Please vote for "A Friend's Take" on Vimeo!

Dear friends:
Please take a second to sign up on Vimeo and vote for my video, "A Friend's Take" in the Project Pushback contest!

http://vimeo.com/4957872

A Friend's Take from Project Pushback on Vimeo.

Staglevision: Birthday update

Dear friends,

Happy spring! I've got some exciting news to share with you:

FILM - "Street Kid Book Factory" Airing on Current TV
The short documentary I shot with Sarah Gilbert in Buenos Aires last year is finally playing on Current TV! Here's a synopsis and the link:

Eloisa Cartonera is an independent book publisher in Buenos Aires that sells recycled, handpainted books written by some of Latin America's most dynamic young writers. In this pod, VC2 producers Steven Tagle and Sarah Gilbert profile the publisher's founder and interview some of the young street kids who collect the cardboard and paint the books.

Watch "Street Kid Book Factory" and let me know what you think:
http://current.com/items/89633872/street_kid_book_factory.htm

WRITING - Spork Piece in Progress
I've begun writing a piece for Spork, a literary magazine edited and constructed by Richard Siken and Drew Burk. Siken has been one of my favorite poets since I read his debut collection, Crush, in college. I emailed Spork asking how I could get involved, and Drew very generously, very quirkily invited me to write a piece. I think that's all I can divulge for now, but with luck, you'll soon be seeing me in one of Spork's beautifully bound hardback issues! This will be my very first publication.

See what Spork is all about:
http://sporkpress.com

LIFE IN LA - Birthday Brunch and Beach, 4/26/09
Next Sunday, April 26, I'll be celebrating my 24th birthday at Panini Garden in Santa Monica. I discovered Panini Garden a few weekends back on a writing adventure with Amy Aniobi and Reena Magsarili. They have a Secret Garden-esque backyard patio and a breakfast panini with a side of fresh fruit that makes my mouth water.

If you're in town and want to spend an afternoon brunching and hanging out at the beach, I'd love to see you there.

Date: Sunday, April 26, 2009
Time: 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Panini Garden then Santa Monica Beach
Street: 2715 Main Street (at Hill St.)
City/Town: Santa Monica, CA
Parking: There's free street parking around 6th and Hill,
or use the Farmer's Market beach parking.
Link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/panini-garden-santa-monica

Hope to see you next Sunday!

Best,
Steven
--
http://www.steventagle.com/contact

Street Kid Book Factory

Dear friends,

Exciting news! The short documentary I shot with Sarah Gilbert in Buenos Aires last year is finally playing on Current TV. Here it is:


Street Kid Book Factory

Eloisa Cartonera is an independent book publisher in Buenos Aires that sells recycled, handpainted books written by some of Latin America's most dynamic young writers. In this pod, VC2 producers Steven Tagle and Sarah Gilbert profile the publisher's founder and interview some of the young street kids who collect the cardboard and paint the books.

Please watch it on Current and comment!
http://current.com/items/89633872/street_kid_book_factory.htm

The Election Reactions

Reactions from around the US as Americans discovered their new President was Barack Obama. Featuring footage from Amy's party!

Current TV Project Updates

Dear friends,
Hope you’re all having a spectacular summer! Here are a couple updates about my Current TV projects:

1. FOOD FIGHT SPECIAL now airing
2. LITTER INTO LITERATURE bought by Current
3. OUR GENERATION’S WAR segment in production
4. I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU TRENT AND GREG screening at SIE Film Fest
________________________

1. FOOD FIGHT SPECIAL now airing
GOT RICE?, a pod I produced about the rice shortages in LA, is now airing on Current. The piece is part of FOOD FIGHT, an hour-long Vanguard and Collective Journalism special that investigates the promise and peril of using food for fuel, and the far-reaching consequences of the global fight for resources.

To find interview subjects for this pod, I visited over 20 rice-serving restaurants in Alhambra and Monterey Park. Thank you to Xiao Qi Liang, owner of ACC Chinese Fast Food, for agreeing to speak with me, and to Jerome Jiang, one of her customers, for serving as our interpreter. Thanks too to Kimpo Ngoi for sharing his family’s reaction to the rice shortage with me.

The segment that I produced runs from 31:20 – 33:20.
You can watch it below:

2. LITTER INTO LITERATURE bought by Current
I have finished editing LITTER INTO LITERATURE, the short documentary I co-produced in Buenos Aires with CJ Contributor Sarah Gilbert. The film is about the cartoneros, Buenos Aires’ unofficial recyclers, and Eloisa Cartonera, an independent book publisher where cartoneros can get a good deal on cardboard and contribute to great art as well. Current bought the doc and will be airing it soon. Thanks to Henry Goldman for bringing it in.

