SPNN

12/03/2025

🍇 Community Dialogue about Agricultural
Friendly Hmong Farms is hosting this great event at SPNN, on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 5:00–7:30 p.m.!

Join local farmers, policymakers, and neighbors for an evening of discussion and storytelling — including a welcome from Saint Paul Mayor-Elect Kaohly Her, a panel on current agricultural policy, and first-hand farmer testimonies.

🎥 The event will be recorded at SPNN and later broadcast by Hmong TV.
Everyone is welcome to attend and be part of the conversation!

11/22/2025

With great sorrow, we convey the wishes of SPNN staff member Bianca Rhodes in sharing the loss of her father, Garry "Jellybean" Johnson, who passed last night unexpectedly.

Johnson left an indelible mark on the Minneapolis community through his music and to the world more broadly as a musician, producer, and songwriter.

His efforts to memorialize the "Minneapolis Sound," which he was instrumental in creating, through development of the Minneapolis Sound Museum was a topic of this episode of the SPNN Forum from 2023.

Our hearts are with the family during this time. Please keep her and the family in your thoughts.

Watch more videos at http://www.SPNN.orgHost Martin Ludden talks with Jellybean Johnson and James "Popeye" Greer of the Minneapolis Sound Museum! http://www....

11/20/2025

We have just a few hours left to meet our goal. We're looking for 200 donors at ANY amount to support SPNN today. Whether it is $5, $10, or$100- it all helps us reach our goal and unlock our board challenge.

“Digital skills are an essential aspect of an individual’s foundational competencies to effectively job search. Digital skills are required to build and modify resumes and efficiently apply to job postings. Individuals who lack these skills are severely limited in the types of jobs they can apply for and they need extensive assistance along the way.”--Teresa, Program Manager for Hired (a CTEP site)

Help us ensure everyone has access to the digital skills needed for employment and the media skills needed to tell their stories.
https://www.givemn.org/organization/Spnn

11/20/2025

We're too excited to sleep!!! Today is Minnesota's day of giving- Give to the Max Day!

Top three reasons to donate to SPNN:
---We support local artists as they grow their media skills
---We provide unfiltered issue and candidate forums.
---Our AmeriCorps members help learners build digital literacy skills to obtain new jobs.

Help us build a more inclusive and equitable society- donate to today and your contribution will be doubled up to $5000! AND when we reach 200 donors we unlock a challenge grant from our board. Any amount helps us reach our goal!

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Spnn

11/19/2025

🥳 We’re thrilled to welcome our new CTEP AmeriCorps cohort! 🎉

Since 2004, the Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) has worked to close the digital divide across the Twin Cities. This year, 14 members are serving with 11 nonprofit partners, helping community members gain confidence with technology, find jobs, and connect more deeply with the world around them.

We also welcome three new partner sites: Hallie Q. Brown Communities, CommonBond Communities, and African Economic Development Solutions.

👏 Stay tuned — we’ll be introducing our new CTEP members soon!
▶️ Learn more about this program https://spnn.org/CTEP

11/18/2025

🌟 This Give to the Max Day, help communities tell their own stories. 🌟

At SPNN, we believe everyone deserves the tools, training, and support to share their voice. That’s why anyone can become a member and gain access to media education, equipment, and a creative community where makers can collaborate, feel safe, and tell powerful—sometimes difficult—stories that truly matter.

🎁 Right now, your gift goes twice as far!
All donations are being matched up to $5000, and if we reach 200 donors at any level, we’ll unlock an additional Board Challenge Match.

Your support ensures that everyone in our community has access to the skills and tools they need to share their stories.

👉 Donate today: https://www.givemn.org/organization/Spnn

Let’s build a more inclusive, equitable, and empowered storytelling community—together. ❤️📽️🎙️

11/14/2025

🎬 Our Doc U Program is back in session!

Led by Serena Hodges, Maya Rait, and Emma DeBoer, this year’s cohort meets every Tuesday to learn filming, editing, and storytelling skills while working on their own short documentaries.

Each participant will premiere their five-minute film at a public screening on February 28, and we can’t wait to see what they create!

SPNN offers several documentary programs, including Doc U, Spotlight Shorts, and New Angle Fellows, helping local filmmakers grow their craft and share their stories.

Click here to learn more: https://spnn.org/doc-programs

11/13/2025

Olu first came to SPNN through our New Angle Fellows program. He was already an emerging filmmaker with an amazing eye and passion for storytelling. Not only did he find value in the program, but has continue to be a part of the SPNN community. He collaborates with other filmmakers and artists on various projects including Cinefilmu happening next Saturday at 11. He has also been recently recognized for his work by the Jerome Foundation.

"Crossing paths with SPNN was one of the greatest catalysts that fueled my creative career. I started as an artist interested in filmmaking but unsure where to begin. SPNN felt like an oasis in the desert.
Before finding SPNN, I often found filmmaking environments difficult to navigate ,they often felt cold, inaccessible, or gate-kept.

At SPNN, I was able to see filmmaking and freelancing as real possibilities. They showed me what genuine love and support looks like within an organization.
SPNN is always the first place I recommend to any filmmaker looking for community and support. I am eternally grateful to the staff and creatives who make this organization what it is. It truly feels like a home away from home. "

Thank you Olu for being a part of the SPNN community.

By supporting SPNN, you support filmmakers like Olu. You’re not only helping us provide the tools and resources needed, you help foster community and a place where all filmmakers can belong. Donate to SPNN during this GTMD and your donation will be doubled up to $2500. When we hit 200 donors a board challenge will be released.
https://www.givemn.org/organization/Spnn

11/12/2025

💽 Preserving Our Stories Together

We’re proud to partner with Minnesota Media Arts on the Community Media Preservation Strategies & Archiving Workshops — a statewide effort to help community creators protect aging media and learn sustainable archiving skills.

So far, we’ve received 55+ survey responses documenting more than 98,000 at-risk media assets across Minnesota! These materials includes old videotapes, photos, and audio recordings, hold vital community stories that deserve to be saved.

📆 The survey is still open through January 31, 2026. Add your voice or learn how to get involved:
https://mnmediaarts.org/archiving-workshops.html

11/11/2025

Lucky Rosenbloom uses SPNN's podcast studio to create his podcasts. As a great ambassador of SPNN, he has recommended several folks attend SPNN podcast classes so they too can create their own podcast.

You too can use the SPNN podcast studio to create podcasts to have conversations about important community issues. Visit www.spnn.org to see how you can get involved!

You can also check out this tour to all that SPNN has to offer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5QsLG31_ao

Support SPNN this Give to the Max Day at https://www.givemn.org/organization/Spnn

11/07/2025

SPNN is more than a space for folks to check out gear- we are a community hub. A place for artists and media makers to get the support they need to learn and create media. A place for artists to connect with other artists and to grow their skills.

But don't take just our word for it- hear it from out community:

“Honestly if it wasn’t for SPNN I don’t know where I’d be. I’d like to think that I’d still be pursuing production, media, filmmaking, storytelling, but I wouldn’t know what first steps to take. And I think it is important to find a space that you can feel comfortable in and feel like you can learn. SPNN provided that”---Abdi Mohamed, past program participant and current board member

https://youtu.be/osNJBBoIiCA

Support artists like Abdi, Georgia, and Sabrina by supporting SPNN on this Give to the Max Day! Schedule your donation now at GiveMN.org/spnn and get your donation matched!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.