Founded by longtime residents and movie veterans alike, Film Invasion Los Angeles looks to showcase the best undiscovered movies in the heart of Los Angeles. As a 2020 selection, our short filmGrief Vigilantes will be screening as part of their Comedy Spotlight!
THREE SHORT FILMS: HOW TO SAVE A MARRIAGE, GRIEF VIGILANTES, & FIRST STATES. Please note that you have the OPTION to give a $5 or $10 gift in order to watch as many livestreams as you like. There are still many costs associated with running the festival, but because people will be watching at home during a global pandemic we made paying for tickets optional this year.
How To Save A Marriage 0:08:30 Grief Vigilantes 0:08:34 First States 0:17:09
How To Save A Marriage A “Cosmo Quiz” becomes a painful walk down memory lane. Honesty is the hallmark of a good relationship…just not that kind of honesty. Director(s): Eric Foss Writer(s): Eric Foss Producer(s): Eric Foss Starring: Chris Mollica, Catherine Mersereau
Grief Vigilantes When a girl dealing with a tragedy suddenly contends with a terrible boss she bands together with her grief group and makes the unwise decision to kidnap her manager. Director(s): Aysha Wax Writer(s): Aysha Wax Producer(s): Elba Flamenco, Casey Graf, Aysha Wax Cast: Dione Kuraoka, Denisse Ojeda, Kaitlyn Tanimoto, Sofia Gonzalez, Jana Savage, Richard Riehle
First States A disgraced Congressman fakes his own death to escape trial and start over fresh down his chosen new path outside of society. It’s never a clean break, as the powers that be have different plans for him. Director(s): Bond Richards Writer(s): Bond Richards Producer(s): Eli Swenson Cast: Christian Klein, Quinton Clarke, Eli Swenson
For the past couple of months, I’ve been doing a ton of research on art advocacy as part of my participation in NALAC’s Advocacy Leadership Institute and I’ve found a lot of great resources for artists. In particular, our biggest challenge right now is dealing with the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and mitigating the impact on already struggling communities. The good news is that philanthropic organizations have stepped up to provide relief funds and assistance to those in need, however it might be difficult to find this information, so I’ve curated a list of relief fund programs for individual artists, and I’ve grouped them thematically.
I’ll continue to add to this page as I find resources, however, I won’t have the bandwidth to remove opportunities as they expire. If you come across an opportunity that’s expired, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post so that I can remove it. I’ll also be updating this Twitter thread, if that’s easier to keep track of for you. THANK YOU AND I HOPE THIS HELPS! 💕
Forecast has launched a national initiative to support public artists and public art programs during this pandemic.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts has a relief fund for artists who incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates
The Opportunity Agenda. Creative Change – COVID 19 Emergency Assistance Stipends for Artists & Cultural Strategists provides emergency assistance stipends of $1,000 for US-based artists and cultural strategists pursuing social justice objectives through their work. Members of The Opportunity Agenda’s Creative Change Network as well as others who meet the criteria are encouraged to apply. Stipends may be used exclusively to support recipients facing financial hardship whose work in their respective arts and/or social justice field(s)has been significantly disrupted, reduced, delayed, or lost due to COVID-19. This is a limited time opportunity and stipends must be used by July 31st, 2020.
Rauschenberg announced an Medical Emergency grant program for artists.
4Culture will begin accepting applications for the Cultural Relief Fund April 1 through May 15.
CERF+ – CERF+ Emergency Assistance – Supporting intensive care, focused on those infected with the COVID-19 that require intensive medical care.
Arts Administrators of Color Network launched a relief fund to support BIPOC artists and administrators.
This is not Coronavirus-specific but Firelight invites filmmakers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Colombia, with particular interest in those who identify as indigenous and/or of African descent, to apply for the inaugural William Greaves Fund. This is a new dedicated fund to resource 5-7 talented storytellers per year. The size of grants will range up to $25k each to support research and development on a feature-length nonfiction film. The application opens March 12, 2020 with an anticipated announcement and disbursement in July 2020.
