Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Schwartz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was a self-supporting student at Brown University determined to become a labor lawyer in order to follow my grandparent’s legacy as radical union organizers. I worked almost 40 hours a week as a labor and tenant organizer in Providence, Rhode Island while studying History at school. Fed up with the way that independent unions were covered by the press, I decided to tackle journalism head-on and found myself producing National Public Radio pieces, public television, and hard news.
The exposure to the craft of film production was seductive. I had found a career where I could use my intellect and my ability to conduct in-depth research, but still have music, image, and above all, teamwork. I loved the adrenaline rush of staying up for three days in a row shooting music videos or kicking down doors and chasing the bad guys – and capturing it all on film.
As I continued to explore my interest in labor issues, I had a second career-changing moment. I went to Latin America to look at the impact of the nationalization of the petroleum industry in Venezuela and examine the effects it had on workers. This was a life-changing experience. A friend from school was working as a geologist on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border. I went to visit his mining operation, where miners who had previously worked in slave-like conditions could make up to $10,000 a day.
I also got close to some Yanomami villages, and thus began a lifelong engagement with indigenous peoples which has continued to the present day. I formed our company Interlock Media in order to document the political movements of native peoples towards self-determination, expose unconventional warfare, and bring to light the attempts to enslave native peoples around the world. I lived and worked in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific for 15 years.
At this time, Interlock Media was supported in large part by our work in radio and television, where we would help to produce pieces on environmental issues, domestic violence, infant survival, alternative medicine, and basic education. At the same time, we constructed production facilities, trained scriptwriters, and worked with actors. Family circumstances brought me back to Boston, and to support my child and my company, I worked on feature films, music videos, commercials, and corporate industrials as a union crew member.
From there, I obtained a long-term contract at WGBH, working on special projects for NOVA, the science series, before dedicating myself to independent film. At both the start of my career and now, the three main themes have been the same: climate change, indigenous rights, and maintaining the highest production values both technically and intellectually.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Independent filmmaking has always had a great deal of struggles and challenges, including funding, distribution obstacles, technical and logistical challenges, and many more.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Interlock Media – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Interlock Media produces television and radio, along with web and podcasting.
For twenty-five years, we’ve tackled tough topics on the international environmental and public health fronts. We are now dedicated to advocating forward-thinking solutions in an artistic and compassionate fashion.
We train tomorrow’s media makers as we release our own independent film works. Interlock Media Inc. is unique in that we only work on social justice and environmental issues, and does so using generous amounts of volunteer talent in music, animation, and steadfast investigatory technique.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As our world is increasingly threatened by war, famine, and political strife, we believe climate change remains the biggest threat to our planet and is the primary cause of many of these other problems. As a result, Interlock plans to re-brand the company to work exclusively on climate issues.
Contact Info:
- Address: 355 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141 - Website: http://www.interlockmedia.com/
- Phone: 617-577-0000
- Email: jonathan.director@gmail.com
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