Sponsorship packages for Chamorro show

Ketungo’ Chamorro, a Webisode project for the promotion, practice and preservation of the Chamorro language, is offering sponsorship packages for companies or local agencies interested in being a part of the undertaking.

According to producer and director Valentina Rivera, the project began two years ago while she was working for a different production company. At the time, she was tasked with producing ideas for television. Rivera realized the potential for Chamorro language show and called on the Public School System, which helped fund and produce a series called Fino’ Chamorro.

“It was all different language lessons,” she says, but it did not represent the diversity of the Chamorro culture.

Two years later, Rivera decided to start her own production company called Rivers Pictures and began planning to incorporate aspects of language, history and interactive lessons for dissemination over the Internet instead of conforming to a narrow television audience.

“It’s like going on a field trip,” she said of her desire for a program that represents the islands as accurately as possible. “Initial plans are for 20 episodes a season, starting with a beginner level introduction to the culture, then intermediate and advanced,” she said.

Rivera has been working on this project since Typhoon Soudelor and welcomes interested sponsors to move forward with the season.

“I’m hoping to start shooting in January and have a website available soon. I wanted this to be online specifically to be more accessible to people around the world, no matter where they are,” referring to the many people who have left the islands but remain nostalgic about island life.

Rivera emphasizes the need to think globally.

“I’m hoping companies support this. We would like to do other languages eventually. Not just Chamorro, but also Carolinian and possibly Mandarin. These are all languages that people have an interest in learning about,” she says.

Rivera is continuing to speak with local agencies and businesses this week to confirm sponsorships. “We want the community to be more involved in this endeavor,” and invites the community to take part and contribute, she adds.

Corporate sponsorships and advertisement sponsorships are available with a pilot episode sponsored by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council for viewing online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cgJnvnLn2U&feature=youtu.be. For more information, call 285-6278 or email riverspictures07@gmail.com.