Blog

It was a real role reversal when Aaron first started talking to me about FWD:labs. To that point, our relationship had always been about the same: I bring him an insane and epic idea that can’t possibly be accomplished, and then we sit and talk about it until we figure out how to do it. And then we do it. But now here is Aaron bringing the insane and epic idea to the table.

Our mission is basic, but far from easy. We need to bring a community of the most talented, vibrant, and passionate creatives to FWD:labs.

The idea behind the FWD:labs collective is simple. We want to offer the very best filmmakers and designers a simple interface to collaborate and create by providing a showcase of their works, a sounding board for their ideas, and a pool of resources from which to draw upon to turn their fantasies into a reality.

And we don’t just want an online community, we want it to come offline as well. We plan to have a series of social events that will provide an opportunity for our community to meet face to face. Whether these events are in a coffee shop or bar, an art gallery or an burnt-out warehouse, we want to provide a unique environment for our community to network and brainstorm in a space that is filled with like-minds, creative co-conspirators, and most importantly, people that know how to have fun. Some of my best ideas have come out while I was three beers deep, listening to good music and laughing with fellow creatives.

But before we throw any killer, avant-garde, debaucherous parties, we need to establish a base community of FWD:labs users that understand and appreciate its vision. This is no egalitarian Facebook/Myspace where everyone is invited – we want the elite. We want the talented and vibrant creatives that are going to make our community an important community. Our online community will be filled with the cinema artists that will inspire us to greater heights.

We, those reading this, are the originals, the deepest base of FWD:labs. The future pioneers of something valuable. It is up to us to create this community. And it shouldn’t be hard. We just need to invite our most promising friends and co-collaborators. The service will sell itself. We need to identify the types of people we want on board, and invite them. In early November we will all receive an e-mail from Aaron or I with the invite link to send to everyone we are interested in joining. Click the link, create the quick profile and creative portfolio and see the value of the service.

And to all the pioneers: At the first social, that first round of beer is on me…