The showcase project I'd like to do is on the up and coming neighborhood, Prospect Heights. In the past few years the neighborhood has changed a lot and it's continuing to change quickly. Being so close to Park Slope, it's often overshadowed by the larger and more famous neighborhood, but lately it's making a name for itself in the papers. Numerous newspapers have done stories on the area, usually about the real estate and the main shopping avenue, Vanderbilt Avenue. Vanderbilt has been compared to what happened on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens a few year ago. Despite the economic climate, new stores and restaurants are opening up monthly, catering to the Park Slope families that have been priced out of their former neighborhood and also young people that are flocking to the area.
It's also got a lot of attention lately because of the Atlantic Yards project on the northern end of the neighborhood. One of the biggest news stories in Brooklyn right now is centered around Prospect Heights and the residents that are fighting back against a huge development project for downtown Brooklyn - an area that Prospect Heights borders. Residents of the neighborhood have come together in a number of advocacy groups to keep the project from happening.
While it is right next door to Park Slope, it also shares a border with Crown Heights. A West Indian and Hassidic Jewish community, the area is developing, but still known as a sometimes dangerous area for outsiders. The community is still recovering from the Crown Heights Riots in the 90's and crime levels in the neighborhood are still high. This atmosphere has also bled over into Prospect Heights where recent shootings have shaken up the community. So much so that neighborhood meetings have been called to start a neighborhood dialog about the crime in the area.
Given the public attention the neighborhood has been given lately, I think it would be a timely piece on a neighborhood struggling with gentrification, crime, class issues, racial tension in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and real estate development. I plan to use U.S. census data, other recent articles, interviews, both original pictures and public domain photos, original video, music, and original audio.
Another project wouldn't mind doing is on vinyl. Most people think of vinyl records as a relic from the past, but many bands still release music on vinyl and even more people continue to buy new and vintage vinyl. There are still many record stores in New York City including ones that have been around for decades and some that are new. Some of the newer ones have incorporated selling other items or services to compliment their income, like Eat Records in Greenpoint. They are a record store and restaurant/coffee bar in one.
I'd like to incorporate original photos, original audio, interviews, and hopefully some vinyl recordings - though I'm not sure how that would work out. I think it would be an interesting piece since most people think that vinyl is something that has dropped out of favor with younger crowds but in fact, it's continuously produced and bought.
One more story I'd like to do is on the northern Gulf Coast of Florida. I'm going there for a week soon and I think it would be a fun, light multimedia story to do. The panhandle of Florida is an area most northerners don't really think about. Most New Yorkers go to south Florida to vacation but interestingly, most Southerners go to north Florida to vacation. The area is full of natural harbors, beautiful beaches, award winning seafood restaurants, southern charm, and it's also a hot bed for hurricane action.
In addition to all the above, north Florida is a heavily military area. Entire towns have been built from the dirt up to accommodate the incredible amount of military and their families. The Blue Angels home training is in the area, as well as many of the Special Operations teams that are the first to respond in times of war. I think a multimedia story on the panhandle of Florida would be a visually stunning and fun travel story.
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