(Co-hosts of the Brooklyn Café TV Show) on the Amp Media Futures Foundation

When I was younger my twin sister Marilyn and I were big movie buffs. She was also a huge Holly Hunter fan, so we saw the 1987 Romance/Drama Comedy “Broadcast News”.  There is a scene in the movie where Holly Hunter, Joan Cusack, and James L. Brooks, are delivering news and they need a specific news clip in a flash (these were the days without sound bites and high technology) and they had to get a Video Cassette to air to the public.  The movie shows the feverish rush and “conveyor belt” of people passing on this tape, person to person before it gets to Holly Hunter who has to pop it into the VCR to be embedded into the news. I recall feeling their anxiety vicariously as the heat of the moment came and nothing else mattered but getting this piece of news out in the time allotted (which was seconds). The aforementioned scenario is almost identical to what happens at AMP 2 Media (minus the old technology) when the interns otherwise known as “producers” must air a schedule of specific shows on a tight schedule, sometimes even back-to-back. The production team, not unlike Holly Hunter and James L. Brooks, runs a tight ship and must collaborate to keep everything running smoothly. There are times when they are planning multiple shoots for the next day while simultaneously airing a show, setting up cameras, filtering in commercials, and still editing other jobs.  And, of course, this must be done seamlessly and without any unnecessary chaos. The producers once played “the final countdown” for a joke as they were closing up “shop” on one production and camera shoot and getting ready to air a show. The shows could not be run without the production team. The energy that goes into each show and the professionalism is unmatched for a group so young and at that, unpaid.  So, how do they do all this? What happens when they are in need of transportation to get to the studio or finances for specific camera equipment?  Times are hard. I mean, have you tried to buy eggs lately…lol.  Dawn and Freddy of the Brooklyn Café TV Show realize that these interns are an integral part of their studio and without them their studio, Amp Media Productions, could not flourish. So, let’s find out how Dawn Graubert found a way to support these interns and give back to future interns.  Let’s also talk to Freddy Santory and learn more about the tasks of the interns in this process.

On The Air

AW: You guys put together a very special foundation to benefit the interns A.K.A. “Producers” of Amp Media Productions. What prompted you to do this? 

DG: Amp Media Foundations Futures Foundation is totally for our Interns.  We call them producers and with the downturn of the economy and the lack of software, the lack of accessibility to hardware and cameras to sustain and work on their craft, they knew that we needed to help them.

AW: How long did it take to put together your Foundation? Did you have a specific timeline to get it done by?

DG: We knew that we needed to put a title on it to make it official. So, last year by the grace of some amazing people and God who were able to help us, we were able to form our non-profit in six weeks which is pretty much unheard of.  Everyone kept saying it would take six months, nine months, even twelve months.

So, we are actually officially a year since we established a 501C. We didn’t actually have a timeline, I just put it out there and Freddy kept saying, “don’t do this” and “it’s going to be a lot of work.”

FS: (chiming in) I said, I didn’t think it would happen, I couldn’t picture it happening.

DG: I started thinking about it two years ago and we didn’t do it.  Everyone, including our Executive Producer, and even our Accountant didn’t know what to do or how to do it. It turned out that you needed to be specialized in terms of what you needed to do.  No one on our team knew how to help us with this mission. So, we kicked it to the curb for a year and then years later we had a gnawing feeling in our guts. You know when you get that feeling that you want to do it? I said, “If I don’t do it now then I’m never going to know, and if I never try, I won’t know.”

AW: Was there a lot of work that needed to be done to get this approved?

DG: There was a ton of work involved. You can’t sugar coat it!  But, at the end of the day, it’s so worth it to see how far they can go.  A perfect example is one of the interns applied for an internship at ESPN. He just got a second call back after his first interview.  So, when we see them grow and really get a chance to express what they want to do, they collaborate with each other. Let’s just say sometimes they are a “little too loud” when they collaborate (laughing) and honing their craft and it’s teamwork.

AW: What obstacles have the Producers faced in trying to collaborate and work on projects?

DW: Covid stopped their ability to communicate with each other. And, I think we give them a safe place to go back to and to be who they are.

