Recap: Producer Meet-Up at Reverend Nat's Hard Cider
November 02, 2018
October's Producer Meet-Up took place at Reverend Nat's Hard Cider taproom, located about seven blocks south of Open Signal. The local cider company offered us their space for the evening, and they generously offered to donate $1 from every pint sold that night back to Open Signal—in addition to $1 from every pint from their Benefaction Tap program during the entire month of October.
In addition to their cider, the taproom also offers kombucha and other non-alcoholic drinks for those who don't drink.
We had a healthy turnout of both brand new and current producers, as well as some familiar faces from classic shows. Patrick Rosenkranz and Kevin Fritz from their namesake Fritz and Rosenkranz Show were in attendance, as were Tony Cassera and Barbara Affleck. Open Signal board members Karim Hassanein and Evelyn Liu also joined us. Evelyn and Tony Cassera went to high school together and have actually known each other before Portland Cable Access was established!
I also spoke to Deborah Elizabeth Cohen, who used Portland Cable Access' equipment to create a video she used in an arts grant application that launched her career. She later spent several years teaching mediamaking in South Korea, where she found that collaborative work transcended language barriers in a classroom—even though she was frequently the only English speaker.
At the height of the gathering, I counted about 35 people in attendance. In fact, there were so many Producers in the room at one point that the crowd was spilling out of the taproom's open garage door. Thankfully, the weather was lovely—as was the company.