By Markos Kounalakis and Mary Kay Magistad
A new group of hacks out in California have been meeting in San Francisco. What started out notionally at the end of 2015 has now grown into a real team of individuals who share in the mission and principles of the OPC and are actively meeting, organizing and networking professionally on a regularly scheduled basis. The group is working with the Overseas Press Club of America to form a West Coast affiliate and is informally using the name OPC West. The OPC board of governors will meet in the fall to discuss how to formalize the relationship.
OPC West is off to a great start in 2016. The first three meetings have attracted over 60 participants, mostly foreign correspondents, overseas bureau chiefs and freelancers. A few OPC Award winners also attended the early meetings.
In April, around 35 former foreign correspondents gathered at Markos’s home in San Francisco. The assembled group ranged from Vietnam War era correspondents and photographers to those more recently out of Afghanistan, China and Europe.
At that meeting, a group conversation centered around what OPC West could be and do, on how and how much to organize it, and on what steps to take next. An eight person organizing committee met in May to work on logistics for the larger June event held at San Francisco’s Mechanics’ Institute.
The June 2 event had 38 people sign up – even though it coincided with the first game of the NBA Finals featuring the local team (a big screen, streaming solution satisfied all). The next meeting is planned for September and the number of members is growing steadily. A group survey is underway to uncover what services and activities members desire and to see who is willing to help do some of the work of organizing, planning, and hosting future meetings and events.
OPC West has a closed Facebook page that members can join, is creating an Instagram presence. Because OPC West members are located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, future meetings are being planned for both Berkeley and Stanford/Silicon Valley.
Please send ideas, suggestions and questions regarding OPC West to: opclubwest@gmail.com.
And, of course, spread the word! If you know of current or former foreign correspondents in the San Francisco Bay Area – or who pass through the Bay Area on a regular basis – please put them in touch and we’ll get them on the mailing list.