http://www.lightstalkers.org/flavia_abdurahman Founder of PeacebuildingTV in January 2012. Interim website: www.facebook.com/PeacebuildingTV Before? 18 years' fully professional TV field production experience. For 7 of those years, I was full-time with SBS TV Australia (1989-1996), a national TV broadcaster. For the following 11 years, I have been an independent Video Journalist & Producer. Speciality? Political current affairs & documentaries in conflict areas. As a Video Journalist, I research, film & script my own work. 99% of my work is 'in the field' - including extensive overland travel, which means I'm used to working solo or in small teams, living & working in harsh conditions & not-so-friendly environments; dealing with strict broadcast deadlines, delivering broadcast-standard material; being diplomatic & handling sensitive information...My clients & co-workers still talk to me... As an independent VJ, my Client List includes: GIZ Nakivale Office, Uganda, 2010-11 Australians for UNHCR, 2010 Al Jazeera English online (Citizens' Views, US Presidential Elections, Nov. 2008) Ministry of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan (2005-6) UN Mission to Afghanistan (2005) GIZ Kabul Office, Afghanistan 2005-6 Cooperazione Italiana, Kabul Office, Afghanistan 2005 Channel NewsAsia Singapore as Special Correspondent in Kabul, Afghanistan for First Presidential Elections (2004-5) CBS '60 Minutes' USA (2005) ABC TV Australia (2003, 2006) SBS TV Australia (1994, 2002-3) Channel 9 '60 Minutes' Australia (2006) Kate Dowd Casting (2006) Assignments include: Uganda 2010-present Afghanistan (2003 & 2004-6) Australia (various) India (2002) South Africa (1993-4) Mozambique (1993-4) Malawi (1993) China (1992) Thailand (1992) Advice to newcomers to the industry? I'm available for work and approachable if you're setting yrselves up and need advice. My advice to budding VJs? Take advice from us who've been in the field long-term & listen to it. It can save you much heartache & money. I had advice & didn't listen to it & learnt the hard way. But I still love the work & the experiences. But I could have taken short-cuts. So, please ask & I'll be happy to give advice. If you don't make it too hard on yrselves, this is an EXTREMELY rewarding career on a personal level, if you're adventurous... 2011- I am currently a volunteer trainer in peace-building to refugees - mainly Somali from Mogadishu & Congolese from Sth Kivu. Their faith that the future can be different from the past, coupled with a genuine concern for their communities & their countries constantly surprise & inspire me. After so many years as a media witness to conflict-affected peoples, peace-building work has allowed me, in a small way, to be more effective in supporting some sort of journey, for my students, towards breaking cycles of violence. After so many years on the road, why do I see, no matter which continent, exactly the same conflict issues 15 years later? The patterns of conflict are so predictable. What is unpredictable is the ability of the human spirit to choose dignity over humiliation; when the victim becomes a survivor; when the powerless acknowledge their strength. It is a rite of passage to cherish because one chain in the long cycle of violence has dissolved forever. There can be no more "dark nights of the soul" when Truth is Beauty & Beauty is Truth. Amandla Awetu! Education: Masters in Peace & Conflict Studies, 2008 European Peace University, Austria www.epu.ac.at "Refugees, Agencies & Relief Workers Training" 1999 RedR Australia www.redr.org.au/ Certificate "The Producer, the Law & Business Essentials" Australian TV & Radio School, Sydney, Australia 1995 www.aftrs.edu.au/ Summer School in Creative Writing National Institute of Dramatic Arts, Sydney, Australia 1993 www.nida.edu.au/ Certificate in TV & Radio Production North Sydney TAFE, Sydney, Australia, 1990-1992 www.nsi.tafensw.edu.au/college/NorthSydney/Default.aspx BA/LLB - 3 of 5 years completed, 1985-1988 University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia unsw.edu.au WORK: 1996-present: Independent Video Journalist Nomad Culture 1994: Media Officer Independent Elections Commission of South Africa, HQ JHB, South Africa Independent TV Current Affairs Researcher JHB, South Africa 1989-1996: Location Sound Recordist Camera Room, SBS TV Australia en-us Image feeds are temporarily unavailable due to heavy load on the Lightstalkers servers. Please consider making a donation today so that we can afford to upgrade this service. Fri, 24 May 2013 04:23:05 -0700 http://www.pledgie.com/campaigns/1888