AHA Media

AHA MEDIA is very pleased to congratulate Irwin Oostindie, our Executive Director  for W2 and Fearless City Mobile.

If not for Irwin Oostindie’s great encouragement, training, mentoring and vision – AHA MEDIA ( made of Vancouver Downtown Eastside residents learning to become skilled new media community content producers, social media event reporters and hyperlocal citizen journalists) would not have existed! 

As we continue to participate events and projects with our most recent being at Vancouver Digital Week 2009, we are continously learning  about creative and digital technology!

Thanks so much to Irwin for making us as AHA MEDIA who we are and what we are becoming for the future ! We owe so much to you for believing in us, as marginalized Vancouver Downtown Eastside citizens that could make a very positive difference in our lives, our communities, and for the world! 🙂

Irwin Oostindie’s very belief in us has changed our very existence  in the most misrepresented area of Vancouver- AHA MEDIA is  now  made up of proud Downtown Eastside ( DTES ) people with real skills and training!

 Thank you very much Irwin! You’ve saved and changed our humble lives!  What AHA MEDIA is today, is because of your continuing work with us! Thank you for all the opportunities you’ve granted us! 🙂

We look forward to the Pop Vox Awards Show at Workspace Wednesday May 13,2009. AHA MEDIA will be livestreaming during the event and reception!

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With respectful thanks to Carla Bergman http://www.rainzine.org for her following writeup on Irwin Oostindie’s nomination

W2 is pleased to announce that Irwin Oostindie, Executive Director, has been nominated for an Individual Stand Out (ISO) Awards in the category of Visionary Leadership for the PopVox 2009 Awards for Digital Media. New Media BC presents PopVox: People’s Choice Digital Media Awards which recognize all major sectors of the digital media industry and celebrates its creativity, talent, and achievements.

Irwin Oostindie cofounded W2 in 2005, and is currently Executive Director responsible for project development, community and stakeholder engagement, and clustering the many organizations and programs that make up W2. W2 is scheduled to open at Woodward’s in the Fall 2009, serving DTES residents with programs empowering through arts and creative technology. Oostindie was nominated for his work facilitating Downtown Eastside residents in breaking the digital divide, and showcasing what digital technology can do to improve peoples lives, while democratizing access to technology and peer training. Oostindie designed the W2 Incubator program which uses a new model fusing entrepreneurship, capacity building, and empowerment.

Oostindie is nominated alongside two Vancouver new media entrepreneurs in the Visionary Leadership category. Michael Tippett has built Now Public into the world’s largest citizen journalism website, and Jason Mogus, has expanded Communicopia to be a leader in web technology, strategy and social change.

W2 is also nominated under another PopVox category this year, with Kris Krug, Co-Chair of W2’s Fundraising Committee, nominated in the Social Media category. Krug is a major force in Canada’s web 2.0 and social media industry.

The awards are being held during Vancouver Digital Media Week, on Wednesday, May 13th. W2 VJ Director, Suez ‘Electrabelle’ Holland, will be on hand to animate the PopVox event with live digital media streaming. For further details visit http://www.vancouverdigitalweek.com/

Below is a photo ( Left to Right)

 Lani Russwurm – DTES CAN – Downtown Eastside Commnity Arts Network

Irwin Oostindie  – Executive Director of W2 and Fearless City Mobile

Kris Krug               – Social Media Rockstar

AHA MEDIA is very honored and blessed to know each of the above men who are our mentors and leaders as we learn more about creative technology! 🙂