Synthesis

 

           Weird! Are you weird? Is your family weird? Is your town weird? "Keep Portland Weird"...is the motto of Portland, Oregon, and the town delivers as advertised, in a good way. When Portlanders think of weird, they think of innovation, sustainability, profitability, and community; ways in which citizens may support their community as well as ways to attract and hold on to profitable community friendly businesses. Portland hosts a flourishing and comfortable atmosphere for its entertainment media industries. (Specifically, radio, television and film) 

         KPOJ AM 620 Radio ( owned by iHeart Media and affiliated with Fox Sports radio) is the station where fans can catch live broadcasts of football, baseball, and basketball in addition to nationally syndicated programming. the station covers Oregon State Beaver collegiate football, Hillsboro Hops professional baseball and  Portland Trailblazer professional basketball. Though many of the shows that air on 620 hale from other towns, programmers keep a weather eye and a strong foothold on the local sports scene. I for one appreciate the hometown touch that AM 620 brings to the Portland community as they move from a mid-sized city to a major player in the media market as witnessed by its designated rank of 23 in the Nielson Ranking system.

In addition to this high national ranking, Portland continues in its tradition of hosting successful television productions. Some are based in Portland and produced by Portland studios, some are based outside of the local area and take advantage of the media friendly atmosphere , and some are hybrids of both; All appreciate the economic incentives that Portland offers. Two of the better known productions are cult favorite "Leverage", which starred academy award winner Timothy Hutton and aired from 2008 to 2012, and the current spin off of the highly successful "Librarians” films, which recently filmed portions of season three at Portland State University. Both of these productions have made significant economic contributions to Portland and have helped to enhance the cities entertainment media social status. 

Laika LLC is the product of local resident and Portland State University alumni Travis Knight. Laika, founded in 2005 is a stop-motion animation studio that produces feature films and occupies an expansive production facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. they have produced such ground - breaking hits like Coraline and The Boxtrolls and are currently working on a feature due out in August of next year. Laika contributes to the local community in many ways. They assist local non-profits, have an environmental sustainability program, and by their mere existence supply employment opportunities and economic advantages for Portland residents.

Weird...Is Portland weird? I think so. They promote high quality entertainment, in an eco-friendly unobtrusive fashion. the companies that choose Portland do not do so so simply for the economic benefits, or the beautifully convenient scenic advantages, they do so also because of its unconventional forward-thinking population and the welcoming communities. And this is why Portlanders strive to....