Media Activist Jay Baker
General Info
Role:
FilmmakerRoles(_FilmMakerRoleID = 4, _FilmMakerRole = Screenwriter) / FilmmakerRoles(_FilmMakerRoleID = 1, _FilmMakerRole = Director) / FilmmakerRoles(_FilmMakerRoleID = 2, _FilmMakerRole = Producer)Website
MediaActivist.comInfluences
Tim Knight, DVB, John Grierson, John Pilger, Amy Goodman, Anne Elizabeth Moore, Paul Foot, Mark Steel, Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, Edward D Wood Jr, Tim Burton, German Expressionism, French New WaveDirectors
Paul Jay, Robert Greenwald, Mary Harron, Barbara Kopple, Oliver Stone, Alan Parker, Ken Loache, George Clooney, Darren Aronofsky, Sergei Eisenstein, Orson Wells, Alfred HitchcockAwards
UnLtd Nominet Better Net Award!Professional Affiliations
SilenceBreakers, The Artist D, Chomsky Allstars
Latest Blog Entries
- Jun 20, 2010 11:06 PM My brand-new website!
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Music
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Blurbs
About me:
Jay Baker is a British media activist hailing from the People’s Republic of South Yorkshire. He has almost ten years of experience as a professional documentarian, writer, youth worker, social justice campaigner, and social entrepreneur in Britain and North America. Director/producer of the feature-length film Escape from Doncatraz and author of Pissing in the Mainstream, he has utilised his skills and experience in devoting himself to information, dialogue, debate, and democracy at grassroots level, giving a voice to the voiceless – organising and hosting social justice events such as film festivals and concerts, speaking on vlogs, podcasts, and radio shows, using social media to promote local businesses in his area, and delivering workshops, all with his trademark acerbic wit, warmth, and values. As a child surrounded by the upheaval of the miners’ strikes in tumultuous times for South Yorkshire, and abused by pupils and teachers alike, Jay was pulled from the school system and taught at home by his mother while his father worked 12-hour shifts at the local factory. His creativity nurtured, and with heightened sensitivity towards social justice, his path was set. After quitting his Media degree to travel and gain first-hand experience in the industry, he quickly became its first student actually working in the field, initially for the local government’s youth media project then – when its budget was canceled – promptly raising his own funds through a community group he set-up to continue the activities with young people. When he went to work in North America for the second time in his career, the committee closed the organisation and transferred assets to their companions by the time he’d returned. But Baker then founded the groundbreaking “green” media company, SilenceBreakers, a social enterprise that works with partners to re-utilise social media materials for community projects. He is a Fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, founded by Michael Young – the man who crafted the Labour Party’s 1945 election-winning manifesto for Clement Attlee, the greatest British prime minister in history. It was on a three-day residential with the School for Social Entrepreneurs at Dartington Hall (which Michael Young himself had attended) that Jay had the epiphany for which he credits the vision of SilenceBreakers as it is today. Aside from developing that social enterprise, he remains active as a self-employed freelance media activist. Other more dubious honours include Baker being featured as a “public enemy” on fascist website Redwatch, having numerous songs written about him, guesting on BBC breakfast radio shows four times, having a “trading card” made of him at one university, and being the subject of a poem as part of The Artist D’s book, Like a Goat in a Hail Storm. Jay is currently working on his next film, Return to Doncatraz, set for release in late 2012. A vegan and a feminist, he is a hopeless romantic with big dreams.Who I'd like to meet:
Anyone who isn't competitive. Anyone who communicates directly. Anyone with principles. Anyone that thinks critically rather than wasting time watching eMpTyV or reality shows. Anyone who isn't an Intellectual Capitalist who perceives diplomatic discussion and debate instead as a battle to be won. Anyone who realises every single human being has at least one thing in common with them. Anyone who isn't a bunny-boiler obsessing over me. Anyone that loves those little moments that don't even involve you but still possess the power to make you cry. Anyone who isn't a Toilet Seat Intellectual. Anyone who isn't intimidated by intelligence. Anyone who isn't a Navel-Gazing Leftist. Anyone who realises we are all unique, and that's what makes us all the same. Anyone that doesn't work jobs they hate so they can buy crap they're told to want but don't actually need. Anyone who doesn't further justify your decision to remove them your life by being spiteful afterwards. Anyone not wrapped up in a bubble of domesticated consumerism, therapy, and apathy. Anyone who realises "it's just a couch!" Anyone that doesn't just wait for their turn to speak but actually cares. Anyone who doesn't claim to love you, then lie and cheat and steal. Anyone who isn't just a highly-packaged symbol of over-wrought self-perception. Anyone who isn't sycophantic. Anyone who finds it strange that some men won't go down on women on their period, but will eat an egg for breakfast (think about that for a moment). Anyone who doesn't think the latest trends, mainstream or alternative, are important. Anyone not part of an incestual clique of "free love" which is forgotten later on anyway when backstabbing commences. Anyone who doesn't think romance is reserved for literature. Anyone who doesn't try to keep up with the Joneses, or the Hiltons or the Beckhams. Anyone that actually looks upwards while they walk, tripping over just to get a look at a beautiful sky. Anyone that doesn't think that poor is cool. Anyone who uses their given talent for positivity not negativity. Anyone campaigning for issues of importance. Anyone that knows Internet Profiles Are Not Enough...
