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LookBermuda Destination Media Services is a Bermudian-owned and operated multi-media company specializing in the utilization and development of the latest technologies with a focus on tourism and enhancing the Visitors’ experience and creating interactive educational tools.

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Article published Sept 9, 2006

Coming to an event near you

Caught on Tape: JP Rouja, left, managing director of LookTV, with History Channel production crew filming Dr. Ronnie Milione with his ‘Bermuda Triangle Detector,’ which successfully detected several magnetic vortexes while filming the upcoming Bermuda Triangle episode.

The latest player in the TV business works round-the-the clock covering local events
If you've come across a camera crew at any of this summer's cultural, music or sports events - chances are you've seen Look TV in action.

If not, you've probably come across them while flipping through the channels. Look TV is on channel 1 if you have a cable box, and if not, channel 97.

Look TV has been on those channels since last August, first offering slide shows of events and locations around the island, set against music, and, since March, a range of programming.

When Bermudian JP Rouja, managing director of Look TV, returned to the island after working in and around Asia, he saw that there was a void that needed to be filled by the media to cater to tourists and business travellers.

"After being back here for a while, I realized there wasn't a good source of information for visitors about Bermuda showcasing the non-commercial things ignored by traditional channels," he said.

Mr. Rouja's venture into television came as the latest addition to his company Look Bermuda Destination Media Services, which is also the creator of online interactive maps.

"From the time we knew we applied for a licence, even before we were on the air we were shooting everything," he said. "Sporting events, environmental things, cultural events - everything that goes on in Bermuda we've been shooting for over two years now with the goal that it would become programming."

One of the biggest challenges of running a TV channel isn't finding the footage - it's editing it down to the length of its intended time slot.

"Editing takes so much time. If you've seen a minute of [footage] on the air, that's several hours of production time, at a minimum," he said. "You're watching a five-minute programme, you're looking at a week or two of work."

That work has paid off. The channel has secured deals with hotels, and, Mr. Rouja says, is now found on 90 per cent of all TVs in cottages, guest room and hotel rooms around the island.

Look TV prides itself on being "all things Bermuda" with something of interest to everyone.

It airs tourism related news at the top and bottom of the hour, and in between, they'll show two-to-seven minute pieces on just about anything.

"We have historical segments, artist profiles, cultural, environmental and sports segments." Mr. Rouja said.

"[The shows] will change every hour. They'll be the same sequence, but the actual sports segment or artist profile will be a different one, so that keeps rotating," he went on.

The channel's five-person production team has helped foreign camera crews with filming in Bermuda.

"Last week there was a crew down here from the History Channel, that we were shooting with," Mr. Rouja said. "We [did] on-island production and coordinating and shooting, and photography for them."

Now, the History Channel will be airing a programme on the Bermuda Triangle some time in February or March.

Other projects of note include an underwater tour piece narrated by world-famous shipwreck diver Teddy Tucker. The ongoing series - part of a collaboration with the BUEI - will cover all the major shipwrecks surrounding Bermuda.

The channel also offers real-time updates on Bermuda bound flights on its scrolling ticker at the bottom of your TV screen, and will soon include local ferry arrival and departure times.

Event organizers can also use the ticker to announce changes or cancellations to pre-planned events. Mr. Rouja said.

Like any media outlet, the primary source of his company's income comes from selling audiences to advertisers.

Mr. Rouja said that he's now ready to connect with local businesses seeking exposure, either through advertising spots or as feature clips.

Mr. Rouja also said he works closely with the Department of Tourism, as the two organizations share common goals, but he was quick to note that the channel is not government controlled. "We're autonomous," he said.

So what's in store for Look TV's future? Diverse programming, and more of it, Mr. Rouja said.

"It's a huge undertaking. Anybody who knows me knows that I work 24-7, we are at every event," he said. "But I enjoy what I do - my passion is film and video - and I've been lucky enough to be able to make a business out of it."