(2011-01-07) Hope Build Community Around Artist

Ted Hope ponders what the indie Film Industry can learn from Etsy. Like Etsy’s efforts to create an intimate relationship between buyers and sellers, if we want a Truly Free Film culture to flourish, we need to increase the intimacy between audiences (True Fan) and creators. We need to erase those lines so it is a truly united Virtual Community. Etsy works to do this through daily emails:

Etsy is working to ensure that as the site gets bigger, it still feels more like a treasure trove of goodies than a chaotic sidewalk sale. The company sends out daily “Etsy Finds” e-mails that are usually put together by a staff member or a popular merchant. These display a handful of items arranged around a central theme or color scheme.

When I say that being a filmmaker requires being a curator, I am speaking of the responsibility of filmmakers to get others’ good work seen and appreciated.

(page was renamed from z2011-01-07-HopeFilmLearnFromEtsy)

Similar recent post of his: These times require New Rules & New Emphasis: Discovery; Participation; Demystification.

And a recent guest-post from Sheri Candler on artists building communities around themselves. The Grateful Dead, Kevin Smith, Matthew Ebel, Jonathan Coulton, Amanda Palmer. Build your web first, then make the film.

Also MikeAmbs, a reader of Hope's blog, made this Mind Map of Film Industry audience/marketing issues. Lots of interesting stuff in there.