Over the past year and a half of startup fun, I’ve been asked about my motivation for starting Cont3nt.com, and while there are a great many reasons I have for trying to make a real-time Free Market for professional media, it wasn’t until I had a completely random conversation with a new guy at our startup space that the penny dropped and I uncovered what appears to be my one repressed memory (seriously, have not thought or remembered this for years).

In 1998 I was finishing high school and had a particular passion that I was starting to take more and more seriously – photography. I thought it was cool and so I took a class – followed by another. What interested me most was the simplicity of the concept – that you could create art out of something that exists in real-life, and by virtue of some indefinable quality in the object, or your perception thereof, to showcase the innate beauty of something and make it feel as powerful to others as it does to you. Something clicked and I got hooked.

Photography was a passion I was starting to take more & more seriously. Something clicked and I got hooked.

I started with the standard student shots that look so powerful to you, but are seen by the photo teachers every day (“look at this picture of the lawn chair in shadow, it’s so brooding and deep!” – Family Guy), but that’s the path. I started taking the camera everywhere I went, started being “that guy with the camera” at family events and parties. Started noticing light patterns, shooting angles, and getting dirty from climbing trees or hills to get at that one dubious angle that’s going to make the whole shot worthwhile (even as I write this, I am only now starting to recall it – and miss it).

To top it off, the school I attended had an amazing program that sent its senior class to Israel on a major trip for over 4 months where we traveled the whole country (we worked at a communal farm, did some desert survival, and basically experienced much of what could be seen and done – an amazing trip all around). A good friend that had some “extra” equipment lent me a whole kit of great quality grey-market equipment to take with me for the entire trip

I didn’t let go of the camera. I learned what works and what doesn’t, and generally got to be what they call a “semi-pro”.

(Thanks Uriel for the camera, lenses, filters, everything!) as well as some fun stuff like 2X magnifiers and other toys that you could probably only get away with in the sunniest of deserts (luckily, we were in the sunniest of deserts much of the time). Over the course of the trip and upon my return, I didn’t let go of the camera. I learned to set aperture and shutter-speed without a meter, learned what works and what doesn’t, and generally got to be what I guess they call a “serious amateur”.

Coming to college I worked the university yearbook – free equipment, free film, free prints, and of course — the first photo credits! I was rocking the Cannons and the Nikons – by virtue of being in DC and having great event spaces at the university I got to shoot General Colin Powell, got some snaps of the Dalai Lama, and when the then Vice President Al Gore was speaking at some big event – I got to outshine every AP, Washington Post, and New York Times photographers that had abused me over the previous hour (damn those press spaces in the back of the room.. you know, the ones with the elbows flying) by coming up to within 10 feet of the Vice President and getting the best shots, while they were all stuck a hundred feet away in bad light (I managed to convince the Secret Service that I had an upcoming class and needed to get my shots before I left, they were nice enough to let me go up right to the podium while all the others were stuck in the back (take that!) – still on my list of “greatest feats”).

And then I discovered stock footage… and died a little inside. Other photographers will know what I mean. I saw a world of photos and a lot of amazing work, stuff I would aspire to do – and saw it valueless.

I kept this up my freshman year going into my sophomore, my skills getting better and my aspirations getting higher……. and then I discovered Getty.

I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but one fine day in what must have been about 2000, I went online and was launched into a world of stock footage – and I died a little inside (embarrassingly enough, it smarts a little to remember).

I discovered that for every single painstakingly shot frame, for every single photo made after an hour spent climbing a hill or jaywalking a highway to get that perfect angle, for every ounce of effort invested – there was someone else, someone great, with 30 more years experience, that sat in a particular tree for 3 days, and in a light pattern that occurs only once in 10 years – managed to shoot that exact same shot – and he was selling it for $20 bucks (No galleries make this more evident than Washington DC’s – where the great monuments and museums that make the best shots, have been shot daily, by pros, for over 80 years).

Discovering Getty was eye-opening, I saw a world of photos and a lot of amazing work, stuff I would aspire to do – and saw it valueless. I know that this is somewhat irrational and that every shot is unique, that every perspective different, that every photo can be special. But my awe turned to disbelief, finally to acceptance – but over the next months, I saw my passion wither away. I wasn’t angry at Getty or other photographers, far from it, and after all – what an amazing resource!

Over the next months, I saw my passion wither away. I didn’t realize at the time, but I stopped doing photography all-together and didn’t touch or even own a camera for the next 8 years.

