User:Benjamin F. Barnett

Benjamin F. Barnett - New Media Strategist

1997 – ongoing. (Founder / CEO / National Bureau Chief / New Media Strategist). Media Bureau Networks (MBN) (Media Bureau, Inc.). Turning Data into Intelligence™ A central media repository / aggregator and original content-creation studio for e-politics and entertainment. MBN provides professional content centric-associated services such as producing services, on and offline niche Internet marketing/strategy, studio / on-location Audio / Video digital production, desktop HD editing, encoding & compression, digital content management (hosting & aggregation), and web-based, community-oriented niche distribution.

2006 – ongoing. (Founder / Festival Director). Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival has screened over 500 movies from 50+ countries since it's inception in 2008. The role of the PIFF Director is to be the chief program officer, chief marketing officer, and chief ambassador.

2004 – ongoing. (Founder / Producer / Creative Director / Director / DP / Camera). MBNstudios – Enabling the Unthinkable™. The studio works with Independent Film Makers to produce independent movies, music videos and event / project webcasts for (online) programming and original distribution on http://MediaBureau.com. Music video and film projects include: “Searching for Sister Gertrude Morgan” (15;00 Documentary Film), “Order of the Quest” (45:00 Feature, Historical Science Fiction), Yoga DVD featuring Producer, MC and DJ, Jneiro Jarel; Orquestra Lucerne “El Raton” & “My Man Speedy” (Music Video - Producer / Director) (Spanish); Gildeon Works “Fourth not First” (Music Video - Director / DP); “Arrested Development” (Electronic Press Kit - Producer, On-Demand CD to Webcast, Post production).

Co-Produce Philadelphia Fringe festival events since 2007. The studio has been providing venue and operations opportunities including marketing, sound, lighting, and stage innovation / ideas for plays, dance programs, theatre and other original content / media / forms. Events are preformed live and recorded.

2004: (Co-Producer / Host). National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA. Produced and Moderated the Second Interactive Mayors Forum. This event was webcasted and focused on youth based digital interests including: Taxes, Schools, Broadband access, Education, and Politics. The up to the minute website aggregation of ongoing mayoral campaign news stories, blogging, and citizen video coverage provided the city of Philadelphia’s first comprehensive web based political website.

2004 – 2009: (New Business Development / Program Manager / Interaction Designer / GUI Group Director). Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) Philadelphia, Pa. Program managed Phase 1 (3) of the BRT’s migration from a Cobalt Mainframe to a web delivered Application Interface. The BRT (Mainframe) database was to be migrated to the internet (Via Oracle8i-9i), integrated across multiple platforms and departments with the goal being citizen required transparency and the introduction of the Actual (1oo%) Valuation project.

2001 – 2004: (Co-Producer / Editor / Camera). As Bureau Chief, led a team that recorded more than 100 press conferences, on the spot Interviews, behind the scenes reports, publicity events, and other media events for the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s office of Communications (MOC)as part of an archival footage program we co-founded (Karl Bortnick). All events were produced for and posted to http://Phila.gov. All files were hosted by the Media Bureau via their DCM (Digital Content Management) Professional Webcasting Service offerings.

2001 – 2003: (New Business Development / Project Manager). Department of Human Services (DHS) (Philadelphia, Employees:1,600) Intranet and City wide Extranet. Project managed a team of 10 that would produce the first Intranet for the City of Philadelphia’s DHS. Created and conducted analysis using Paper user surveys, Online Click Through Analysis (OCTA), Color Theory questionnaires (CTQ), and hands on client / user observation in the design and development of the DHS Central online interface. The website, DHS Central, aggregated day to day department operations, established the ability to search 1,200 provider agencies in a then unique database interface while integrating all data across multiple citywide departments and platforms including email. Constraints including, Technical, Management / Union relations, shifting partner technology (IBM / Lotus), and ongoing and evolving city client needs.

1999 – 2002: (Co-Producer / Writer / Director). 12 original programs as part of Media Bureau’s 2nd Programming Schedule. These included: Aqui se Puede (Host: DJ/Grammy Producer Aaron “Kosherican” Levinson), New Media Hour (Hosts: Benjamin Barnett/Bruce Segal Esq.); Dime Sack (Host: DJ / Producer Rich Medina), Alpha Room (Host: DJ, Paula “Cozmic Cat” Burrows), AG Café (Variety Show), Future International Roadblock (DJ Lorne Pert – UK/Phila); Non-stop Juggling (JD Kenny Meeze MC Jigsy Warner); Injection212 (TRiagency.com); Sounds of the True School (Host: DJ Roland Riso); All That! (Host: DJ Rich Medina, Rocky Presents …).

