jill, Jill of all trades.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. I really kind of went aggro and got rural.
SPEAKER_06:Outdoors. Yeah, no, that I I love it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. And um so after a season of that and then going back and running the place on the board uh for a couple seasons, I then thought, okay, yeah, I should reabsorb, you know, go back into Sacramento. Um and so I did some consulting for nonprofit there where I excelled with um several clients, um, just kind of reinventing their stories, positioning them for money, and uh getting them to find their narrative that was lucrative for them.
SPEAKER_06:I like it.
SPEAKER_01:And miss TV so much, missed film, you know, and I was still making like little tiny independent film and appearances, you know, here and there. And um my recruiter was like, hey, you know, Access Sacramento needs an executive director.
SPEAKER_06:Huh.
SPEAKER_01:And I was like, wow, I don't know. That's a lot.
SPEAKER_06:Kind of in your wheelhouse, though.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So I applied.
SPEAKER_06:How many channels do they have?
SPEAKER_01:Um they have two. And just two, okay. Yeah. It's just the public.
SPEAKER_06:Right. So um, is it part of the cable system, whatever they are?
SPEAKER_01:They are PegSation. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Is it Time Warner or are they carried on all the cable carriers?
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Ross Powell It's anybody who has cable, yeah. And and streaming.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell Because there are several cable carriers I'd imagine around Sacramento.
SPEAKER_01:Well they have a cable commission there. Oh, so things are funded slightly differently than here.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell A little bigger. Just a little bit bigger.
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Powell Oh, a lot more money. Yeah. About$2.1 million budget. Wow. And that's just for the P, not the E and the G.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:So you know it's a big market. It's a number 13 market. Sure. Um by comparison. Here we're like 197th or something like that.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell I've hovered there for a long time. I used to remember 194. I was in media for a while. I did radio and TV and can I worked for Cox and then Sunlink on the sales site. So we sold airtime on CNN, Fox News, ESPN.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah, fun. So I bet that was a lot easier than selling it for Peg.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Yes. I think it was. And then one day I drank all the red Kool-Aid and Perium. Yeah. Your good neighbor.
SPEAKER_01:That's excellent. I'm glad to have you.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, thank you. Good to be here. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01:So uh So you took the job? I well, so it got down to between me and Donna, and they went they went with Donna. And about six months after that, Donna said she called me about the blue and she goes, hi. I'm gonna do her voice. Hi. My name is Donna. And I'm calling to make you my right-hand gal.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:I'm only gonna give you one offer. So if you say no, you're done.
SPEAKER_06:Wow. And I was like, From New York?
SPEAKER_00:Who is this woman? Yeah, with like this kind of East Coast twinge, you know?
SPEAKER_06:The East Coast approach.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:We love all you East Coasters, by the way. We do. We do. You're just a little too much. Big heart for New York. Yeah, a little too direct. Just maybe just a little bit. Yeah. When we're drinking our mocha, we'll let you know. Anyway, so question that we're going to be able to do that.
SPEAKER_01:We'll do the California thing. Yeah, no. No, yeah. Yeah. No. No, no, no.
SPEAKER_06:And I understand their frustration with this because it's like BS, man. Just let's cut to the chase. Get you know, it's a place of love and warm and welcome. Get the hell out of here. And so they they're just very direct. And I I once you do that speak and got that dialogue, hey, we're friends. Yeah. That's just how you talk.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:That's not gonna hold it against you. Your heart's good. You're just like goofy.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. A little. And and they go, Yeah, you too.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So I'm glad we solved that. So she calls it what happened.
SPEAKER_01:So I told her, like at the time I was like on a little like month long vacation. And and um so I was like, you know what, I'm on vacation right now. I'm I'm I'm just gonna consider this. And I'm kind of thinking like, what is going on over there? And so I called my recruiter and I was like, what's going on over there? And he's like, say yes, say yes, say yes, say yes. And and so I said, all right. So I I uh I think I emailed her back. I was like in this really like, I don't need this kind of mode, you know? And so I emailed her back and I was like, here's my counter offer, final offer. And I can start in two weeks. Wow. And so I got a text back from her and she was like done. And I was like, oh damn, that was too easy.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Should have negotiated a little bit more.
SPEAKER_01:And I was like, bad, I should ask for more. But then so then I I worked for Axis Sacramento for um almost four years. Wow. And I was their director of development. And um Donna and I, it it took a lot of heavy lifting to get that station repositioned and ready to rock and roll again. It had gone through some changes. And um then my recruiter was like you know it's been four years. Do you have the itch? I was like yeah I gotta do. And he goes awesome I have the perfect place for you.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And I was like where might this perfect place be?
