iContact were innovators in
independent citizens media back in the 1990s.
We were involved with some of the first streaming video
on the internet in the United Kingdom. Before the turn of the millennium we were voices in the world of local independent citizens media
discussing the potential for community and campaign film making that
has become so much a feature of citizen led global developments in
the world today. Nearly a decade before YouTube we successfully
explored ways to give local media a global reach through digital
exchange and other international networks.
We organized public meetings to
encourage the idea of small scale global and local TV discussing
legal issues and the potential for independent local television and
the RSL licences and held regular public screenings of citizen-led
film making.
Our network model was used as case
studies for university theses, we have guest lectured at universities,
provided community workshops, made award winning community films and
were sought for our opinions on digital media.
While we have provided news footage to
terrestrial channels and made successful short documentary films for
television and have worked internationally we have remained true to
the ethos of empowering the ordinary citizen to produce media and
become engaged in a genuinely roots up system of production and
distribution. 
We have worked diversely, alongside groups such as Undercurrents Pioneers of citizen video in the United Kingdom - who have worked with Comedian Mark Thomas. As well as producing local authority led films and producing films for HTV and Channel 4.
Always remaining true to the ethos of
small scale we set up Culture Shop, a distribution hub for small
scale video production and the Bristol Community Channel, a portal
for local micromedia production.
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