Relief Funds for Actors
Actors Fund emergency financial assistance program helps eligible applicants in need. It is not income replacement, but limited funds for basic living necessities. The Actors Fund is also administering COVID19 Assistance programs for performing arts and entertainment unions including SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Actors Equity Association, American Guild of Musical Artists and Musicians Local 802. Additionally, The Fund is administering the Jujamcyn Theatre Assistance Program
Denver Actors Fund launches $35,000 emergency relief fund for theatre artists
Relief Funds for Musicians
MusiCares – Short-term financial assistance for musicians’ personal needs that have arisen due to unforeseen circumstances.
Musicians Foundation – Financial assistance to professionals in the music industry.
Jazz Road Quick Assist Fund – $1,000 grants available for freelance jazz musicians impacted by COVID-19 to offset lost income due to cancelled events in March, April, and May 2020.
Relief Funds for Visual Artists
The Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant is for painters, printmakers and sculptors
Relief Funds for Writers
PEN America. PEN America is expanding its long-standing Writers’ Emergency Fund as part of our efforts to support the literary community at a time when the health and livelihoods of so many are at risk. PEN America will distribute grants of $500 to $1,000 based on applications that demonstrate an inability to meet an acute financial need, especially one resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. We have developed a new streamlined process for the duration of this crisis, and expect to be able to review and respond to applications within 14 days. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be a professional writer, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported.
Dramatists Guild Foundation launches relief fund supporting individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and bookwriters.
Author’s League Fund – Helps professional authors, journalists, poets, and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune.
The Arts Writers Grant Program was founded in 2006 to recognize the precarious situation of arts writers, and their indispensable contribution to a vital artistic culture. As the COVID-19 outbreak further threatens the cultural and arts writing landscape, the Arts Writers Grant Program is grateful for the Andy Warhol Foundation’s continued support. The grant supports both emerging and established writers who are writing about contemporary visual art. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in three categories—articles, books, and short-form writing—these grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies.
State or Region-specific Relief Funds for Artists
Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts. The Baltimore Artist Emergency Relief Fund is a coalition-led initiative designed to provide direct assistance to Baltimore-based artists and creative entrepreneurs who have lost income due to the COVID-19 crisis. The fund offers emergency grants of $500 to Baltimore City creatives who are experiencing financial strife as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Theatre Bay Area has set up the COVID-19 Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund.
UNTITLED, ART announces the UNTITLED, ART Emergency Fund, in collaboration with &Art& serving artists in the Bay Area.
Arts Foundation of Cape Cod: The AFCC’s Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund will provide the first $10,000 to meet what we know is a much greater need. Focused on lost income, the Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund will provide one-time relief in the form of grants up to $500 to artists who live, work, create, and/or perform on Cape Cod.
The Arts Community Alliance (Dallas, TX). The TACA Emergency Arts Relief Fund is a resource dedicated to provide short-term immediate relief to Dallas County nonprofit arts organizations who have experienced lost revenue or increased expenses due to Coronavirus/COVID-19 precautionary measures. Eligible organizations can receive awards of up to $10,000.
Denver Actors Fund launches $35,000 emergency relief fund for theatre artists
Houston Arts Alliance. The Artist and Arts Worker Relief Fund will provide Houston area artists and arts workers (arts nonprofit employees, gallerists, etc.) that have lost income and basic life securities as a result of COVID-19 grants up to $1,000 will be available and serve as a bridge to public assistance options.
The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland will offer pro bono consultations to any U.S.-based non-profit arts or culture organization between March and June 2020, as a response to the mounting effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Frederick Arts Council (Maryland) launched a GoFundMe campaign for relief funding.
