We recently hosted Bond, a conference that explored how independent creators and entrepreneurs make a living on the internet through crowdfunding and community patronage. On March 9th, we featured a diverse and eclectic lineup of speakers at Gray Area Grand Theatre in San Francisco. Each speaker had a unique perspective on what it takes to establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.

All 8 featured speaker talks from Bond 2018 are collected below.

Gary Chou
Founder, Orbital / Bond Spotlight

Kat Blaque
Vlogger & Illustrator / Bond Spotlight

Indhira Rojas
Founder, Anxy Magazine / Bond Spotlight

Jesse Thorn
Owner, Maximum Fun / Bond Spotlight

Erica Baker
Senior Engineering Manager, Patreon / Bond Spotlight

Jamie Wilkinson
Chief Product Officer, Kickstarter / Bond Spotlight

Freddie Wong
Filmmaker, RocketJump / Bond Spotlight

Austin Kleon
Writer & Artist / Bond Spotlight

The above BackerKit Bond conference videos were produced in partnership with MailChimp. Video production by Searle Video with video thumbnails by Myleen Hollero.

Be sure to check out our full BackerKit Bond recap including photos of the event!

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Bond is our upcoming conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.

For over a decade Freddie Wong has built a dedicated community of fans through various film and video projects on the internet. Freddie was around when YouTube was just a baby still positioning itself as the place to go for creative, fun, and often weird user-created videos. This was a time when video and audio equipment was becoming more affordable allowing just about anybody to make a splash. Freddie took on the challenge of competing for the spotlight and has placed himself as one of the pioneers in online video.

Freddie is the co-founder of the wildly successful YouTube channel RocketJump and co-creator of the popular show Video Game High School. RocketJump is a perfectly weird studio/production company that strives to bring fun, entertaining, and often action-packed content to the masses ranging from TV shows, feature films, short films, live streams, and everything in-between.

It all began with the flagship web series Video Game High School, a three-season, full-length, award-winning independent series bringing video game culture to life. It was named #1 Web Series of 2013 by Variety, nominated for a Producer’s Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series in 2014 and 2015, and won Streamy Awards for Direction, Ensemble Cast, and Action/Sci-Fi Series. RocketJump also features a huge library of awesome content ranging from RocketJump Shorts, mini documentaries, and behind-the-scenes videos. And be sure to check out  RocketJump’s Dimension 404 exclusively on Hulu!

Freddie is the #1 most subscribed video director on YouTube with over 8 million subscribers and over 1 billion views since the channel’s inception in April 2010. Freddie took his special effects knowhow he learned in film school and took it to the next level.

Thanks to a recent partnership with Lionsgate, RocketJump and Freddie have a long future ahead of them with more groundbreaking content on the horizon. And with the launch of RocketJump Film School, Freddie is committed to give a new generation of filmmakers the tools they need to share their own stories with the world. We are beyond excited to have him speak at Bond as creators, makers, and entrepreneurs come together to join an important conversation about how to turn ideas into reality.

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today! And thanks to our generous sponsors, we have a handful of subsidized passes available for $49!

The post Bond Welcomes Co-Founder of RocketJump Freddie Wong appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Bond is our upcoming conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.

Gary Chou is an active supporter of independent creators and his central focus is empowering people to build strong communities and networks. His experience and expertise make him the perfect speaker for Bond which focuses on taking your ideas to the next level.

Gary is the founder of Orbital, a studio for building networks.  Orbital’s believes that success for any creator—whether they’re an entrepreneur or an independent filmmaker—is a function of whether they have access to the networks that they need.  In addition to working with independent creators, Orbital also facilitates expert-led “Communities of Practice” which are small group-based learning opportunities bringing together designers, engineers, and product managers into unique peer groups who all share the same job focus. Gary understands that deeply-networked individuals tend to grow faster and perform better. He helps foster those relationships giving unique opportunities for people to connect.

At the School of Visual Arts MFA in Interaction Design Program, Gary co-teaches a class with collaborator Christina Xu called “Entrepreneurial Design”. The course challenges students to think about the implications of living in a world of networks. One of the challenges of this semester-long course is for students to make $1000 by launching an original idea. So in a sense, students learn less about how to be an entrepreneur, but rather become an entrepreneur. It’s a smart way to put knowledge into action.

Previously, Gary worked at Union Square Ventures where he created the USV Network. He advises Austin Center for Design, which exists to transform society through design and design education; and Venture for America, which seeks to revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship.

As an active supporter of independent creators, he has executive produced two award-winning films and backed numerous Kickstarter projects! We’re excited to have Gary speak at Bond and look forward to possibly making $1000 in the process.

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today! And thanks to our generous sponsors, we have a handful of subsidized passes available for $49!

