We have not been successful in raising funding. CTZN.TV, as it exists at this point in its development, is not commercial, at least not in a way that will attract investment seeking a justified ROI.

Currently, the site is subsidized, entirely, out of my wallet. We depend upon “pro bono” video submission, although from time to time I subsidize a video journalists efforts. We have, slowly, attracted a group of professional video journalists who believe in the idea of forming – and indulge the presumption – a “community” along the lines of what Magnum is for photo journalism, or at least the original impetus behind the creation of Magnum.

Some of our submissions are world class, some are not. Some pieces focus on issue sof global scale, others are “provincial” in scope. The various pieces do and will continue to range across a wide thematic spectrum, but the “remit”, or at least what we are aiming toward,is the power of narrative.

We are not YouTube, Veoh, VNS,or MetaCafe, or one of dozens and dozens of other sites that are a combination of miscellanous thought, self-promotion, soap-box ideology, or home-movie offerings. Don’t misunderstand, there is a place for all of this, and you can even find some fabulous video journalism on all of these sites. There are also a few fine sites (for example TIVA and StormMedia) that suggest there is a path to creating a self-sustaining professional video journalism enterprise.

We are not in a position, not yet, to claim a specific thematic identity. Unlike The Washington Post, or AP Video, or Reuters, CTZN.TV is not covering current and headline stories, nor can we afford to subsidize documentaries. These organizations do splendid work, and thankfully contribute to the livelihood of some eminently talented professional video journalists.

We have attracted some of these very journalists who are also seeking a platform for their personal narrative. This doesn’t mean something autobiographical, but it often means a story that more conventional platforms will not be interested in. Why? Perhaps the story is not uplifting or is of marginal interest for a broad-based audience. Perhaps the story is a little “unfinished” and rough around the edges because of lack of financial resources,or time. Or perhaps the story is deeply personal, and is not appropriate for more conventional media distribution.

We take risks, and consequently the “quality” varies, and the subject matter migrates somtimes unpredictably.

CTZN.TV did not in fact wait to determine what the submissions would be before defining “the parameters”. We are building relationships, and steadily building an audience. It is not, by any means, easy, nor have we figured out the best equation for “success”. We are in a gestation period, and will probably stumble, continue to take risks, make more mistakes, and occasionally offer video journalism that will make an indelible impression.

It may sound hyperbolic, but our mission really is “to aggregate the work of talented video journalists of great diversity and distinction whose work is characterized by powerful individual vision”. I do not think this is meaningless. When I was a print journalist, the famous editor who I worked for used similar language. We might not succeed at meeting that objective, but the words are not only real, but have actual have resonanted for several video journalists who have contributed their work to CTZN.TV.

What do I want from you. Submit your work. Even if it has been distributed else where, even if it isn’t fresh out of the oven, share it with us, share it with our audience as we work to build the quality of the content, and the quality of relationship with our viewers.

kk