Hi, Guru, thank you for agreeing to do this interview. Before we start, I want to ask, Do I have your consent to record the interview?
Yeah, of course you have it. And could you please
introduce yourself, your name, your last name, your pronouns and your position? Yeah, I'm
good.
And, yeah, your position currently, I'm horizon Armenian, TV show producer, news anchor and what else should I say? Ask me anything. Okay,
I guess we could start. Could you tell me about your experience within the Armenian community and how you see media's role Armenian media's role in the Armenian American community? Well,
that's a really, really long that's a question that requires really, a really long answer, because Armenian community here is a vibrant, growing community with a rich background history that also is aligned with several foreign Armenian tragedies, disasters, wars and stuff like that. So in order to understand the community and the media within you need to have deep understanding the Armenian diasporas history as well. But I'll try to keep it short and let me just give you really some insights about our TV, because horizon Armenian TV's example is one of the best examples of how can media become beacon for whole How can media get her or all the community members in one place and implement large scale humanitarian projects or media projects or regular events or something like that. So throughout my journey as a news anchor at Horizon TV, I have witnessed the profound impact that media can have in organizing and uniting communities, particularly within the Armenian diaspora in Los Angeles. So horizon being the largest and longest running Armenian television company in the area, was initially established in the crucial mission to facilitate humanitarian aid for Armenians affected by the devastating earthquake in 1988 during the time when our homeland was also facing war and economic crisis. This foundational goal has guided the work of the TV station ever since, when I began my role at Horizon, that was back in 2019 it was during another challenging period. I'm sure all of us remember the COVID, 19 bond and right during right in the very both the writing that during the COVID pandemic, the Armenian Azerbaijani conflict renewed, and the pressure was immense as we navigated daily live broadcasts. Meiji Azerbaijani launched war, and the entire diaspora who were isolated because of the pandemic, had to come up with some ideas to find some ways to deliver humanitarian aid. The pressure was immense, and we were navigating daily live broadcasts covering auto gatherings and studio segments, and our team produced an incredible amount of content focusing on critical issues and connecting the community with organizers build Express and medical professionals. So we aim to provide not only information, but also support and resources during this really trying times, recognizing the diverse and vibrant nature of our community, I proposed the establishment of network to foster collaboration between local government organizations, public health officials and community leaders, and that initiative was designed to aid both our local Armenian community and those in Armenia directly affected by the ongoing crisis. I also
heard that you have the program Armenians in LA.
Oh, yeah.
Could you tell me about that?
Yeah, of course. So the Armenians in Alik program aims to highlight the stories, achievements, challenges of our community members. I believe it is essential to combat any negative stereotypes and showcase the resilience and contributions of the Armenians in Los Angeles. In summary, just I want to experience, my entire experience at Horizon TV has been a testament to power of media as a tool for community engagement, support and solidarity. So we strive to continue this mission, ensuring that our Armenian community remains informed, connected and empowered, especially in these times when we hear a lot of negative stories about the immigrants, which are relatively true. I just want to bring the stories of our community members, success stories of our community members, just in some way, the Armenians in Alik project is easy, is an educational one. So people could see to be inspired, to learn from from the leaders, from field experts and professionals. We have so many success, successful names here in LA, yes, so that was an initial goal regarding the Armenians in the LA project. We have rich culture, we have rich history, we have rich traditions and customs that we want to showcase here. And that's one of the ways ethnic minorities can survive in this huge global ward. Yes, thank
you. And I also know that this month, on May 28 Armenian celebrate the army and Independence Day of the First Republic of Armenia. And is horizon TV having any concerts or initiatives in regards
I mentioned about the rich cultural, rich culture and traditions. Exactly. That's one of first goals that we initiated, large scale Armenian traditional concert here in LA that's going to be on May 29 at the Alik theater. Excuse me. Let me check the let me check the exact date. I think that. Yeah, that's may 29 Okay,
thank you. Yeah,
and that's going to be concert. That's a series of concerts we had. The previous one in zulal, hayastan, makure, Armenia, somehow it would sound in English. The first concert took place
on September 2020, 2023,
2024, is that okay? If I send you the exact date of the previous one later, I just have to watch it.
That works. Yeah, that's fine. Yeah.
And then that's a series of ethnic, traditional, national Armenian concerts with national dances and songs. Pure Armenian, traditional nothing Robbies, nothing kills. You can
and does. The Armenian community in LA usually celebrate Armenian Independence Day.
Are there any other festivals that you might know about
regarding Give me one second. I'm checking the okay.
Take your time. Okay,
yeah, we had our first insulin concert, the first one we had on September 2023, so then we have multiple other concerts in around and then this year, we are celebrating the first independent the Independence Day, Day of the First Republic of Armenia. And that's a great celebration day for us, because that's also the date
when we first become
kind of a
state Republic
right after almost five, 600 years of not having a government or Republic or anything so because that's the reason this date is very important for us. And right after that, yeah, we have been the entire government is ruled by sending us