SPEAKER_06:Could it be Humboldt County California? Wow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And so he's like you're adventurous. Uh you should go interview for Humboldt. Their their AD is retiring. I was like okay my own station. All right.
SPEAKER_06:It's a legend.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Sean McLaughlin How many years was he there? Uh eighteen.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Because he's only like 48.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_06:Like like me. So uh wow okay great. I love it.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:All right if you're just joining us this is where I do this kind of talk to the camera and look at Nick and fifth or sixth wall. If you're just joining us it's Scott Hammond 100% Humboldt Podcast here with my new best friend Christina Jeffers from Access Humboldt which is has nothing to do with special needs or buses or anything. It's just TV. Yeah TV for the people I guess that's something else but homegrown TV by the people for the people. I like all the stuff though. It's there's so much stuff to like forget about the news and all this other stuff. I'm I'm thumbing through this going, oh this is great. There's the ECACAR guy. He's weird. Oh there's the there's there's Rex Bone on the Board of Soups. Hey what's up City Council of Riadell and Debra and the gang. And so it's all and then the Ray Olsen and then you know all the all the cast of many characters.
SPEAKER_05:And roller derby oh yeah roller derby I love it.
SPEAKER_06:Let's talk about your programming and then I want to know what you like about Humboldt.
SPEAKER_05:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Tell me about your programming and what how you've crafted and concierged and curated. Molded molded molded is probably I'm using the two dollar words. So what have you done to mold the programming or is that part of your gig as director?
SPEAKER_01:You know when I when I walk into a station and I see it working and it's not broken, I I don't fix it my first year like or any brand that I work for, right? So that's that's kind of the the thing about a development person. And I've learned over the years developing other businesses like if there's somebody doing their thing and it's pretty darn good, you just give them a couple nudges. Yeah. Maybe a couple tweaks. And so um that's Jeruscia will help me. She is she's great. Amazing she Jerusha she she is the station.
SPEAKER_06:She's really nice I haven't met her but I kind of know her.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah. Because you submit programming to her, right?
SPEAKER_06:I do. Not anymore. She just picks it up.
SPEAKER_01:Ah well see.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. She's a giver. Not so an autopilot but yeah no she hi hi Jerusha. She might best friend.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. My last station, um every producer had to go through a lengthy form process every single submission. Wow. Yeah the the the last programmer was uh not as amazing I'll just say she is a gift in a gym and so um so she's your program manager.
SPEAKER_06:Yes. Director whatever you call her.
SPEAKER_01:Manager, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Did you know that today when you play the quiz program the show that you're gonna be playing for you and Jerusalem so she'd get a prize too. Special prize small but thoughtful.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Well I hope I don't choke.
SPEAKER_06:You're gonna do great. Well I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:You never know with me.
SPEAKER_06:Say yes or no right now. Maybe maybe two weeks I'll shoot you an email.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know if I need this right now.
SPEAKER_06:I like that. So you took the job here.
SPEAKER_01:I did and and the programming um that Drusha does is you know very balanced it's between public access submitted programs from your neighbors and friends of Humboldt County and it's also the content created by us for the jurisdictions and some of the jurisdictions create their own content and submit. We do end-to-end meeting coverage so you never have to miss another city council meeting again or waste management or um some of these other JPAs that we cover.
SPEAKER_06:So jurisdictions means what?
SPEAKER_01:Could be a water board or any sort of I mean you trails if it's a civic meeting we want to cover it. We may not cover it right this minute. Because whenever I say if it's a civic meeting we do it. I get some caller who's like no you don't you weren't there.
SPEAKER_06:Where were you?
SPEAKER_01:I'm in the middle of this tiny tiny town out on the edge of the county and you didn't come to this one thing and I'm like we'll submit it to us and we'll air it. Right. You know come on man. Somebody filmed it. Yeah. Probably you know somebody's got a cell phone right point in the right direction, hold it horizontally and give it to us.
SPEAKER_06:Right. So there's your news story. Yeah exactly strangely see a lot of that in local news love you channel seven and three but just here's the what? Okay. That'll work. That'll have to work.
SPEAKER_01:Here we are on the streets with our citizen journalist.
SPEAKER_06:If you jiggle it a little it's it's kind of cool. It makes it you know that jiggle effect.
SPEAKER_01:It's more engaging.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. You know there's some good movie makers here too like Ray DeSoto and Malcolm DeSoto and all the others that I won't mention because I've forgotten their names on the spot. But so what do you like about Humboldt?
