Speaker Highlight: David Beard

// April 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

David is the Chief Technical Architect of Seize The Media. Prior to joining STM, David had served in various executive and technical roles with companies in the media and technology sectors. He has also provided firms with technology and business development expertise as an independent consultant. His designs and solutions have been integrated to products and services ranging from electronic cinema transport and exhibition solutions to distributed computing frameworks and media delivery platforms. David has also been published by Wrox Press and participates in a variety of Open Source projects.

David will be joining Anita Ondine to explore transmedia at our workshop “How to Design for Transmedia”.

Speaker Highlight: Brian Chirls

// April 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Brian is a media innovator developing original cross-media content, new tools and business models for media artists. Brian launched Crowd Controls, a web service for filmmakers and musicians to track audience demand around the world to drive distribution. He managed distribution and built software applications for the film “Four Eyed Monsters” as well as for filmmakers Lynn Hershman and John Sayles. Before becoming a media innovator, Brian built financial software and worked in construction management on subway stations and highways.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

Linked data, vertical farms, interactive cinema, massively parallel conscious computing, universal health care, earning a decent living as an artist.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

• Music: Wu Tang vs. The Beatles, MF Doom, Joan as Police Woman, Tom Waits, Cibo Matto, Vince Guaraldi
• Cory Doctorow, The New Yorker, Questionable Content, xkcd
• Iron Sky, Winnebago Man, Heart String Marionette, Machine Girl, Micmacs, Women Art Revolution, Memories of Overdevelopment

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

• Slashdot
• Singularity Hub
• TED

Speaker Highlight: Jason Bitner

// April 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Jason is the co-creator of FOUND Magazine, and editor of DIRTY FOUND and the FOUND Polaroid Book. Also, check out his neat photo book about LaPorte, Indiana out now on Princeton Architectural Press.

Jason will be joining us to talk about his experience with “Confessional Storytelling”.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

I know I’m not the first to say this, but it’s true for me, as well.  My wife and I will be having a baby in the next month or so.  Things will be very different for us shortly.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

WFMU’s Too Much Information with Benjamen Walker.  Benjamen’s a good friend, and he’s back after taking some time away from podcasting.  Some might know him from his previous show the Theory of Everything.  I’m so happy he’s making amazing shows again.

NPR: Playback Podcast
I love hearing radio stories that were created exactly 25 years ago, and guess what Playback does.  I’m so familiar with NPR’s format that these stories pulled from the archives gives me a little more context about the events that were unfolding during my childhood.  Plus we have 25 years of hindsight to know the outcome.  Who doesn’t love a time capsule?

Which brings me to Hot Tub Time Machine.  I hope to see this tomorrow.

Continue Reading

Speaker Highlight: Ted Hope

// April 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Ted Hope, co-founder of This is that & Good Machine, has produced close to sixty films, including three Sundance Grand Prize winners and the first features of Alan Ball, Michel Gondry, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, and Ang Lee. He blogs at hopeforfilm.com and co-founded the Indie Film review site HammerToNail.com. Ted is currently in post-production on two films: SUPER, written and directed by James Gunn, and starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon; and LONGFELLOW, written, directed and starring Martin Donovan, and also starring David Morse and Olivia Williams.

Ted Hope will be joining us to speak about the “Future of Film.”

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

The transformation from the once dominant limited-supply, gatekeeper controlled, impulse-buy motivated & capital-intensive infrastructure of the entertainment economy TO the newly emerging artist-centric, audience-focused, low-cost creation/promotion/distribution/appreciation collaboration providing unlimited & immediately available work of self-empowered creators.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

• Playlist: The Black Hollies, Jeffrey Lewis, Sharon Van Etten
• Reading: the latest drafts of my projects
• Movie: Powell’s The Small Back Room, The Exiles, Hero At Large, Sulieman’s Divine Intervention, Dardene’s L’enfant

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

• Workbook Project
• Springboard Media
• Filmmaker Mag

Speaker Highlight: Molly Crabapple

// April 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Molly is an artist, author, and the founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, a drawing community with outposts in over 100 cities. She has spoken at the Museum of Modern Art, South by Southwest Interactive, and the Pixel Design Fair in Sao Paulo.

Molly will be leading us through the world of Dr. Sketchy’s and define what an Anti-Art school is.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

Exiling gatekeepers, burning down hierarchies, and making it increasingly possible for people to define their own destinies.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

Right now, I have DIY U, Just Kids and the Adderall Diaries scattered half read on the floor of my hotel room.