Michigan Music Alliance’s Michigan Artist Relief Fund (in collaboration with Walk the Beat–a music nonprofit regularly raising funds to get musical instruments in kids’ hands)
ArtsMemphis has established an Artist Emergency Fund to help self-employed artists of all arts disciplines (visual art, literary arts, film, dance, music, theater) and artists employed/contracted by nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Shelby County recover from lost income due to the cancellation of scheduled gigs or opportunities (such as a commission, performance, contract, etc.), or due to layoff or furlough due to COVID-19 precautionary measures. Artists may request up to $500 to compensate for work that was scheduled or contracted and cancelled or lost.
Oolite Arts (Miami, FL) launched a relief fund offering $500 grants for artists that have lost income.
NC Artist Fund Relief Fund: a collaboration between Artspace, PineCone, United Arts Council and VAE Raleigh
Greater Columbus Arts Council (Columbus, OH) announced a relief grant for artists.
Regional Arts & Culture Council (Portland, OR). RACC’s Emergency Fund for Individual Artists supports creative professionals who have experienced a financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund is open to artists at all levels of their careers, in a broad variety of disciplines. Applicants will be asked to submit evidence of their artistic practice, household income, and financial loss in the application. RACC will make awards up to $500 in order to support as many individual artists as possible, prioritizing those without access to other COVID-19 relief funds.
New Haven Creates Relief Fund is a partnership between the City of New Haven’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven providing up to $1,000 based on their financial situation, with a priority for low-income individuals and small-budget arts organizations.
The Village Arts and Humanities (Philadelphia, PA). The Emergency Gap Fund for Philly’s Black Working Artists is a fund that disburses one-time grants of $500 to help Black working artists residing in Philadelphia stay stable and safe while weathering the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (Pennsylvania) launches a relief fund for artists in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington, Lawrence, Indiana, Greene, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund Established for Rhode Island provides grants of up to $1,000 available to artists who have lost income due to the health crisis. The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), in cooperation with the Rhode Island Foundation and the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, is launching a fund to help Rhode Island artists who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications can be submitted at any time and awards will be made on a weekly basis until funds are exhausted.
Center for Cultural Innovation launched the SF Arts and Artists Relief Fund made possible by the direction of Mayor London Breed, SFAC, and GFTA with the City and County of San Francisco allocating $1.5 million to this grantmaking relief effort.
Ijeoma Oluo on behalf of LANGSTON Seattle has started a GoFundMe campaign to support artists in Seattle affected.
Spokane Arts launched a relief fund for individual artists
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis Artist Relief Fund will award grants of $500 or $1,000 to working artists who live in St. Louis City or St. Louis County whose immediate creative practices and incomes are being adversely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is providing the Pivot Grant to fund artistic projects or programming which have been adapted to alternative methods of sharing (i.e. virtual, digital, socially distant) in response to the ongoing health crisis. Granted awards will range from $500 – $1,000 for individual artists or $1,000 – $2,500 for non-profit (501c3) arts organizations. Submissions may include new, currently in-progress or on-going projects and programming. The Pivot Grant may be used to cover costs associated with these projects or programs, which can include, but is not limited to, staff wages, artist fees, technology, and material costs.
The Worcester Creative Relief Fund will award grants in the amount of $500 to artists who live or work in Worcester and have had their creative practices and incomes adversely impacted by COVID-19. The Fund is designed to support Worcester artists of all types (visual, performing, design, etc.) who have been financially impacted by event/gig cancellations, the inability to exhibit their work/book shows, and/or have lost revenue from their day jobs being eliminated due to COVID-19.
Miscellaneous Resources
A list of other free help or support resources that you can use to get through this.
Artist Office Hours is an opportunity for artists to gather virtually and talk, mourn, laugh and share music. The event takes place each day at 5pm PST. Download the meeting invite.
Pair Up – A place for creatives to find and offer their time to others with the goal of sharing, learning and problem solving with each other.
Sources
A majority of this information has been taken from Americans for the Arts but also includes resources from a variety of reputable arts organizations like the California Arts Council.
If you’re an artist or creative worker whose been affected by Coronavirus, consider filling out the COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers administered by Americans for the Arts. The survey is designed is designed to capture financial and creative impact of COVID-19 on creative workers, highlight the resiliency and generosity of the creative sector, and make sure that the 5 million creative workers in the U.S. are supported and heard during this ongoing crisis and the eventual recovery.