 But I stopped going to events, stopped carrying my camera, and now remembering clearly, I realized that I stopped doing photography all together and really refused to touch or even own a camera for the next 8 years. It wasn’t a statement of any sort, it wasn’t even a conscious rejection, but having just looked, I realized, that I have almost no self-shot pictures from that time onward – and almost every single one that I do have, I can trace back to someone else’s camera – a picture they eventually gave me or sent me. Putting two and two together, it appears that I felt the loss deeply.

Everyone has their own outlook and perspective on the world – mine is, for lack of a better word “businessy” or “entrepreneurial” – I want to do things that I love, yes – but that’s not enough, I also want to take them big, really big. Since I was a kid. If I get into something, it’s because I think it’s (for lack of a better word) “cool” and worth it. And if I think it’s worth it, clearly I can make other people think so -which means there is a way to scale it, share it, take it global, spread it to the world, and meanwhile make money on it. And that’s what I saw photography was. It’s not the money that bothered me, it was the fact that this passion held no value.

Seeing the art I created commoditized felt like a slap to the face, or maybe just a popping of a balloon. And it always bothered me.

 But seeing the art I created commoditized like pencils or canned soup, and seeing the miserable value placed on it, felt like a slap to the face, or maybe just a popping of a balloon. And it always bothered me.

It was not until I started working at the National Geographic Society (as a business-techy) that I even remembered that I could, at one point, shoot. Being in the presence of passionate photographers (everyone that works for the society claims to be one ).  I started clearing the dust off the old memories, but while I have always admired anyone that follows their passion to whatever end, I evaluated the market again and saw the same issues. Almost every photographer, journalist, and videographer I met was having a hard time; unless they had a permanent media-position – they had to teach classes, do weddings or events, or just have a side job; and of course the industry as a whole is having trouble.

But at National Geographic – an organization that could be credited with almost founding much of the media we know today, I learned how important professional media creators are to the world at large, how valuable their contribution is, how much we depend on their passion… and to my surprise, how easily the layman identifies the professional work over unprofessional in a sea of content.

Working at National Geographic I rediscovered the power of great media. But to date this has failed to translate to market economics.

How the minute differences that constitute true skill/art/talent made the difference in a viewers attention, and how the creative contribution of a professional editor or producer would consistently make or break a story.

A gallery picked out by a professional photo editor would outdo the one picked out by one of lesser skill by an average of 60-80% percent – consistently! And a viewer with no media-industry-experience onceoever would immediately identify professionally-made, quality video, and make the decision to tune in or out of a stream within less than 5 seconds. And how despite the fact that this is incredibly well known in the media-world, for some reason, this has failed to translate to market economics.

So yes, of course, we need to redefine what media has become/is becoming, and yes, sometimes catching a breaking story in real time may be more important than the quality of its presentation, and yes, we need to redefine what constitutes a journalist or professional media creator — but good is good! Everyone knows it — what’s the problem?

I studied this to figure out why, and in my market-oriented mindset, I honestly could not find a reason for why good work was valued so little.

The value of media has been estimated by many things, but the one thing that is never determined is “what, is this story worth to the market at large?” - because there is no market for media.

Without realizing it I came back to my original experience (though now with a giant amount of real-time analytics) — I think it’s cool, others think it’s cool, so how is it possible that it doesn’t have value? Why doesn’t it pay???

After much time in thinking about it, and the last 18 months working and talking to smart people 60-90 hrs a week while trying to shoot every hole I can think of in this argument, I have come back to one simple conclusion. The reason great content isn’t correctly valued is because it is not *objectively* valued.

The value of media has been estimated by many things: How many clicks can we get? How does it help our SEO? What advertisers will it bring? Do we know this guy? Can we afford to hire another journalist?

One piece of art is not worth another, and one story is not worth another. Just as each masterpiece has an objective value, so does a story. 

Does our politics/business/environment/whatever-desk have the budget for another story? The one thing that is never determined is: *What, objectively, is this particular story worth to the market at large?*. And the reason that questions is asked is because there *is no market-at-large*.

And so the question right now isn’t “how great is this piece/shot/video?” but how many more videos about “X” can we do? But one piece of art is not worth another, one video is not worth another, and one story is not worth another. These are not pencils or commodities; they are a practical, daily, art-form that for better or worse defines a large part of our lives. And just as each masterpiece has an objective value that is defined in the eyes of the beholder, so does a story.

It is for this reason that I/we at Cont3nt.com have set off to build a global marketplace that can set a true value for content, and give the media artists – be they photographers, journalists, or videographers a true value for their work. And *this* has reignited my passion!

Join us in creating a global market for media!

Thank you for reading this Mission Statement (aka “rant”). If you have any thoughts, please share them with me. I would love to know. I am deep in fun for our upcoming launch of Cont3nt.com on October 5th, but if you’ve read this far, drop me a line and tell me what you think.

