Last week Tom Violett joined one of our Mini Escape Pod Zoom calls. He’s making his first documentary (Voices For Change) at 62 with his 19 year old filmmaker son Ray.

He told us how he went to a documentary screening of a young filmmaker in Philadelphia, PA.

“It turned out to be a Video Consortium Hub event, with both experienced and emerging filmmakers all in the same room,” said Tom. “That night, I turned to Ray and said, ‘I want one of these in New Jersey.'”

And that’s what he did!

“So I made it happen — connected with a few people — and we had our launch event a few weeks ago. We brought together emerging filmmakers, a documentary filmmaker who’s been doing a PBS series for 13 years, and another friend who’s been an editor for 30 years, doing high-end work like Super Bowl commercials.

They all just talked.

We’re building that community, and people are hungry for it. It’s tough when you’re out there on your own, but once you find that community, it just takes off.”

They all just talked.

That’s it, friends. That’s the magic.

Talking gets you closer to the answer you’re seeking. The Unholy Trinity (The Data, The Device, and The Distraction) would rather we just post more, or watch a few more how-to videos on YouTube – anything but putting our phones down and talking to one another about our work, our mission, or the magic we’re trying to bring to the world.

You can find this taking place online, like in Alex’s BAT CAVE Zoom meetings, and Beth’s Introvert Drawing Club, and Frederick Woodruff’s Moon Zooms and the Social Media Escape Club Escape Pod Zoom calls. But this is all happening offline, too. There are (and have been) Punk Rock Flea Markets, zine fests, indie movie screenings, house shows, open studios, and so much more.

These all existed before social media, and they’ll continue long after the lights go out at Meta.