Changing the Delivery of News

I recently wrote a short post on noomizo (a new media and marketplace site) about Ryan and Kassidy Brown, founders of Journey of Action (JoA). They are working on a web series delivering

newsworthy stories in a fresh way:

Journey of Action Road Trip: Covering 15,000 Miles of Change

Siblings Ryan and Kassidy Brown, creators of the project Journey of Action (JoA), are preparing for the second leg of their tour through the Americas, and they need YOUR help.

The purpose behind JoA is to educate and inspire Generation Y by telling the stories of passionate people making change in their own hometowns or abroad in other countries, whether in business, non-profits or the education system. They successfully drove from Juneau to New Orleans beginning last fall, hosting a webseries highlighting change-makers who have gone unnoticed by the media.

Ryan and Kassidy are about to embark on the second half of their trip, the long road from Mexico to Argentina, on “Bless” the bright blue bus. To cover production costs, they have created an IndieGoGo fundraiser, hoping to reach their $30,000 goal before leaving. You can contribute anywhere from $10 to $5,000 on their fundraising page. For those who can’t contribute financially, they ask you to share their project with people in the community via Facebook, Twitter or in person!

Not all news is bad news, and Ryan and Kassidy are telling stories of hope that would otherwise go untold. How do you plan to change the media or impact the world using the tools you have been given?

I really love their webseries. They find inspirational, TRUE stories about people in our generation and tell them in such an artistic way. It is entertaining and newsworthy. I wonder how traditional news sources can take from this. How would you like to see news presented and what kind of stories do you want to hear? I hope journalists and news organizations will embrace the change that Generation Y is initiating.

Nashville Underground Music… Exposed

Nashville rockers and hipsters can finally tell their stories in a new documentary highlighting the underground music scene. “Music City Underground” will showcase a variety of bands performing live, most in the same space, as well as interviews and band anecdotes. Houston Mathews, recent Belmont grad and creator of the film, is funding the film through some personal savings and a kickstarter project, through which he raised more than his goal of $1,000.

Mathews gathered a group of new Nashville filmmakers and shot ten performances recently at Quonset Studio. Our day lasted 15 hours but we got every band/songwriter in and out on time. We created a warm, vintage environment, reminiscent of your living room at home by collecting artwork from friends and rentals from antique stores. Four 7D’s/5D’s, some lighting and a great sound crew got us through the shoot successfully. (For more on the production from the DP, check out Jon Chema’s blog.) Did I mention we got to listen to fantastic music while working all day?!

Photos by Melissa Madison Fuller

Musical Performances by:
Westbound Rangers
Colorfeels
Andrew Combs
Sons of Lions
Natalie Prass
Jessica Breanne
Gabe Vitek
Sharon Digitale
Matt Campbell
Evan P. Donohue
The Delta Saints
The Apache Relay

The film is currently in post-production. Check the progress of the film on Facebook.

Interview with CEO of LikeALittle.com

Likealittle.com is an anonymous flirting platform created in October of 2010 by Stanford grad student Evan Reas along with his two housemates, Prasanna Sankaranarayanan and Shubham Mittal. The site targets college campuses and allows students to post messages about people they see, whether they are acquaintances or not, and let them know how they feel. It is similar to writing secret admirer notes, but online with a location and description of the person. Belmont has already developed a consistent community on the site!

It seems Generation Y is seizing entrepreneurial opportunities like never before. Reas, CEO of the site at the age of 26, is one among numerous young entrepreneurs creating social media and online-service start-ups (Facebook, Groupon, Foursquare, Etsy, just to name a few). It is amazing how passion and innovation can pay off.

I spoke with Reas briefly via Skype about the creation of Likealittle and how he plans to turn anonymous flirting into a business. He describes how the site spread, now reaching over 600 college campuses, and discusses the importance of privacy and anonymity. Here is a short clip of our conversation! (Flip cam quality)

Distribute Your Video on Facebook… and Make Money!

One of the most challenging tasks in any creative process, whether writing a book, shooting a film, or recording a song, is distributing that final product. Unless you are working on a studio franchise film or strike up a publishing deal for your new book, the thought of making millions off your creation seems unrealistic.

Media expert David Mathison analyzed the distribution struggle in his book Be the Media. He demonstrates how you can “create and accelerate your message… your way” by focusing specifically on different outlets such as music, radio, books, video, film, etc.

