Photographer, Documentary Filmmaker, Web Content Creator, Music Video Producer, Field & Studio Recording Engineer, Tour Manager, Teacher, Tech Arts Curriculum Developer...
Capturing Moments on Modern Media...
KAREN KIRSCH PAGE
WHAT’S IMPORTANT at TODAY?
Creating space for exploration, innovation, adventurous expression, & digital engagement - especially in communities where none existed previously.
A Broadcasting major with an emphasis in sound engineering and recording arts at San Francisco State University, Karen Kirsch Page, also known as K2, started working in the Music Industry while still in college in the 80‘s. In addition to recording bands in SFSU’s multi-track studios and DJ-ing on the campus radio station, she worked as a professional photographer for several news organizations as well as shooting for record companies and musicians.
In her final year of college, she was hired by the highly respected Mission District studio, Different Fur Recording, where the soundtrack Apocalypse Now was being recorded. She worked at that studio and others in the US and in England as a 2nd and 1st engineer with many music artists over the next few years on albums, singles, dance mixes, soundtracks and radio jingles.
The studio soon led to live mixing offers and K2 hit the clubs, theaters, and arenas of the road. Live mixing gigs continued with opening acts, headliners, festival shows, MTV tours, and TV productions. In addition to mixing live, K2 often toured as a tour manager, production manager or tour accountant - always with a camera and computer nearby. In between mixing, advancing shows and sending accounting spreadsheets and cash profits back to management, K2 began to design album covers, t-shirts, advertising campaigns and tour paraphernalia whenever possible.
During the 90’s K2 stayed in the Bay Area raising 3 boys and getting involved in education by sitting on boards and volunteering in schools. In 1998 when the opportunity came up to teach Digital Arts electives at Town School for Boys in San Francisco, a new love and passion began.
Teaching and growing the Technology Arts program at Town with a talented faculty technology team led to course development in areas such as digital photography, desktop publishing, web design, video, animation, digital design, journalism, and communication.
With a desire to take the programs available to Town students and adapt them for schools and people in challenged communities, K2 has once again hit the road working with Teach With Africa and The LEAP Schools and the many amazing volunteer teachers committed to working in South Africa.
After Haiti’s major earthquake in 2010, K2 joined two other photographers to document for NGOs the devastation and on-going battle the Haitian people faced as they tried to stabilize and recover from the devastating natural disaster that hit their country. This led to subsequent trips working with young leaders in Villambetta Camp, Port-au-Prince as they start a school and try to meet the basic needs of their amazing community.
K2 is currently working on web video documentary projects with Sirona Cares, an energy non-profit based in San Francisco operating in rural communities in Haiti. Also in Haiti, K2 sits on the Board of Directors of the Mission of Hope International, a school, orphanage and mission serving the community of Grand Goave.
Music video work is also a creative interest as the evolution of HDSLR video emerges through photography lenses, and K2 is producing and filming bands and artists as time allows. In August of 2010 K2 shot a performance video in a Soho loft for New York world-fusion band Timbila. Also shot in 2010 and currently being edited is a film for South African hip hop gospel artist Zolile.
Teaching, filming, designing, recording, traveling, helping, developing ideas for projects and outreach...all keep K2 challenged on her quest to make a difference and touch lives with creative expression.
