April is National Volunteer Month, and we want to pay tribute to some of our many dedicated volunteers, who have always been a critical aspect of Midpen Media’s success. They play a vital role in our mission to provide a public access service, allowing voices of the community we support to sound loud and clear, and faces of the community to be seen. In most cases, their own faces and voices remain unseen and unheard, even though every frame of the shows produced and events covered by Midpen bears the imprint of their skills and hard work. Midpen Media is proud to attract a remarkably diverse and passionate crowd that represents our community, and this month, in honor of National Volunteer Month, we would like to give a shout-out to our much-appreciated volunteers.

Some of our long-time volunteers include the multi-talented Alma Love, who started with Midpen over 20 years ago, and has since volunteered to cover events in both the studio and the field as a camera operator, and also as a floor director on various access shows in the studio. Alma also produces a very popular show called “Artist’s Expression.” As soon as Midpen Media opened its studio to the public after the pandemic shutdown, Alma came in to produce an episode of Artist’s Expression and also volunteered to cover UNAFF sessions.

Mike Alexander is another long-time volunteer from Palo Alto, specializing in camera work. His deep knowledge of almost every imaginable subject in the world combined with his wit makes him a fun crew member to have around while building or breaking down a set or during chill times in the kitchen.

Jo Appogast also joined Midpen Media center many years ago. She is currently our most active volunteer, which is much appreciated by show producers and Midpen staff. Her tool of choice is the camera, and she has contributed a lot of quality hours making talent and sets look good. Jo is a professional e-educator, and pretty much a walking encyclopedia of U.S. history. It is always a pleasure to have an in-depth conversation about history and politics with her in the moments of rest between set preparation and production.

Asa Deggler started volunteering in the studio through a youth program, and we hope he sticks around for the long haul. He loves being in the control room doing TriCaster switching and recently got involved in running the Teleprompter, as well as doing camera work and audio. And he is good in all of those roles! His energy and functional flexibility are certainly a valuable asset on the set of any access show.

A Ukrainian ex-pat, model, and access TV producer, Liubov Spitsina has tried her hand at floor directing, directing in the control room, and operating the camera, as well as serving as a TV host. Multi-talented and passionate about her work, she brings positive energy on set no matter what show she is volunteering for or what role she is taking on. We are deeply grateful for her assistance in the production of “Supporting Ukraine,” especially given the difficult situation in her home country.

Tom Upton is a master of photography. He cares deeply about the composition and lighting of scenes. Having Tom on set means having aesthetically satisfying portrait shots of your talent, and if you are a producer looking for good camera ops, you should make sure to feed Tom well! We appreciate Tom for returning for a recent Midpen Media-produced special, “Supporting Ukraine,” after a long absence from our studio.

A local artist and producer of “Talk Art,” Nance Wheeler is well-known and highly respected among Midpen Media’s producers and volunteers. Her calm energy and firm directing style make her a pleasure to work with. Her artistic vision of the set and camera movement turn every show she directs into an aesthetically-pleasing visual experience, and every production she directs is a well-oiled machine.

Several new active and passionate young people like Ryan Mast and Kaela Noik have joined the Midpen volunteer community after taking our Studio Basics Production class, and have already contributed their efforts toward numerous Midpen and community access productions. We are excited about welcoming a new generation of volunteers.

Midpen is grateful to all community members who come in and join our classes with the intent to stay and volunteer, contributing their time and talent to serving communal rights for free speech.