SPEAKER_01:I really love the people um you know it's funny I didn't know if I would because I got friends in Sacramento who are from Humboldt and they kind of like you know there's something that Humboldt people do. They try to scare the outsiders to stare stay away. You know and they're like oh Christina you're not gonna like Humboldt it's so rural.
SPEAKER_06:You're gonna hate it.
SPEAKER_01:It's so spread out you know and I'm like okay I know it's a big land now see the theater coming through now.
SPEAKER_06:Yes the impersonations like Yeah maybe that would be better. Oh Christina Dude it's gonna be amazing. It's not your dad's ditch weed it's other things. Um and I I don't want to classify this as weed, but okay.
SPEAKER_01:So no I I love the I love the people for some people are the attraction. They've been very kind you know you kind of have that small town charm. And there's a little bit of that um like you know we all know each other and you're the outsider but it's like we all know each other and you're the outsider but we like you so come on in.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know come over. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Hang out. Yeah I like it. Yeah that's true. That's mostly true. And and s sometimes it's the people that make it hard here too. Cause they're different. Yeah. And maybe not just they're different, it's maybe they're just difficult.
SPEAKER_01:We keep it weird.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:And we if you can't deal with weird it's gotta be a little to difficult for you. Maybe that who's the difficult one.
SPEAKER_01:I keep it weird anyway. So I think you know I like you already Yeah we uh we had a pretty good fit happen. I mean I love my recruiter um you know Randy's amazing and um it's in the interview process you know it was funny because I you know I wore the suit right the uh trendy on point suit. Really like a three-piece and uh it was Calvin Klein you know okay got it uh oh um you know and so they were like oh she's wearing a suit yeah she might not fit in you know who's the weirdo suit but then uh a couple weeks into it and they were just like yeah yeah she's the weirdo for us good yeah choose your weirdos wisely yeah yeah yeah why not so of course the outdoor recreation I'm all about um I don't drive a tractor here but uh I do like all my own home improvement. My I have a really big yard. Wow. My house was built in 1905 so I have a lot of what do they call it deferred maintenance.
SPEAKER_06:Old house syndrome.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah this old house with Huhlhauser Right.
SPEAKER_06:Right. So there's plenty there's always going to be chores. Yeah. Yeah the outdoors it's like um early in my training I went to hooked at Slough with Don Brown State Farm and I'm the uh the Padawan learner and I show up at his door with my suit and my satchel and I go hey let's do this and he goes right in my apartment is some shorts and some stuff and we're gonna go kayaking dude and I go dude let's go and he had two sick 19 foot cherry kayaks that he built on a Subaru already preloaded he had me all dialed in went and I had done months and months of training to be an insurance guy. And um he had the most zen beautiful afternoon of kayaking with me that completed my training. It was like the past the the complete you are you are now complete. He said three things he goes uh enjoy Humboldt County because there's so much to do and see and be here um don't be the guy that brings the casserole to the to the funeral bring a big fat life insurance check be the guy that offers to give you know insure families and protect them and the last one he said in mar in your marketing position yourself in the community so you're part of the fabric of the community and mean it. Well said and he died a few years later he had he had battled brain cancer for a long time dudes in Fortuna and quite a nice man. Different story different time. Yeah so uh challenges for you guys so hey uh looks like some some funding got cut nationally did that affect y'all this is the part of the interview where it all falls apart and I start bawling you know you could cry I haven't Nick we haven't had anyone cry yet no I'm not a crier that's okay you could cry not all tears are evil that's what Gandalf said.
SPEAKER_01:Hey you know what I survived Hollywood and that grind yeah not a crier.
SPEAKER_06:I'm I'm one of the guys I'll like I'll I'll stuff those emotions deep you know LA is weird we went to a party down there last November brother in law has a little get together and just kind of some of the people are hanging out are wonderful to like hill people from Bald Montbaldy and back and then somewhere kind of like my Calvin Klein suit. Yeah it's great you're great just kind of a different a little different not quite humble you know so um the adaptation is important. So it was fun. But LA has kind of got that whole different cadence and then we went out to Ohio you ever been to Ohio Valley? Mm-hmm. Really cool. Yeah now there's Hollywood people out there. My wife was raised out there with like Lee Majors and Johnny Cash lived there for a while and we went and saw I digress just for a second. We went and saw Chuck Testa who's the most famous taxidermist in the world. Wow he went viral like 15 20 years ago and he's like five foot tall and he's and these guys these Hollywood guys came and did this five minute video I'll shoot it to you when we're done and it's just freaking hilarious. And I called him I said hey Chuck my wife and I and our daughter 35 year old huge fans can we come and see you and he goes yeah come on come on over to my studio over in Miners Oaks and wow he's got this weird stu uh tax dermy studio full of artist crazy things and oh I thought you said full of artists I'm like wow he does humans. Yeah he hasn't I don't know that he's done one yeah but on his on his funny commercial it says Chuck does not do pets. So he he won't do he won't stuff you know little Bernie your cat. Yeah. Or Fido. So but quite the artist and quite the art it's pretty cool. I don't know how we got there but let's come on back to the show. Hi welcome.