-Anton

We are very happy to announce that we have just been selected to join the exclusive Mindshare CEO Network, Class of 2011. This is an amazing opportunity to join the hottest CEO’s of the best startups and interact with some very serious mentors, including Ted Leonsys (one of Anton’s favorite people) and many others.

Many thanks to everyone at Cooley for recommending us to the group. Looking forward to seeing Mindshare as being the thing that jumpstarts our year (as Founder Institute did last year)!

Read more here: http://dc.citybizlist.com/5/2011/3/16/MindShare-Announces-Its-Class-of-2011.aspx

We are now official graduates of the Founder Institute – Washington DC – Fall 2010 Class! This has been an amazing (if grueling experience) and we’ve come out of it better, stronger, with many more connections and experience than we went in with. Working with DC entrepreneurs has been inspiring and the deep-dives with the Founder Institute Mentors has been invaluable.

What started as 35 entrants, ended up with about 10 Graduates – the hardcore few.

Thank you Tonya and Jill for taking us on for the past few months, and thank you Adeo for both the great program and the late night drinking advisory sessions! (but seriously, it’s been ridiculously helpful).

Of course, with our official graduation, we are now officially DONE with all the work, right?!….. Oh, wait, noooo…. We’re just begun, now I remember!

Congrats to us and all the graduates!

(will mention only the non-stealths by name, forgive me if I miss a few, would rather err on the side of not revealing a stealth than vice versa)

Cont3nt.com – a real-time market for entrepreneurial journalism.

DCFashionPost.com - the convenient way to discover local fashion.

LawNovo.com – a marketplace for legal services

Nexercise.com – the free mobile game that rewards you for exercising

And a half a dozen others you will likely be hearing about soon…

Free World Pulse selected for Founder Institute!

Amazing news today as we have been selected to join the Founder Institute startup accelerator!

Founded by Adeo Ressi (CEO of TheFunded.com – a great tool for entrepreneurs trying to raise any kind of capital, and one of my most-admired people) the Founder Institute is a startup accelerator, a la Y-Combinator, but one that is spreading worldwide with the goal of globalizing entrepreneurship and connecting startups to their community.

This has been badly needed in DC and I am very glad this came to the city (especially now that LaunchBox has moved to Raleigh, North Carolina – boo!). The program has come highly recommended through a friend and after applying through a rigorous testing process, we are one of the few to make it in. Go Free World Pulse!

About Founder Institute (presented by Adeo Ressi):

Welcome to the Founder Institute from Adeo Ressi on Vimeo.

“The Founder Institute is a global network of startups and mentors that helps entrepreneurs launch meaningful and enduring technology companies. Through our four month pre-seed incubator program, you can launch your dream company with expert training, feedback, and support from experienced startup CEOs… the Founder Institute has already helped launch over 300 technology companies in over 15 cities worldwide.a global network of startups and mentors that helps entrepreneurs launch meaningful and enduring technology companies.

Through our four month pre-seed incubator program, you can launch your dream company with expert training, feedback, and support from experienced startup CEOs, while not being required to quit your day job. Our unique Bonus Pool also shares equity upside with all participants, creating local, teamwork-based ecosystems where great startups can flourish. In two years of operation, the Founder Institute has already helped launch over 300 technology companies in over 15 cities worldwide.”

Register at: http://contenteconomy.eventbrite.com/

I’ve been to a hundred media conferences, how is the Content Economy Unconference different?

This event does not follow the standard model of sitting and listening to speakers or panels – often presenters have great things to say, but a long time ago, media pros have realized that NOBODY has all the answers, we are in a rapidly evolving environment, no one knows what is going to work every time – this conference is a way to try to find things that work for each of us, and try to learn from each other and find the next answer, the next revelation.

This unconference is structured around five 20 minute-long “Catalyst Sessions” where two subject-experts lead a group of attendees around a discussion of the issues and what works and what doesn’t in the industry. In addition at the “Pro Blogger Alley” over 20 major Metro-area professional bloggers and local journalists will present what works and what doesn’t in local media reporting.

The event is largely invite-based and focused around getting the sharpest media people together in one room. Throughout the course of the event, you will be connected with experts in every field of the Content Economy with plenty of time to network with one another and continue discussion of interesting topics.

The event will cumulate with an open bar networking/cocktail hour (open bar) until 11pm followed by a continuation at a bar/lounge across the street should attendees be so inclined.

Who is this Unconference for?

The Conference connects all the groups that center on the content creation and distribution, bringing together DC’s professional media community, and focusing on the challenges and opportunities of creating and selling high quality professional media.

