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TRAVERSE CITY (September 17, 2002) - A picture of Michigan farmer Leo Ocanas spans two pages in the new book, "In Search of America," by ABC television news anchor Peter Jennings and veteran Life magazine editor Todd Brewster. The book, a collection of essays and photographs, explores "the basic ideals that drive and define the American character."
The book's penultimate photograph, taken by Traverse City-based photojournalist J. Carl Ganter, shows Ocanas enjoying a harvest picnic with his migrant "family" of farm workers after a day of picking apples on his Old Mission Peninsula farm.
The photograph originally appeared in the documentary project "With These Hands" produced by J. Carl Ganter and Eileen E Ganter of MediaVia LLC, a national journalistic production firm based in Traverse City. The documentary features Ocanas and three other area farm families, presenting their lives in an award-winning magazine, website, radio series and video.
"It is our hope that we have created something that will help Americans deepen their understanding of its uniqueness in the context of world history," says Jennings of "In Search of America." "And at the same time help us all to reacquaint ourselves with the elements that have made America great, as well as, at times, a target for those who wish to see the mighty fall."
Besides the recent excerpt in Jennings's new book, "With These Hands" continues to reap national awards for its compelling stories about farming neighbors in Northwest Michigan. Last month the website won top honors in the international "Axiem Awards" for electronic media, and the project's broadcast series, which aired on WTCM radio, received a "silver" Axiem. The website can be found at http://wth.mediavia.com (note new web address). Copies of the "With These Hands" magazine are available from the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and the Leelanau Conservancy.
With These Hands has won numerous other awards and recognition since its release in October 2000. The documentary garnered three international "Telly" Awards, and two "best of show" awards and six other top honors in the Northern Michigan Ad Club's MAX Awards, was excerpted in December on CBS News Sunday Morning and was featured on the Channel 5 News, the Chicago NBC-owned affiliate. The project's website was also chosen as prestigious Shockwave and Yahoo sites of the day. Photographs took top honors in the Michigan Pictures of the Year competition among state newspapers and magazines, as well as an "Award of Excellence" in the Pictures of the Year international photojournalism contest.
MediaVia has consulted on web and new-media journalism with national newspapers and has led workshops on digital storytelling and audio journalism at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism. MediaVia projects - including photojournalism, video, audio and writing - have been featured internationally in major magazines, newspapers, television news and investigative programs, and public radio.
Publisher Hyperion expects brisk sales of "In Search of America" with an initial print run of 750,000 copies. The book is available at local bookstores now.
"With These Hands": www.wth.mediavia.com
"In Search of America": www.abcnews.com/america
MediaVia: info@mediavia.com
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