Del Mar TV hosts Summer Soiree to showcase its services

Del Mar TV has been around for decades, but not many people even know it exists. That’s why the nonprofit production facility hosted a “Summer Soiree” open house on Tuesday, June 4, at the Del Mar Civic Center Town Hall. About 100 people attended the event, which included wine, food, live music and a silent auction. The event showcased some of Del Mar TV’s most popular shows and offered attendees a chance to get to know what Del Mar TV has to offer.

Del Mar TV is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a charter to provide video and television services to the community and local government. They provide cable broadcast and streaming video channels and promote public access to community video services.

According to President Debi Salmon, the goal of the event was to make connections, spotlight successes and invite the community to join in their endeavors. “We want to bring awareness that Del Mar TV is not the audio-visual extension of the city or the arm of some other organization, that we’re a stand-alone nonprofit and remind people that we’ve been here since the early ’80s. And we want to let people know that our mission has changed. We are still doing government broadcasts, but we’re really trying to expand and incorporate Carmel Valley, Solana Beach and Encinitas, and just improve the variety and the quality of our programming.”

Judging by those who attended, the word is getting out. People from Encinitas, La Jolla, and even Temecula attended to learn more. Nathan Byrd from Byrds Eye Media Group came to see what connections he could make. “I heard about it through EventBrite and saw that it was going to be in connection with television. I have a media company here in San Diego and I was thinking that maybe there could be a collaborative partnership. Also, I wanted to connect with nonprofit organizations to see exactly how I could be of service. I have a team that’s working with me and there could be potential freelance opportunities.”

Gabrielle Sillas just moved to Del Mar and volunteers with another community group called Del Mar Community Connections, or DMCC. “I’m just finding out how to make this community better, so that’s what I’m here for.”

Another member of DMCC, Outreach Coordinator Tema Halpern, was there to explore the possibility of using Del Mar TV’s services. “We share the community building with the Del Mar TV Foundation. We do all the senior services for the city. The reason we’re here is because we’re thinking about doing a video for Del Mar Community Connections. I found out about this event and I looked at their website, and I was amazed at what they’ve done, because I’ve been here a few years, but I’ve never paid attention to Del Mar TV before.”

One of the shining successes of Del Mar TV programming is a show called Cooking and Kids with host Vlada Vladic who’s originally from Serbia. Her show has been aired on 145 public-access TV stations across the country. A video interview of Vlada was shown during the event,and she also attended the soiree. “One of the things we’ve always done is offer grants to community producers (like Vlada),” says Salmon, “so for people who don’t know much about video production, we give them a small grant. In Vlada’s case, we gave her six grants and she was able to produce this program. So with that kind of kickstart, she’s been able to spin this into something that’s truly amazing.”

Vladic herself is very grateful for the grants, and acknowledges they’ve significantly helped her along the path to success. “Del Mar TV was there for me as an opportunity and I had the right spirit to do it, so it just happened. It’s a good example of what can happen if people decide to work together. I’ve gotten an immense amount of encouragement.”

Jeff Barnouw, a volunteer for the Del Mar Historical Society, came to explore new opportunities. “I’ve been doing little projects with Del Mar TV, converting tapes from ancient systems to something we can play today. There are so many things going on in Del Mar, and very often they run parallel. So I think it’s good to have cross pollination.”

According to Salmon, the TV nonprofit has never had more relevance than today. “The underlying message is the value of public access television in today’s modern and instant world. It is a place to learn and grow without judgment and making community programs gives one a sense of belonging and it can be very purposeful.”

If you’d like to learn more about Del Mar TV, go to www.delmartv.com.