Causecast

by MELISSA JUN ROWLEY, Contributing Writer

There are quite a few perks to being a notable web video personality. You can interact directly with your fan base. If you’re not controlled by a sponsor or network, you have substantial creative freedom. You can shoot your show in your living room or some other convenient location of your choice. And get to drive a Ford Fiesta for six months, long before the vehicle’s scheduled 2010 launch. Ok, so maybe not every web celeb has been granted this opportunity, but my good friend Brigitte Dale has, and she’s making the most of it.

Known for her quirky homemade ABC Family video blog, in which she shares her views on everything from pop culture to politics to dating to cupcakes, Brigitte creates her show using iMovie, while enjoying the comforts of her own home. Last week, she decided to put a twist on her one-woman act, and she took her production into the field. As part of the Fiesta Movement’s Month of Social Activism, Brigitte brought her laptop and webbie cam down to the Los Angeles City Mission to capture some insight on the issue of homelesslness in the streets of Skid Row.

The native Nebraskan, who just moved to Los Angeles from the Midwest a year ago, said that before her recent visit to Skid Row she wasn’t exactly sure what the area was, and that she was most surprised by the diversity of the community.

“There are a lot of kids. There are a lot of women, and lots of older people,” she said. “I hadn’t expected that.”

During the interview she conducted with the LA Mission Director of Community Partnerships Ivan Klassen, Brigitte learned about the services provided by the organization, as well as the main causes of homelessness.

She also heard the perspective of Skid Row resident William Purify, who plans to one day parlay his experience into a youth counseling service.

“The people living there didn’t especially make any mistakes that we have not,” Brigitte said. “Most of us are lucky enough to have family or friends as a safety net when we fall on hard times or make mistakes, go through rough times. We have people to bail us out and a place to stay. A lot of these people just did not have a safety net like that.”

Photo by The Bui Brothers