The post Bond Welcomes Founder of Orbital Gary Chou appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Bond is an upcoming conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.

We’re excited to welcome Jesse Thorn as a featured speaker during the conference. He’s the host and producer of the podcast Bullseye and Jordan, Jesse, Go!, and the co-host and producer of Judge John Hodgman. He’s also the proprietor MaximumFun.org and putthison.com.

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, now carried on over 150 public radio stations across the country, began in 2000 as The Sound of Young America, while Thorn was a student at the University of California at Santa Cruz. In 2007, the show began to be distributed by Public Radio International, making Jesse the youngest national host in public radio history. In 2012, the show became Bullseye and was subsequently distributed by NPR.As founder & owner of MaximumFun.org, Jesse oversees a network of more than thirty podcasts, along with video and other content production. The company helped set the template for the modern podcast network, and continues to be a leader in independent, audience-supported media production. Fast Company magazine called Thorn “The most important person in entertainment you’ve never heard of.”

 In addition to his work at MaximumFun.org, Thorn started Put This On, one of the country’s most popular blogs about men’s style. The site, covering news and advice, and including a store of handpicked apparel and curios, launched with a widely-acclaimed two-season video series, partially crowd-funded spanning the US and Europe.

A native of San Francisco’s Mission District, Jesse now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, three kids, and two dogs. We’re happy to have him back in the Bay Area to speak about his experience at Bond.

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are offering more subsidized passes for $49. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today! 

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The post Bond Welcomes Patreon’s Erica Baker appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Bond is our upcoming conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business. This is a guest post from Anxy Magazine’s Indhira Rojas!

Hi! I’m Indhira Rojas (you can just call me Indhi!). I’m the founder and creative director of the mental health magazine Anxy. Anxy is a bi-annual publication exploring vulnerable personal stories through an artful and creative lens. As a design consultant during the day, and a magazine maker during the “night”, my days are a balancing act of client requests, designing, art directing, and managing projects, plus addressing the new challenges (or adventures) that Anxy throws my way.

I’ve spent most of my professional career in the intersection of branding, editorial design and interaction, working for the tech and publishing sector. I’ve collaborated with businesses and organizations large and small, such as Atlas Obscura, Modern Farmer, Patreon, Obvious Ventures, and the online platform Medium. I hold a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design and a Masters of Fine Arts in Design, from California College of the Arts.

I started Anxy because I wanted to present a counter-narrative to how mental health stories are presented. Instead of focusing on a particular diagnosis or on how to ‘fix’ an issue, Anxy invites people to explore their inner worlds and share their experiences. The magazine is structured mainly as a journal of personal essays, where the arc of the stories and how they interrelate with one another set the tone for each themed issue.

Anxy launched on Kickstarter in September 2016. We raised over $50k from over 800 backers in 30 days. Since then, Anxy has sold over 5,000 copies, gained nearly 400 new subscribers, and partnered with stockists around the world. Most recently Anxy won two Stack Awards (Launch of the Year and Subscribers’ Choice) and was highlighted by the New York Times in the Sunday Style piece, “Prozac Nation Is Now the United States of Xanax.” Anxy has been featured in Fast Company, Refinery29, HuffPo Health, among others.The inaugural issue of Anxy, Anger, features an interview with Margaret Atwood, reporting from the deep turmoil of Turkey to the front lines of customer service; beautiful and powerful photo essays from Matt Eich, Melissa Spitz, and Brian Frank; and writing from Ijeoma Oluo, Diego Salazar, May Wilkerson. It’s 144 pages of art, insight, and care.
The second edition, The Workaholism Issue, tackles what’s been called “the best-dressed mental health problem of all”—the addiction that’s more socially acceptable than any other. In fact, 1/3 of people identify as workaholics.

The magazine itself is a strikingly beautiful, but inside it really investigates the idea of workaholism across a range of different perspectives. From breakout comedy star Neal Brennan to Nepalese migrant workers; from those who are burning the candle at both ends in Las Vegas, to those who have experienced deep trauma at work. The issue also has real stories from teens at some of America’s most high-pressure schools, a perspective that is particularly worth reading. It includes artwork by artists such as Petra Eriksson, Ori Toor (cover), Billy Clark, and Talia Herman, among others.

I’m looking forward to meeting you all at Bond, until then—stay Anxy!

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today!

The post Bond Welcomes Founder of Anxy Magazine Indhira Rojas appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Bond is our upcoming (inaugural!) conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.

Kickstarter helps creators around the world find the resources and support they need to turn their passions into a reality. It’s the premiere crowdfunding platform and they’ve helped tens of thousands of projects come to life.