- Live events recorded in studio “B” included, Uz Jsme Doma, Charlie Hunter Live DVD (Ropeadope), DJ Logic, DJ’s ED Rush & Optical (Virus)(UK), Jill Scott, Dice Raw, Ursula Rucker, 3,4, Tens, JazzyFatnasties, Rich Median, more.

2000 – (Co-Founder, New Business Manager, E-government Director). Media Bureau Professional services (MBPS). As part of the original MediaBureau.com programming offering, MBPS was formed to provide IT services to in-house (Media Bureau) projects and outside – emerging e-government initiatives. Original offerings included Business analysis, application development, Project Integration and Project Management services.

2000: (Co-Producer / Host). 5 original online political programs as part of the original Internet alley during the Republican (Philadelphia) and Democrat (Los Angeles) conventions. These programs featured “The DJ’s Round Table”(Host: Dr. Alan Rosenblatt http://Digipol.com), guests included Schooly D, DJ Logic, Ted Nugent, MTV; “Questions You Should Ask” (Host: Dr. Alan Rosenblatt http://Digipol.com), guests / interviews included, Steven Forbes, Economist Yale Hirsch, Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), John Stewart (Daily Show); “Mystery Politics Theatre” (Satire) (Host: Brad Mendolsohn, Steve Greenbaum); and the Bilingual (Spanish) news talk show, The Slant. (http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/july28/garcia.htm) The Slant was hosted by Michael Collazo (Latnn.com), Maria Hinojosa (CNN) and James Garcia. Guests included George P. Bush and NewsHour Correspondent, Ray Suarez. These programs were hosted by the Media Bureau via their DCM (Digital Content Management) Professional Webcasting Service offering’s with aggregation by Real Networks, Yack.com, and MediaBureau.com.

1999: (Co-Producer / Engineer / Interface designer). Webcasted the City of Philadelphia’s first online Political debate and vBlogging forum, 1st Interactive Mayors Forum, during the 1999 Philadelphia, PA Mayoral campaign at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia.

1998 – 1999: (Founder / Producer / Engineer) (March 1998). Founded Media Bureau, Inc. a Digital Media Agency. Launched original Media Bureau webcasted programming schedule in 21 March 1998. Programming included: The Investor’s Roundtable (Jeff Hirsch – Stock Traders Almanac); Words on Music (Alan Foster); Global Soul Café (DJ Koji Kawada- Japan); Poets Roundtable (Scott Kramer – Painted Bride Art Center, Poetry Director, Philadelphia, PA); DJ’s Live (Host The Saint) and other impromptu location and studio webcasts including the longest Electronic music marathon at that time (TRT 96 hours). Events were webcasted live and posted for playback / download in multiple formats on the http://MediaBureau.com website.

1997: (New Media Specialist). Produced interactive, content-centric, user interfaces for Comcast Online (Broadband Internet) subscribers. Worked collaboratively to produce and program “local” content initiatives for multiple Comcast cable websites across the USA to help drive broadband subscription goals. Provided daily critical insight to managers on active Internet web trends and current user tools including rich media and interactive user engagement.

1995 - 1997: (Co-Founder / Promoter / Event recording engineer). Booked, recorded and produced live music events in multiple venues in Philadelphia as part of a start up Internet Production and Marketing company, Milk Toast Productions. Artists included GreyBoy Allstars, Galactic, Alphabet Soup, JazzHole, Justice System, Shoulders of Giants, Cooley’s Hot Box, Jazz Mandolin Project, Elliot Levin, Jafar Barron, Tim Motzer and others. Events were promoted primarily through targeted email, listserve, and chat room postings.

1995 - 1996: (Webmaster). Co-Produced, co-engineered and "on the road" marketed webcasted music events / chat rooms for Discmakers.com (NJ) in studio and at the Troubadour in Los Angeles (in association with LA LIVE) and Mama Kin in Boston to be webcasted from the retail driven website, http://Discmakers.com. Created interfaces for live webcasting environments including “Video walls” and a moderated chat environment for the live blogging and post event website.

SKILLS: Creative / Technical Consulting for Film, Media, and Politics in Multi-Media production and aggregation including: •Film Festival Director •Digital Media Strategy •Social Netwiork Strategy •Advertising Design •Creative / Innovation Director •Sr. Project Management •Interface / Interaction / Usability Design consultant

Technical skills: Working with multiple OS platforms, Final Cut Pro HD; Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator; Microsoft Office; MS Sharepoint, Social Networking Tools and Development; DP (Director of Photography), Lighting for Web and TV,

Education: • MFA - Advertising Design (Academy of Art College - 1993) • BA - English Literature (American University - 1989) • Campaign Management Institute (American University - 1989)