• Content Creators – photographers, videographers, journalists, pro-bloggers, technologists, etc that create the media lifeblood
• Content Editors and Producers - that helps turn disparate facts into stories
• Content and Media Executives – that package, distribute, and sell the stories produced and get them out to the world

What is the Event Schedule:

• Event opens, networking
• Keynote Speakers
• Catalyst sessions (part 1) – three sessions  [**what is a Catalyst session - see below]

1. 1. Creating Content Session – Creating professional quality photo and video content
   2. Editing and Post Production in a New Media world – what is in store for post production in New Media and Content editing
   3. Promoting Your Projects / Marketing and Distribution
   4. Making money on your content, how to make money on your pro content
   5. What do media companies look for when acquiring content? How to sell to media companies?

• Pro Blogger Alley

Area journalist-bloggers are asked one question – “What have you learned about creating local content and making money on it?” This is a session that allows all the area’s blogger-journalists to present their experience in finding, creating, and distributing media in DC. They will run through what their experience has been in generating news and creating and distributing content. What works, what doesn’t, and what they’ve discovered.

• Catalyst sessions (part 2 – two sessions)

1. 1. Creating Content Session – Creating professional quality photo and video content
   2. Editing and Post Production in a New Media world – what is in store for post production in New Media and Content editing
   3. Promoting Your Projects / Marketing and Distribution
   4. Making money on your content, how to make money on your pro content
   5. What do media companies look for when acquiring content? How to sell to media companies?

• Wrap-up Insights – What did you learn from this event?

Attendees will be asked to address one question – “What did you learn or take away from this event?”; anyone that has achieve a particular revelation about the nature of media or the Content Economy is welcome to speak up and tell us what they’ve discovered.

**What is a Catalyst session?

A “Catalyst” is a kickstarter – an issue expert that helps foster the conversation, serves as moderator, and brings high value issues to the fore.

A “Catalyst session” is “Unconference – meets Speed Dating – meets Musical Chairs” – five sessions are spread around the room, each has a limited number of seats, attendees choose a session to attend, after 15 mins they switch to another session. There are 5 mins between sessions to move and engage in your private discussion.

• 0-:05 mins  (5 mins) -  Catalyst’s presentation about the content issue, what are the most vital issues about this topic?/What are the most interesting development in this field?
• :05-:20mins (15 mins) - Group discussion about topics in this field and the newest developments around the topic, users are asked to participate and discuss their knowledge and experience
• :20-:25mins (5 mins) -  Independent discussion and moving to the next group

This summit is about the core of what we do:

What IS the focus?

• Creating, promoting and distributing/selling your professional quality media
• Challenges and opportunities for the professional content creator
• How to get sold and published
• How to become a professional content creator – media connections, what sells, what buyers want

What are we NOT talking about?

• Big media distribution problems
• Paywalls
• WSJ vs NYT
• How to create your first website
• What is facebook/twitter/foursquare/etc

We will have multiple keynote speakers and a large un-conference around participants interests and networking with photographers, videographers, journalists, editors, producers and buyers.

We will be  announcing details later this week, stay tuned!

This event will feature presentations on some of the most “cutting edge” entrepreneurial concepts by leading area startups, as well as provide great networking and a Startup Job Fair to connect existing companies with upcoming entrepreneurs.

The Summit is a laid back atmosphere [Free Open Bar and Light Fare included] targeted at connecting growth startups, investors, and stakeholders and providing a forum for discussing the latest and greatest in entrepreneurship.

Come support your fellow entrepreneurs, see advances in the industry, and just enjoy the company of some very savvy people. We look forward to seeing you there! (Note: We are expecting a large turnout and space is limited. Reserve Now to get your spot! t  http://dcvs.eventbrite.com)

Sincerely,
Anton (FWP), Zack (Skyline), Charles (Affinity) and all of us at The DC Venture Summit

Startup Job Fair Details:

This Summit will host a Startup Job Fair that will provide a way for active startups to find employees and partners with all those seeking to join a startup and work in an entrepreneurial environment.This is not your traditional job fair. No suit and tie is required; come with energy and an open mind to join existing startups, form partnerships or find employees for your existing ventures.

Sponsorship Details:

If you would like to sponsor this Summit, register as a sponsor in the tickets; the cost is $100 and will provide you with a forum to target the DC entrepreneurial and investment community. Contact us for any questions.

(Register at  http://dcvs.eventbrite.com)

Here is Free World Pulse (aka Cont3nt.com) being “talked about” by the Washington Business Journal (hey, at least they know who we are! ): http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/breaking_ground/2010/01/affinity_lab_opens_a_second_incubator.html

Check back for more content, many more changes, and a few launches coming up over the next 30 days. In proper startup fashion, our team is going into overdrive over the next few weeks.

Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,
Anton and the Free World Pulse team