When I first started doing yoga four years ago, I started with the cheapest mat I could find. I figured, like most of the hobbies and workout fads I’d tried over the years, I’d quit doing yoga eventually so I didn’t want to buy an expensive mat.
This was my first yoga mat and it sucked so much. It had no traction and after a few hot yoga classes, the adhesive started to deteriorate and the mat came completely undone.
One day, after struggling through another practice, the yoga teacher talked to me about it. She told me my mat wasn’t supporting my practice, and she recommended a Manduka mat which she used in her personal practice and for her studio. The next time I was in class, I rented one to see if I could tell the difference, and it was like night and day. I bought a Manduka mat instantly, and over time, it made a huge difference in my practice.
Enter the Manduka PROlite Mat
The Manduka PROlite has been my one and only yoga mat for the last three plus years. It got me through my 200-hour yoga teacher training and has even traveled with me to Italy! It’s soft and spongy, and it’s never smelled like plastic. It doesn’t slip and slide during a sweaty session, and it keeps me grounded for all those balance poses. I have this exact shade of blue (turquoise?) and I always get compliments on it. It’s never let me down; it’s never torn, ripped, or failed to perform in any, way shape or form. It’s been reliable and I love it!
And yet…
I couldn’t help but wonder about all these other cool yoga mats I kept hearing about. Before I knew it, I’d convinced myself that I needed a second yoga mat, one that would stay in the car and be my studio mat. I did my research and narrowed my search down to the Liforme Travel Mat.
Enter the Liforme Travel Mat
Several factors went into picking this mat but it boiled down to quality and uniqueness. Liforme yoga mats are made in a sustainable way: they’re biodegradable, non-toxic, and PVC-free as well. I also liked that each mat has alignment cues and the length is slightly longer than the standard yoga mat. I decided on the travel version of the Liforme yoga mat because I wanted something light and easy to tote to class.
When it first arrived and I started using it, I had mixed emotions on whether I liked it. There were several strengths to this new mat but I couldn’t help but notice that my Manduka PROlite was better in other ways. It took me a few practices to start vibing with my new mat but I got there, and if you’re thinking of buying one, it’s likely you will too, but here are some of the most notable pros and cons for me:
PROS:
The alignment lines help
Initially, the alignment lines were confusing and they made me overthink during practice, and I kinda hated them. Over time, I’ve come to embrace them! The key is to take what’s helpful and ignore what you don’t need. I find that there are some days where I don’t care about the alignment lines at all, and other days when I take great pleasure hitting all the angles perfectly. It all depends what kind of head-space I’m in, neither mode is right or wrong.
Superior grip, even in sweaty conditions
The grip on this mat is excellent and superior to my Manduka PROlite. I used to have to use a towel with my Manduka mat but it’s completely unnecessary with the Liforme mat. Fair disclaimer, I’m not the kind of person who sweats buckets during hot yoga, and if you are, you may still need a towel. The overall feel of the mat is satiny but grippy when wet, which is different than the spongy/soft feel of the Manduka PROlite. It’s a pleasant sensation on the fingertips, and if anything, is a little too grippy. If you drag your ashy/dry feet across it your skin might peel off some. 🤣
Doesn’t have a plastic scent
Although the mat has a slight scent to it at first, it fades with use over time. And the scent isn’t a chemical or plastic scent, it’s more like a faint rubber smell (which makes sense because it’s made of natural rubber) but it’s not bad. You’re not supposed to use any essential oils on this mat because they can break down the mat and make it age faster, but I cheated and cleaned it with a lavender oil/water mixture the first time, and that seemed to help it lose the smell some.
CONS:
I hate the bag it comes in.
