A Thank You to Paul Burroughs

Yours truly, standing between green screens donated by Paul Burroughs. Photo by Chris Burgess.

Here at Big Heavy World, we rely on our community. Volunteers have managed our studio, filled our airwaves, and kept us operating for almost twenty-five years now. We’re blessed with a gracious community of creatives in Vermont. Just over the past three months, as an array of pressures have descended on society, we’ve seen our small studio become the home to an array of new shows, hosts, and gifts!

For the latter, we can thank Paul Burroughs. His recent permanent loan of two ‘green screens’ has left us in awe, as we could never purchase this tech on our own.  

“Jim [Lockridge] has been a great friend as well as a big believer in what I do with my driving simulator business,” Paul said. “So when he needed this type of thing I said let’s share it and you can use it and when I need it I can use it…I know he will use it more so it is a no brainer to keep it in Burlington.”

Paul purchased the screens through an online auction, and plans to make use of them as a filmmaker and investigative journalist. Likewise, we plan to utilize them in some of our upcoming music and film projects.

These sorts of donations—even if they’re more of a loan in perpetuity—are what keep us preserving and celebrating local music. For that, we are grateful to Paul and people who share his generous spirit.

“I have been in the music scene in Boston as well as in Vermont and got to meet a lot of creative people doing amazing things. I support any and all who throw their money where their mouth is. Especially [those in] a creative economy, they truly have to stick together.”

Paul put it well. As we’ve seen since the advent of COVID, most creatives exist on a perpetual precipice: dividing time so as to maximize creative endeavors while still making enough money elsewhere to cover costs of living. Therefore it’s important that every artists always has a shoulder to lean on, and charitable folks like Paul make it a little easier to find one.

Text by Luke Vidic.