Native People in Communication Part II with Pam Belgard

So then I felt like I didn’t know enough cuz I kind of focused on radio and I felt like I didn’t know enough about television Oh video production so I decided I was going to go to the Institute of American Institute of American Indian art in Santa Fe because I happened to attend a really was called the three rivers or two rivers American Indian Film Festival in Minneapolis and so there were several producers there maybe their works were in progress and they were just kind of talking about it maybe they got funding through like one of them was through at that time it was TBS it was called the Native American series and he had received a lot of money for that so anyway he just saying hey we’re looking for the young and up-and-coming you know produce you know people want to be production assistants and so on and he that producer that exec you know he was the producer was teaching at the Institute of American Indian art and I said I’m gonna go there even though I already had a degree I said I’m gonna go there I want to learn from him well by the time I Abe was able to get myself there he had left and he was producing projects for television full-time so and they were Native projects and oh by the way when I was there at that Film Festival I went up and talked to him because he said come up and anybody interested come and talk to me we’ll see if we can get you on as like a production assistant and they were shooting throughout the country they were focusing on tribes throughout the country so I made sure I made my way up to him and talked to him and said you know I’m really interested well it takes time for these things to come to fruition and so a few months would go by I’d give him a call nothing you know was going on and a few more months ago it went by you know I kept bugging him and then finally when it was funded fully funded and they you know they brought me on board to help with I helped with two of their segments and that was a real eye-opening experience and I picked everybody’s bringing the shooter’s the guys that worked you know what is that truck called the big truck with all the gear on it you know those guys have set up they set up the you know reflectors the light so about this and I would talk to them I would talk to the producer you know the line producer who’s the one on location producing I mean I kind of kept my eyes open eyes and ears open and I would ask questions when I when I could and so I tried to learn you know learn by observing and I you know that was kind of where I paid my dues you know I was like I was willing to do whatever it took to get on the production you know and learn and be a part of it and so you know we were out in South Dakota oh gosh we were in different locations in South Dakota but I would have to run like 30 miles to go get lunch you know and get back and make sure the crew was fed you know things like that whatever they needed you know we would do if we have to hold reflectors for our you know you sit there and hold a reflector and make sure it reflects you know from the Sun under their face you know in your stat you got a hold it for a long time I mean there’s things you know that the worker bees have to do and it has to be done so anyway I was willing to do it because I wanted to learn and in the meantime I also went to the Institute marketing art and there was a woman there who had worked for stations in Albuquerque and she was now teaching she was a wonderful teacher I learned so much from her about production too and she was a native woman all these people were native producers they were they had been in the business for a long time you know and they were now they were giving me the you know that you know the younger me they were giving the younger folks a hand up you know they wanted to and so I learned a lot but I was willing to and this is really important I already had a college degree but I was willing to humble myself and go to the Institute American Indian art which at that time was a two-year school and I said I wanted to learn more and so you know I went back and learned more and then also I wanted to learn from whoever I could you know that was really important there’s a saying it says if you’re the smartest person in the room if you’re always the smartest person in the room you need to look at you know who you’re keeping company with because you’re never gonna learn you’re never gonna grow and that’s something about our culture that’s that’s a really that’s a real blessing and a real gift because we do honor our elders and we do look to them you know I’m gonna say you know it’s kind of the what’s that word kind of that stereotype a little bit you know on your elders hey there’s elder abuse going on in our in our communities and everything too but I’m just saying we do value our elders I think more I think a little bit more than mainstream America does I think we do and anyway so that mentorship you know that turning to somebody who knows more than you is really important because you’re never gonna grow you’re never going to be challenged if you’re always the smartest person in the room you know and then who wants to be the smartest person in the world you know who doesn’t want to learn more and you know that would that’s what makes life exciting you know and I mean I’m always setting goals I always want to learn more so but that falls right I think that’s a really important quality or characteristic of our culture is at least we have been hearing and it’s back here you know honor your elders listen to your elders we’re not you know we’re not sitting at the laps of our elders anymore you know that’s not happening and I know lots of good people that you know are doing their best to get the word out there you know and teachings and stories and so on and boy with today you know with the social media and everything it is so hard to get the attention of junior high school well Elementary whatever you know you really have to be sophisticated about it you really do because they’re not gonna pay attention