Residents Excel as Television Producers
Bernie Bailie, Paul Beeman, Art Brown, Jane Shafer, Dale Hollister, Ed Towle - members of the Channel 28 Television crew.
Listen to live interview of Paul Beeman as he describes the origin of Channel 28 [display_podcast]
The same spirit of community that led Wesley Homes’ pioneers to found the faith-based retirement community is driving a core group of residents to produce a series of televised documentaries on the history of Wesley Homes for future generations.
“This series of history documentaries is only one of the several hundred programs that the station staff has produced for Wesley Homes TV during the last four years of station operation,” said resident Art Brown, “and over 40 residents have been involved in producing those programs.” “Joan Zatloukal runs the station like a business,” said Brown, “it wouldn’t be nearly as successful without all the hours she puts in.” All this is happening at the Channel 28 Studios on the Des Moines Campus of Wesley Homes. “It’s a closed-circuit television station just for Wesley Homes,” explained resident Paul Beeman founder of the TV station. The residents, turned television crew, have learned state-of-the art filming techniques to bring the history of Wesley Home founders to life using the resources at their disposal; photographs and archived records. According to Brown, Holly Isaman, Executive Assitant to President and CEO Kevin Anderson, was instrumental in kicking off the project to preserve slides that date back to the early 50’s. “I was the lead resident on that project,” said Brown, “and, along with half a dozen other residents, we digitized about 7,000 35mm slides with more to go.”Ever wonder how over 40 people became interested enough in the filming arts to be able to pull production teams together?
According to Beeman who recruited a lot of the people, he would ask, “Hey you’re a new resident here, and we’re just putting together a station and I think you would enjoy learning to operate a camera. Would you be willing to come to a class and join me and just take a look at it? I mean, ‘no commitment’; just come on in. I enjoy it, and I think you would too. I think you’d be very good at it.”
When asked if he had been in sales, Beeman responded, “I was a minister,” he laughed, “yes, I was, and in public relations.”
The Wesley Homes history project has attracted a variety of residents who have combined their acquired skills to take on leading roles as camera persons, film engineers, crew and talent. “It is 100% resident produced,” said Beeman.
Some of the core group present the day of the interview were: Ed Towle, Treasurer; Joan Zatloukal, Station General Manager; Jane Shafer, narrator and personification of Wesley Homes for the first video in the series; Lee-Lee Castor, a camera person; and Art Brown, engineer.
When you enter Channel 28’s Studio, you’ll see a bank of computers, editing equipment, sophisticated cameras, props and a stage set in front of a “Green Screen” – just like you might see on television sets like Good Morning America.
“We think of this as just one of a variety of hobbies that people can learn at Wesley Homes,” said Beeman, ”Everybody came in and learned and we brought in professionals who taught classes for us, and we learned by doing. For a lot of us old duffers getting into something as technical as this was just a lot of fun.”
“Wesley Homes TV station has become a great ‘Adult Toy’ for me during my retirement years,” added Brown.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:00 am
You are an amazing group of people and you do an amazing job putting together the programs for Channel 28. You set a great example of what “retirement?” can be. Keep up the good work.