LPM membership drive features free classes and open houses

Longmont Public Media will be holding a membership drive now through Sept. 15 to increase awareness and community involvement in the local media makerspace.

During the member drive, Longmont Public Media will be hosting events at its studio space, holding open houses and providing intensive media crash courses for free. New and upgrading members will also receive special gifts.

Longmont Public Media is Longmont’s and Boulder County’s only media makerspace as an approximately 5,000 square foot facility with studios for producing video, live streams, gaming, computer editing, podcasting and audio production. LPM also has an online radio station, LPMX, run by members and broadcasting a variety of music.

“We have an incredible and talented community of content creators, editors, videographers, photographers and more here at Longmont Public Media,” Executive Director Sergio Angeles said in a release. “Everyone is willing to teach and help one-another out with content creation, whether it's podcasts, videos, live streams and more.”

With a grand opening in early 2020, creating a membership base at Longmont Public Media during its first two years has been especially difficult. As a nonprofit largely reliant on city funding, Longmont Public Media survives based on community awareness, the organization said.

“People pass this building every day and have no idea what is actually offered inside,” said Ryan Forbes, content and marketing manager for LPM. “We want to change that with the events, classes and the rewards we are offering during Member Drive.”

Remaining events for the drive include:

• Noir & Then Movie Club: Sunset Boulevard - 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2
• Tours and free lunch - 12:30 p.m. Sept. 6
• Free YouTube Best Practices class - 4 p.m. Sept. 7
• Fact of Fiction: Live Storytelling - 6 p.m. Sept. 8
• Free Portrait Day - 4 p.m. Sept. 9
• Open house - noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 11
• Free live streaming workshop - Sept. 12
• Free studio workshop - 1 p.m. Sept. 13
• Free podcasting class - 2 p.m. Sept. 14
• Longmont’s Most Talented Live - 6 p.m. Sept. 15

Every event attended and member referred will earn entries into LPM’s final big prize raffle on Sept. 15. Longmont businesses have donated gift certificates and prizes for the raffle.

“This Member Drive is not about earning more money so we can get better cameras,” said AJ Foxx, local event organizer and LPM member. “We need to show the city that people use and want this makerspace. And as soon as I tell people about this space, they want to take advantage of it.”

The drive ends Sept. 15 at LPM’s studios with a Talent Show and grand prize raffle drawing live streamed on YouTube and TV. To learn more, go to www.longmontpublicmedia.org/memberdrive.