North Devon Moving Image is a CIC — a Community Interest Company. Now, for the uninitiated, this means we occupy the curious and interesting space between Limited Companies (Ltd) and charities.
Here’s how.
A CIC is like a Limited Company insofar as its directors have limited liability. Additionally, a CIC limited by guarantee, like NDMI, has no share capital and cannot pay dividends. However, unlike a Limited Company, a CIC exists primarily to benefit a community. Which is where the parallels with charities begin.
Like a charity, NDMI depends on external funding to pursue community interest projects. And, as such, all the funding we receive is invested in our projects. NDMI’s very existence as a CIC is founded upon our mission to give something back to the North Devon community.
In our case, it’s through filmmaking.
It’s about telling people’s stories. Giving people a voice. Making meaningful connections.
And there’s only one way to do that effectively.
Stop. Collaborate. And Listen.
Even though he sampled the bassline to Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’ without permission and had then included the lyrics “stop, collaborate and listen” without the slightest hint of irony, Vanilla Ice makes a valid point. This is how to make things work.
Stop.
Collaborate.
Listen.
And when you have an interest in the community, and a determination to create, collect and share their stories through film, these are solid guiding principles.
Which is how we came to work on a project with Encompass Southwest.
Creating Opportunities
A Facebook post looking for media-savvy volunteers to make short films, record podcasts and write blogs, caught my eye.
This was an opportunity for collaboration.
At the very least it was a chance to meet up with other people working within, and for, the community and just listen.
Which is exactly what happened.
We met. We talked. We listened. And, as a result, we discovered a common ground. A charity in need of some filmmaking and media support, and a CIC in need of its first community filmmaking project under its new management.
In short, serendipity. The stars aligned for both organisations at just the right moment.
And here we are.
Several meetings on and the @RISK project is in development and looking promising. In fact, it has the potential to be huge and impactful. More than any of us could have imagined when we first sat down for that informal chat over coffees and fruit juice.
For now, though, it’s very much a case of watch this space.
Just one final insight I’ve gained from my involvement in this first project. If you show interest in the community, the community will show an interest in you.
In the words of Ol' Blue Eyes, “I get a CIC out of you.”
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