What we didn’t tell you is that we’re also in the same Boston, MA building! For the next few months, the Lab is going to work more closely with World and apply our Open Call method to help grow the World’s community of smart viewers, video contributors, comment makers, guest bloggers and discerning critics. Please visit Worldcompass.org and tell us what you want to see there, we welcome you to the conversations on the website, on Facebook and Twitter.

World organizes the content they bring you according to theme. Below, see what you have to look forward to in the next couple of months. Have a programming idea for us? Be sure to let the Lab and World know!

MAY: The Journey A trip is about crossing a border, whereas a journey expands the borders of our minds. Whether it be the extraordinary story of a group of people with disabilities rafting down the Colorado River or a traveling band of civil rights activists fighting against segregation, this theme brings together stories of journeys and the changes they evoke, in individuals as well as in societies.

JUNE: 9 to 5 For most people, work is necessary for survival, but it’s not the only reason why we spend so many of our waking hours on the job. In a Great Recession world, one in which the minority are increasingly tethered to work by devices and the majority continue to make less than $2 a day, how does the work we do shape who we are?

Starting in May, World will also play host to a special set of international documentaries, the Global Voices series, produced by the Independent Television Service. Here’s a preview of the topics we’ll tackle on air and online:

May is Asian Pacific American Month and the Lab has paired up with the Boston Asian American Film Festival to ask YOU for stories about growing up Asian in New England. Send us your video stories about what it’s like having a foot in two very different worlds…or are they?!

Click here to send in your video!

Top 10 viral videos of March – http://ow.ly/4rLEX

And it got us thinking about not just why on earth would this Skittles ad gets 1.5 million views:



..but it got us wondering about what kind of content people think is worth sharing. Sure, the “interactive” feature of a cat licking your finger is novel and so you share it. Plus, it’s short and silly, but it is 39 seconds you won’t get back!

Advertisers have nailed the viral video category for a long time by using cute kids, cute animal and silly antics. But what should public media content providers be thinking about so that you want to watch and share our stories?

Take a look at one of our new favorites: FutureStates. by ITVS. It opens the door for young filmmakers to share their work, and their visions of what the world could be like in 60, 70 or 80 years are thought provoking. The Lab has already shared some favorite episodes with friends on Facebook. (There is and embed option, but it doesn’t work with our WordPress site! You’ll have to visit them.) What do you think about visiting a destination website? Is it easy to share videos with friends? Would you rather embed it on your blog and give it your own context? Do you like the other features that make you think and ask you to contribute?

At the Lab, we think a lot about what videos people are making and watching, what videos they are sharing and how to help the public create their own. Of course we like to see good stories go “viral”, but maybe it’s not the only way to become a trusted source of good content. Tell us what you think, what you like or what public media content you have shared with friends in the comments below!

Among the video submissions you’ll see folks battling for civil unions and the right to adopt, demonstrations in Reno, New York City and St. Louis; marvel at Varna Hardy’s depiction of Social Security discrimination and learn a new empathy for transgender individuals like Johanna, Tré Andre, Miss Major, Mycroft and Sabrina, who show us their determination in the face of rejection from family and co-workers.

These videos introduce us to LGTBQ artists, activists, students and retired people, teachers, southerners, military personnel, urban dwellers and even a puppet teased for being “grey”. Enjoy the creative and diverse perspectives.  Each short reminds us that every eye looking through a viewfinder sees things differently. That’s why we invite everyone to participate in the Lab’s open calls. We say THANK YOU to each contributor for sharing a powerful story with us.

We offered five cash prizes of $1000 each to inspire your best work. We enjoyed every video we received, but some entries display a level of excellence in production or storytelling that deserve extra recognition. Without further ado:

You can view the five winners HERE and learn more about each of the winning producers.

CC: casey.marshall

The video contest Stonewall Uprising and Gay Rights in 2011 is about to come to an end. Judges are still deliberating between many great video contributions!

Video makers have shared stories with us about people battling for civil unions and the right to adopt; about activists in Reno, New York City and St. Louis; Varna Hardy sent a chilling depiction of Social Security discrimination and we learned about the trials of transgender individuals like Johanna, Tré Andre, Miss Major, Mycroft and Sabrina, who share their stories of rejection and exploring identity.

