Media Arts Center gives North Park a Digital Gym workout

Por Dave Fidlin | Reportero SDUN

Ever since backing the San Diego Latino Film Festival two decades ago, leaders of the local non-profit organization Media Arts Center San Diego say they have been dedicated to innovation and enhancing the city’s cultural experience.

Media Arts Center recently took its efforts one step further with the unveiling of their new Digital Gym, an endeavor aimed at giving people of all ages hands-on tools necessary to harness 21st century technology through special film screenings, workshops and a media lounge area, where guests and members can come to “geek out” over new media and projects, organizers said.

The Digital Gym operates out of the Media Arts Center space at 2921 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park, and while most of the Center’s programs in the past 20 years have been aimed primarily toward filmmakers, Executive Director Ethan Van Thillo said the Digital Gym is an expansion of past efforts.

“This is something for people of all ages and all interests,” Van Thillo said. “We want to help people learn new skills in today’s environment, whether it mean creating a good, creative website or using social media effectively.”

Media Arts Center is offering a variety of services and packages through the Digital Gym, which they tout as an opportunity to not only hone new skills, but also network with other creative, entrepreneurial people. In July and August, they are providing a workshop called the Freelancer’s Survival Kit, outlining the first steps to media freelancing, submitting work to potential clients and building a following.

“We’re offering one-on-one individual training or instruction in a group setting,” Van Thillo said. In addition to the freelancer and short film series, they also offer three-hour crash courses in the digital software Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro.

The recent launch of the Digital Gym was about five years in the making, Van Thillo said, and is an outgrowth of Media Arts Center’s relocation to North Park. He said the reception within the neighborhood has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Before we took over this building a little over two years ago, it had broken windows and graffiti,” Van Thillo said. “There were all sorts of things living inside. This definitely was an area in need of revitalization, and it fit our mission perfectly.”

Van Thillo and other Media Arts Center staff and volunteers used their intuitive creativity and gave the space a complete overhaul. Collaborative efforts with a number of San Diego-based organizations helped make the vision a reality.

For example, members of LISC San Diego, an organization focusing on neighborhood revitalization, chipped in and painted the interior of the facility. Also, Media Arts Center was able to obtain a low-interest loan through San Diego-based CDC Small Business Finance.

“It’s definitely been a lot of work and a challenge,” Van Thillo said of the past several years, “but we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor.”

From a neighborhood revitalization standpoint, Van Thillo said with pleasure that other new developments have been dotting El Cajon Boulevard, occupying blighted buildings that had previously been vacant.

“It’s been wonderful seeing the transformation take place,” he said. The Digital Gym will once again participate in the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association’s Boulevard Nights summer open house, held Saturday, July 20 from 6 – 10 p.m. The quarterly block party centers around the businesses on the 2900 block of El Cajon Boulevard, with residents coming out to enjoy craft vendors, live music, art and, thanks to the Digital Gym, film.

Although he basks in the recent growth, Van Thillo said he and other Media Arts Center leaders have grander visions on the horizon.

“The goal is certainly for us to stay neighborhood and community based,” Van Thillo said. “But it would be great if we had a presence in other neighborhoods in San Diego.”

The Digital Gym currently also includes a store and theater, showcasing mostly independent productions. Called the Digital Gym Cinema, proceeds help fund the programs. The schedule of upcoming screenings includes:

•“Focus on San Diego: Celebrating Our Region’s Filmmakers and Films Produced in San Diego,” Friday, July 19 to Sunday, July 21

•“Broken,” Monday, July 22 to Thursday, July 25

•“Berberian Sound Studio,” Friday, July 26 and July 27

•“Broche de Oro,” Friday, July 26 to Aug. 1

•“Grabbers,” Aug. 2 and Aug. 3

Digital Gym hours are from 12 – 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 12 – 8:30 p.m. Sundays. For information on screening times and ticket prices for the Cinema, as well as registration for workshops, visit Digital Gym’s website digitalgym.org or call 619-230-1938. For information on other services and programs offered by Media Arts Center, visit mediaartscenter.org.