When I was doing my yoga mat research, the fact that the Liforme products came with their own carrier bag was a huge selling point. But once I started to use the mat in day-to-day life, it became clear right away that this bag would be annoying. The main problem is that the bag was clearly manufactured to fit the yoga mat precisely if you roll it up perfectly. I’ve never in my life rolled up a yoga mat perfectly. Also, the zipper, rather than being a straight line across the bag, is in this rounded pattern. Presumably, this construction is to make it easier to put your mat in the bag but that’s not at all the case. The material is flimsy and the strap is thin and cheap. I’m using it because that’s what it came in but I’m not crazy about it.
Visible sweat stains will bring out the OCD in you
One thing that bothered me at first, but I was later okay with, was the visible stains on the mat. Having been used to my Manduka mat, I wasn’t used to being able to see every sweat, grease, and oil stain show up on my mat. There’s something about the unique construction of Manduka PROlite mats that give them more of a woven appearance. Contrast that with the smooth, silky, appearance of the Liforme mats; the mat looks like a piece of rice paper after you’ve applied it to your forehead. Here’s the thing though, once the mat dries, the stains go away. But if you get a little OCD with this stuff, it will bother you to see the grease stain your forehead left on the mat after child’s pose, and it’ll stare back at you for the rest of class.
You can see the sweat stains pretty well in this video review.
Rough on the knees
I knew what I was doing when I purchased the travel version of this mat, I knew it would be thinner than a standard mat, but I thought it would be fine because I’ve never had any knee issues. Alas, this mat is very thin (2mm thick compared to my Manduka PROlite which is 5mm thick) and my knees definitely felt the difference in poses like pigeon, tabletop, and anything that requires you to bring the knees down. At first, I denied it, that the thinness bothered me, but now I realize I need to just put ego aside and use a blanket or hand towel under my knees with this mat, it is what it is.
I wouldn’t count the thinness as a complete negative though because I also love how much more grounded I feel. In standing poses, I can feel and grip the floor better with my feet, and when I’m on my back, I feel so much more supported. It also feels great when I get into a ball and rock back and forth on my spine, I feel everything so much more and I love it. So, I guess it’s also a pro.
In conclusion, what this yoga mat journey has taught me is that there is no such thing as a better yoga mat, only a different one. The Liforme yoga mat has several features that make it instantly likeable and off-putting all at the same time. I’ve come to appreciate it and its become the primary yoga mat I use on-the-go for studio classes. However, using the Liforme also made me appreciate my Manduka PROLite that much more, so I use my Manduka for my home practice. Each seems more suitable for their respective jobs; the Liforme is light, thin and highly suitable for an athletic and movement-heavy yoga, and my Manduka, thicker and heavier, cozy for my slower and stretchier practices at home. Both mats are wonderful and you’ll love either one, Namaste! 💕
It’s crazy that just two years ago Journy was nothing more than an idea laid out across a few PowerPoint slides. Now, it’s a multi-platform streaming service filled with award-winning content, emerging talent, and the travel classics. The media landscape is changing all the time, and it’s tough staying alive when you’re a small independent, so I’m glad our team got to talk about how we’ve managed to leverage our small resources into big wins. Below is the video of our Discovery Track presentation on Journy at Streaming Media West 2019:
Ovation, Journy, and “Chasing the Sun”: Leveraging a Linear Cable Network in a FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) World
Launched in fall 2017, Journy is the leading ad-supported travel-entertainment network at the intersection of travel, art, and culture. Powered by Ovation, America’s only arts network, and designed for the conscientious traveler, Journy’s programming centers world travel, cultural tourism, and global citizenry. The team at Journy presents a case-study on how the niche streaming service has leveraged its distribution, partnerships, and programming to grow their audience. The discussion includes the importance of co-productions, and a close look at their popular series “Chasing the Sun;” they are joined by EP/Creator and Host, Stephen Friedman.