3. OUR GENERATION’S WAR segment in production
Current contributor Alex Paris and I have also begun work on a segment for another Current special called OUR GENERATION’S WAR. This piece examines the sacrifices that our country’s service people have made in the War on Terror. The piece attempts to document the entire cycle of service: from recruitment to extensions of service commitments, to what our service people find when they return home and the families they leave behind. For my segment, I will be profiling a service person who has been stop-lossed. If all goes well, we intend to shoot the piece next weekend.

4. I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU TRENT AND GREG screening at SIE Film Fest
My first Current pod, I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU TRENT AND GREG, will be screening at the Stanford in Entertainment Film Festival next weekend. This is the film festival’s 10^th anniversary, so the group is planning a jam-packed afternoon of screenings at Cinespace, followed by a reception. My film will screen with the other shorts from 3pm – 4:30pm, but I plan to stay for the whole event. Come check out TRENT AND GREG on the big screen—I’d love to see you there!

Date: Saturday, July 26
Time: 3pm – 4:30pm screening of short films (including mine) / 5pm – 7pm feature screening / 7pm - 8pm reception with appetizers and cash bar
Place: Cinespace / 6356 Hollywood Blvd. (corner of Ivar and Hollywood) / Los Angeles
Price: Free for members plus a guest; $15 for non-members
RSVP to Amy Taylor, ’98 at amytaylor1@verizon.net

Hope to see you next Saturday!

Sincerely,
Steven

Call for Stop-Lossed Soldiers

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a video journalist looking for a stop-lossed soldier who is interested in sharing his or her story. I work for Current TV, a cable news channel and website for the 18-34 year old demographic.

For our parents, it was Vietnam; for our grandparents, World War II—-the War on Terror launched after September 11th is OUR GENERATION’S WAR. With previous wars of this magnitude, our country as a whole was asked to sacrifice either through rationing or drafting of their service. The War on Terror—-funded mostly on debt—-has not asked much of our society as a whole, but it has demanded a tremendous sacrifice from those who entered the service before Sept. 11th and those who have joined up since. What exactly does this burden look and feel like?

Rather than focusing on stories of direct combat, we’re focusing our attention on the home front. I am working with Current journalists from around the country, attempting to document the entire cycle of service: from recruitment to extensions of service commitments to what our service people find when they return home and the families they leave behind.

In particular, I am looking for a soldier who is being stop-lossed or was stop-lossed in the past. I would like to spend a day with this person, first conducting a filmed interview, then shadowing this person to see what a “day in the life” is like.

If you would be willing to speak with me, or if you know any stop-lossed soldiers who would like to be interviewed for this project, please send me an email. If anonymity is an issue, I would be able to blur faces, etc. The deadline for submitting pieces for this Collective Work is July 23, so I would like to film as early as next weekend, July 19-20.

Thank you for your help, and for your sacrifice.

Sincerely,
Steven

P.S. Here are links to similar short documentaries I have done for Current in the past few months:
http://current.com/items/88807958_trent_loves_greg
http://current.com/items/88817993_the_volunteers
http://current.com/items/88927129_litter_into_literature

Litter Into Literature

Eloisa Cartonera is an independent book publisher where Buenos Aires’ cartoneros can get a good deal on cardboard and contribute to great art as well.

Life Updates

Dear friends,

Here are a couple life updates and information about my birthday shindig this Friday, April 25.

1. Winter Recap: New Hampshire, South America, Los Angeles, Colorado / Photos
2. Redesigned Website Launch: www.steventagle.com
3. Birthday Party: Friday, April 25 at the Arsenal in LA
________________________

1. Winter Recap: New Hampshire, South America, Los Angeles, Colorado / Photos
Covering the New Hampshire primaries with Current TV was an amazing experience. I had a blast with the other Collective Journalists and with Current’s production team. We spent five days interviewing campaign volunteers, chasing presidential candidates, and hanging out in our Manchester production office. I attended the 100 Club Dinner (the NH Democrats’ exclusive fundraising event), was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, and heard Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama speak only feet away from me. Thanks to everyone who tuned in to watch our broadcasts. I’m looking forward to working on more projects with Current in the future.