SPEAKER_01:Hi so we were we were talking about uh yeah we well we drove it off a cliff because we were talking about funding going off a cliff.
SPEAKER_06:That's right. You were going to cry and you held it back.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_06:So how how can we help you if if we had a mind to and why should we maybe explain that. How can we send you like our my new Jag and you can convert it like they do for money or you know if I want to give you my estate or just a hundred bucks or whatever it was. How can we how can we help your team?
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Ross Powell you can go to accesshumbold.net um and just hit the donate button or go to um the KZ KZZH portion and you'll see the part about donating cars. You can also uh give us your time give us your knowledge um we are looking for uh we have to move um heard that where are you going? We don't know yet smiling all the way you are resilient.
SPEAKER_00:This is what they call the fawning response I believe you know where you just laugh at everything.
SPEAKER_06:Oh yeah we're moving it's all good. We're going to Riadell.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. We're moving it all to Sacramento. If Sacramento's losing their station we're gonna take over theirs.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah we can broadcast from there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. No, that's not gonna happen.
SPEAKER_01:But yeah so okay funny little lead up to this uh so you know here I get hired thinking all right you know Sean's got the station on lockdown. He's developed it for 18 years. This thing's on cruise control. I'm gonna retire and humble I'm gonna have this awesome team that I interviewed with and um I told my board look you know as a developer I I um I really want you to have zero expectation of me fundraising the first year. I got to learn the market, I got to know the business, the people, do all the handshakes, you know yeah. And um they were like yeah yeah no problem no problem. And so I'm in the middle of moving here and there's like this election going on, you know?
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_01:And um you know I just start to get settled in and uh Trump gets into office. Wow. You know, and you can almost hear like this collective scream across the planet.
SPEAKER_06:At least across Humboldt you know some of it.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know like some of it was like cheering like yay one and you know the other half was like ah it was screaming it's like that banana slug, you know, in that one movie where it's all you know for like 10 seconds. It's a good scene flushed away.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah but um so I was like yeah you know no big deal you know we've we've had public stations you know when the Republicans are in office this is not this is not a thing because um we are your actual embodiment of free speech. We are legislated free speech uh we hold open the channel to anybody regardless of religion belief affiliation um so you know being the open free speech channels yeah not a problem. Not a problem and then uh the the rhetoric about media being evil really racked it up more and they decided to do away with the CPB and which is what the corporation for public broad broadcasting they're done in January officially I mean they were pretty much they were undercut.
SPEAKER_06:That's last week. That's this week.
SPEAKER_01:That's like today. Wait, that was Tuesday So um you know in the early in the early months of last year they started cutting funding to state parks or national parks rather and uh national services. They got rid of uh USAID um and which uh Internews was installed here locally which went under like overnight um and uh you know we started reaching out to fellow stations going okay we don't know what's gonna happen um we don't think we're under attack there's no reason why we would be um and you know PBS was like yeah I don't know you know and um so your funding must be different from PBS different from whatever so are you federal or state or both? We're actually um we're legislated um to have funding from your cable provider gotcha. So back in the day when they used our public lands to lay cables uh their payback was to give us uh no greater than five percent of their revenues to hold open the public access education and government channels and provide um you know all the support kind of stuff for that so um are they going to pull back on that agreement at some point or have they? Oh they're trying to with HR 2289.
SPEAKER_06:Trevor Burrus Is that optimum behind that?
SPEAKER_01:Or all the cable I think it's all it's the mega telecom you know kind of there's been a lot of consolidation.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell So then renegotiating that or trying to through legislation?
SPEAKER_01:It's not really a renegotiate it's more of a we don't do cable anymore. So uh why pay for these fees? Because it's all the cable franchise fees are all attached to cable and um you know access to cable. So um when they invented the internet and broadband they saw a loophole in that legislation from 1984, 86 and in the early 2000s to merge companies, shift technologies, even though like internet was delivered over cable you know they were calling it internet services and not cable services. And then broadband comes along and now it's broadband but it shares the same public byways but they're not having to pay their fair share or give back anything to John Q public. So there's this this battle that's been waged for about 20 years now. And every time we try to get the uh franchise fees put onto the new modality, you know, we get shot down.
unknown:Sure.
