614lifeMEDIA LABJoin the founding crew
COLUMBUS, OHIO / AN INDEPENDENT MEDIA LAB

Columbus stories,
made together.

A place to learn the tools.
Find your voice.
Make something real.

Start with your curiosity
A winter sunset over downtown Columbus and the Scioto River, with the LeVeque Tower in the foreground
THE FIRST CHAPTER4–6 founding
creators wanted.Ohio State students & beginners welcome.Express your interest
OUR CITY. YOUR NEXT STORY.Photography by The614.life
LEARN BY MAKINGVIDEO · PHOTO · WORDS · WEBNO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
01 / THE LAB

Outside the classroom.
Into the city.

You don’t need a polished portfolio to start. You need an idea, a little curiosity, and a willingness to try.

614 Life Media Lab is a new community media learning project near Ohio State, organized and supported by Buckeye Electric of Upper Arlington. We’re bringing a small group together to explore Columbus through photography, video, writing, and the web.

Try a tool. Make a first draft. Get feedback. Publish something you’re proud of. Then see what connects with an audience and keep improving.

Beginner friendlyLearning firstLocally focused
02 / WHAT WE COULD MAKE

One city.
So many ways to tell it.

These are starting ideas.
The first crew will help choose the stories.

01

Small films.
Big local stories.

Short videos, interviews, and social clips about the people and places around us.

VIDEO + SOCIAL
02

A different
point of view.

Photo walks and visual essays that find something unexpected in familiar streets.

PHOTOGRAPHY
03

Stories worth
spending time with.

Neighborhood profiles, local guides, and publications with a clear voice and purpose.

WRITING + EDITORIAL
04

Ideas that live
on the web.

Websites and digital experiments that give those stories a home—and an audience.

DESIGN + WEB
03 / THE FIRST SIX WEEKS

A small crew.
Room to experiment.

We’re planning a six-week, unpaid learning pilot with 4–6 founding creators. The proposed rhythm is one workshop each week, plus an optional work session.

Come to learn. Leave with work to show.

The plan includes shared equipment, practical projects, feedback, and credited work for your portfolio. Equipment access and meeting details will be confirmed before the pilot begins.

Help shape the first group
  1. 01
    WEEKS 1–2

    Meet. Explore. Try.

    Get to know the crew, explore the tools, and choose a small Columbus story to work on.

  2. 02
    WEEKS 3–4

    Make the first version.

    Head out, gather material, edit together, and exchange useful feedback.

  3. 03
    WEEKS 5–6

    Publish. Learn. Repeat.

    Share finished work, look at the audience response, and reflect on what to try next.

A CONTRIBUTION TO OUR COMMUNITY

A place to explore technology outside the classroom—and discover what we can make together.

Buckeye Electric of Upper ArlingtonCommunity organizer & resource contributor

Buckeye Electric contributes equipment and funding for subscriptions, storage, and other lab resources as a donation to the Columbus community.

A community media learning project, unaffiliated with The Ohio State University.

04 / YOUR FIRST STEP

Bring your curiosity.
We’ll start there.

Interested in joining the founding crew? Tell us a little about yourself and what you’d like to learn. No résumé or portfolio needed.

  • Freshmen and beginners are welcome.
  • Unpaid, voluntary learning pilot.
  • Academic credit is not guaranteed.
  • Dates and meeting location are still being arranged.

Prefer a conversation?
Message “LAB” on Facebook
the614.life@gmail.com

Student interest form

About two minutes. Fields marked * are required.

What would you like to explore? *

Choose as many as you like.

A sentence or two is plenty. Please leave out sensitive personal information.

Your response is private and used to organize the pilot. Submitting doesn’t commit you to joining. Read the FAQ or email the614.life@gmail.com to request a correction or deletion.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

Good questions.
Clear answers.

Do I need experience or my own equipment?

No experience or finished portfolio is required. You can tell us what you want to learn in the interest form. Shared equipment is part of the plan; the available kit and access arrangements will be confirmed before we begin.

Is this an Ohio State program?

No. 614 Life Media Lab is a community media project near campus, organized and supported by Buckeye Electric of Upper Arlington. Buckeye Electric contributes equipment and funding for subscriptions, storage, and other resources as a donation to the community. Ohio State students are welcome, but the lab is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Ohio State University.

Is this paid? Can I receive academic credit?

The proposed pilot is unpaid and focused on voluntary learning and portfolio development. It is not a paid job offer. Academic credit is not guaranteed; any credit arrangement would need approval from your school before you participate.

When and where will we meet?

The plan is one weekly workshop and an optional work session over six weeks, near Ohio State in Columbus. We’ll work out dates, times, and the meeting location with the founding group before anyone commits.

What happens after I express interest?

Your response goes into the lab’s private interest list. The lab’s organizers can review it and contact you about your interests and the proposed schedule. Submitting the form doesn’t commit you to participating or guarantee a place.

How will my information be used?

The lab’s organizers and authorized site administrators use your response to organize the pilot and contact you about participating. Responses are stored with this website’s hosting service and are not published. We don’t ask for student IDs, grades, or sensitive personal information. Email the614.life@gmail.com to request a correction or deletion.