Check out our photo journal compiled below & learn more about our third week of production for The City of Servers.
As we recently shared on Instagram, this past Monday (3/27/23) marked our official halfway point for the production period of this short documentary. It's hard to believe the time is passing so quickly, and it'd be fair to say that we're now getting into the nitty-gritty details of this investigation.
We had the opportunity to begin this third week of production by meeting with a local server and bartender who has worked at various restaurants across Portland for 8+ years. We discussed many topics outlined in our anonymous tip-line question post, which you can read through here. This is the fourth local server or barista we've interviewed so far, and we look forward to interviewing our final server connection in mid-March (stay tuned for updates).
With little time to pause, we conducted our next interview with a local long-time server & political organizer at an apartment in downtown Portland. This interview explored the interviewee's founding role in a local political organization that protested Question D (read more here), which would've raised Portland's minimum wage to $18 had it passed in Portland's 2022 municipal election. The interviewee shared his thoughts on the importance of the effort to save Portland's tip credit, Portland's previous election, the minimum wage debate, and more.
Our final interview for the third week of production was with Dan McCluskey & Stephanie McCort, owners of the Iron Clad Eats food truck. We touched base on similar questions we asked of other interviewees but also covered the logistics of owning and operating a business, the hurdles and advantages of a food truck business, and the community of Portland's food scene. This interview also naturally branched into a conversation about last summer's local food truck debate, which you can learn about by watching a short documentary our director Elora Griswold produced on the topic here.
This busy week was filled with great stories, insight, and people. We're excited to carry the same energy and investigative spirit into our remaining weeks of production.
Without further ado, here is our photo journal for the third week of production!
About Our Set Photographer
Brief bio: I am a Southern Maine based photographer, DJ, and videographer. I first started learning how to DJ when I was 14 years old, working with my Dad, and have done it myself professionally for the last 7 years. I fell in love with the art of photography in 2020, and decided to turn my COVID hobby into a career. Portrait photography is one of my favorite styles to shoot. So many people say they don't like being photographed because they don't think they look good in photos. I believe that everyone deserves a moment to feel beautiful, and I want to help show people the beauty that I, and everyone else, sees in them. When I'm not behind a camera or in a DJ booth, I can be found on stage either acting or building sets. I also like to spend my time skiing, hiking, and spending quality time with my friends and family.
Instagram: @travisharden56
Photography website: https://tdhphotographyandentertainment.mypixieset.com/
Want to learn more about The City of Servers? Read about our talented team here.
Are you interested in supporting this short documentary by donating? Please visit our Indiegogo campaign here (only 10 days left!).