TAA DIXON

By Joanne Mamenta, Images Magazine

Standing at her office window, Taa Dixon gazes out at the Rocky Mountains bathed in shades of deep crimson, fire orange and delicate yellow.

It’s the beginning of the day in Colorado Springs, and Mother Nature’s wake-up call is better than any cup of coffee.

“A day doesn’t go by that I’m not in awe of the scenery. It’s a real blessing to live here,” says Dixon, president and founder of 720MEDIA, a web design and marketing firm.

Nestled in the foothills of the Rockies, this historic city is a place of inspiration and opportunity. It’s where in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates took a wagon ride to the top of Pikes Peak and wrote her famous anthem, America the Beautiful. Below, miners were panning for gold and wealthy Easterners were seeking medicinal relief from the surrounding springs.

Today, more than half a million people live here. The picturesque landscape lures them – athletes and artists, entrepreneurs and soul-seekers, conservatives and liberals.

It is a diverse population that works together to ensure that this metropolitan city retains its small-town charm and natural resources.

“Most people are born someplace else and choose to live here, not necessarily because of high salaries, but because of the quality of life,” says Chuck Murphy, a Colorado Springs native and owner of Murphy Construction.

The elements that make Colorado Springs a great place to live and work are numerous.

“Some of the many reasons that people move to Colorado Springs and that I hear most often are the beauty, great weather and the great people,” says Wynne Palermo, president of WYNNE Realty Ltd. and past president of the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors. “Colorado Springs is the size of town that people say hello to each other and are friendly to strangers.”

In addition, the economy is strong, and jobs are plentiful. Key industries include tourism, high technology, manufacturing, sports, nonprofits, religious, military and service. Plus, there are dozens of universities, colleges and technical schools to educate residents and provide a continuing influx of well-trained and highly educated employees.

And despite the national economic slowdown, business leaders continue to see growth.

“There is absolutely a good mix of industries, and there’s room for a lot more business growth,” says Dixon. “It’s a great place for a young entrepreneur like myself. I’ve been well-supported. It’s a great market, and it’s centrally located to the rest of the country.”

Even among outsiders, Colorado Springs is known as a top city for doing business. Forbes magazine names it one of the top 25 cities of the future. Entrepreneur magazine calls it one of the top 30 cities for small businesses. Electronic Business says it’s one of the top 20 places to locate a high-tech manufacturing plant. And the Employment Review’s Seventh Annual America’s Best Places to Live and Work includes Colorado Springs in its top 20 list.

But while residents here work hard, they know how to play hard, too.
From the world-class athlete who works out at the U.S. Olympic Training Center to the weekend adventurer scaling Pikes Peak or rock climbing at the Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs fulfills great expectations when it comes to the great outdoors.

“People are extremely active outdoors all year-round,” Palermo says. And while the outdoors captivates nature lovers, they also inspire scores of writers, artists and musicians who have moved in and given the city its cultural character.

“Anyone interested in the arts can find a rich resource of past and present,” says Murphy, noting the city’s contemporary galleries and the Pioneers Museum with its rich collection of Colorado history.

Besides the combination of rugged scenery with cosmopolitan features that attracts newcomers, there are practical attributes that are just as appealing. Families settle here because of the excellent schools and the variety of family-oriented programs. Retirees choose the area because of quality health-care facilities and the low tax structure.

But what all these groups have in common is civic pride and an undaunted determination to make Colorado Springs a great city.

“This area is really steeped in history and tradition, and there are a lot of dedicated people working for the betterment of the community,” Murphy says.

When you factor in all these qualities, it’s easy to see why Dixon believes, “if you live here, it’s hard to leave.”

By Scott Thomsen, Colorado Springs Gazette

A six-week Urban League workshop on video production started out as a chance for seven teens to learn about writing scripts, taping interviews and editing.

Along the way, they have learned a little about themselves.

A central part of the program was to produce a 20-minute video about racial and family unity. The students interviewed dozens of people from different backgrounds, including a blind couple, a family of eight and a single mom with two children.

Different people with a lot of the same wants, needs and fears.

“It kind of opens your mind to different kinds of people,” said Oji Fittz, 17, a workshop participant. “We’re really not that different.”

The program started in December. It is funded by $2,000 in grants from Colorado College and the Gazette. Students hope to premiere their video at the Unity in the Community Expo next month.

The program is headed by instructor Taa Dixon, who has worked in video production at the WTTW public broadcasting station in Chicago and Blue Penguin Productions, an independent production company in Denver.

Dixon said her students have experienced all of the real-life struggles of working for a television station, a music video producer or a film company.

Students write scripts, conduct interviews, run the cameras, edit the tapes and critique their work. Some of the interviews get a thumbs up, others get cut because of background noise, bad lighting, even a microphone that wasn’t turned on.

On Saturday at the Urban League office on Parkside Drive, the students reviewed footage and wrote intros for the segments.

Dixon said she chose a real-life topic because they are issues “that are relevant to youth today.”

Nathaniel Harvey, 17, said he hopes the video will break down some of the stereotypes people have created about people from different backgrounds. “That’s not real life.”

It also forced Harvey to think about his own views when he listened to someone with a different opinion. “It does put a different perspective on the issue,” he said. “Eventually, you can understand their point of view.”

Daniel Saunders, 16, agreed. He wants people who watch the video to walk away with “a new understanding about how people feel about color, race, family and unity.”

The program may have sparked some interest in a new hobby, something to study in college or a full-time career in video production, editing or camera work.

Several of Dixon’s students said they were hooked.

“I had never thought of it as a career before,” said Quentin Moore, 17. “I’m real interested in camera work now,” he said. “I like the creativity and the challenge. Even when I’m at home watching TV, I watch how the camera moves.”

Note: If you participated in this program, please send Taa an email!