2014 Annual Member Meeting

Thanks to all of those who came out to the Annual Member Meeting and participated in the PhillyCAM board elections. There was a record voter turnout and for the first time members were able to cast their ballots online. We are pleased to announce that Salima Hakeem, Wayne Geschwindt, Inja Coates, Adan Mairena, Myla Morris, Jonathan Stein and Megan Threats have each been elected to serve a 2-year on the PhillyCAM Board of Directors. We also want to thank Cathy Bennett-Santos, Messapotamia Lefae and Phil Wider for the candidacy. 

The Annual Member Meeting was attended by over 70 PhillyCAM members and was live streamed for folks who couldn’t attend in person.  Board members Beth McConnell and Jihad Ali welcomed everyone and Council President Darryl Clarke’s Chief Operating Officer, Will Carter also addressed the membership.  All the candidates running in this year’s election were introduced and said of few words about what they would bring to PhillyCAM as a board member.

For the 4th year we celebrated members with our annual Impact Awards in recognition of members who have demonstrated how public access television has made a positive impact in our communities.  Antoine presented Vanessa Marie Graber with the Impact Award for her work as a community media activist and defender of free speech.  Vanessa accepted the award and roused the audience with a moving speech on why a place like PhillyCAM is important in our current media environment.

Art Factory, a program of the Norris Square Neighborhood Project, received the Impact Award for their creative and powerful media exploring the education crisis in Philadelphia and the school to prison pipeline from a youth perspective.  

We also presented the 3rd annual Spirit Award to the Mt. Airy Homeschool Co-op.  Board member Ricky Paul, a previous recipient of the Spirit Award with DP Arts Consortium, presented the award with great enthusiasm to the group of assembled Mt. Airy students and parents and spoke of how inspired he was with how they have embraced comedy in their work.

2014 Community Impact Award Recipient: Vanessa Marie Graber

2014 Spirit Award Recipient : Mt. Airy Homeschooling Co-OP

2014 Organization Impact Award Recipient: Art Factory

But the evening wasn’t over!  Following the meeting all in attendance were treated to refreshments prepared by PhillyCAM chefs Delmer Gill, Ali Hackett, KESS and Derwood Selby. In addition to the sweet and savory eats, Antoine Haywood, Ricky Paul and Jay Mohan mixed it up by spinning some delicious vinyl and some members out onto the dance floor in the Main Studio.