Vancouver International Digital Festival

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Digital

Jordan Kawchuk is a producer / director who currently makes the video podcasts for CBC Radio3. This is his guest post.

It took me a while to digitize myself.

When I made the leap from making capital “T” television with a large crew and big broadcaster to making TV by myself with a camera, a laptop, and an upload button - I fought it a bit. It didn’t feel collaborative. Nor flashy. Dare I say it…it didn’t even feel legit. It was like leaving a touring rock band to teach music lessons in my Mom’s basement. To students with open sores.

I even entered the five stages of digi-grief.
1. Denial (“This is just a phase.”)
2. Anger (“No one is serving me lunch on set?”)
3. Bargaining (“I think I can get out of my contract…”)
4. Depression (“My little nephew gets more hits with his Mr. Fartz videos”)
5. Acceptance

Stage Five was a revelation when it came. I was overcome by a sense of freedom. I would have hugged someone – but because I work alone now – I settled for crying myself to sleep next under my desk. This, sadly, has become a dirty habit.

But it wasn’t just the obvious that made my digital awakening so satisfying. I mean, it’s great not to answer to broadcasters who say things like: Can the music sound more like Bob Seger? Or…we want you to be weirder and quirkier, like ‘Two and a Half Men.’ It wasn’t even the amount of creative freedom that not working with thirty people allowed.

It was the discovery of more people like me. Those that strayed from an archaic model and took pleasure in watching peers take more chances with their work. The comedy of non-stand-ups. The music of countless Canadian bands. It all made sense.

I still moonlight and work with big crews to make television that some find important. But it’s as if I don’t speak their language anymore. A polite passing in the night, like an old friend at a reunion who’s become, well…a bit of a dick.

I leave you with a recent R3TV episode that speaks to some of this. It’s not fancy…but it catches some of today’s top alt-comics compare the new resurgence of funny to the healthy state of indie rock. And it’s no coincidence that this computer interweb hooey had a little something to do with it…