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Details
- Status: In a Relationship
- Here for: Networking
- Hometown: The People's Republic of South Yorkshire, Engl
- Body type: 5' 11" / Slim / Slender
- Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Occupation: Media Activist
Interests
General
Russian avant-garde, feminism, pop culture references and in-jokes, big black thick clothes in winter, Julie Christie, coffee shops, conversation, retro, Dr. Irina Spalko, art for regeneration, Tai-Chi, German expressionism, sustainable resources, double entendres, using the freedoms we still have, fruit tea, veganism, hemp, burlesque, political satire, self-deprecating dancing, Janeane Garofalo, co-operatives, owning next-to-nothing, Chikara wrestling, using Adium cross-platform messenger, turning obstacles into opportunities, equal opportunities, Atomika comics, Julie Atlas Muz, public transport, Hayley Mills, valuing time more than money, being a Firefox loyalist, Ram Kaichou and Triple 6 DDT, transgenderism, public speaking, roller derby, meeting people, seeing places, playing Grand Theft Auto, traveling, campaigning, protesting, Anjelica Huston, laughing to the point of tears, Ju-jitsu, agitprop, Possum and Spy Guy comic books, smiling at the nonsensical silliness of the world, reading Power Slam magazine, downloading movies and music, parties, sipping soy mochas on the run, complete and utter irreverence, cities, Batman fan fiction, Natasha Hughes and the Doncaster Rovers Belles, supporting hometown team Doncaster Rovers, supporting Toronto FC, using the trusty MacBook Pro, stirring the pot, learning languages (mostly my own: English), seeking the solution to every problem, Pauley Perrette, theatre, going to museums and galleries, ecosocialism, playing Unreal Tournament, debating, creating, playing bongo drums badly, exhibits in derelict buildings, taking photos, reading Red Pepper magazine, playing soccer, drinking coffee made by a French press, seeing the Sheffield Steelers, minimalism, being home alone skimming the paper, learning, teaching, going to gigs, moving on, moving forward, writing pro wrestling soap opera story-lines since age 14 and not growing out of it.Music
Adam Baranello, Adele, Alanis Morissette, Alexi Murdoch, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Alvarez Kings, Anti-Flag, Arctic Monkeys, Asian Dub Foundation, Au Revoir Simone, Bare Knuckle Soul, Barenaked Ladies, Bat for Lashes, The Beatles, Beck, The Be Good Tanyas, The B-52's, Bif Naked, Bill Callahan, Billie Holiday, Bison, Blondie, Blur, Bloc Party, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Broadcast Zero, Broken Social Scene, Bruce Springsteen, Calexico, Camille, Chomsky Allstars, Chris Isaak, Cibo Matto, The Clash, Cobra Starship, Coldplay, Colin Vearncombe, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Cure, Cyndi Lauper, The Dandy Warhols, Dead Kennedys, De La Soul, Delirium, Depeche Mode, Diana Krall, Dixie Chicks, DJ Yoda, The Doors, The Droops, Duke Ellington, Eagles, Edith Piaf, Elvis Presley, Emily Loizeau, Eurythmics, Faithless, Feist, Filter, Firesuite, The Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Friends of Dean Martinez, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Garbage, Gillian Welch, Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, Grace Jones, Groove Armada, Harry Belafonte, Harry Connick Jr, Hawksley Workman, Heather Nova, The Henrys, Honey Root, Hootie and The Blowfish, Hooverphonic, Horace Silver, Horrorpops, The Hot Puppies, Human League, Ian Brown, Imani Coppola, Insane Clown Posse, Jack Johnson, The Jam, Jamiroquai, Jane Siberry, Jarvis Cocker, Jenny Lewis, Jenny Owen Youngs, Je$us Loves Amerika, Joan Baez, Joe Cocker, Jo