FS: The biggest challenge for all of this is to keep challenging them. You can explain how a camera works only so many times. You have got to experience some of what we go through when we are trying to plan for a double shoot the next day and still produce shows each hour or half hour. In all of the years that I’ve done this, which is twenty plus years, I’ve never done a double shoot where we’re able to talk to one another at the same time from two different locations. This is a big deal to me because it opens up the possibility of doing certain things in the future. So, they attacked it. But then we realized that the foundation wouldn’t work without some of the mindset we’ve had here. They want to prove to the world that they “can” because everywhere they go, they hear the same words, “you don’t have enough experience …”  They CAN’T say that here as it is not only about doing it but making it all come together and work. 

AW: What are some “lessons” that you try to teach to the producers?

FS: I tell them that they cannot give in to the pressures and until the clock rings zero, there’s still time. We can’t always get things done early; there are many technical issues to deal with that come up. We’ve had to compensate for a lot of challenges on the air, especially with Comcast. If you look around the studio, it is literally built for things NOT to work. So, I don’t worry about it at all.

DG: Yes, I agree with Freddy. Time is everything. Every minute counts in this business so the planning is important but prioritizing as well. I know when production is ready to go.  They know that every minute is important.

AW: What do you feel is something that you can bring to the interns that helps promote their growth?

DG: I come to the business with a background in Special Education. So, I come into all this with the theory, “They will rise to the occasion.”  So, when you put someone in there who’s a little neurodivergent or non-neurodivergent or non-neurotypical on the Autism Spectrum with a group  of young minds that are just excelling in everything that they do, they will rise to the occasion and we get to see this growth. 

AW: How are your interns/producers unique and special?

DG: We have students here on vocational rehabilitation. We have companies now that have heard of us and are calling us. They are asking us if they could place some of their students here. Some get government funding to get here or Palm Tran, and they learn. Is it a little more challenging? No more challenging than someone who is neurotypical. As they say, “everyone has their strengths and weaknesses (she says staring at Freddy).  You handle the tech part, and I handle all the paperwork. So, it’s a great “family.”

AW: What is your take on “inclusion” or different types of individuals working together?

DG: I think that some of the students who are on the Autism Spectrum or are neurodivergent work that much harder or they’ve had more challenges in their mind, so that they have to push harder to be emotionally accepted.

AW: How do people donate to the Foundation?

DG: They can go to

ampfutures.org

We are also holding a very big fundraiser called “Segundo De Mayo.” It is open to the public just like the first one. There are NO FEES, but we hope that in lieu of a fee you will make a sizeable donation to support the crew because it is getting harder and harder to access federal funding. Even before this, it was difficult due to different levels of income. But we have to keep going, every little bit counts!

AW: What are your plans for the future of the Foundation?

FS: When we planned the first fundraiser, I was afraid no one would come. But I was shocked with the results. We planned to begin at 6pm, but by 5ish there were over 100 people in the studio.  I was sitting in the lobby because of parking and there were people stretched to the outside parking lot-it was amazing! We didn’t know right, wrong, or indifferent. So, sometimes “not knowing” is the secret.  We are hoping to strike lightning again, twice. We re-did Studio B and they put their names and fingerprints on everything we did.  We had donation baskets and entertainment. We even built a stage for people. I don’t know what will happen next. I didn’t know all of this streamlining was going to happen. The “game” has changed in front of me. So, when people ask me “What are you going to do next?,” – I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow. But, my goodness gracious, we’ve done movie theater productions, and we are already signed up to do a Sizzle for a movie or two. So, what ISN’T next?

AW: Is it true that the crew of producers doesn’t stay the same?

DG: Yes, that is true. Come  June, we switch up crews and train again in June. We have to keep preparing for what’s next. It’s a constant evolution of students in perpetual motion.

And that’s a Wrap…

If you ever have the opportunity to come down to the Amp Media Studio in Boca Raton, I guarantee you that you will see for yourself why this is a magical place.  Dawn and Freddy will welcome you and show you their finest assets: the Producers. When you meet these interns, and you follow their “perpetual motion,” you will realize that they are the ones who keep the “ship” running.   AMP Media Futures Foundation has become their “lifeline.”   So, come visit. Or better yet. come to the Segundo de Mayo fundraiser to meet the amazing Crew. Let’s all take time to pay it forward. See you at the Fundraiser!