While speaking with students at Belmont University, Mathison revealed he sold the first 5,000 copies of his book through Twitter before the book was even released. Talk about accelerating a message! If he can distribute that many copies through pre-sale on a social media platform, then the same is possible for a video.

It is nearly impossible for independent filmmakers to find traditional distribution, but that should not be a barrier. One new company, Casmiro, has given filmmakers a place to upload videos and sell them online through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. This new form of “profitable self-distribution” allows you to “create a lucrative, brand oriented online distribution channel that increases your exposure without signing rights away or paying ridiculous distribution costs.” You can price videos however you like and pay a small monthly fee for the services provided. It is quick, cheap and environmentally friendly.

Having trouble getting your video started? Kickstarter, created in 2009, allows you to set a financial goal and raise money for your film through donations. However, no money is exchanged unless the goal is reached.

If you have an idea, just run with it. If you utilize new sites like Kickstarter and Casmiro, insufficient funding is not an excuse! As Mathison told Belmont students earlier today, “if anybody tells you you can’t do something, just do it anyway.”

Communication with a Purpose: Roshini Rajkumar

Communication is key to success in any industry but it is one of the most difficult skills to master. Today, I was privileged to hear from Roshini Rajkumar, a communication coach and author of “Communicate That!” She presented the IAP formula aimed at creating a powerful presentation, but it can really apply to any setting.

I- identify the intent of the presentation or interaction
A- analyze the audience before, during and after the interaction
P- powerfully perform by using your best communication assets

It is all about story-telling. When making a video or film, this formula is crucial! During pre-production, the team must first determine the purpose of the video. What story do you want to tell and why? Then, think about the type of people who will be watching your video. How old are they? Male or female? What kind of business do they work in? What are their interests? All of those questions will affect how the video is created and what kind of story it tells. Lastly, create the video in the most powerful way you know how, and make sure to market it effectively.

The IAP formula is solid groundwork for effective communication and can be used across many platforms. In reality, it doesn’t matter how wonderful and cutting-edge your video looks, the most important part is the story you are telling.

Amélie Composer Visits Music City: Yann Tiersen

I know… I was just as surprised as you. Yann Tiersen stopping in Nashville?! And at Third&Lindsley?

Tiersen composed one of my favorite soundtracks for probably one of my favorite movies, Amélie, and if you have never seen it, I highly suggest you do so. A collaboration of beautiful cinematography, a quarky love story, and accordion-driven soundtrack won the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, several film awards and brought international recognition to Yann Tiersen.

So why did he stop in Nashville? Tiersen just released his new album “Dust Lane” in October of 2010 and is now on his first-ever U.S. tour. He is a musical genius, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, violin and even a toy piano with a mouthpiece. Unfortunately, he did not showcase his accordion skills or play a song from the Amélie soundtrack, but his experimental-classical-folk-electric album brought a FULL crowd to the show.

Tiersen played a set at Grimey’s before his show (From Dixie Downturn)

How Racy Can We Get Under the First Amendment?

The entertainment and media industries are evolving rapidly, throwing more music and videos in our faces every day. And we have more access to them than ever. Artists now have a greater struggle standing out from the rest but they have a variety of ways to reach their audience.

So how does an artist stand out? A common trend is obscenity. Recording “dirty” songs and producing shocking videos can really get an audiences attention. But it also leads to ethical issues. The FCC still controls what airs on TV. Therefore, networks like MTV censor the music videos they air in order to avoid FCC fines. But with no regulations on the Internet, artists can still send their racy creations to the general public.

However, platforms like YouTube can regulate videos posted on the site. Under the “YouTube Community Guidelines,” they state:

Lately, a growing number of music videos have been banned from MTV and sites like YouTube, or they have been censored by age-restrictions or changing the lyrics. Rihanna is a current example. Her music video for her new single “S&M” has been banned in 11 countries and YouTube has an 18 and over age-restriction. As a slap in the face to YouTube, all of her young fans can just go to her website for the unflagged video, which shows her with whips, a blow-up doll and Perez Hilton on a dog leash. More on the story from MTVnews.
(Some videos banned in one way or another: “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga, “Hurricane” by 30 Seconds to Mars, “Born Free” by M.I.A, “Ride” by Ciara, and the list goes on…)

This situation brings up challenging censorship discussions. Some would say TV and certain Internet sites are stepping all over the First Amendment, while others see scandalous videos as a threat to younger generations. We need to keep in mind that the younger generations are growing up in an internet-era and many can navigate the web better than their parents. How should we integrate First Amendment rights with protecting young people from obscene entertainment?