The Palmer band 3000-21 describe themselves as a cartoon robot band from outer space. In 2022, they released a full-length album “Across The Metaverse.” Last year, they put out an EP of new music called “Interdimensional UFO.”

In March of this year, 3000-21 took human form and stopped by the ATMI studio to chat with producer Ormund Alaois. They talked about their songwriting process, the inspiration for their band’s identity, and their roots in the Alaska music scene.

Hosted by Grace Fujimoto.

Music by Kendrick Whiteman and Devin Shreckengost.

Click the links to see 3000-21 perform their songs "Love You Still" "Scatterbrained Man" and "Goodbye" at the ATMI studio.

Alaska Teen Media Institute is based in Anchorage, Alaska. We would like to acknowledge the Dena’ina people, whose land we work on.

Emilio Miguel Torres is a filmmaker who was raised in Ketchikan, Alaska. As a kid, Torres got involved with the local community theater, First City Players, where he was exposed to directing and storytelling. He spent high school in Seattle before attending NYU film school.

Since graduating college in 2021, he has made a handful of short films, including “The Ladder,” which tells the story of an aging Alaskan fisherman who must decide between accepting old age and restarting his life through a futuristic procedure. It was shot in Ketchikan with the help of many of the individuals who helped foster his love of movies as a kid.

Torres currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, but in the fall of 2023, he returned again to his hometown to shoot his first feature film, an expansion of “The Ladder.” Currently the film is in post-production and Torres has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help finish his movie.

ATMI producer Jordan Kehl spoke with Torres over Zoom about “The Ladder.” He talked about the challenges of filming in the remote town of Ketchikan, what he hopes to accomplish with the crowdfunding campaign, and how his hometown community came together to help him with his passion project.

Hosted by Ormund Alaois.

Music by Kendrick Whiteman and Devin Shreckengost.

Many thanks to supporters of our podcast, including the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent the views of our sponsors.

Alaska Teen Media Institute is based in Anchorage, Alaska. We would like to acknowledge the Dena’ina people, whose land we work on.

The Alaska Filming Initiative is a group of local filmmakers dedicated to reigniting the success of our state’s film industry. They hope to not just create movie making opportunities, but to foster a thriving, diverse, and sustainable economic environment across the state.

One of the ways they are exploring to achieve this, is by bringing a film tax incentive back to the state.

Some Alaskans might remember the movies Big Miracle and The Frozen Ground filming up here over a decade ago. At that time, there was a sizable film tax incentive in place that attracted those productions. But it was short lived, and since then movies and TV shows that are set in Alaska often film at other locations, where it is more financially feasible.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Ashleigh Snead and Steven Cornfield, two members of the Alaska Filming Initiative. They spoke with ATMI producer Jordan Kehl about how a film tax incentive could benefit the state’s economy, garnering support from legislatures to get a feasibility study done, and much more.

Hosted by Ormund Alaois.

Music by Kendrick Whiteman and Devin Shreckengost.

Many thanks to supporters of our podcast, including the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent the views of our sponsors.

Alaska Teen Media Institute is based in Anchorage, Alaska. We would like to acknowledge the Dena’ina people, whose land we work on.