Live Blogging DNA

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front row, center

I am live blogging from DNA2009.com here in Brussels at the Plaza Hotel.

We had a great deal of trepidation as we approached the opening day. Many other conferences had and have cancelled. We pushed on… blindly perhaps. But today, with more than 250 attendees and a spirited series of discussions just this morning, we are off to a very good start.

I was delighted and impressed to have  Bill Echickson from Google Europe on our opening panel.  Echickson had been one of my first VJ trainees at VNI in 1992, some (God forbid), 17 years ago.  Today, of course, he speaks for Google and their plans for Europe and has left his video camera behind.

For those who want to pick up where Echickson left off, I this morning offered an extremely (extremely) intensive crash course on video.  Panasonic Europe has graciously offered us 3 P2 cameras, and I am going to select 3 volunteers from the crowd to teach how to shoot and produce a 1-minute video today. We’ll air their product tomorrow.

Of course, I don’t expect it will be better than the 8 finalists for the Concentra Prize (10,000 Euro) that we will award today at 5:30 pm.

If you really want to follow the bloggers, (look over my shoulder), there are a ton, in lots of languages. Swedish, Dutch, Danish, German and English. You can follow the English blogs here.

Michael Rosenblum

For more than 35 years, Michael Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital video journalism revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for video literacy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State's Government's broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the VJ paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on this paradigm (1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996). Other clients include Spectrum News, Verizon and CBS News.