Speakers:
William Marks, SVP of Business Development & Digital, Ovation
Elba Flamenco, Senior Director, Content Partnerships, Digital, Ovation and Journy
Jeff McCrann, Manager, Acquisitions and Development, Ovation
Stephen Friedman, EP, Creator, Founder and Executive Producer, Host of “Chasing the Sun”
Chasing the Sun follows adventure-seeker and filmmaker Stephen Friedman (host and creator of successful Fox Networks TV travel show The Blueprint) as he captures the story of the places he visits through the people of each destination. As the locals tell their story, Stephen uses each experience to rediscover why we are all born to explore.
In Season two, Stephen travels through Asia meeting artists, creators, musicians, chefs, and other creative people along the way. As he hears the stories of both natives and newcomers alike, he finds that the traditions and histories of these places are alive in the modern art and culture of its people.
Ep. 201 “Hong Kong”
Whether street art and tofu or Bruce Lee and the Star Ferry, Hong Kong is a city overflowing with art and history. Stephen learns about its secrets from locals and expats.
Ep. 202 “Vietnam”
Stephen immerses himself in local culture, learning about generations worth of traditions from barber shops to mask-making.
Ep. 203 “Bali”
Island of the Gods. With Bali’s ecological majesty as our backdrop, we find people working hard to make a difference in their community and coming together to save the planet.
Ep. 204 “India”
From an indie musician in Mumbai to a skate community rallying together to help local children, Stephen finds the personal stories of art and perseverance in a community of 1.3 billion people.
Ep. 205 “Malaysia”
Where else can you find a beach full of cats after shopping in a vintage vinyl store in the heart of the city or watch a shadow puppet show after having a home-cooked meal prepared by two entrepreneurs?
Ep. 206 “Taiwan”
From urban bustle to tranquil beaches, Taiwan has a soul and culture all its own. Creativity abounds in its people, not to mention the greatest vegan food in the world.
Ep. 207 “South Korea”
Explore a place where it’s illegal to be a tattoo artist and the people living in a rapidly changing culture. A place where GPS limitations mean the possibilities to get lost in music and art are endless.
Ep. 208 “Japan”
Land of the rising sun and the fastest trains in the world that takes us from skateboarders to drag queens and one of the last remaining old-world jazz bars. We meet a chalk artist and a sculptor who makes art with a bite (aka: real teeth).
Grief Vigilantes is a funny and surreal short film that explores the different shades of grief, including it’s absurd and awkward sides! In bringing these themes to light, we hope to provide a funny and entertaining experience that also reminds us that we aren’t alone in our grief. Our talented cast is filled with members of the improv comedy community, and is filled with FUNNY, FEARLESS, FEMALES!
Earlier this month, Ovation announced the first original Journy production, Chasing the Sun – Series 2. Chasing the Sun follows adventure-seeker, and filmmaker, Stephen Friedman (host and creator of successful Fox Networks TV travel show The Blueprint) as he captures the story of the places he visits through the people of each destination. As the locals tell their story, Stephen uses each experience to rediscover why we are all born to explore. In the new season co-produced with JOURNY, Stephen will travel throughout Asia, including stops in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, India, and Sri Lanka.
“It’s been an incredible and humbling experience producing and hosting Chasing the Sun, and JOURNY has been an enthusiastic supporter of the show. We are very excited to have them [Ovation] in our corner for Season Two. Our approach to Chasing The Sun is far more unique than any other out there in this space. The team at Journy and Ovation saw our vision and were quick to be part of it. We are going back to the roots of storytelling and travel. With the backdrop of Asia as our canvas, we couldn’t ask for a better scenario to push the limits and capture something truly amazing.”
As Executive Producer on the project, I’m happy to be a part of this production! Principle photography begins next month, and the program is set to premiere later this year on Journy. Save Your Day Films and Stephen Friedman has been fantastic to work with and I can’t wait to see the final product. We’re still open to partnerships and with travel brands and digital publishers. If you’re interested in learning more, contact me.
I’ve been on a self-improvement kick, so when I started seeing sponsored posts on Instagram for Gaia, a video streaming service that provides “conscious media” for a monthly subscription fee and boasts 8,000+ original and curated videos, I was like, give me my enlightenment!