SPEAKER_01:And there's an interest in that right like if if you're a a a big telecom company um and you're paying about you know three to five percent of your revenues for this thing to exist that you don't necessarily want.
SPEAKER_06:Trevor Burrus Or can you can't control it. Yeah. It's not profitable.
SPEAKER_01:It's like a little thorn in your side, right?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So um they have been systematically trying to erode what we are. And and the thing is we as a public have forgotten why we're so critical. And the the public voice having a public access to the same platforms that these giants have to have the equal free speech opportunities is what they want to do away with. They want to have you know the corporate voice or maybe even in Trump's case, just his voice. Right? I mean I can't speak for him but there's some indications Out there, you know? And then of course, you know, with the education channel, um, that used to be like distance learning delivered rural education. And then, you know, so then Zoom came along and they're trying to, you know, shove out the education and, you know, undermine rural areas having education and educational content. And then you've got with the government channel, um, we're upholding open government and we are uh by mandate have to do end-to-end, uninterrupted coverage of meetings.
SPEAKER_03:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:So, you know, we're not like CNN's little sound bites. It's the whole meeting.
SPEAKER_06:Question. Sometimes uh I think the Fortune City Council's on two channels simultaneously. Is there a purpose in that? Is it just because just because?
SPEAKER_01:It depends on a few things.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell And I don't think it's maybe always, but frequently.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So it it just depends on scheduling, like what we have um in the lineup. And if there's a hole, we might split it across a couple channels. Um if it's an issue that affects maybe a certain area. Like our fifth channel is really a repeater of one of our channels for South Humboldt. Uh huh. So that's our wave channel. Um and so you know, you might see like because we're also, you know, stream. Right. So you might see it on two channels.
SPEAKER_06:Gotcha. Okay. Cool. Hey, time for the quiz show.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, already?
SPEAKER_06:Before we do that though, how do we send money?
SPEAKER_01:Okay. How do you send money?
SPEAKER_06:Gold, gold bullion.
SPEAKER_01:Um so again, um accesshumble.net. Um, we also accept checks to um P.O. Box 157, Eureka, California, 95502.
SPEAKER_06:02 is correct.
SPEAKER_01:And um you know, you can stop me on the street and throw money at me. I I wouldn't think you were crazy.
SPEAKER_06:Right. And I could donate my classic 67 Volkswagen Beetle.
SPEAKER_01:Any car. Um running or not, yeah. That works.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell So that's an organization that works with nonprofits that comes and gets and converts that into a tax donation.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So the benefit for me then is the giver is uh tax donation.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It's the full write-off for your car.
SPEAKER_06:Nice.
SPEAKER_01:Um so I think they determine the value with you.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And then excuse me. And then they um take that value and um process the car and then give us the um the donation from there.
SPEAKER_06:Cool. All right. Hey, if you're just joining us, or if you're not, I'm gonna say it either way. I'm Scott Hammond with the 100% Humboldt Podcast with my new best friend, Christina Jeffers. Hi.
SPEAKER_05:Hi.
SPEAKER_06:How are you doing?
SPEAKER_05:I'm great.
SPEAKER_06:Are you ready to win some money and some stuff for Joshua?
SPEAKER_05:Oh my gosh, the pressure.
SPEAKER_06:Question number one. These are just gimmeys. They're so easy. Uh, this will be fun for you because you're an outdoors woman and you get a whole day to go hiking and do whatever you want to do in the wilderness. Where do you go to hike and what do you do?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I have to pick just one. Oh, you don't? No.
SPEAKER_06:As many as you want.
SPEAKER_01:I get the whole day.
SPEAKER_06:Nine to nine.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:There's like so many great places.
SPEAKER_06:Um the map might be helpful.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_00:Look at the map.
SPEAKER_01:All the distant squiggly lines.
SPEAKER_06:Can you read it from there? I mean the bifocals are good, but they're not that great. They're not that great.
SPEAKER_01:Um Yeah, like I love Sumeg. Um, I love Trinidad. Um I love the um what is it, the headwaters.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Out that way. That's a really great hike. Um I do walk, I do long walks on the beach. Um, usually I get up really early in the morning and do it, although I've been ashamed. I'm not supposed to be going out there during king tides and stuff.
SPEAKER_06:So careful, new people.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, careful. It's not San Diego.
