René Kochman’s interest in the visual arts began at an early age with painting, still photography and film as his foundation. René attended the Buffalo School of Film Media (Buffalo University, SUNY) in 1975. René attended Trinity Pawling High School and then Hofstra University on Long Island. Majoring in Communication Arts with a minor in Philosophy he graduated in 1983. René is very active in sports, photography and has a diverse interest in music. René ran his own corporation for 5 years (themediaevent.com), an entertainment and multimedia group that had a strong client list. The TV Food Network, CBS, CNN, Johnson and Wales University have all been clients of René. René has also had the privilege of working directly with Emeril Legasse and Julia Child for various Food Network Programs.
In terms of professional experience, In 1976 René was hired for the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It was there that he met Bill Moyers and had the opportunity to work on the widely acclaimed PBS Journal. Two notable productions “Inside Mortimer Adler” and “Jamake Highwater’s Indian America” hold special meaning for René as they were highly produced and well researched. René also worked closely with NY State Senator Jacob Javits and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. René continued his work with the Institute until 1983 where his experience led him to New York’s Newsday Newspaper. Newsday was at the forefront of technology and broke historic ground by launching the first daily regional local cable newscast in the country. “Inside Newsday” gave René the opportunity to produce and direct local programming for the Nassau/Suffolk County market. From Newsday, René went to work in New York’s video belt. Various production houses employed René to produce and direct a variety of projects, Citibank, Met Life, and the Tuesday Team were just a few of the notable clients. René also landed work with one of The Lifetime Cable Channel’s first programs, “Smart Money”, hosted by Fran Tarkenton. René then relocated to New England and began working for Colony Communications, a cable system venture owned and operated by The Providence Journal Company. Rene worked with the Journal to help launch the TV Food Network piloting the early years with Julia Child, Emeril Legasse, Ming Tsai and other notable chefs.
In September 1993, René was hired as the Director of Media Technology for The Fall River School Department. It was in the spring of 1994 that FRED-TV launched on the local cable channel. ABC anchorman Morton Dean Durfee high school alumni1953 attended the ceremonial launch. More recently, in 2009, FRGTV, the government access channel was added to the Comcast line-up for the community of Fall River which Rene oversees the operations and programming schedule.
The web-based initiative fred-tv.us/frgtv.us now brings our mission and content to the world community for a better understanding of Media Literacy and student produced programming, René, along with a dedicated staff continue to develop dynamic multimedia programs for the Fall River Educational Community.
