MATA ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE
Our first episode of the MATA News Magazine will focus on President Tsai Ing-wen’s formal apology to Taiwan’s indigenous people on August 1, 2016. The show will share the President’s reasons for the apology, inspired by her own indigenous roots, and discusses the potential impact on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.Help us to share this landmark event with the world.
Joint venture project proposed by Bridge Studios in cooperation with Taiwan Indigenous Television, ATAYAL Organization, and Cultural Survival
Proposal Date: July 2016
PROPOSAL
Summary
Our goal is to establish a weekly or bi-weekly English-language news program (MATA News) focused on indigenous news, events and cultural features from Taiwan’s 16 indigenous tribes. Thepurpose of the show is toincrease mutual understanding between Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and the people of Austronesian nations, who share a common heritage. What makes this news program different than anything produced in Taiwan, is that it makes news and cultural features from Taiwan relevant and meaningful to people around the world by providing context and insights that only the MATA team can.The MATA Team has a strong background with Taiwan’s indigneous cultures as well as international cultures.
MATA News will be a partnership between Bridge Studios (橋樑工作室), Taiwan Indigenous Television (原住民族電視台), the ATAYAL organization (愛泰雅協會), and Cultural Survival. The shared responsibilities will be as follows:
• Bridge Studios – Strategic Planning, Production, International Marketing and Distribution
• Taiwan Indigenous Television – Content and Production Services, Broadcasting in Taiwan, Distribution through WITBN
• ATAYAL Organization – Fundraising Support
• Cultural Survival –Marketing and Distribution for International Audiences
Bridge Studios will build the “bridges” that give the MATA News project and Taiwan’s indigenous newsunprecedented international reach for a relatively low cost. The video news program will be broadcast on TITV and will be made available to Maori TV and other members of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN). A partnership with Cultural Survival will give the radio news program the opportunity to be distributed to a network of1,461 indigenous radio stations worldwide as well as through online podcasts. A print version of the MATA News stories will be distributed to Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine and international newspapers.
Opportunities
One of the missions of Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) is to give Taiwan’s indigenous people a significant voice. The MATA News project gives TITV’s role as a media platform greater international reach by building “bridges” to indigenous communities and government policy makers around the world.Cooperation between Taiwanese and American organizations to produce and distribute the program will make the project valuable for all partners, and especially for the indigenous people who want to be heard.
Bringing together our resources for a media project can provide results never before seen in Taiwan. Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) provides professional journalistic coverage of Taiwan’s indigenous news, and production resources for the MATA News programs. It is also an active member of the World Indigenous Television Broadasters Network, which gives the program international broadcasting opportunities.Since 2001, the ATAYAL Organization has organized many projects connecting Taiwanese indigenous people with indigenous tribes from around the world. As an American NGO, it has access to American funding sources to support the project. Cultural Survival is an organization that is the leading indigenous rights advocacy group in the world, and it is a consultant to the United Nations on indigenous issues. This NGO produces a magazine and radio program that has been broadcast in 1,461 radio stations in 55 countries and in 32 languages. Bridge Studios is a company in Taiwan that has organized and produced cultural projects connecting Taiwan’s indigenous tribes with Austronesian groups. It produced the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program in 2013, bringing Maori filmmakers to Taiwan. Tony Coolidge, an officer of Bridge Studios, offers his unique background of being an accomplished American media executive and project organizer and he is a member of the indigenous Atayal tribe of Taiwan.
It is important to train our future generations of indigeous writers, reporters, and media professionals in Taiwan to learn how to reach out to the world. Students and graduates of Indigenous Media or Journalism studies can receive valuable hands-on experiences with the MATA News Internship Programs, providing assistance in the production of news articles for international print, radio and television.
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan declared a “Pivot to the South,” indicating an increased effort in building international relations with ASEAN nations and India. In order to ensure economic security and to avoid reliance on one dominant marketplace, Taiwan can turn to its Austronesian cultural heritage to make its southward focus more effective. Including the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand and Madagascar, the Austronesian family of nations is a marketplace of 400 million people in almost 40 countries with a combined annual GDP of US$7 trillion. This marketplace, related by culture, DNA and language, has been underestimated and underappreciated in Taiwan, and deserves Taiwan’s attention. By developing media projects that raise awareness of Taiwan’s connection to Austronesia, there will be an increase in interest, leading to cooperation, tourism and business opportunities.
OBJECTIVES
Short-Term Goals
The short-term goals are oriented around producing a pilot program for the news magazine. This will require securing the partnerships, production team, format, and shooting the first episode. This will allow us to have the ability to show what we can produce, and raise funds for our first season of production.The short-term goals include:
1)Finalizing the nature of the partnerships and working relations between the partners in Taiwan and the USA.
2)Finalize the team and understand the titles, roles, responsibilities, and compensation for each person.
3)Organize and produce the first episode of MATA News, which will focus on President Tsai, Ing-wen’s public apology to Taiwan’s indigenous people on August 1, 2016. We will film the apology, discuss its potential impact on Taiwanese tribal people, and discuss Tsai’s own indigenous roots, with her grandmother being from the Paiwan tribe.