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

• Coilhouse
• Constant Siege
• gala darling
• TheGloss
• Matt Taibbi
• Susannah Breslin

DIY Days is still looking for a few good volunteers!

// March 31st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // NYC

We are looking for volunteers to be a part of our logistics team.  Volunteers will be needed to greet and register attendees and speakers, direct traffic between our spaces, maintain time for sessions, prep speaker presentations, and generally be ready to attend to other logistical issues as they pop up.

Our friend and talented writer/director/editor Raffi Asdourian had some nice words to say about DIY Days today on his blog.  Follow up with here him if you’re interested in helping us shoot the event!

We’re also still seeking  photographers to help capture the event.  If you’re interested in joining us, please email work  [at] workbookproject [dot] com with the subject “volunteer”

DIY DAYS NYC schedule

// March 31st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // NYC, news

DIY DAYS NYC
30+ speakers
8 workshops
11 talks
2 think tanks
23 open sessions

***ALL FREE

SATURDAY APRIL 3rd

9:30 AM to 10:10 AM
Registration

WOLLMAN HALL

10:10 to 10:15
Opening remarks

10:20 to 10:40
OPENING KEYNOTE – TED HOPE
Ted Hope, co-founder of This is that & Good Machine, has produced close to sixty films, including three Sundance Grand Prize winners and the first features of Alan Ball, Todd Field, Michel Gondry, Nicole Holofcener, and Ang Lee. A strong supporter of a truly free film movement Ted believes that– due to the democratization of the tools which enable & spread creative expression — a self-supporting artistic middle class is now establishing itself. But in order for all those who are creating to also sustain, we must be as rigorous in thought & action towards the creation of an independent infrastructure. Are you up for the challenge?

10:45 to 11:05
REINVENTING INNOVATION – BRIAN NEWMAN
The future of media is being invented today, but it is increasingly being defined by the terms of the old models for media production and consumption. This is for the worse, because instead of a new era of innovation we are in danger of a new era of sameness. The future of media is not just about new distribution models and building a fancy new TV that can show 3D, pull down an endless library of content and let us chat with our neighbor about which products to buy. This is precisely what passes for visionary by those controlling the future of media now, and unless media artists take an active role in creating the future, that may be the best we get. What would true innovation look like and what are the historical models we can turn to for innovative thinking about the future of the field?

11:10 to 11:40
TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: CREATING BLOCKBUSTER WORLDS – JEFF GOMEZ
Growing up in the projects of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Jeff Gomez dreamed of fantastic realms full of strange creatures, amazing heroes and high adventure. Today, as the President and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, Jeff engages audiences around the world by producing spectacular transmedia storylines for Disney, 20th Century Fox, Hasbro, Microsoft and Coca-Cola. DIY Days invites you to hear Jeff tell his remarkable tale, and learn about a vanguard form of writing, creative development and production that is taking the entertainment and advertising worlds by storm.

11:45 to 12:05
CONNECTED TOYS: STORYTELLING, GAMING & MORE – MICHAEL LAST and THERESA LOONG
Toys have been used as storytelling devices for years. In this session, we will talk briefly about past uses of toys. Then, we will discuss the current state of the industry. With the advent of broadband internet, wi-fi, etc., toys can act as a new platform for distributing traditional media, such as songs and stories. In addition, toys can be used as conduits for interactive media, such as games and interactive stories. We will talk about Intellitoys’ platform as well as future possibilities of toys and content. As media companies move from licensing toys that simply utilize their characters to toys that reinforce their narratives and their missions, where do content creators (artists, musicians, gamers and technologists) fit?

12:05 to 12:25
UNIVERSAL RECORD DATABASE – DAN ROLLMAN
What do ‘Most money destroyed for profit’, the ‘Longest shhh’ and ‘Most flaxseed cracker people created in one minute’ have in common? They are all records held on Dan Rollman and Corey Henderson’s Universal Record Database, otherwise known as the ‘definitive site for human achievement’. Dan Rollman takes us through the thinking behind the project and shares how URDB has built a dedicated community.

12:25 to 12:35
OPEN SESSION what are you working on what do you need ? 1 minute x 10 people
Conference attendees are given 60 seconds to present a project and express what they need to make it happen. These slots are LIMITED and will be available on a first come first serve basis. Interested parties will be able to sign up for a slot when registration opens at 9:30.