SPEAKER_06:Everybody, yeah. So do you walk like Manila Beach or whatever, Samoa?
SPEAKER_01:Uh mostly I go out to Towers. Okay. And just walk as far as I can and then come on back.
SPEAKER_06:We like to go clam beach on Saturdays. Just so weird. You'll see like maybe 10 people. Yeah. And dogs, and that's it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. That's the shocker.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. It's not San Diego, that's for sure. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, or LA at all.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell So you just go for hikes in various places.
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Ross Powell I do. Just kinda I you know, like I'll turn to my daughter and I'll be like Beach or Trees, you know, if she's in town.
SPEAKER_06:Nice.
SPEAKER_01:And she's always like, why not both?
SPEAKER_06:So you can hear within minutes, right? Yeah. Okay. Question number two. Good answer. Question number two. Uh what's life giving and what is soul crushing for you?
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Ross Powell Man. This is a big one. Okay. So life giving for me is rooting for the underdog. As a kid, I was bullied a lot. And um after I became a black belt, that didn't happen anymore.
SPEAKER_06:Nice.
SPEAKER_01:And uh I think um just standing up for others and like causes. You know, it really a lot of my work translates into causes.
SPEAKER_06:A justice person.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I pretty I have a strong sense of justice and community, really. Yeah. Community development. Um and then what was the other question?
SPEAKER_06:Soul crushing. Soul crushing.
SPEAKER_01:Well, besides bullies. Um man, I I can't take it when somebody has to yuck somebody else's yum. You know, I mean, yeah, do you ever heard that?
SPEAKER_06:I like I already know what that is, but I think I know it. Tell tell me what that is.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Don't yuck somebody's yum.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. You know, if there's somebody out there who's like, I'm gonna be a movie star when I grow up, you know, you don't have to be like, oh my god, that's so unpractical.
SPEAKER_06:You know, it's just you want to be in a rock and roll band.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Do you know how hard that is? Yeah. Do you even know how to play guitar? It's like winning the lottery or worse.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one as an actress, you know, like I'd be like, wow, that's that's a good money-raising scheme.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Right. Yuck there yum. I like that. I think there's a lot of forms of that too.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:It's like, you know, you do you, boo. If you want to dress like that, I guess. Oh right. Yeah. If that does it if that does it for you, yeah. Yeah, it's interesting. We um my wife and I have a a term called getting curious. So, hey, don't understand you. You're left, you're right, you're weird. You're a weirdo. Well, tell me how that is. How did you arrive at Weirdo? You know, how's your journey there, Weirdo? And you know, and just could sincerely look get interested and be present and just go, oh, you could tell me I won't get any on me. It's cool. I don't have to.
SPEAKER_01:Right, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I don't have to buy it. I could just appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01:Observe, don't absorb. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I like it. Observe, don't absorb. Oh, you're full of those. Okay, hey, question number three. Who are you?
SPEAKER_00:I thought we established that.
SPEAKER_06:We're getting there.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, it's a lie detector test. I'm really okay. My name is Rachel Evans.
SPEAKER_06:Who are you and what do you want?
SPEAKER_05:Who am I?
SPEAKER_06:These are the two questions from uh Johnny's recovery dad who died a few years ago. Great guy.
SPEAKER_03:Wow.
SPEAKER_06:Just a sweet, sweet man. And um Tom was really cool. He's from LA, from Torrance, and marathon runner and um alcoholic most of his life and had pharmacist, which is a really interesting combo. Athlete and cool guy. But has all the pithy things. One of them was um never go to your mind into your mind alone. It's a dangerous place. You know, um a lot of other ones. But anyway, who are you and what do you want? That was a key one.
SPEAKER_01:Um I I would say I'm I'm a very multifaceted person. Uh most people that meet me find me to be a chameleon. Um I see myself as a, you know, like a a girl with a small town heart and um big town presence. Um I can be very conspicuous. I have no problems public speaking or performing on stage or just putting myself out there. And um but there is that that small town girl on the inside that's you know, really just wants us all to get along and all have good things, you know. Um Do no harm is a big core tenant for me. Right. Um the other one I can I can't say on the radio because it involves a swear.
SPEAKER_06:You gotta do a swear? You gotta swear?
SPEAKER_00:It's a mild swear, but it's yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I'm gonna check in with Nick, my uh he's my FCC guy. Oh, I got a thumbs up, go for it.
