National, International, Armenia, and Community News and Opinion

The Armenian Reporter | April 25, 2009 11Communityon first anniversaryplex is the western anchor of CSMedia City in Yerevan.The large financial investmentsand the vast network of antenna,cable, satellite, and Internet portalswere created by CS Media tofulfill Mr. Cafesjian’s vision for aprofessional, global Armenian medianetwork – a network rooted inhis desire to help Armenia and theArmenian people survive.Mr. Cafesjian has said he feelsstrongly that if, for any reason,Armenia no longer existed, in effectthe Genocide would be complete.He believes it would only bea couple of generations before theArmenian community – throughdissipation, intermarriage, and theloss of a strong, central identity– becomes a footnote of history. ForMr. Cafesjian, it is of utmost importancethat Armenia – the homeland– survive.To ensure his philanthropic effortsare fully utilized in Armenia,Mr. Cafesjian created the CafesjianFamily Foundation (cff) in 1996after his retirement from WestPublishing.The twin goals identified for cffwere to help bolster relations betweenthe United States and Armeniaand to work on strengtheningthe Republic of Armenia, primarilythrough economic development.Childhood and careerMr. Cafesjian grew up in New York,served in the U.S. Navy, finishedlaw school, and worked in the NewYork offices of West Publishing forover a decade. He then moved toMinnesota to work at West Publishing’sheadquarters until he retiredin 1996.Grateful for the blessings of success,Mr. Cafesjian would like to seeArmenia and Armenians experiencethe opportunities that he hasexperienced throughout his career.A core component of Mr. Cafesjian’svision for Armenia is tomaintain a solid friendship withthe United States, and he consistentlycontributes to this goal byremaining active on the politicalfront, helping build relationshipswith American elected officials,including administration and Congressmembers. Many Armenian-Americans commend Mr. Cafesjianfor helping to better the dialogue,improve mutual understanding,and ultimately deepen relationsbetween the United States and Armenia.cff and mediaMr. Cafesjian’s interest in mediadeveloped well before he had establishedhis endeavors within theframework of the Cafesjian FamilyFoundation. His interest in investingin media stems from the factthat media help shape public discourse,help inform and educate,and entertain. These are all importantaspects in Armenia’s transitionfrom a Soviet-style republicinto an independent nation withits own democratic values and economicprinciples. Participating inmedia was one way Mr. Cafesjianwanted to share values that wereimportant to him with the Armeniancommunity.Fueling Mr. Cafesjian’s interest inmedia was his vision that a medianetwork could be built not only inArmenia but globally, and becomea dynamic way of connecting theworldwide Armenian nation.cff’s media enterprise beganwith an investment in journalistictraining, which grew into aninvestment in broadcast media,which then grew into radio andprint. Starting from Armenia, cffworked outward as Armenia TVwent up on satellite and becameavailable in Europe, Russia, and theMiddle East, then eventually in theUnited States, in 2005.The recent launch of US-ArmeniaTV advances Mr. Cafesjian’svision of connecting Armeniansaround the world through media.Mr. Cafesjian was pleased to havebeen able to share media contentcreated in Armenia with the restof the world starting in 2005, andhe is extremely pleased now thathe can take U.S.-based productionback into Armenia. Thus thecreation of US-Armenia TV hasclosed an important loop for CSMedia, enabling it to take thehomeland-diaspora bridge andmake it a conduit for a true twowaydialogue.Daily on US-Armenia TV and ArmeniaTV, hosts and guests talk livefrom the studios in Burbank withguests in studios in Yerevan, Moscow,and Paris. Participating in thedialogue about issues of interest toArmenians and Armenia are callersfrom all corners of the world.CS PublishingFour years ago CS Media establishedits publishing entity andhas since published a very popularweekly TV guide that offers entertainmentnews as well as specialsupplements for women and children.As Mr. Cafesjian believed that itwas important to have a significantprint publication in the UnitedStates as well, three years ago inMay, CS Media acquired the ArmenianReporter, one of a handful ofcommunity newspapers producedin the United States.The Reporter was primarily focusedon the New York-New Jerseyarea. But CS Media quickly expandedthe reach of the paper andmade it a national brand availablethroughout the country.The Reporter was redesigned, itseditorial team expanded, and it isdistributed on both coasts of theUnited States.Going forward, CS Media hopesto offer consumers news and informationfrom a variety of sources.Whether it’s via the Internet, You-Tube, e-mail, podcasts, television,radio, or print, CS Media is ableto deliver news, information, andentertainment to Armenians anywherein the world.As all these information technologiescome together and converge,CS Media is staying alertand creating a new, super mediamodel, where its journalists preparenews and information acrossmultiple platforms. Just like anyother media organization strivingto survive in an ever-changingmedia landscape, CS Mediais also continually evolving andadapting.HyeFilm in HollywoodThe legendary HyeFilm Studios,which was part of the studio systemcreated in Soviet Armenia, isnow represented in the entertainmentcapital of the world. CS Mediaacquired HyeFilm three yearsago, when the Armenian governmentoffered a national tender forthe privatization of the studios.After acquiring HyeFilm, CSMedia also obtained the rights toa film library and began to restore,digitize, and preserve an importantpart of Armenia’s national heritageand culture.The first goal for CS Media was toinvest in rehabilitating the existingfacilities at HyeFilm. Renovationscontinue, and the studios alreadyhave new roofing and windows. CSMedia hopes to complete its restorationof many of the facilities bythis summer.But more crucial than facilitiesand equipment in the process of rejuvenatingArmenia’s film industryis the need for talented professionals,according to CS Media managers.HyeFilm has already producedfour or five films over the lastcouple of years, and identified thenecessary components for developingthe industry: writers, actors,and cinematographers. HyeFilmofficials are also talking tomedia companies in Europe, India,and Hollywood to fuel interestin films being made in Armenia.Many foreigners are surprised todiscover that in a country as smallas Armenia, there are as many as50-75 microclimates. From heavyforest to desert, from beautifulwaterfalls to wide-open lakes andblooming prairies, Armenia offersa diverse mix of natural landscapesand backdrops for a varietyof scenes in films.Hollywood andArmeniaOne example of HyeFilm reachingout to the world to help developArmenia’s film industry is its involvementin the high-budget,mainstream Hollywood productionof filmmaker Robert Altman’s lastfilm, A Prairie Home Companion, writtenand starring radio and televisionpersonality Garrison Keillor.Because of Altman’s renown andhis ability to attract a number ofacclaimed actors and actresses tocome together to make the film,Mr. Cafesjian and HyeFilm co-producedthe film. The venture madeit possible for Mr. Cafesjian to hosta number of Armenians in Minnesotato watch and participate in thefilm’s production, and to meet witha very experienced director, thedirector of cinematography, andsome of the actors and actresses.The relationships that wereforged by the HyeFilm-Altmancollaboration include an importantconnection with the awardwinningand very talented KevinKline, who has had starring rolesin dozens of motion pictures.CS Media, with its new locationin Hollywood, is also tapping intoCalifornia’s large Armenian population,which continues to be activelyengaged in the film and entertainmentindustries. Talks are underwaywith gifted filmmakers, writers, andperformers of Armenian origin whowill help CS Media and USArmeniaTV develop news, information, andentertainment programming, includingtelevision series, as well asfeature films, for global audiences. connect:csmedia.amusarmeniaTV.comarmeniaTV.amOne of thepopularprograms onArmenia TV is MyBig Fat ArmenianWedding.