PAST AND PRESENT MEDIA

"...the past informing the present and creatively shaping the future..."

East Bay Histories

The history of the East Bay embodies the history of California. From flourishing tribes of coastal peoples to Spanish Rancheros, to scoundrels from San Francisco who began selling lands they didn't own, to the rush of immigrants from China, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the American South — these peoples came together, clashed, formed lasting bonds, and forged the East Bay as it is seen today. But many of their stories and the lessons learned along the way have been forgotten in the bustle of daily living.

Video mini-documentaries ranging from 10-to-30 minutes in length will be produced focusing on specific subjects, such as:

the Native American tribes that once flourished in the East Bay;
the origins and evolutions of cities like Oakland, Berkeley, and Walnut Creek;
the East Bay as breadbasket for San Francisco;
the world renowned architects such as Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan, who used the setting of the East Bay's rolling hills and undulating streets for their showcase buildings;
the lost blues districts of Russell City in Hayward and Oakland's Seventh Street;
the colorful characters that battled over Oakland's waterfront, and the eventual rise of Oakland as a major port;
the writings and canvases of artists the likes of Gertrude Stein and Ismael Reed, and Edward Muybridge to ... ;
and the vibrant mosh of peoples and cultures who call the East Bay home.

The project will be structured with multimedia applications and a variety of distribution vehicles in mind. These short subjects will be compiled on DVDs with accompanying educational curricula developed for use in schools, colleges, universities, and for sale to the public. The stories will be appropriate for presentation in museum and library settings, and featured on websites. The segments can be compiled and expanded to make full-length documentaries for broadcast and cable/on-demand television. Companion print articles and booklets can be based on the various subjects. In short, we will produce each piece from start to finish, with multiple uses in mind.

510-654-2324 or 510-868-0847
43 Ramona Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

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