Maggie Padlewska is almost constantly glued to her computer these days. It’s a common preoccupation, but what she’s doing on the computer isn’t. Padlewska, a Polish-born journalist who now lives in Ottawa, Canada, is working on the biggest project of her career.
The 35-year-old videographer spent nearly a decade shooting, editing, writing, reporting, and producing videos single-handedly for several major networks, NGOs, and various clients. But then a bell went off in her head and she decided to use her skills to do more meaningful and fulfilling work. That’s how her project “One Year One World” (or OYOW as she calls it) was born.
“I realized that as a one-woman band, I could utilize my skills to help bridge the communications gap in global coverage, regardless of the risks involved,” says Padlewska of her epiphany. That was three years ago. Since then, she has been working to establish connections with populations in areas of the world traditionally under-covered by the mainstream media.
“I realized that there is a lot to be learned from people and communities that few pay attention to.”
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sdI6dgGi54&feature=player_embedded[/video]
The work will be tight and focused. In one year she will visit 52 countries, spending one week in each to shoot, edit, produce, and post the mini-documentary to her website. The goal is to tell stories of people who have little in the way of resources and who live in lesser-known communities. Padlewska hopes the rapid pace will be like taking people watching the five to seven minute videos along on her travels.
“In the past I’ve come back with 25 hours of tape and it took six to eight months to produce. [But in this case] you know that the video was produced within the week,” she says.
Padlewska is no stranger to travel and adjusting to foreign languages. She speaks Polish, French, English, Korean, and Spanish and lived in several foreign countries for prolonged periods before settling in Canada.
But even with her comfort at being in strange settings, a key aspect of her preparations is lining up locals who speak the language of the countries she will be reporting in. The expertise and language skills of those locals will help guide her through the stories.
Many of the contacts she’s established for her trip are based in the communities she will visit, and some are organizations that deal directly with those communities.
Although she won’t disclose the full list of the countries she plans to visit—citing something akin to artistic privacy—Padlewska says she’s excited about seeing all of them. They include 18 countries in Africa, Mongolia, and stops around Southeast Asia, South America, and Central America.
“To me every country on the list is fascinating,” she says.
Friends Read Free