Steve Thomas of Exeter’s independent and locally owned radio station WXEX 1540AM invited me ON AIR this morning to talk about IOKA. I am so thankful to him for letting me come on and talk about my film efforts. I was also given a tour of the old building right off of Portsmouth Ave where he broadcasts from, it had been a radio station a few times before, starting back in 1966 as WKXR. A place like this is what gives me the motivation to stand up for alternative or independent media outlets. I love what he is doing with WXEX and hope he continues with great success. Thanks again Steve.

Ryan Howell, a former projectionist at the Ioka Theater recently graduated from UNH with a BFA in photography. I asked him to become a part of our efforts  as it would make this film all the more significant. One of the reasons for wanting to create my thesis on this building is the fact that the building has not been clearly documented in the past. Howell often carried around his array of cameras while working at the theater, shooting when he felt compelled.

His photographs are on flickr but soon will be hosted on our server…

Howell has photographed the Ioka for over 6 years

Our production stills start here

An extraordinary individual who grew up in Exeter, NH. I had the pleasure of visiting Olive Tardiff over the weekend, for those who don’t know her, she is the author of

The Exeter-Squamscott
River of Many Uses

I used this book for research purposes on my last project,  a video portrait titled The Squamscott River.  She told many old stories about her time as a kid growing up in Exeter and going to the Ioka. These stories are what keep the Ioka alive.

Olive Tardiff on Ioka memories