4)This first episode of MATA News will produce a 30-minute television episode for Taiwan Indigenous Television, and will be distributed for broadcast on Maori TV in New Zealand and offered to other news stations in the World Indigenous Broadcasters Network. A radio program will be produced to offer to Cultural Survival for broadcast on their network of1,461 radio stations. A magazine article will be written that will be published in Cultural Survival Magazine, the foremost international indigenous rights magazine, and offered to international newspapers.
5)The ATAYAL Organization will set up fundraising efforts for MATA News, using crowdfunding, grant writing resources and its network of supporters worldwide.
Long-Term Goals
The long-term goals are oriented around establishing sustainable fundraising and income generationto support the news magazine. Part of this will be to establish a strong internet presence and growing the distribution network internationally. This may require the establishment of new relationships with international groups.The long-term goals include:
1)Establishment of working relationship and protocols to use news content from TITV to generate MATA News programs.
2)Establishment of a web site, podcasts and YouTube Channel for MATA News.
3)Establishment of a sustainable fundraising campaign in Taiwan, the USA, and other countries for the program.
4)Establishment of viable income streams and responsible budget-setting for the program.
5)Organize a Series of Programs, generating 16 video episodes and 32 radio episodes, and 8 magazine articles for the MATA News’ first season.
6)Establish Internships for Indigenous Media and Journalism Studies students and graduates.
7)Bridge Studios and the ATAYAL Organization will seek distribution of MATA News on television and radio stations throughout Austronesia. Our goal is to establish a network of 32 international television broadcasters by the end of Season One to broadcast our news magazine.
8)Establish new sources of news content, including the MATA Taiwan group. We should set a goal of having our own production capabilities.
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Summary of Activities
The activities required to have a successful international news magazine are sustainable funding, professional production and far-reaching marketing.
1)Fundraising Activities- The Partnership will participate in fundraising activities to fund the pilot episode, and establish sustainable fundraising campaigns in Taiwan (Bridge Studios and TITV) and other countries (ATAYAL Organization) to support Season One of MATA News.
2)News Content Activities-Sourcing news for our programs will come from the daily news database at TITV. Our Producers will select the best stories for our news magazine, and work with our Translation Team and Editing Team to produce the English-language News Stories. The News Anchors will read the news and discuss their own insightful Commentary to provide relevant perspective for the international audiences. News content will be sourced exclusively from TITV at first. However, it may be possible to broaden the news content sourcing to include MATA Taiwan and reporters from other Austronesian nations. When the budget grows, MATA News may have its own news crew on the ground in Taiwan.
3)News Production Activities - From the weekly selection of TITV news stories, our TV news program, (biweekly) radio program (weekly), and magazine articles (monthly) will be created.
4)Marketing and Distribution Activities - Our goal is to maximize the reach and impact of Taiwan’s indigenous news on global audiences. Partnering with Cultural Survival allows our magazine articles to be seen by top academics and policymakers involved in international indigenous rights, including people in the United Nations. Their radio network includes over 1,400 radio stations for our radio program. TITV will broadcast the English-language television news program in Taiwan, which can attract viewers who want to improve English listening skills. We can also distribute the news video to member broadcasters of the WITBN such as Maori TV, APTN, Thai PBS and more. The ATAYAL organization and Bridge Studios will have opportunities to market the news program to broadcasters through Austronesia.
5)Internet and Social Media Activities - With current technologies, we can grow a dynamic fan base by developing the web site, podcasts, YouTube Channel and social networks. We will be able to share our content and let viewers respond with comments and questions, which we can reply to in our news magazine. Also, the MATA.news web site can expand in the future to an international news web site, including content from reporters and writers from all Austronesian nations, to become Austronesia’s most comprehensive news resource.
Itinerary of Activities
July 20 - August 6 – Creating first (pilot) episode of video, radio, and print news article about the President of Taiwan’s official apology to Indigenous People. This episode will be distributed internationally immediately after it is completed.
August 15 – September 15 –International Fundraising Campaign for Season One of MATA News
September 15, 2016– Production begins for Season One of MATA News.
September 15, 2016 – Completion of the MATA.news web site – Phase 1
November 1, 2016 – Completion of the MATA.news web site – Phase 2
COOPERATING PARTNERS
Bridge Studios( This company is founded in Tainan City, Taiwan by Shu-min and Tony Coolidge, and its purpose is to produce cultural and educational events and projects in Taiwan. In 2013, it produced the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program ( in cooperation with the ATAYAL organization. In 2015-2016, it produced the American Basketball English Program ( to help Tainan City students to have breakthroughs in English language education.
