ABOUT

MISSION STATEMENT
In 2007, I reached out to Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters) and Mike Belmont (We Are the Strange) with a concept to create a virtual conference / festival. After a series of discussions we decided that the virtual event would be a way to hopefully connect filmmakers directly with audiences. That the event itself could become a model for open content distribution, one which allowed filmmakers to have a say in how their films were reaching audiences. It also enabled us to take concepts from the Workbook Project, an open source project for content creators, and to put them into practice.

Well the virtual event has evolved into an online and real world event which is broken into two parts. The first is a festival called From Here to Awesome which will play out in theaters, living rooms, online and via mobile devices. The second part is a series of live conferences / discussions know as DIY DAYS happening in LA, SF, Boston, NYC and London. Our goal is to create an open discussion and debate that will evolve over the next four months. At the end we intend to share all the results and then go back to the drawing board to plan for year two.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and thoughts.

Lance Weiler
founder of WBP and DIY DAYS
co-founder of From Here to Awesome

ABOUT

DIY DAYS - fund :: create :: distribute :: sustain
How do we sustain ourselves as storytellers in this day of shifting distribution systems? How do we monetize our work and get the word? Presented by the WorkBook Project - DIY DAYS aims to answer these questions with a day of panels, roundtable discussions and workshops: A look at how to fund, create, and distribute and sustain.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Anyone wanting to make creative work - film, music, games, art. Self-Identified Independent storyteller, Creatives and Tech-philes.

THE EVENT
The day flows through a mix of both structured and free form activities to encourage open discussion and the opportunity to break into groups and get everyone talking to each other. Pack a lunch and network offline with fellow creatives.

Proposed Discussion Topics
- New Forms of Storytelling
- New models of Finance, Production and Distribution
- Audience Building & The Audience Becoming Collaborators
- War Stories: “What’s The Real Deal?”
- Self-Sustaining: what to know when trying to make a living from your art
- Case Studies (Arin Crumley, Lance Weiler, M dot Strange and others discuss the making and
distribution of their work)

Open Discussion Topics
- What are you working on? What are you looking for?
- How do you consume your media?
- What needs to change in order for you to sustain?

SUGGESTIONS, SPEAKERS AND VOLUNTEERS
If you have a suggestion of something you’d like to hear discussed or a speaker that you think should take part, or if you’re interested in volunteering please email us at info [at] fromheretoawesome [dot] com with the subject “DIY DAYS”