Hamilton, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Josh Ritter, Joy Division, Joydrop, Juliette Lewis, Junior Boys, Karima Francis, Kate Bush, Kathryn Williams, Kimya Dawson, Kings of Leon, Kula Shaker, Lacuna Coil, Lady GaGa, Lamb, Lasgo, Leila Josefowicz, Leonard Cohen, Levellers, Lily Allen, The Long Blondes, Lorraine Ayensu, Louis Armstrong, Lou Rhodes, The Luchagors, Luscious Jackson, Manic Street Preachers, Martha and the Muffins, Martha Tilston, Maddy Wyatt, Marc Anthony, Matthew Good, Mazzy Star, MC Lars, Mellow Harmony, Micah P Hinson, Micatone, Moby, Modest Mouse, Moloko, Monkey Swallows the Universe, Morcheeba, Morrissey, Muddy Waters, Muse, Nada Surf, Needledrop, Neil Young, N.E.R.D., New Order, Nina Simone, Nitin Sawhney, Norah Jones, NWA, Of Montreal, Otep, Paramore, Patsy Kline, Paula Cole, Pauline Taylor, Peaches, Pete Seeger, Phenomenal Handclap Band, P!nk, The Pipettes, PJ Harvey, Placebo, Poe, Portishead, The Postal Service, Prana, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Propagandhi, Pulp, The Puppini Sisters, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Rammstein, Razorlight, Regina Spektor, REM, Richard Hawley, Rilo Kiley, Rosie Brown, The Sex Pistols, Sheryl Crow, Sigur Ros, Simon and Garfunkel, Sinéad O'Connor, Skin, Skunk Anansie, The Sleepy Jackson, Sloan, Smashing Pumpkins, Sneaker Pimps, Snow Patrol, Spheres of Chaos, Spokes, St Germain, The Stoops, System of a Down, Talking Heads, T-Bone Burnett, The_Kid, They Might Be Giants, Tina Arena, Tracy Chapman, Vacuity, Vanessa Carlton, The White Stripes, Willy Mason, Willie Nelson, Woody GuthrieMovies
About Schmidt, Abwärts, Adam's Rib, The Addams Family, Amelie, American Beauty, American History X, American Psycho, Angela's Ashes, Ararat, Arlington Road, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, Babe, Back to the Future I & II, Bagdad Cafe, Batman Returns, Battleship Potemkin, Beetlejuice, Beyond the Mat, Big Fish, The Big Lebowski, The Big Sellout, The Birdman of Alcatraz, Blade Runner, The Blair Witch Project, Bobby, A Bout de Souffle, Bowling for Columbine, Boyz N the Hood, Brief Encounter, Bullet Boy, Burma VJ, The Cable Guy, Calendar Girls, Casablanca, Chaplin, City of Angels, Coffee and Cigarettes, The Constant Gardener, The Corporation, Crash, Crazy People, The Crow City of Angels, The Damned United, Dances with Wolves, Death to Smoochy, Deliverance, Dick Tracy, Dobermann, Dogma, Don Juan de Marco, Downfall, Drop Dead Fred, East is East, Educating Rita, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, El Commandante, The Elephant Man, Enemy Image, Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room, Erin Brockovich, Escape from Alcatraz, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Everything's Gone Green, Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask, Falling Down, Fast Food Nation, Fight Club, The Fighting Cholitas, First Blood, The First Wives Club, The Fog of War, Franklyn, Frost/Nixon, Gandhi, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Good Night and Good Luck, The Goonies, Grand Canyon, Gran Torino, Grease, Greendale, Hannah and her Sisters, I Heart Huckabees, Heathers, Heaven, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, Hope and Glory, Inherit the Wind, In The Loop, It's a Wonderful Life, JFK, La Haine, Lawrence of Arabia, Les Quatre Cents Coups, The Life of David Gale, Loser, Mallrats, Maltese Falcon, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Man on the Moon, Mars Attacks!, Matrix trilogy, Max, Metropolis, Midnight Cowboy, Midnight Express, Moonstruck, Mystic River, Nacho Libre, Natural Born Killers, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, North by Northwest, Office