Taiwan Indigenous TV( Taiwan’s indigenous television broadcasting station provides indigenous cultural news and features that promotes culture, indigenous rights, and language preservation. Aside from providing programs, it has been an influential force for indigenous advocacy. As an active member of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network ( it provides Taiwanese indigenous people with an international platform to share their voice. TITV had cooperated with the ATAYAL Organization in the past by broadcasting its documentary film, Voices In The Clouds《眾族同聲》, in Taiwan and bringing the film to the 2012 Nepal International Indigenous Film Festival, where it won the top prize for best indigenous film (
ATAYAL Organization( This American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (NGO) was registered in the State of Florida in 2001. The ATAYAL Organization has been the leading organization in North America educating global citizens about the indigenous culture of Taiwan, producing cultural exchange events, videos and documentary films. More importantly, the organization has been active building relationships between Taiwanese tribes and Native American tribes and the tribes of Austronesia. As an American NGO, it is in a position of raising funds in the USA for cultural projects.
Cultural Survival( This American organization (NGO) is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and holds consultative status with the United Nations. This organization is the foremost media company promoting the causes of indigenous rights. It produces the widely respected magazine, Cultural Survival Quarterly, and hosts Indigenous Rights Radio, which has been received by 1,461 radio stations in 55 countries.
ORGANIZERS
Tony Coolidge(陳華友)-Producer/Foreign Correspondent Journalist -Tony’s father was American and his mother was Taiwanese from the Atayal tribe. His story can be seen in the internationally award-winning documentary film, Voices in the Clouds《眾族同聲》, produced by Aaron Hose. He moved to Taiwan in 2009 to be a “bridge,” sharing Taiwan’s culture with the world, and to create projects that expandinternational cultural cooperation with Taiwan. Cultural and Education Projects include the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program, Austronesian Film Festival and the American English Basketball Program. Tony is currently an educator and journalist writing for newspapers and magazines, with his work published in CNN.com, Taipei Times, and the News Lens. He is also the East Asian Correspondent for Cultural Survival Magazine. Tony has been a business owner of multimedia companies in the USA and a founder of NGOs. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Shu-min Coolidge(徐淑敏)- Treasurer-Shu-min is the co-founder of Bridge Studios in Tainan, Taiwan. In Taiwan, she has been involved in the organization of cultural and education projects. She is an experienced translator and business owner. Mrs. Coolidge has been a professional Chinese/English translator working in the USA for ten years on projects for large companies in Orlando, Florida. She taught Chinese language to honors students at the University of Central Florida and to members of the Orlando Magic (NBA) organization. Shu-min earned a Bachelor's Degree from the Tamkang University (淡江大學) of Tamsui, Taiwan.
Chun-Chiao (Tess) Yeh(葉春嬌)-Assistant Producer -Miss Yeh has been an important detail-oriented volunteer for the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program for the ATAYAL Organization, providing professional translation services, research and organizing. She has also provided her services for Bridge Studios. Miss Yeh had been a research assistant at Academia Sinica (中研院) and is knowledgable about Taiwan’s social and indigenous issues. She will be able to provide research, translation, and organizational services for the MATA News program.
Tobie Openshaw(歐陽峰)-Video Producer -The South African-born filmmaker has lived in Taiwan for 17 years. With many years of production experience internationally, his work has been seen on documentary channels such as National Geographic, Discovery, and Al Jazeera. Tobie’s current passion lies with the marginalized indigenous people of Taiwan, with several documentary and other projects in the works. Tobie travelled to New Zealand in 2013 with Tony Coolidge, where they attended the Wairoa Maori Film Festival and forged connections that are coming to fruition in this project.
Gary Smoke-Radio Program Producer -Gary Smoke is an American who has been living in Taiwan for many years, serving as an educator, cultural exchange promoter, and commercial voice and acting talent. Gary has been on many TV commercials in Taiwan. He has served since 2010 as the ATAYAL Organizations Director of International Affairs, responsible for creating culture exchange between Taiwan’s indigenous tribes and Native American tribes. He has also organized many cultural events in Taiwan, including co-organizing the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program in 2013.
Masao Aki(馬紹阿紀)-Cultural Consultant-Mr. Aki is currently an Assistant Professor at Shih Hsin University. He was a previous Director at Taiwan Indigenous TV and Producer at Public Television Service.Professor Aki was a guest speaker at a Conference as part of the Tap Root Cultural Exchange Program. He will serve asan advisor for the production and distribution of the MATA News program.
Aaron Hosé(馬紹阿紀)-Creative Consultant - Aaron Hosé is a multilingual, three-time Emmy Award-winning video producer and filmmaker, with fifteen years of experience in the film and video industry. Expertise in documentary film development and production, corporate and non-profit video, magazine TV series, operation of HD cameras and non-linear editing and compositing systems. Currently producing video for the University of Central Florida, the second-largest university in the United States. Also freelancing for domestic and foreign production companies. In 2010 Aaron completed his début feature-length documentary Voices in the Clouds, which he produced and directed in Taiwan. Since its release, the film has screened and won awards at festivals in the Caribbean, Canada, U.S.A, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. He has produced other documentary films, which have toured the international film festival circuit.