14 posts and columns on indie

Viral Video: Adorkable/Irksome Indie Actors Sing Cute

in Media on January 3 at 12:57 am PT

Why do I simultaneously like and am annoyed by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt?
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Viral Video: I Dare You Not to Cry “Like Crazy”

in Media on August 3, 2011 at 12:44 am PT

If this movie trailer for an upcoming indie film and Sundance favorite “Like Crazy” doesn’t make you relive the exquisite agony of every doomed relationship you have ever had since puberty, then you must be a robot.
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Viral Video: "Another Earth" (Another Life?)

in News on April 27, 2011 at 12:37 am PT

For anyone who loves the idea of a doppelgänger–someone out there who is you except different–this trailer for much-anticipated indie film, “Another Earth,” is for you. It’s about astrophysics and accidents and aliens and alienation, on the occasion of the “discovery of a duplicate planet in the solar system.”

Viral Video: "When Yelp Came Knocking at My Door"

in News on November 24, 2010 at 12:19 am PT

Here is a cute video that Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman pointed me to, which is a result of its most recent hackathon. Set all around San Francisco and also Yelp’s HQ downtown, it’s not its official theme song for the online reviews site. But it should be, as it has a nice indie feel, kind of a geek version of the Moldy Peaches.

A Video Guaranteed to Not Stop Music Pirates

in Media on October 20, 2010 at 12:44 pm PT

The music piracy horse left the barn about 10 years ago. But if the music labels really wanted to try to get it back, Gilbert Gottfried rants probably aren’t the way to go.

YouTube’s Trip to the Movies Nets Enough for Popcorn, and Another Visit

in Media on February 2, 2010 at 7:58 am PT

YouTube has finished its first attempt to charge customers to watch Web video. The good news: Some people paid up. And from YouTube’s perspective, that’s all that matters. Good thing, since the video site’s Sundance experiment netted less than $11,000.

Social Media Storytelling at Sundance: MySpace, YouTube and Oprah Dudes–Also, My Twitter-Hating Mom–Discuss!

in News on January 25, 2010 at 7:01 am PT

On Friday, BoomTown was back at the Sundance Film Festival for the fifth time for my annual techie panel at the famous independent film confab. This year, we opened the New Frontier on Main series with a session titled “Spotlight on Social Media: Successful Strategies for Storytellers.” Here are my interviews on this and more with three of the panelists, as well as thoughts from my mother, who most recently was bashing Twitter in this column. She’s at it again, although she said she would be happy to watch a movie via magic glasses.

How to Make Money With Web Video: Books and DVDs

in Media on September 17, 2009 at 6:28 am PT

Eric Spiegelman has a Web video hit on his hands. “Old Jews Telling Jokes,” a series of short clips featuring exactly what the name suggests, is popular, viral, and cheap to make. But he still can’t cover his costs with Internet advertising. Enter the ancillary products, like a new book deal.
old jews telling jokes

Former CBS DJ Adam Carolla Gets a New Gig: CBS Podcast Host

in Media on September 15, 2009 at 12:45 pm PT

Adam Carolla, the former CBS radio host who started a podcast once he lost his job, has figured out how to turn his talent and Internet audience into money. He’s going back to work for CBS.
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An Indie Label Sounds Off: Why We Don’t Love Grooveshark

in Media on June 18, 2009 at 4:39 am PT

When a big music label sues a scrappy Web music start-up, most people tend to sympathize reflexively with the little guy. But not everyone. Here’s the case against Grooveshark–not from EMI, which has hauled them into court, but from an indie that by all rights ought to be working with Grooveshark: “The service is just ripping off the band.”
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