Since 1972, Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno have worked to expand public access to electronic media through the Downtown Community Television Center in New York City. Driven by the belief that citizen access to media production strengthens democracy, the pair have provided free or low-cost production courses to diverse communities, as well as access to film equipment, for an estimated 75,000 young New Yorkers.
Alpert, a 16-time Emmy Award winner, and Tsuno shared their passion for expanding public access to media arts with The New School community as the School of Media Studies 2017 Hirshon Artists-in-Residence.
As part of their residency, Alpert and Tsuno led master classes for media and documentary studies students and presented a public lecture, Five Decades of Community Media from Canal Street to Cuba
“Jon Alpert and Keiko Tsuno’s DCTV community media project and filmmaking achievements are unparalleled in US community media education,” said Media Studies Dean Carol Wilder. “Their steadfast 45-year commitment to youth media and to progressive documentary filmmaking establishes them as the gold standard for community media engagement.”
