Mission
To provide perspective on the world around us through fair, balanced, engaging and informed media and social enterprise
Vision
To create a community where all views are respected and cultures celebrated
What We Do
Two sides to what we do.
AvilaMedia is the media and storytelling side — film, digital media and journalism, heritage and exhibitions, PR and comms, campaigns, web design, and the current affairs and culture work this site is built on. All of it rooted in where we started: peace-building and conflict transformation, done from the ground up.
Common Ground is where we work directly with communities. Six strands, one idea — start from what people share, then get to work:
- Common Ground Community Projects — heritage, storytelling and the hands-on work, made with communities.
- Common Ground Events — talks, screenings, comedy and the live side of it all.
- Common Ground Debates — voices, not sides, brought onto common ground.
- Common Ground Finance Skills — practical money skills. No jargon, no judgment, no suits.
- Common Ground Research & Policy — evidence from the ground up, focused on solutions.
- Common Ground Tours — Belfast’s story, told straight.
AvilaMedia is a community interest company (CIC) — a social enterprise built for community benefit.
Who We Are
AvilaMedia has evolved into Northern Ireland’s premier community and people-based digital media, PR and community relations consultancy. Embedded in the social economy, its Founder, Michael Avila, sees it as imperative that media is driven from a grassroots approach that empowers voices typically glossed over in the mainstream. He believes firmly that those are the stories worth sharing.
We are here to support the third sector and businesses centred on building a positive future in Northern Ireland. If you are in need of digital media production, consultancy, PR, comms, awareness raising or are just up for the craic, don’t hesitate to give us a shout!
About Michael
Originally from California, Michael moved to Northern Ireland to pursue a career in peace building and has facilitated a range of community projects and conflict transformation initiatives, big and small.
I am a writer, but I am also a traveller. While I am greatly concerned with the affairs of this world and welcome opportunities to challenge narratives and global trends, I have a lighter, humorous side that endlessly seeks to explore the unknown and hear of others’ adventures, too. This firm is dedicated to current affairs, culture and community, in which we will welcome the serious, the not-so-serious and, often, even the absurd!
Michael Avila
At AvilaMedia, we prefer to welcome stories and develop projects with people engaged on the ground and have personal insight into affairs, here and afar. So often we receive media coverage from a ‘birds-eye view’ and ignore the voices of those actually experiencing the story – sometimes the authentic narratives are completely ignored. It is this authenticity that we seek, and that’s what we intend to bring to you on this site. This is the thought process behind our co-operative media platform and our partnership approach to journalism and digital media production.
That all being said, we are much more than media and journalism – we are a social enterprise, partnering on community and research projects and engaging at a grassroots level, while affecting policy at the highest levels – with an endless emphasis on conflict transformation and leaving this world better than how we found it.
We hope you enjoy our content and we welcome your stories and mutual collaboration. It is as much your journey as it is ours and we look forward to seeing where it will go from here. Welcome to AvilaMedia!
We look forward to seeing you out in the community soon!
For more information, to work with us or collaborate, visit our contact page.