12:35 to 1:15
LUNCH BREAK

1:20 to 1:40
WHITHER PRINT? – CYNDI STIVERS and SREE SREENIVASAN
Will Apple’s iPad and the new wave of tablets usher in a new reading experience? Are consumers ready for a transmedia magazine, and is traditional publishing up to the task of producing one that is commercially viable? The blogosphere has left its mark on old-school media, social media has in turn transformed blogging, and the reader is now at the center of the media conversation. But what, if anything, will consumers pay for? And what will advertisers support? Join Cyndi Stivers (of EW.com, formerly of Time Out New York) and Sree Sreenivasan (Columbia J-school dean and digital media professor as well as contributing editor of DNAinfo.com) for a discussion of the next-gen print experience.

1:45 to 2:05
FOUND STORIES – JASON BITNER
Sometimes the story that you intend to tell takes you on a journey you never expected. Join Jason Bitner co-founder of Found Magazine and co-creator of Cassette From My Ex as he shares the birth of an unexpected project – LaPorte, Indiana. Born from a chance discovery of over 18,000 studio portraits – a time capsule of personal milestones captured over the course of three decades by local photographer Frank Pease – LaPorte, Indiana is a candid look at a tight-knit American community. What started as a magazine assignment, blossomed into a documentary feature film and is now coming full circle as it’s turned into book. Jason shares his creative process and sheds light on the delicate balance of letting a story find you.

2:10 to 2:30
DIY EMPIRE “how a little art class took over the world” – MOLLY CRABAPPLE
Four years ago, as a broke art school drop-out Molly Crabapple set up Dr Sketchys, the anti-art school, as a social gathering in Brooklyn. Now a sought after fine artist, comics creator and illustrator in her own right, Dr Sketchy’s has spread to over 100 cities and has grown from an event, to a movement. Weekly, droves of artists and amateurs alike swarm to these experiences internationally to draw glamorous underground personalities from burlesque dancers to fetish models to drag queens. Molly shares the lessons learned and details how she’s using a little art class to build a mighty DIY EMPIRE.

2:35 to 2:45
OPEN SESSION what are you working on what do you need ? 1 minute x 10 people
Conference attendees are given 60 seconds to present a project and express what they need to make it happen. These slots are LIMITED and will be available on a first come first serve basis. Interested parties will be able to sign up for a slot when registration opens at 9:30.

2:45 to 3:05
MakerBot – BRE PETTIS
Bre Pettis loves to make things, share them with the world, and support others in their dreams of making things. He co-founded MakerBot Industries to bring manufacturing to the masses and he co-founded Thingiverse so there would be a place for to share digital designs on the web. He is also a founder of NYCResistor, a hacker collective that seeks to learn, share, and make things. When Bre’s not making things, he is sleeping.

3:10 to 3:40
NEW MODELS IN MUSIC – JESSE VON DOOM and BRIAN McTEAR
The music industry was the first media industry affected by file sharing, digital distribution, and new models centered around emerging technology. As the major labels try to find new ways to retain control, independent artists and labels are innovating with new ideas that bring music directly to their audiences. Similar changes are underway in film and print, and everyone is looking at music to see what will happen next. BRIAN McTEAR (Weathervane Music) and JESSE VON DOOM (CASH Music) discuss how their organizations are playing a part in the change, and shed some light on the trends that are growing today and how they’ll impact the music industry and beyond.

3:40 to 4:00
DIGITAL DIASPORA FAMILY REUNION – THOMAS ALLEN HARRIS
Harris will discuss the evolution of his new interactive online community engagement project “Digital Diaspora Family Reuinon” where genealogy meets the visual image to create new forms of particpatory storytelling. This project was developed parellel to a sister project his current documentary, “Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People” which is slated for release in 2011.

4:00 to 5:00
DIY DAYS Incubator Pitches
Two media startups will make presentations in front of a live audience that detail their vision, business models and goals.

INCUBATOR

11:30 to 3:30
Two media Startups meet with experts from various industries to think thank their models and to craft presentations which will be made to those attending the conference at the end of the day.

WORKSHOP ROOM #1

11:30 to 12:30
HOW TO BUILD AN APP – NOAH HARLAN
This workshop will take you through the process of conceiving, developing and releasing an app for mobile platforms including the iPhone, Android, mobile web and other platforms. We will take a close look at the process of designing User Interface and User Experience. We will also look at the evolution of human interface interactions and where we are headed. What is the future of mobile devices, including the iPad, netbooks and smartphones. Particular focus will be on augmented & alternate reality design and building immersive worlds and transmedia integration.

