Your 15 Minutes Start Now Lynn Smith Los Angeles Times On a plane recently Danielle Lurie learned that her was was was' on his way to meet his high school sweetheart a woman he hadn't seen in 62 years Lurie as part of a new band of citizen citizen citizen citi citi- zen video-makers video immediately immediately immediately immedi immedi- pulled out her camcorder camcorder camcorder cam cam- corder and asked if he would be willing to be taped She edited the piece on her home computer and on Valentines Valentine's Day the six-minute six video Year Old Sweethearts aired on Current TV This is one way programming programming programming program program- ming works at Current the 9 old month-old network Al Gore and Joel Ioel Hyatt created to encourage every citizen esp especially eSPEcially the young ones to tobe be become television levision viewer and n me J if tf Tv t V Tf-V S' S 1 programming programming contributor Last summer many observers scoffed when the theao ao IeS es former vice president announced the venture But since then the idea of user- user generated content has spread so fast that the Internet and cable networks are flooded with viewer videos many of which take public access to a anew anew anew new level of sophistication Now Current whose creators see themselves as pioneers is poised to spread its vision of democratized television worldwide David Neuman Currents Current's president of programming said his experience in a similar similar similar simi simi- lar capacity at Channel One taught him that many young people could create quality short films We were thrilled that the audience that we knew had this ability stepped up he said Hundreds of twenty some some- things front from digitally literate amateurs to professionals seeking an outlet beyond traditional traditional traditional tra tra- tra- tra television contribute 30 percent of the networks network's total programming covering a wide range of topics including pieces on heroin use in downtown Los Angeles and comic book fans in San Diego in Iran and bodybuilding in Afghanistan Most of the short films called pods in speak Current-speak run from three to eight minutes long As might be expected some pieces take shots at the political right such as an animated animated animated ani ani- mated parody of President Bush But others such as a pair of pods on immigration try for balance and describe both sides of an issue Viewers can also contribute commercial advertisements In a few years Neuman said he expects half the programming programming programming pro pro- gramming to come from viewers We have havea longway way to go he said The quality could be better and the quantity quantity quan quan- could be better But it feels to us like a remarkable start Current also offers tutorials in filmmaking journalism and storytelling from veterans including Sean Penn Ira Glass Dave Eggers and Catherine Hardwicke on its Web site Not every contributor gets right on the air like Lurie who had already shown a short piece on war photographer photographer photographer pher Mark Brecke A of Genocide on Current which is available in 28 million homes Typically hopefuls upload their videos on the Web site where they compete with fellow members for a spot on television An intricate system of online viewer voting determines the winners but producers may also pluck something out of c competition Jt ly newsworthy or timely uch j Current continued on page 8 f E Current network 6 r contribute content continued from page 7 as one viewers viewer's experience o of f using a boat to help victims o of f Hurricane Katrina Some viewers have complained complained com corn that the network k replays the same videos to too often or that the tone is too establishment or the pay too low One contributor Currents Current's name for its viewer created content recently posted posted posted post post- ed a complaint online that he had not been told about editorial editor editor- ial changes to his short film about a Mississippi couple left devastated in the wake of Katrina Staff responses acknowledge that editing does occur and that they try to make the process as collaborative as possible For her part Lurie a 27 year-old year Stanford graduate who had worked as an intern and a production assistant in Hollywood getting directors coffee cant can't help but sound like a paid advertisement when she describes how Current is offering her unparalleled opportunity for experience Lurie is the younger sister of producer Rod Lurie TVs TV's Commander in Chief The Contender but said that even with her connections she needed to learn how to make films What gives you the ability to be a filmmaker is practice Going out and making making making mak mak- ing movies all the time Currents Current's main operations are headquartered in San Francisco where teams of employees evaluate hundreds of submissions from aroun around d 1 f the world in dozens of cate cate- gories Gore is not involved i in n i 1 day to matters but serves serve s 5 as a spiritual leader of sorts offering guidance and ideas Neuman said A smaller studio o operation in Los Angeles produces produces products pro pro- duces ducts interviews fro from m i Hollywood talent and introductions introductions introductions intro intro- for local pieces Last month two of Currents Current's six young hosts Jason Silva Silv 1 i and Max Lugavere introduced s l a segment they produced o on n i how easy it is for illegal immigrants immigrants immigrants grants to obtain false documentation documentation documentation docu docu- in LA Dressed i in n i T-shirts T and jeans they had d 1 taken their cameras to th the e neighborhood around MacArthur Park in the downtown downtown downtown down- down town area where they spent and obtained a false ID for Silva who grew up in Venezuela Ive never seen anything like it Lugavere said on camera Its really crazy The next day the story received national attention when CNN's Anderson Cooper ran an interview with the pair He referred CNN viewers to Current for the full tary In Los Angeles Current TV can be seen through Time Warner or cable channels Last year Silva 24 and Lugavere 23 were roommates studying filmmaking at the University of Miami They won the attention of Current producers when they submitted submitted submitted submit submit- ted a short film Textures of Selfhood about their lives in Miami They were were looking for passionate storytellers Silva said Were passionate storytellers If young people turn away from traditional television its it's because they dont don't have a say sayin sayin sayin in it said Lugavere 23 The Internet and American Idol have become runaway success- success 1 f i 1 s 5 i i l i cs es because they offer people a chance to participate he said Now were we're bringing that tos to TV 24 7 Similarly will introduce introduce introduce intro- intro duce a hour half-hour series Media Lab in June to showcase showcase showcase show- show case short films by aspiring filmmakers More than 1000 short films have been submitted submitted submit submit- ted to the ongoing show Like Current the highlighted films will be determined by the pub- pub lies lie's online vote MTV has had film contests and E collaborated collaborated collaborated rated recently with the Web site in in a avideo video contest Viewers also contribute a variety of videos to other sites such as Google Yahoo and which was recently purchased by Viacom owner of MTV Current executives are concerned concerned concerned con con- about the competition moving in their direction but were no not pausing said Hyatt chief executive in a aphone aphone aphone phone call from London Financed by private supporters support support- ers Current does docs not disclose financial figures but Our future is secure Hyatt said The challenges ahead include improving the quality of the content expanding the scale of operations and creating an international operation he said Already Current runs videos from soldiers in Iraq from a team of global reporters recently returned from the Congo and from contributors contributors contributors contrib contrib- in in Iran and Israel Noting that almost every newer digital camera and cell cell- phone can also shoot video Silva said that in in a year we might upload a video from our to the Current Web site and it can go on the air anywhere I am on the planet And right there you'll have a point of view you have nowhere else