After New Hampshire, I flew to South America to film and edit a travel series with Marita Vera and Angela Higley. Our three-person crew spent a month in close quarters, traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Punta del Este, and Lima. Other than being robbed at gunpoint in La Boca, the trip was fun and productive. I was exposed to a wealth of South American culture, from the delicious alfajores (caramel sandwiches covered with powdered sugar) of Peru to the contagious energy of screaming, jumping fans at Brazil’s Maracana Football Stadium. While in Buenos Aires, I also filmed a short documentary with CJ Contributor Sarah Gilbert about the cartoneros, the city’s unofficial recyclers. The doc is in post-production, so look for it soon on Current!

I’m now back in LA, working at a short film production company. I really enjoy it because I get to pitch script ideas and get hands-on production experience. Recently, I’ve also begun helping a Sundance programmer with research for a short film book. And last month, my short screenplay, BEAR, won Best Dramatic Short at the BlueCat Screenplay Competition.

I spent this past weekend in Parker, Colorado, filming the wedding of Megan Felsburg and Nate Doud (Megan is my roommate Katherine’s older sister). The wedding was beautiful and masterfully organized. I had the honor of capturing the Douds’ special moments and all the behind-the-scenes antics of their friends and family members. Please feel free to visit the Douds’ wedding website and wish them well: www.nate-megan.com.

Photos:

01 – Me and my NH roommate, Derrick Shore, checking primary results at the Current Lounge in Manchester.

02 – Me filming emera.tv hostess Marita Vera atop Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

03 – Tom Rastrelli and me after his “Only in America” concert in Glendale.

2. Redesigned Website Launch: www.steventagle.com

Months after my Stanford site shut down, my new and improved website is now open for business! This is your one-stop shop for all my past and current projects. Read my plays, poetry, and short stories. Watch FLATFISH, MODEL MAN, and all my Current pods. Check out the new Design section, featuring posters and publications I’ve designed all the way back to Creative Impulse magazines in high school! If it’s by me, it’s on here. Check it out.

3. Birthday Party: Friday, April 25 at the Arsenal in LA

This Friday, April 25, I’ll be celebrating my 23^rd birthday at the Arsenal in Los Angeles. The Arsenal is a West LA restaurant / bar with a cool name and swanky atmosphere. When I heard that they served Kobe hamburgers, sweet potato French fries, and mac and cheese, I was sold.

It’s my first birthday in LA, so if we’ve worked together on a film, if we’ve gone to school together, or if you’re in town and looking to have fun and catch up, I’d love to see you there.

Start Time: Friday, April 25, 2008 at 7:30pm
End Time: Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 2:00am
Location: The Arsenal
Street: 12012 W Pico Blvd (at Pico and Bundy)
City/Town: West Los Angeles, CA
Links: www.arsenalbar.com / www.yelp.com/biz/the-arsenal-los-angeles-2

Hope to see you Friday!

Sincerely,
Steven

Voter Profile: Bruce Mayhall and Tom Rastrelli

Meet voters Bruce Mayhall and Tom Rastrelli, two members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.

Current @ New Hampshire

Here are the broadcasts from my week in New Hampshire covering the primaries with Current TV:

Update

I'm going to the New Hampshire primaries with Current TV!

I Now Pronounce You Trent and Greg

Dear friends,

Over the past month, I’ve been working on a mini-documentary for Current TV’s initiative, “The Current Election 08: What’s Your Issue?” For those of you who don’t know, Current TV is Al Gore’s cable news channel and website for the 18-34 demographic. I decided to address the issue of gay marriage by profiling my high school friend and his boyfriend.

After several crazy weeks of filming and editing, the documentary is now finished and can be viewed online at Current:
http://current.com/items/88793356_i_now_pronounce_you_trent_and_greg

In many ways, this doc is a big milestone for me. It’s my first documentary, the first film I’ve made with my own equipment, the first time I’ve shot and lit each and every scene. But even working as a “one-man show,” I had tons of help. First and foremost, I’d like to thank Trent and Greg for letting me into their lives and for not minding the personal questions and the ever-present camera. As you’ll see, these guys have something truly special, and they showed me what a loving, committed relationship could be like. Second, I’d like to thank Nathan Kurisu, Trent and Greg’s friend, for having the courage to stand up for his beliefs and for offering them humbly. Thanks to Sumi Somaskanda at Current for guiding me through the process and to Danielle Lurie, John Jackson, and Matt Dyer for watching cut after millionth cut. Thanks to maestro Jack Conte for his brilliant music, and Leon Tsikitikos for pulling an all-nighter on my behalf.

I’m really proud of this project, and people are responding well to it. Yesterday evening, Current offered to purchase my documentary to broadcast on their cable news station. They are also considering me to join their team at the New Hampshire primaries from January 4-8.

Check it out and keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sincerely,
Steven