semiofficial verina: Producer Profile: Len Heisler ? BRIC Community Media

Len Heisler
Breakthru DD & Breakthru Grief
breakthrugrief.wordpress.com

breakthrudd.wordpress.com

Although being a certified producer at BRIC for a little less than a year, you can often find Len Heisler in the editing lab, clicking away at the screen.? His work is close to his heart, and has touched many others. He took some time out away from the editing station to talk to us about his experience with BRIC and beyond over the last year.

So first of all, what are the names of your programs? And what would you say are their purposes?

I have two programs: one is called Breakthru DD, ?DD? as in ?developmental disabilities.? I?m the executive director of a musical theater company for young adults with Down Syndrome, Aspergers, and Autism. Most people when they see the appearance of a Down Syndrome kid, that?s all they see; the show is to break down the stereotyping.

The other program is Breakthru Grief. Five years ago, I lost my wife. We were married for 25 years before she died. She was the mother of my daughter. What I realized a year later was that if I had videos of men who had been in that similar situation telling me how they went on, because I was so grief struck, that would have been tremendous. So what I created a website to help others. Breakthru Grief is essentially interviews with men, women and kids who have lost family members, explaining how they cope with the loss of their loved one.

What motivates you to do your programs?

I would say I make them essentially just to help people. I?m 66 years old. In the 1980s I was in a rock band, I opened for the Ramones. Sex, drugs and Rock n? Roll: I did a lot of self-indulgence. Now I?m at a point where what is really meaningful to me is to try and improve other people?s lives. And so that?s what motivates me.

Tell me a bit about how the programs are created. How does everything come together? Are you just one person doing all of the filming and editing?

I have this theater company with kids. There are fifteen or sixteen in the cast, and we have an artistic director.? We work at the Berkley Carroll School Dance Room, so she [the Artistic Director] does rehearsals there and I do the videos. I come to BRIC and edit and put things up on the website.

For people who lost family members who want to be on camera with me? a lot of times, they want to tell their story.? Not only just for their own personal catharsis, but also to be of service to somebody else who is grieving.

I do everything from the technological perspective.

When did you get certified?

This place is godsend to me. In September 2011, I took two courses: one for using a camera, lighting and sound; and the other using the Avid editing software. It?s now 9-10 months later, and I?ve been coming in about 3-4 times a week since September.

What triggered your interest in BRIC?

It was totally luck, there?s a fellow Jonathan Leif who works here [at BRIC], and his daughter and my daughter went to elementary together. So I?ve known him for about 30 years, and I was telling what I was interested in doing, and he said, ?Well, it just so happens that I work at BRIC and this can give you everything you want.?

It was really an accidental conversation I had with him, and I just followed up on it.

I feel very grateful that I have not only [access to the] the equipment, but also the great people here.

Having courses about how to set up websites on WordPress and other social media and even how to get sponsors for your projects makes it quite a package deal. It?s really quite a community service they do around here.

What?s your favorite thing about being part of community access TV?

What I enjoy is being able to use the equipment, getting all the help, the community atmosphere. I enjoy being of service to people. I enjoy collaborating, putting up a website. ?I have a viral committee to make sure these messages get out. I have business people and lawyers I work with, astounding people. It?s really something I?m not used to because I was in education. I enjoy the people and the work.

Is there anything funny or interesting that has happened to you while creating a show?

The interesting thing is, when you sit in front computer with Avid, you have a goal, and so it doesn?t really matter what you are feeling emotionally. So one of the interesting things that happened to me was, I was building what some would call a ?Brady Bunch?? a three-by-three matrix so you would see nine faces all at once on the screen. It took me two hours to build. I put it up on the timeline and it collapsed.

I had an emotional breakdown. It was just kind of funny, because you have a goal, and if you are an emotional guy like I am, (I wear my heart on my sleeve)?and here I am: I just spent all of these hours, and I put it up on the timeline, and it dissolves. All that work is gone. I just found it interesting that I was having this emotional breakdown while I was clicking and making choices, so it didn?t really matter.

I mean, sometimes, this process is really crazy because I?ll try something that I think is a great idea? I might even have some technical difficulties along the way? and finally do it, and I realize I don?t want it!

I think the other thing about it is that when you?re building a video, (for example we just did a show, and I?m showing it at the final rehearsal we have this Thursday as a sort of party ending the season), these videos bring joy to a lot of people.

Every time I work here and I put something on a thumb drive and then I pop it into a computer and projecting it for everyone else (in the theater company) to see? you see people reacting because they are the people being filmed and their families are there to enjoy it, too. It?s like being in a band, because sometimes music can be very inspiring, sometimes videos can be more so. I like the effect the videos have on people.

Interview by Harris Ackermann, BRIC Intern