From trucking, farm laboring and slaughterhouse work in the outback of Australia, youth work among detention center parolees, pastoral care of church community in Manhattan, or more recent video documentary projects in New York City and Central Europe, Chris Gilbert’s experiences of diverse people and places has equipped him well in his major life interest – telling stories that dignify the human spirit.
From the age of 19 his travel experiences confronted him with the complexities of culture: Diverse societies of the Middle East, Europe and South East Asia in 1973, Marxist Leninists in Siberia and the modernity of Japan in 1975; and in the past 10 years, Canada, the US and post-Soviet Central Europe.
Resident in the US and married to Jo, a US native-born, since 2002 Chris has completed a Master of Arts in Religion degree in Philadelphia, and produced sixteen video stories for European and US Colleges, a Seminary, two schools in New York State, corporations, non profit agencies, USFooty, and Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Throughout 2005 he wrote regular columns for Australia’s Sunshine Coast Daily, and www.newmatilda.com.
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Lamp Post Media was born while living in Harlem for five years. Chris had the good fortune to be mentored by his neighbor, Irish documentarian Liam McGrath and Brooklyn based producer, Bradley Toms. He assisted in a documentary of New York City life for Australian television by Sydney producers Mark & Maia Hadley, and during four years until August 2006, developed a video production department for a Manhattan church of more than 4000. He worked as a camera operator for Ireland’s Setanta production house on a Liam McGrath documentary for European television, before relocating to the Jersey Shore.
While continuing his writing and film making, in 2004 and 2005 he taught journalism and rhetoric at The College of New Jersey. In August 2006 Chris and Jo relocated their home and Lamp Post Media to Beverly, Massachusetts. Chris will teach video production at Gordon College in 2007.
Currently Chris is in post-production on his own documentary set in New York City: Discovering Canada Lee, and is working at pre-production/production on his television documentary set in India: Beyond Empires. He takes his breaks from digital video by writing a memoir set in Australia entitled: Music from a Hollow Log, sailing a JY15, or ocean kayaking from the Dane St. Beach. Please contact him at cgilbertlpm@comcast.net |