12:30 to 1:15
LUNCH BREAK

1:15 to 2:00
AUGMENTED REALITY AND GEOLOCATIONAL STORYTELLING – ETHAN RUBLEE
The ubiquitous nature of smart phones and location aware devices means transmedia storytelling can become a local and dynamic experience for the masses. This workshop will serve as a rabbit hole into the technology behind AR and geo-locational platforms. Open source software, some programming gumption, and off the shelf hardware is all that is needed to experiment. Android phone app development will be thoroughly evangelized. Ideas on using local space to connect distant users will be explored. Show and tell includes AR on the Android, hacking the wiimote, anaglyph 3D, browser based AR, video see through head mounted displays, Google Maps api, and more.

2:00 to 2:30
OPEN SESSION – 3 x 10 minute talks
DO YOU HAVE A CONCEPT FOR A 10 MINUTE TALK?
We’re looking for three conference attendees who’d like to share something they’re working on, something they think will help others, and something that will be an interesting topic of discussion.

Those interested should email us at work [@] workbookproject [dot] com with the subject “open session.”

2:35 to 3:10
ONCE UPON A PLAYTIME – CHUCK WENDIG
Chuck Wendig kicks aside that old question, “Can games be art?” and instead focuses on the question: “Can games tell an effective story?” Are games – video games, pen-and-paper roleplaying games, ARGs – appropriate vehicles for the kind of stories and storytelling that incense, enliven, and challenge? What does the story arc of a game look like? What is the difference between plot and story in terms of gaming? Does any of this matter, or do we just want to slay dragons and blow stuff up?

3:10 to 4:10
HOW TO DESIGN FOR TRANSMEDIA – ANITA ONDINE and DAVID BEARD
How is transmedia production and distribution different from film, tv, video and game distribution? Join Anita Ondine and David Beard as they deliver a practical overview of the process of producing and distributing transmedia experiences. From budgeting and scheduling to designing an integrated workflow to the distribution of transmedia works across a broad range of delivery platforms – “How to Design Transmedia” will provide you with an overview of how to integrate transmedia effectively into your production and distribution process.

WORKSHOP ROOM #2

11:15 to 12:15
THE REAL YOU: PERSONAL BRANDING, SOCIAL MEDIA & STORYTELLING – MICHAEL MARGOLIS
Hello, is this microphone on? As an artist or creative, it’s easy to talk about your passions. Sure, everybody has a story to tell. Yet getting others to see, care, and believe in the same things you do is a different story. How can you market your truth in way that’s still relevant and genuine? This session introduces a new ego mindset for social media with brand frameworks that will encourage people to embrace and buying into your work.

12:30 to 1:15
LUNCH BREAK

1:15 to 2:15
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR STORYTELLERS – LESLIE POSTON and AMY GREENLAW
The most compelling reason for most musicians, filmmakers and writers to invest and interact in social media goes far beyond just numbers and fans. You have a story to tell, and you want it to be heard and shared. By creating stories that resonate and cultivating an audience that responds to them on an emotional level, you not only increase the reach of your story, you also grow your financial base and are more likely to recoup some or all your investment. This workshop will show you how to jumpstart finding the right audience and growing it into an army of evangelists for your story, which will help you support your artistic vision.

2:20 to 3:15
IRRESISTIBILITY & IDEAS WHOSE TIME HAVE COME – SCOTT BEIBIN and LIZ COLE
Media democratization continues to progress, and the notion of collaboration and mutual-aid gather much deserved cool points. A fresh wave of visionary voices have come to prominence in this new landscape of public consciousness. How did this happen? What was the intentionality behind it? Please join Elizabeth-Jane Cole and Scott Beibin who run Evil Twin Booking for a presentation on how they help to build audiences while engineering information coups in the mainstream press, creating viral media campaigns and organizing tours for socially and environmentally oriented speakers, performers, and films.

3:20 to 4:10
TBD

Speaker Highlight: Dan Rollman

// March 31st, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Dan is the president and co-founder of the Universal Record Database, an open platform for world records. He led creative development of the recently launched Sabbath Manifesto, a project designed to slow lives down in an increasingly hectic world. In his spare time, Rollman makes t-shirts (Snerko), plays pinball and rides his ten-speed around New York City.

