Frank Caruso introduces an episode of Oregon Life.
Invite conversation with Frank Caruso and you will be treated to a series of short stories about the remarkable people he has met and interviewed for Oregon Life, a television series on OCA Media, the local non-profit PEG media center for the Village of Oregon. There is the gentleman who makes wooden toys and the man who flips houses; the retired music teacher whose funny photo of a masked duck went viral worldwide. There is the woman who discovered a gift for beekeeping with only some friendly advice and a trove of YouTube videos. And a local boy, now a student at the prestigious Berklee School of Music, who talks about his lifelong love of music and drumming. Each episode is about another intriguing person who happens to live in the Village of Oregon. In his introduction to the episode, “A Safe Place To Land,” Frank says this story “showcases the best of who we are,” but he could just as easily say that about any episode of Oregon Life. “National media dictates so much to us,” said Frank. “It tells us all the bad things --- not the good things in life. Oregon Life is all about the good.”
Frank is a born storyteller, which is so evident in every episode of Oregon Life. He discovered a passion for photography as an elementary school student. “My mom bought me a little camera when I was a kid. That camera hung around my neck 24/7.” Then he discovered an old Super 8mm plastic editor on top of a sewing machine in the attic and it opened up the world of film to him. “It was magic to me. Nothing else was more important to me,” said Frank.
Frank has pursued the craft all his life. While he leaves town now and again to shoot his own projects that have included three documentary films and a comedy, he has always come back home to Oregon. He and his family have lived here for 27 years. By chance, 17 years ago he heard there was a local TV station in the Village of Oregon. He sought out the basement closet that then housed OCA Media and met Director Liz Harlow. When he asked if he could volunteer, she handed him a camera. Somewhere along the line he was hired on part-time. Today, besides Oregon Life, he handles a variety of tasks at OCA Media. Paul Zwicker, the current executive director, fully appreciates what he has in Frank and gives him great latitude to pursue stories. “Paul just says go,” Frank said.
There is no shortage of material to cover in the village. When he drives around town, his eyes are open to the possibilities. Sometimes when he sees something interesting, he’ll stop and do a livestreamed piece on Facebook. Like the time he interviewed the girl scouts at a fundraiser or when he stopped to watch a village crew putting up holiday lights. “People like to see what’s happening now,” said Frank.
With his unhurried approach, he notices the stories. “I’m interested in life. Not rushing from place to place. I like observing human nature. I like to stop and talk to people.” It goes both ways. People often stop Frank to suggest another great story idea. With OCA Media distributing Oregon Life over cable TV, social media, and the web, the show gets a considerable viewership. And since Frank often appears on camera, he has come to be a well-recognized figure around town. The previous day he had been stopped twice. “People have embraced the show. “95% of the community knows who I am,” said Frank.
“The wonderful thing about community access television,” Frank said, “is that we can use any amount of time we need to tell a story. It’s been a tremendous opportunity. Charles Kuralt [who hosted CBS News Sunday Morning for 15 years] tells a great story, but he must tell it in less than two minutes. We can add the meat.” Ranging anywhere from 3 ½ minutes to 24 minutes long, Frank makes Oregon Life as long as it needs to be.
Frank uses the everyday common iPhone to film his pieces and that’s intentional. When he takes it out to do an interview, “people are comfortable with it.” Frank observes that iPhones are “democratizing storytelling.” Their widespread availability means that anyone can tell a story. At the heart of his beautifully lit and crisply photographed pieces is the interview, but Frank brings their words to life with plenty of imagery, video, and a delicate use of music. “Post is just as important as preproduction and production,” said Frank.
The successful series is not resting on its laurels. “Oregon Life is evolving,” said Frank. “The intro has changed; the stories are changing…we’re planning now what we will be covering next year. I have a list of stories piling up. I’m never going to run out. If I lived another 100 years, there will never be enough time.”
You can view Oregon Life on OCA Media’s cable TV channel 983 or 984 on Sunday at 9:00 am and 7:30 pm and on OCA Media’s YouTube Channel. You can also see Frank’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and on his own LinkedIn account and website, http://frankgcaruso.com.
This episode of Oregon Life is part 1 of a 2-part story called “Behind the Running,” the story of how an Ethiopian boy came to be the adopted son of an Oregon couple as a fifth grader and how he has succeeded as a student, a cross country runner, and a person.
