Meet Dana Healy of Danvers Community Access Television in Danvers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Healy.

Dana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
DCAT is coming up on its’ 17 year anniversary. We are a non-profit community media center that serves the Town of Danvers by providing media and technology instruction and tools in order to facilitate creativity in the community and freedom of speech. The Town of Danvers is immersed in a volunteerism-driven culture, which is a strong location for a community media center like DCAT.

We were incorporated in 2001, and a dynamic group of volunteers assembled to build the organization.

In the last 4 years, DCAT has had a 148% increase in membership and facilities usage. The last 4 years mark when two long-time staff members stepped into leadership positions within the organization, Ginny Ahearn, and Dana Healy. Once a sleepy little non-profit, has now become a powerhouse in community media, boasting thousands of programs produced by producers across all demographics.

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?
In over 15 years, there is always up and downs. Our first location was 900 square feet down a side alley. There were feral cats that would crawl under the foundation and die. Frequently, my co-worker Ginny and I would walk into work finding raccoons sitting on the fence blocking our entry. The worst day was when the upstairs toilet broke and we had to gather buckets to catch gallons of water pouring out of the ceiling. Aside from the wildlife and the plumbing issues, we had an issue of space. A television studio needs high ceilings, space for props and lighting, and editing facilities. We had to rent a house two doors down to keep our editing facilities. In the winter we would trudge through the snow to the annex, fire up a space heater and edit. It was difficult with logistics.

In 2012 we built out our current home on Elm Street. We have 3,000 square feet with high ceilings and no plumbing issues. I have not had a stand-off with a raccoon while walking into work. We utilize all our space and have grown tremendously since our first location.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
DCAT has over 275 members that use the facilities to create television shows, music videos, podcasts, and animations. Our two Coordinators, Ben Thomas and David Rodriguez, work with the membership to teach them how to create award-winning programs. Evenings at DCAT are hectic with LIVE shows, workshops, parties, and editing sessions. DCAT has been at the forefront of facilitating imaginative and innovative programming that allows the public the freedom to express their own personal brand of artistic talent. We are proud to offer this platform, which offers a wide range of eclectic programming. This includes a punk rock band banging out their tunes, to a priest talking about the lessons of the Bible, to a 12-year-old producing his own cooking show, to hard-hitting political forums that speak to the issues in our community.

DCAT employees are referred to as “the DCAT family”, and the services we provide our members is called “the DCAT experience”. We pride ourselves in creating an inclusive environment where people can be creative and comfortable. Our customer service and friendly atmosphere sets us apart from other companies. We make an effort to learn about all our members, send birthday cards, and help foster their creativity on their own terms.

DCAT also works closely with the local schools and YMCA to create media production and technology camps. Elementary and middle-school aged children learn how to create movie trailers and Claymation. Every year we look to expand our programs to invite more children. This year, we will have had served over 300 children through our media programs. Our goal is to introduce creative technology to these children as career paths in the future. The success we have experienced with children in Danvers is measured not only in the number of participants involved with DCAT but also with the inspiration to motivate them to go on and make the field of communication their future vocation.

We are expanding our programs by offering services to the community. We are editing sports reels for athletes applying to colleges. This is a service that is needed in the competitive world of college admissions and we are filling that niche with our talents. We are also opening our facilities for rentals for a fun alternative to stuffy office parties. We recently hosted a party where the guests utilized our Movie Theater and green screen for a company launch party.

What were you like growing up?
When I was a kid, I wasn’t very strong academically. I remember the guidance counselor telling me “college isn’t for everyone”. Not too long after that, I was accidentally put into a television production class. I knew no one in the class, as it was for older students. Since I didn’t know anyone, I took on projects on my own and delved deep into media production. I would frequently skip other classes to sneak into TV class to edit short movies and the video yearbook. Skipping all those classes paid off, I got a scholarship to attend the new media production program at Franklin Pierce College.

My friends would describe me as diplomatic, fun, and hopefully funny.

Aside from television production, I have my 2nd-degree black belt in Karate, I enjoy weightlifting and gardening. I am a mom of 2 beautiful girls, Ryan and Quinn.

Pricing:

• $10 yearly individual membership.
• $25 per child for television birthday party.
• $100-$400 for custom made sports reels.
• $30 an hour for private events.

Contact Info:

• Address: 87 Elm St Second Floor
  Danvers, MA 01923
• Website: www.danverstv.org
• Phone: 978-777-2720
• Email: dcat@danverstv.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcatdanversma/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DCATDanvers/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanversDcat

Image Credit:
Ben Thomas, David Rodriguez, Jonathan Pellerin

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