Now that we have shared so much about Mia and her work, it’s time we introduce ourselves! Kylie is a senior visual journalist who’s winding road finally led her to something she truly loves. Having switched majors three times, her journalism skills are backed by a grounded knowledge of the world and how it functions. […]

Sunday was our final day of B-roll and interviews for Mia’s story. Our final shots were crucial to developing Mia’s story outside of the DUG event. She volunteers at Alder Elementary School in Gresham, which is an “I Have a Dream Oregon” school. She has a strong connection to this school and these kids because she […]

After returning to Portland from New York City, Mia began researching. She dove deep into historical moments like those of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and the Black Panthers—moments she feels weren’t emphasized in her upbringing. Deep Underground strives to create a platform for expression outside of violence and aggression, it’s meant to be […]

On Saturday evening, KoSo Productions filmed NW Stories subject Mia O’Connor perform at the historic Newmark Theater in Portland, Oregon. Mia is a former Jefferson Dancer, one of Portland’s most prestigious dance companies, and for the company’s 40th anniversary, she was invited to participate in an Alumni showcase at the theater. Having visited the Newmark theater […]

As journalists, we strive to be flies on the wall. We work to immerse ourselves in the story while remaining removed and objective. But there comes a time in every journalist’s career when keeping a low profile is simply impossible. As it turns out, our night of filming at DISJECTA art gallery was that moment […]

While our time at DISJECTA was incredible, we face some challenges moving forward in terms of how we want to shape our documentary and what gaps in b-roll we’ll need to fill. O’Connor was not up at the microphone as much as we had hoped, so most of the footage revolves around her setting up, […]

Our first big filming opportunity arrived with DUG’s hip-hop and spoken word event at DISJECTA, an art gallery in NE Portland. We met Mia O’Conner there in the afternoon as the DUG crew was setting up for the event. This was crucial because we were able to film O’Conner actively managing the team and creating […]

Deep Underground (DUG) hosted it’s second big event this past weekend at DISJECTA, an art gallery in Northeast Portland. Half of the gallery space was dedicated to an exhibit on music through the ages while O’Conner and her team transformed the other half into an event space complete with a stage, art pieces, a bar, […]

Kylie here. This week Kyle, Sutton and I travelled to north Portland to meet Mia O’Connor – the founder of Deep Under Ground – at the venue site for next week’s artists showcase. The space for DUGDISJECTA is nothing short of inspiring- the tall ceilings, natural flow between spaces and dim lighting created an atmosphere […]

For this season of NW Stories, our team will be underground. No, not with coalminers or sewer rats, but rather documenting Portland’s newest cultural hotspot, Deep Underground (DUG), a hip-hop and spoken word group. The force behind DUG is Mia O’Conner, a Portland native with a passion for sound and words. We hope to center […]