If all you took away from that is, “What is conscious media?” you’re not alone! Gaia describes itself as a combination of four primary channels: Seeking Truth, Transformation, Alternative Healing, and Yoga. I was prepared to transcend my mortal shell and reach Samadhi, so I signed up for a 90-day package and started streaming.
x
Yoga
I’ll start with the yoga section because it’s one of the biggest and best parts of the service. It’s also a big part of Gaia’s marketing and advertising for the subscription. You likely found out about Gaia because you post about yoga and/or follow others in the yoga community. The yoga category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
All Yoga Practices
Yoga Philosophy
“Living Yoga” Collection
“Morning Ritual” Collection
Meditation
Fitness & Pilates
Highlights
It’s undeniable that Gaia has a massive library of yoga videos spanning several styles and lengths. I appreciated the filter which helps narrow the options based on style, teacher, level, duration, and focus. This is convenient for the regular practitioner because it helps you find exactly what you want to get started quickly and easily. I tried a variety of different videos which provide sound instruction and, depending on what you’re trying to achieve, leave you relaxed or energized. You’re going to have a solid practice no matter what you watch.
Missed Opportunity
Although the volume and value of the library are undeniable, I also couldn’t help but notice a lack of diversity in the teachers. Not to say there aren’t featured instructors that aren’t POC (People of Color)–in fact, Rodney Yee is one of their most prominent POC yogis–but you have to dig to find them.
There’s also a lack of younger, up-and-coming talent that’s popular in the contemporary yoga community. It would be amazing to see original yoga series from a diverse swath of talent like Jessamyn Stanley, Lauren Ash, Chin Twins, or countless other talented yogis. I realize that some of these people might be signed to exclusive deals with other yoga brands, but if you dedicate time and effort to the research, I guarantee you could uncover emerging talent that would be great to modernize this library.
Transformation
This part of the service is focused on content to help unlock the power and potential of your mind and body. This was the shit I was expecting would open up my third eye. I thought I was gonna be levitating once I was done. The category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
Spiritual Growth
Alternative Health
Personal Development
Expanded Consciousness
Highlights
There are tons of interesting and provocative topics to explore, but they’re not at all my jam. You’ll find series on everything from Ayurveda to channeling spirits from other dimensions. I’m all about having an open mind but some of this stuff was outside of the realm of what I like to watch.
The content I appreciated most in this category was the meditation videos. Meditation has been scientifically proven to help change and re-wire your brain, so I’m all about that shit. It’s also through meditative practices that I’ve been able to problem solve and experience creative breakthroughs, so I’m DOWN to meditate. My only wish for the meditation videos is that they had a filter, like the yoga videos, so that I could find exactly what I need, quickly and easily. Instead, I had to rely on the search function (more on that later) which left me sifting through a ton of videos before I could get started.
Missed Opportunities
I don’t have a ton of thoughts on this stuff except to say that, if I was programming this thing, I would broaden this category up. All the content in this section felt TOO granola; like something the weird lady that shops at the co-op and wears hemp clothes all the time with her culturally appropriative dreads would watch. If there’s any desire to make this service attractive to a broader audience, Gaia may be better served with content that’s more in the “motivational” or “self-help” category. I’d love to see original series from people like Dr. Brené Brown, Lewis Howes, or Esther Perel.
Another great opportunity would be to do make more content in the sleep category. Spotify does this, they have a genre devoted to sleep aids. This can include everything from guided sleep meditations to white noise and ASMR. I was disappointed there weren’t more videos on lucid dreaming and yoga nidra. I think sleep-related videos could be huge, and relatively inexpensive and easy for Gaia to produce.
Seeking Truth
This category is for all the Dale Gribbles out there. Enough said. The category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
Original Programs
Metaphysics
Ancient Origins
Secrets and Cover-ups
Paranormal & Unexplained
Highlights
I guess, if you’re looking for super niche content on aliens and conspiracy theories, this is the place to be.