Jamie Wilkinson, already having a distinguished career working in service to creators, has recently been hired as Kickstarter’s Chief Product Officer. Wilkinson is tasked with leading Kickstarter’s product, engineering, and design teams building platforms and products that help fund creative projects.

Before Kickstarter, Wilkinson has been involved with an impressive amount of creative projects. He was the co-founder and CEO of VHX, a platform for selling films and TV shows directly to fans. VHX empowered creators to sell their work directly from their own websites and was bought by Vimeo in 2016.Wilkinson has been involved in a number of other cool projects including the Know Your Meme video series, FAT Lab (Free Art & Technology), and Diaspora. And back in 2010, he won a Primetime Emmy for his work on a crowdsourced re-creation of the original Star Wars film called Star Wars Uncut. I highly recommend taking the time to explore this fun community-made creation. Full versions of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are on the site now!

Wilkinson has a wide breadth of experience engaging with online communities which gives him unique insight on what it takes to make an impact on the internet. We’re thrilled to have him as one of our featured speakers at Bond.

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today!

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Bond presented by BackerKit is an upcoming conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community and follow your passions.

Kat Blaque is an animator, illustrator and Youtuber from Southern California who has been openly blogging about her life for the past 10+ years. Experiencing the ups and downs of new media, she has ultimately concluded that social platforms are a powerful force for change and awareness. She currently uses her platforms on Youtube (114k subscribers) and Facebook (180k with an average weekly reach of 4 million people) to speak about the topics she’s passionate about as well as cultivating conversations that encourage education across intersections.

She playfully refers to herself as “intersectionality salad” as she embodies various identities and experiences. As a woman and survivor of rape and sexual assault, she is very passionate about fostering conversations where survivors and victims alike can feel as though they have a voice. As an outspoken feminist, she’s often on the receiving end of online harassment that she’s had to learn to accept as a woman who dares to have an opinion. As a black woman, she is invested in starting conversations about white supremacy and how it’s impacted her own life as well as various others. As a Trans woman, she believes that speaking about her growth and acceptance of self is vital in a world where trans people aren’t seen as valid and their possibilities are often seen as limited.Kat’s talks are generally casual in nature and encourage audience participation. She hosts a weekly show on her channel called “True Tea” where she answers questions sent to her by her followers. She finds that people who come to her talks usually want to replicate this and she loves answering questions from the audience and equally loves starting conversation.

She has contributed to Everyday Feminism, Pride.com, The Huffington Post and has appeared on Buzzfeed, MTV News and MTV’s Decoded.”

“As a fan of Kat’s work and community, I am so happy to have her speaking at Bond! Kat is a major influential voice for myself, my friends, and so many young people in this rapidly shifting time of pop culture. She is a leader in crafting a diverse, progressive, and welcoming community online that I’m happy to have been a part of for so long. I know I’m speaking for not only myself but a lot of young attendees when I say I am incredibly eager to hear what she has to contribute to Bond!” – Casey, BackerKit Office Experience Coordinator

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, reserve your tickets today!

The post Bond Welcomes Writer, Vlogger, and Animator/ Illustrator of “Sometimes You’re a Caterpillar” Kat Blaque appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Bond is our upcoming (inaugural!) conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.

Austin Kleon is a writer, artist, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. His work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, TIME, The Atlantic, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. Now he’s brought his depth and range of experience as a creator to his book, Steal Like An Artist, an illustrated manifesto for creativity in the digital age.

Steal Like An Artist is a lesson in applied creativity. It’s based on a list Austin drew up one day of key insights he wishes he’d known when he started out. He boiled them down into pithy phrases: “Steal like an artist”, “Use your hands”, “Creativity is subtraction”, and many more. He turned that list into a talk, the text and slides from the talk “rocked the creative world” (GalleyCat) and went viral—and since it’s been online, the original blog post has reached millions of readers.

His most recent book, The Steal Like An Artist Journal, is an interactive journal and all-in-one logbook to get those creative juices flowing and keep a record of ideas and discoveries.

The follow-up, Show Your Work!, is a guide to the next step: getting known. Organized around another collection of pithy phrases — “You don’t have to be a genius”, “Share something small every day” — Show Your Work! shows you how sharing generously can work in your favor online. Ranging from broader life lessons about work to the practicalities of internet life, it’s an inspiring manifesto for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age.

Austin is also the author of Newspaper Blackout, a collection of poetry made by redacting newspaper articles with a permanent marker. His art has been called “brilliant” by New York Magazine and The New Yorker said his poems “resurrect the newspaper when everyone else is declaring it dead.” Austin’s work regularly takes place at the intersection of traditional media and modern technology.

We’re excited to have Austin share his unique insight at Bond. His work, and the perspective he shares through his creative projects and his writing, has served as a priceless roadmap for other artists and creators who are navigating their own creative process.

Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today!

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