Cast: Julie Van Winkle…Photographer of the Past — Julie Rogers

Eddie Robinette…Media Mogul and Southern Cracker — Ruben Ramirez

Hans Solo…Visual Journalist of the Future — Hans Deryk

Opening:

It’s 10:00 pm, Sunday, January 2^nd, year 2000. Hours after the new Millennium when cities suffered electrical blackouts, all ATM’s shut down.

Monica Moses had her baby and Jim Merithew is still waiting for his two cameras.

Photographer Julie VanWinkle, also known as the Fixer, tired from shooting seven assignments a day and frustrated because she cannot find Claris Works on any computers, lays her head down to take a nap.

Ahhhh but what a nap. She sleeps for on and on for five long years, before finally waking up in the future, in a place she has never known.

ACT ONE:

JVW: Where am I, who are you, what’s going on?

ED: Howdy, I’m Eddie Robinette…multi-media mogul, inventor of the new SNVC, that’s a combination still and video camera and oh yeah, southern cracker. I own 10 multi-media Triple Threat Tripod newsrooms in Southern Florida alone.

Uuuh, you look very familiar to me. Do I know you?

JVW: Yeah you look familiar to me too…are you that crackpot I met at Poynter?

ED: Sure am…It’s about time you woke up.

JVM: What have I missed, how long have I been asleep? Are there still newspapers? Are we still the watchdog of our community?

ED: The community? We’re talking about the World…Hey Now… Well let’s see…The Bills still haven’t won a Super Bowl, we’re using photoshop version 503, and in his State of the Union Address, President Ken Irby once again reminded the World that "Learners inherit the Earth and the learned live in an outmoded world."

ENTER NEW VJ, Hans Solo.

JVW: Who are you?

HS: I’m Hans Solo, visual journalist.

JVW: (pointing to camera) What is that?

HS: That’s my new SNVC, still and video camera. This baby shoots digital still images and video, all with a flick of a switch.

JVW: Well why do you use that?

HS: Because newspapers have changed. We are more diverse, we’re looking at the big picture now, and it’s worldwide. My visuals appear on television, the internet and newspapers.

JVW: Well what was important in my time is credibility, investigating, reflecting diversity, giving a voice to the voiceless, and being in touch with our readers.

HS: We still stand for all that, those are our roots. Using this new technology only serves to reach more people in different ways.

BING, you have an assignment!

JVW: What’s that?

HS: That’s my Palm 78. It’s my satellite office; It’s how I get my assignments. It uploads it downloads. I file my assignments with it, my captions, I can talk to my assignment editor face to face, I can link to the company lawyer, the company therapist, and best of all…I can do my banking in between my assignments.

Excuse me, I have to talk to the superdesk.

What’s up Professor Goto?

PGT: Hans, My GPS has you at Poynter Drive and Excellence Way, are you clear yet, I have something that’s come up in that neck of the woods.

HS: But I’ve already done six assignments today. (Turns to JVW) some things never change.

Do you want me to shoot stills or video?

PGT: Both, this is a big one. The network, the paper and the internet are counting on you. If you don’t come through, we may have to fire your ass.

JVW: Can I see that?

HS: (Hands over palm to JVW)

PGT: Who are you?

JVW: Who ARE you?

PGT: I’m visual assignment editor Professor Goto. I assign our visual journalists.

JVW: Well what do you stand for?

PGT: Well I believe in the coaching management style. I empower the staff through team building. I am a good listener. I know my staff and their needs. And if I were to summarize my management philosophy I would have to quote president Irby. "Tell me, I will forget. Show me, I will remember. Involve me, I will understand."

Ed enters, speaks to JVW

ED: Five years ago they doubted my convergence vision at Poynter. And look at them now. (Laughs.)

HS enters

HS: Well Julie you can sleep easy again, because as long as we keep and hold on to the values that you have now, rest assured that the future of journalism is in good hands.