Indieish : Guerilla video production for the web

LZIL: file not found:
/var//www/indieish.com/html/wp-content/grant_robertson1.jpg
I first learned about the Creative Commons in the fall of 2004. I was doing a twice weekly streaming radio show, called The Revolution using the music library of the streaming network for whom I was producing the show. The station’s library was mostly comprised of Magnatune tracks, and a smattering of artists who had individually given permission to play their work.

I’m a curious person by nature. As I started to find more Creative Commons music on-line, I began incorporating it into my show. I threw in a dash of creepy audio samples from the Prelinger film collection on Archive.org and it all just kind of worked. Good music, creepy samples and a charming host.. what more could you want?

How about an audience?

We were streaming to 10-20 people at a time, and my show was the most popular on the network. There had to be a better way. I started researching podcasting around Thanksgiving, and in January I released the first podcast episode of The Revolution.

The show grew, and as a result I became more and more involved in the Creative Commons scene. The Commons, after all, was the reason I was able to find such great stuff to share with the listeners. I became a sort of, “tastemaker”, sharing the best stuff I could find with people who wanted more music. I received a lot of fantastic help from people like Victor Stone, Lisa DeBenedictis, Mike Linksvayer, Teru, Ashwan, Curious, C Layne and John Buckman.

The Revolution hit its stride about the same time I sold my consulting practice to another consulting company. I went to work for them, developing web applications. My wedding was approaching quickly, and my time was anything but my own.

I left the company in October of ‘05 and began working on my own projects again. Indieish got a face-lift, and a new purpose.. CC:365.

I was shocked when my little pet project got posted to boingboing.net in November. Followed by the resulting avalanche of other places that magically link to you when you get mentioned on boing boing, and the next thing I knew I was serving up my daily song selection to 800+ people.

As a result, I made up my mind in November of 2005. I would dedicate my free time in 2006 to spreading the Creative Commons.

I’m on a one man campaign to evangelize the Creative Commons, and the musical artists who’ve adopted the CC license, to more people than anyone else this year. It’s a lofty goal. People like Lawrence Lessig, Victor Stone and Cory Doctorow are in a much better position, but I’m not going to let that stop me, or even slow me down.

I know I can do it, with your help I’ll make 2006 the year that the Creative Commons license becomes mainstream. And not in a passive Flickr sort of way… but in and active, “I love the commons” sort of way.

2006 will be the year that you find an artist you love under the Creative Commons.

So, subscribe via RSS or Email and help me bring the Creative Commons license to more people in more places, every day in 2006.

-Grant Robertson