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Virtual Our Town: Gallipolis FREE Premiere Screening TONIGHT!
< < Back toVirtual Platform OVEE allows WOUB to simulate in-person experience
ATHENS, OH – With the spread of COVID-19 continuing in Ohio and across the nation, WOUB Public Media has decided to hold its free premiere screening of Our Town: Gallipolis virtually. The in-person premiere screening was originally scheduled for March 22 at Gallia Academy High School but was cancelled following the recommendations from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio University President Duane Nellis regarding the Coronavirus outbreak.
“We had hoped to be able to wait to premiere the documentary at a time when it was safe to gather together at an event in Gallipolis,” said WOUB General Manager Mark Brewer. “But with all the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, we don’t think that will be able to happen any time soon. We don’t want to make the people of Gallipolis wait any longer to see this documentary.”
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Our Town: Gallipolis FREE Virtual Premiere Screening RSVP NOW |
The free online screening will be held on Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. WOUB is using a virtual screening platform funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting called OVEE (Online Viewing and Engagement Experience) for the event. You can find it here: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/g5m5f We are asking those interested in attending the free event to RSVP now at https://bit.ly/OurTownRSVP
“OVEE is used by many PBS programs and stations to screen their programs,” said Community Engagement Manager Cheri Russo. “The platform gives WOUB the ability to recreate as much of the in-person experience as possible, while keeping everyone safe at the same time.”
The Our Town: Gallipolis documentary film is an hour-long look at the history of the Gallia County community. It examines many unique aspects and people of Gallipolis including: the town’s first settlers, the Silver Bridge, and Gallipolis’ connection to the sinking of the Titanic.The film also explores some of Gallipolis’ more notable residents like Bob Evans, Tuskegee Airman Henry Norman and Grandma Gatewood.
The Gallipolis film is the seventh historical documentary in WOUB’s Our Town series. The series is produced and directed by 13-time Emmy-Award winner and a southeastern Ohio native Evan Shaw.
“Gallipolis has a unique and fascinating history, from its founding with the French 500 through present day. While it is disappointing that we can’t hold an in-person premiere event, we’ve put together a wonderful documentary on Gallipolis which will inspire community pride no matter how and where its viewed,” said Shaw.
WOUB wanted to make sure the people of Gallipolis were the first to be able to view the documentary, so the television premiere of the program, which was originally scheduled for March 23 at 8 p.m., was also postponed. Our Town: Gallipolis will now air on WOUB HD on Monday, September 21 at 8 p.m. with an encore broadcast at 9:30 p.m.
“A lot of hard work went into this documentary,” said Brewer. “And we can’t wait until the virtual and broadcast television premieres, so everyone has a chance to see it.”
Our Town: Gallipolis is made possible in part by the generous support of the following organizations.
About Our Town
Our Town is a historical documentary series produced by WOUB Public Media and the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact which aims to tell the unique creation stories of communities in the Appalachian region. Through the telling of this history, Our Town is building the collective story of the Appalachian region and developing an incredible sense of place and purpose to inspire residents to continue building on the past to create a stronger future.