Space, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, A Perfect World, The Philadelphia Story, Pierrot le Fou, Platoon, Prayer of the Rollerboys, The Princess and the Warrior, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Private Parts, The Quiet American, Rain Man, Rear Window, Requiem for a Dream, Romeo + Juliet, Run Lola Run, Scarface, The Shawshank Redemption, Shirley Valentine, Shortbus, Shut Up and Sing, Skin Deep, Singin' in the Rain, Sleepy Hollow, Some Like it Hot, Souvenir of Canada, Star Wars series, Super Amigos, Swingers, Syriana, The Take, Tank Girl, Thelma and Louise, They Live, The Thin Red Line, Throw Momma from the Train, The Truman Show, 28 Days Later, Unprecedented, USA vs Al-Arian, The US vs John Lennon, V For Vendetta, Wal-Mart - The High Cost of Low Price, War, Inc., Watchmen, Watership Down, Waterworld, West Side Story, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Whistle Down the Wind, White Heat, Who Killed John O'Neill?, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Wild at Heart, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Withnail and I, The Woodsman, The WrestlerTelevision
Al Jazeera, 'Allo 'Allo, Blackadder, Bottom, Bread, Bremner Bird & Fortune, Cold Feet, CSI, Dad's Army, Dr Katz, Drop the Dead Donkey, Family Guy, Fawlty Towers, Fraggle Rock, Gilmore Girls, Have I Got News For You, The Hour, House of Cards, Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, J-Pod, Little Britain, Malcolm in the Middle, Mock the Week, Monkey Dust, Newsnight, The New Statesman, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Profit, Q.I., Red Dwarf, RT, Shameless, The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants, 3rd Rock From The Sun, Trailer Park Boys, Twin Peaks, Twitch City, The Wonder Years, The Young OnesBooks
Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker, Burton on Burton by Tim Burton with Mark Salisbury, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland, Foley is Good (and the real world is faker than wrestling) by Mick Foley, Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland, Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland, Imperial Ambitions by Noam Chomsky with David Barsamian, J-Pod by Douglas Coupland, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Life After God by Douglas Coupland, Love All the People by Bill Hicks, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy by Tim Burton, Microserfs by Douglas Coupland, The New Rulers of the World by John Pilger, New Rules by Bill Maher, 1984 by George Orwell, No Logo by Naomi Klein, Original Zinn by Howard Zinn with David Barsamian, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, Shopped by Joanna Blythman, The Silent Ark by Juliet Gellatley, Speaking Out Louder by Jack Layton, Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man by Susan Faludi, Watchmen by Alan Moore, Weapons of Mass Deception by Sheldon Rampton and John StauberHeroes
Aliza Dichter, Bill Hicks, Cindy Sheehan, Donald Watson, Democratic Voice of Burma, Eugene Debs, Fareena Alam, George Sand, Harriet Taylor Mill, Helen Steel and David Morris, John Lennon, Jesse Ventura, Kevin Gillan, Lesley Boulton, Malcolm Kendall-Smith, Martin Luther King, Tim Knight, Maya Evans, Michael Young, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mitch St. Pierre, Olof Palme, Thomas Paine, Victor Hugo Daza, and last but not least my girlfriend.
Schools
-
Barnsley College
- Barnsley, United Kingdom
- Graduated: N/A
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
- Major: Media Studies
- Minor: Photography
1998 to 2001 -
Doncaster College
- Doncaster, United Kingdom
- Graduated: 1998
- Degree: Other
- Major: Media Studies
- Minor: Film Studies
1995 to 1998







