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About
Videowest is best known for creating a new genre of video journalism, widely acclaimed as a "worldview from the rock generation" in the early eighties.
An independent TV studio based in San Francisco, California, Videowest produced hundreds of TV magazine shows and music videos from 1978 to 1984. Its award-winning weekly series (Backstage Pass, Best of Videowest, Rock On, Take Off) were released on a variety of broadcast and cable outlets including ABC, BBC, Disney, MTV, Showtime, USA and public TV.
Videowest's creative trademark was a fast-paced montage of interviews, comedy, music and news around weekly themes like "Beauty" or "TV" (see sample videos in the sidebar). Over the years, Videowest featured hundreds of popular artists like Laurie Anderson, Ray Bradburry, the Clash, Francis Coppola, Elvis Costello, Devo, the Ramones, REM, U2 and many more.
Videowest started as a grassroots movement, with thousands of young volunteers joining forces to create "television for the rest of us." Founder Fabrice Florin spearheaded that community as a labor of love, inviting viewers to help produce the weekly shows. He was joined by Lee Callister, Joe Dea, Wes Dorman, Jeff Nemerovski, Erik Nelson, Michael Branton and hundreds of regular contributors, leading to many successful careers in the film and TV industry.
Videowest has just partnered with the San Francisco Bay Area Television Archive (a project of SFSU) to restore two acclaimed Videowest shows and host them online. To watch them, click on the thumbnails in the sidebar. Enjoy!
Help us get more shows like these online - and preserve the Videowest library before it decays. Make a donation!
This barebones site is now under construction. In coming weeks, we will add new treats here, so be sure to check in regularly. For more info, email us at 'help-at-videowest-us'.
If you were part of our madcap adventure and care to share the memories, please join our Videowest Alumni Group on Yahoo.
Also check out our Videowest Photo Album on Flickr. And pay your respects in the Joe O Chapel.
Stay tuned for more ... |
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