Missed Opportunity
This section is probably the one I disliked the most. I’m down for a good conspiracy doc about aliens from time to time, but I don’t support content that promotes ignorance (like anti-vax stuff). Topics aside, of all the content available on Gaia, these series seemed to be the most dated. Most of these shows are “talking head” formats and consist of two people on a stage, with MAYBE some b-roll thrown in occasionally. Even stuff that was produced in 2018 looks like something from a VHS recovered at a yard sale. Conspiracy nuts aren’t going to pay for a service like this because their community is alive and well on Reddit and YouTube (for free).
Films & Docs
This is where you’ll find the scripted and unscripted movies, docs, and indie films. The category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
Films
Documentaries
Shorts
Series
Highlights
There are some good docs here if you’re interested in getting into the depths of these spiritual/metaphysical topics. Honestly, I didn’t watch a ton of stuff from this section, it wasn’t attractive to me.
Missed Opportunities
IDK man, I don’t think this section is really worth it. I pay the same amount of money for Netflix, and (obviously) they have way better movies. I would never pay for this app for THESE movies.
Features/Format
Content aside, these are my thoughts on the functionality of the app.
Highlights
Multi-platform Viewing – I appreciated the accessibility of the service. I could watch on my desktop, mobile, and living room devices.
Share with a Friend – Although I never used this feature, it’s nice. This is good if you’re a yoga teacher who wants to show a student a particular sequence, or a nutritionist who wants to share an Ayurveda video with a patient.
Missed Opportunities
Push Notifications – I received email newsletters that notified me of new content, but I couldn’t help but wonder why they don’t use push notifications instead? If Gaia would’ve sent a push notification about a detox yoga flow after New Year’s Eve, that probably would’ve received a lot of clicks, thereby re-engaging the viewer with the app.
Improved Search – The search function is not good. It returns unrelated results which makes you scroll/click through a lot of irrelevant content. For example, I was looking up videos on lucid dreaming, and maybe the first 9 videos were directly related, but everything else was either only tangentially related, or had nothing to do with it all. With so many videos, it’s criminal not to have a good search.
More Playlists – You can add videos to your playlist to watch later, but the problem’s that there’s only one playlist! It would be nice to have multiple playlists to organize content. Additionally, it would be great if the videos in those playlists auto-played, one after the other, so that I don’t have to interrupt a yoga session to play the next video.
Podcasts – Although this is a video streaming app, Gaia should consider getting into podcasts, or licensing other popular health & wellness podcasts to freshen up its library. People listen to stuff on-the-go, as well as before sleep, so you don’t need solely video content! It would be amazing to see a collaborative project or an original with popular wellness podcasters like Black Girl in Om or Locatora Radio.
Livestreaming – There are so many wellness-related events around the world that would be great to cover and create content around. For example, a partnership with Wanderlust could result in some cool stuff!
Conclusion
In conclusion, I opted to cancel my Gaia subscription. It’s not that the app doesn’t have any value to it (on the contrary, there’s A LOT of good stuff on the app) but rather, it’s that it doesn’t feel like it’s catered to my interests as a whole. Additionally, in this day and age, we’re all paying for MULTIPLE subscription services [I alone pay for Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Prime Video, Spotify, and Classpass] so if I’m going to add ANOTHER ten dollars to my monthly subscription fees, I HAVE to feel like I’m gonna use that app daily, and this was not that app. Not to say that this app wouldn’t be good for YOU! I could see this app being good for yoga teachers, nutritionists, therapists, or spiritual advisers.
In my opinion, the key to making this a better service lies in better curation, modern original productions, and improved discovery mechanisms. Right now, it’s just too cluttered with content and it doesn’t feel modern. The look is important when you’ve got comparable competitors in the yoga space like Alo Moves or Asana Rebel. I think Gaia has a good foundation to build from, but I would want to see an influx of new, experimental content to get me to re-consider a subscription
But don’t just take my word for it! There’s a lot of great info on this Reddit thread. Wishing you light and love on your trip through the dark bowels of humanity. Namaste!