SPEAKER_01:Uh just just don't be a dick. You know. Um it can mean it's just when you have core tenants that are very simple, like do no harm, you know, or don't be a jerk, you know. Um you can be in a situation and ask yourself, you know, like, am I the jerk in the room? You know, or am I doing harm by doing this?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Or saying this. Yeah. Or nonverbally saying this.
SPEAKER_01:Right. Or yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Saying nothing is a choice. Yeah. So and then I forgot the second part of the question of who uh what do I want? What do you want?
SPEAKER_06:What do you want from life? Remember that old rock and roll? I think it was the tubes or somebody. What do you want from life?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Um world peas, little green peas world around.
SPEAKER_06:Um that makes pea soup, which is also good.
SPEAKER_01:But I want to bring joy. That's what I want.
SPEAKER_06:Good answer.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I like that answer. We need more of that. Um childlike wonder and joy. And and I love that we have a modality for all of our friends and neighbors to do that with, with television and radio. Yeah. Um you can radically self-express, and self-expression is the opposite of depression. So what better place for me to execute this mission than in Humboldt where the depression rates are so high?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. We have all the records for all the good and then that's so.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And I think it's, you know, we've as a society, we've lost connection and how to express ourselves honestly and safely because of the ridicule of the internet and mean people, right? And um if if you just sit with yourself and think, you know, what is my voice? What do I want to say? And how do I amplify it? You know, and then once you have what you want to say, you can you come express it with us. Yeah. We will lift you up, we will we will tell you how to do it, we'll teach you how to do it, we will do it for you, with you as the star, however you want to participate with us. Aaron Powell That's right.
SPEAKER_06:Because you have studios, you have equipment, you rent stuff, you do all I'll let you tell me. So I want to make a movie, a 10-minute short. Ah. And I have this whole idea. Um I actually don't, but maybe I do. Um We're in make-believe. Go ahead. Yeah. And how do I how do I interface with y'all?
SPEAKER_01:So it just so happens we have this year-round short film incubator for 10-page scripts or 10-minute shorts called Boltfest. And we launched it last fall. Oh, right. And so we've already begun teaching the courses and um the script submissions just closed for a 10-page script. And um, once selected in the top 10, you will be then fostered through the whole process of making your short film.
SPEAKER_03:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And um, then by summer, we will teach you all the marketing um and how to succeed behind a film property.
SPEAKER_03:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And then we'll give you a world premiere on the red carpet at the Eureka Theater on October 15th.
SPEAKER_06:Woo, woo.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Already booked.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Already booked. Yeah. They're a great partner. Shout out to Eureka Theater. You guys are the bombs.
SPEAKER_06:Greg Foster and everybody.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Greg's on my board. He's amazing.
SPEAKER_06:Greg's a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Good guy. Yeah.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Greg's amazing. He's cool. I see him on walks a lot. He I used to go to the gym and he would I'd be riding my bike outside and he would be walking outside. He got a lot further. Shout out to Greg.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Well, good. You know, I like I liked what you said about being a chameleon and having the self-awareness to go, okay, that's that's part of who I am. I'm chameleonic. I think it could might be a word. But who am I behind that? Maybe and that that that courage to go, oh, how do I get a hold of my identity and who am I when I'm not that? Because I could be that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Hey, what's happening? Hey, Scott Hammond, how are you doing? Great. Oh. Schmoozer.
SPEAKER_01:Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Identity is a hot topic right now. Identity politics. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Identity tribalism. I've never been a joiner. So I don't think I really have like a set identity. Right. Right. I'm pretty fluid that way.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Ross Powell I was in high school, everybody. Surfers, Mexicans, heavy metal. Oh, all of it. Yeah. Who did I not like? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, why would you limit yourself? Right. Geez, be a chameleon, man, by all means. But at the end of the day, I had to sit with myself and still do and go, who the heck am I? And I I like I like the question because it's requires some work and some thought.
SPEAKER_05:Aaron Powell And who are you?
SPEAKER_06:Feedback. Who are you?
SPEAKER_00:Aaron Ross Powell I think of myself as a mirror.
SPEAKER_06:Ah who are you?
SPEAKER_00:Aaron Ross Powell, we're like fading back and mirroring each other.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, who are you? Who is Nick? And I don't know that we always have that answer, but I think it's something to aspire to and to go, okay, so who's assigning this? Is it my mom, my dad, my government, my coach, my spouse, my kids, my peers? Well, BS a little bit. I need to hear maybe how I'm perceived. But when I lean into who I am and who who that's a whole different topic.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Well, let's talk about that for twenty more minutes.
SPEAKER_01:Aaron Powell There's uh you know cool uh side note, I guess. Uh major part of my life is Burning Man. Oh. And um There's a note.