Dan will be sharing with us his expertise and experience with the Universal Record Database.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

• Thought messaging
• Vvisual Shazam
• Virtual nametags

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

• Ramones: End of the Century
• The xx
• Orange Is The New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison (Piper Kerman)

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

• Chatroulette

Speaker Highlight: Arin Crumley

// March 31st, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Born out of an intensely personal creative process, Four Eyed Monsters attracted millions of viewers via internet distribution, DVD, and a series of innovative screenings dictated by demand. Co-Foundng From Here to Awesome he furthered this dialogue about new distribution & discovery methods and recently launched OpenIndie.com, aiming to bring these techniques to a new breed of filmmakers.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

That ability to take what is in ones mind and put it into formats that transfer ideas, experiences & emotions to other people is expanding exponentially.  The information age has brought an era that can reorganize the way we distribute all human resources thereby changing our systems of value exchange.  Riding the wave of change is exciting.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

Catching the big fish is a wonderful book.  Skitzopolis is one of the best movies of all time.

What are some of your sites and / or blogs?

• Four Eyed Monsters
• As The Dust Settles
• Arin Crumley

Speaker Highlight: Brian Newman

// March 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Brian is the founder of sub-genre consulting, helping filmmakers and organizations to distribute content and connect with audiences through innovative uses of new technology. Brian was most recently CEO of the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI), and has been the executive director of Renew Media and IMAGE Film & Video Center. He speaks regularly on new media, audience development and the future of the industry, and contributes to a blog on these subjects at Springboardmedia.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

Developing innovative new forms of storytelling. Seeing how few of the predictions that I, or anyone else, makes actually come true.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

I have a stack of hundreds of DVDs from indie filmmakers that are going to have to wait for being viewed until after I catch up on “Eastbound and Down,” but even that must wait for me to finish listening to the new Gil Scot Heron album (again and again).

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

I find that I get more useful information from TechDirt than almost anywhere else. I also really like Walking off the Big Apple blog by Teri Tynes.

Speaker Highlight: Kieran Masterton

// March 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Kieran is the Co-Founder of indie film distribution site OpenIndie.com and a web technologist with over a decade of experience building sites for large media organisations such as BSkyB and Future Publishing Ltd. His academic background is in film theory and practice with a specialism in genre and gender. He works from home in Bradford-on-Avon, England where he lives with his wife Katie.

Kieran will be joining us as part of our start-up incubator.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

The potential for our virtual lives to augment and enhance our physical lives rather than distracting and, some may say, detracting from them.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

Music:

• The 13th Floor Elevators
• The Rolling Stones
• Radiohead
• The Verve
• Jackson Browne
• Neil Young

Continue Reading

Speaker Highlight: Jeff Gomez

// March 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Jeff is the world’s leading producer of transmedia entertainment properties. Jeff transforms intellectual properties into global franchises that successfully leverage an array of media channels and mass audience touchpoints. Jeff has worked on such blockbuster universes as Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia and Tron, Microsoft’s Halo, James Cameron’s Avatar, Hasbro’s Transformers, Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Coca-Cola’s Happiness Factory.

Jeff will be sharing his vast knowledge and experience at his talk “Transmedia Storytelling: Creating Blockbuster Worlds”.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

The notion of creating “transmedia symphonies” where storytellers and their audiences will join to generate vast and artful narratives across multiple media platforms.

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

I’ve been listening to Above & Beyond while I write or walk around the city.  I’m reading Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture by Thom Hartmann, and I have Halo Legends and Ponyo on my movie queue.

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

I visit i09.com daily, and have a permanent transmedia search on my Google alerts and Twitter feeds.

Speaker Highlight: Karol Martesko-Fenster

// March 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // NYC

Karol has a 20 year track record building brands in the motion picture, publishing and Internet industries.  Previously, Karol was Head of Film at Palm Pictures, President of Palm’s RES Media Group and President/Publisher of Silicon Alley Reporter.  Karol co-founded and launched Cinelan.com, indieWIRE.com, FILMMAKER Magazine and RES Magazine. He has produced numerous feature films, over 25 satellite and music television programs for WNET13/Great Performances, and was the Market Director of the breakout 1989 Independent Feature Film Market.

Karol will be joining us as part of our start-up incubator, where he will lend advice based on his vast experience.

Q & A:

What excites you about the future?

Transmedia is in full effect and the future is the playground for storytellers.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter F. Drucker

What is on your playlist, reading list, or movie queue?

National Geographic Magazine and whatever my children want me to play, read or watch with them.

What are some of your favorite sites and / or blogs?

A cross section of international news/design/branding/creative collectives and video online and mobile destinations.