In your videos we have met artists, activists, students and retired people, teachers, southerners, military personnel, urban dwellers and even a puppet who is teased for being “grey”. Every contribution reminds us that each eye looking through a viewfinder sees things a little differently. We say THANK YOU for sharing your view with us.

We’ll announce our five winners and introduce you to them next week! Be sure to check back with us then.

In the meantime, there is no doubt that the video makers who put their sweat into these stories would love to see your comments. Please watch, rate and add your review!

A slide from The History Project exhibit, Windows on our Community. "ACT UP Die-In at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston March 24,1988"

Laying down on the street en masse is certainly one way to bring attention to the cause you care about. During the AIDS crisis, the activist group Act UP! staged well-organized protests to a national epidemic that needed a political solution. For example, this visual representation of the death toll might drive the point home.

Talk about visual impact! What effect does the image above have on you? Perhaps you are perplexed, wondering what gives someone the courage to protest this way.

Here is an example of what might make a good story in video to answer the Lab’s open call, Stonewall Uprising, inspired by the film of that name, airing on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE this April.

We want stories about men and women like those in the picture. We want to know what it is that makes them protest. We want to hear what issues are important to them today, and why they are able to express the same kind of courage that the men and women showed on the streets in Greenwhich Village in 1969, when they turned on the NYPD vice squads and decided enough was enough.

There is still time for you to send us a story. Follow this link for details on how to get started.

Thanks for your interest in today’s chat with the Lab! We’ve moved the chat window. You can find us by following this link.

We’ll talk to you at 1 p.m.!

Gale Davis (Photo by Sean Powers)

A few months ago, I met Gale Davis, 70, of Urbana, IL. He’s a member of Illinois Public Media, and a longtime viewer and listener of our station. Davis said he knew he was gay when he was four years old.

“I had no interest in girls at all, but you had to keep that under the whatever,” he said.

Davis said 1969 was an important year for him. Right after the Stonewall riots in June, gay groups started forming across Illinois. It was around this time when Davis came out. A couple of years later, Davis spoke to the Mattachine Society in Chicago, one of the earliest gay rights organizations. He then began traveling across the country visiting gay churches, and meeting with gay rights activists. While Davis admits gays are represented more today than they were in 1969, he said many of the struggles facing the LGBT community back then are still relevant.

“Things have changed a lot, although not quite enough,” he said, reflecting on his memories about being thrown out of the air force because of his sexuality.  “I was perfectly happy to donate my time and energy and even blood to protect the country, and they didn’t want me because I was born gay.”

David said people today are more comfortable coming out about their sexuality, but he added that there needs to be more of an effort to share the gay experience with the rest of the world.

I told Davis about the Stonewall Uprising Open Call, and how the public would really benefit by hearing his perspective about what it is like being gay in America and what has changed over the past 40 years. He was eager to contribute, but did not have the means of uploading his own user-generated content. This seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. I set up a time to interview Davis at his home. We spoke in front of a wall coated with his ‘sermons’ describing the long-standing history of same-sex couples.

I hope Davis’ story will encourage other gay people to come forward, share their stories about gay rights since Stonewall and help guide the conversation of 21^st century issues in the LGBT community.

-Sean Powers

Cross-posted with Illinois Public Media. See Davis’s video on their Vimeo channel.

RSVPs have just started to come in, as you can see from the map below (click to visit the live version). What’s your story idea?  Be sure to let us know.

If you haven’t already visited the Stonewall Uprising Open Call home page, please do! There is a trailer there of the film, which airs on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE this April, and there are plenty of tips and advice, a page about our incredible contest judges and more.

Need some inspiration to tell a story about gay rights? Follow the lab on Twitter (WGBHLab) and check out our daily news feed: WGBH Lab Gay Rights Watch.

Since 2003 it has been the Lab’s mission to bring new voices into public media. They have worked with all kinds of filmmakers and media makers of every age to create compelling stories that can go on to station broadcast and even win awards. Our hope is that crowdsourcing this open call draws in more talented media makers who feel impassioned by the story we are telling, and that the prizes offered by AMERICAN EXPERIENCE inspire every hopeful entrant to give us their best work.