South Philly Catholic church recruits digital services director

Tom Shakely joins St. Thomas Aquinas as its director of digital services.

Most people don’t think of technology when they think of church, but St. Thomas Aquinas, a 125 year old Catholic church at 17th and Morris, is ready to enter the digital age.

And that first digital step starts with Thomas A. Shakely, the parish’s first Director of Digital Services. Shakely says he’s among the first people in the country to hold such a role with an individual Catholic church.

“It may possibly be the first of its kind in the country devoted exclusively to integrating the ‘physical’ and ‘digital’ aspects of ministry,” said Shakely, the 24-year-old dedicated to disrupting his corner of the faith world.

Updated: To clarify, Shakely is not a full-time employee but rather has bartered his services for office space and administrative support, he said.

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muraLAB and Breadboard: apply for five-month technology and art residency program

From the Mural Arts Program and Breadboard:

muraLAB, a special initiative of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, and Breadboard are pleased to offer a joint artist residency and exhibition opportunity exploring the intersection of muralism and technology.

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Four artists will get five months of space in University City’s Next Fab Studio, from November to March.

Old City Creative Corridor: digital media shop Maiden Media convenes collaboration tomorrow

As new neighborhoods in Philadelphia find blossoming creative scenes, it takes real community building to continue to develop those connections, even if you’re the original.

Decades after first re-blossoming (again), Old City has a new group, website and call to action to grow and connect its community of creativity. The second meeting of the Old City Creative Corridor, convened by digital media agency Maiden Media, will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the CitiBank in Society Hill at 207 South Street. Meetings will be held the third Wednesday of each month. [RSVP here]

Last month, more than 40 people attended the meeting, said Maiden PR lead Dan Schwartz, including a couple dozen business owners, freelancers and students. Indy Hall, the Old City Civic Association, the Old City District, the Old City Business Collective and others were represented, Schwartz said.

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Village of Arts and Humanities uses digital production to highlight youth issues

In partnership with Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the university’s capstone journalism class, students Chelsea Leposa and Jared Pass will cover neighborhood technology issues for Technically Philly and Philadelphia Neighborhoods through May.

The colorfully painted walls at the Village of Arts and Humanities in North Philadelphia allow the students to forget their day�s troubles and concentrate on their creativity.

Before class begins, students sit around sharing the latest gossip and brag about their day. The smiles on their faces and the energy of the room prove that the kids are enjoying themselves. At the neighborhood center, just north of Temple University, there are many classes and activities for the students to get involved in, ranging from fashion design to gardening.

�I�ve been coming here for five years,� Leon Sanford, 18, says. �It keeps me sane and out of trouble.�

The Village also has a Digital Media Program that includes video production, photography, writing, and graphic and web design. The program began in 2003 with four students and two computers. At the beginning students strictly learned video editing using existing footage. Since then, the program has expanded to over 20 students and now includes many aspects of digital media production.

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