SPEAKER_06:How many times have you been?
SPEAKER_01:Uh it'll be my tenth if I go this year.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell Did do you ever see Dwayne Flatma?
SPEAKER_01:I I do, yeah. I love that.
SPEAKER_06:Do you know him now?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:El El Pulpulpo.
SPEAKER_01:El pulpo.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. That's cool.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Wow, that would be fun. Yeah. Um so I've been running um a theme camp uh with other people um for for several years now. We're a quesadilla camp. We serve like I don't know, I'm gonna exaggerate for effect, but like tens of thousands of quesadillas each year in just two days. We serve Tuesday and Thursday service. Wow. Um we're also a bar camp, so you know, lots of uh lots of drinks go through our camp.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell Does one pay for all this?
SPEAKER_01:Uh yeah, we we pay for it. Um we we pay dues to our camp and we collect donations.
SPEAKER_03:I see.
SPEAKER_01:And um then we you know we give it all away for free, of course, because there is no money at Burning Man. Wow. Um and when I when I first tried to get to Burning Man, I was um an artist in my twenties. And I I thought, you know, oh, this this looks like a cool thing, you know. And then I put it off because I didn't have the money to go. And then in my 30s, I was like, yeah, I really want to check out this cool thing. It's a cool community. Uh, and just put it off again because, you know, I I had a young kid at the time. And then uh I got approached to to do like a follow-up fire troop and make like a short doc.
SPEAKER_06:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And so I got paid to go my first year, which, you know, is like kind of scandalous because good incentive, though. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, I got there. And um it cracked me wide open. And not in the sense like, I'm not gonna start sounding like one of those cult people, but you know, like it was a uh discovery, self-discovery experience like no other. And I didn't know I had a belonging and a place in this world as you know, uh an artist, um, an actress, a you know, a multimedia artist. I do a lot of large format art in my spare time. Um until I came here and right at the gates, this this dusty hippie, you know, they call him greeters. He uh he reaches out to me and he goes, Welcome home. Uh I started bawling and I told you I'm not a crier.
SPEAKER_03:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_01:And I'm like, what? Is this like the desert air? Like, what's going on here? You know? And the person I was with is like, Yeah, you found the mothership.
SPEAKER_06:Nice.
SPEAKER_01:And the fact that I brought all these crazy outfits because I thought, you know, this is my chance to like dress like a complete idiot, like super crazy, all over the top, you know, over-animated. Because I can't do that in the default world.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_01:And I thought, yeah, I'm gonna get the usual snark or default world. Yeah. There's gonna be like some dig, right?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Everybody there was like, hi, oh my gosh. It's oh I love your outfit. It's so great to see you. You're a beautiful human being. Thank you for being here. Wow. And I was like, these levels of dopamine have never been had before in my brain. Um, anyone, this is this is without the drugs, you know? Right.
SPEAKER_00:Like this, it's drug free. This is drug free. Good for you.
SPEAKER_01:I was I was shocked. And um and I thought, yeah, now I get it. Now I get why people become tribal.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know, I know.
SPEAKER_06:I talk about burning man and talk about it, but nobody quite has captured it like you just did. That's good.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_06:I like it. Yeah. And Dwayne's really high on it. He's always out there.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I mean, he's into it. He's he's got an epic art car, you know, and he's he's a great artist.
SPEAKER_06:And he sleeps in the mattress in the back of the truck.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Glamping. Big glamper.
SPEAKER_01:I still tent.
SPEAKER_06:That's good.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. At my age, like my campmates are making fun of me. They're like, are you having problems getting out of the tent in the morning?
SPEAKER_06:And I'm like, oh no, no, no, no, no, no. So, real fast, what do you want us to say at your celebration of life? What would you like on your tombstone?
SPEAKER_01:Ugh. On my tombstone.
SPEAKER_06:Aaron Powell You have 15 seconds.
SPEAKER_01:She had the audacity.
SPEAKER_06:Ooh, good one.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Um and at my celebration of life, what I would like to hear are people telling stories about how they were inspired and uh push their boundaries.
SPEAKER_06:Ooh, love it. Thanks for being here.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you. It's fun. Really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_06:Might have to do Burning Man now. I don't know. Maybe I'm too old.
SPEAKER_01:Nope.
SPEAKER_06:No. Scott Hammond, 100% Humboldt Podcast. Like us, love us, subscribe to us. You can find us on YouTube, access Humboldt TV. You can find us on all the platforms because we're out there. And uh thanks for listening. Thanks again.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you very much.
