Anderson@Large

Meet The Innovators

Ten years ago, my idea to write and produce a documentary about the 2000 election debacle was met with skepticism. After all, I had no film training or experience.

But I had a story to tell and access to the players. I assured the director and editor if they just followed what I wrote, audiences will like the film. They did and audiences did. My documentary, “Counting on Democracy,” aired on PBS stations nationwide.

It was déjà vu in March when I heard Startup America Partnership CEO Scott Case say African American entrepreneurs are largely invisible to investors. I thought, hmm, I should do something about that. And the seed for “The Innovators” was planted.

“The Innovators” will be crowd-funded. I have 29 days to raise $25,000. With your support, I will make my goal. So please help a sister out and go to Kickstarter and kick in what you can.

I thank you in advance for your support.

Coming Soon - The Innovators

I had planned to release the trailer for my web documentary, “The Innovators,” at Saturday’s BarCamp NewsInnovation, the culminating event for Philly Tech Week. Long story short, the trailer will be released in the next seven to 10 days.

While I didn’t get a chance to show my trailer, I picked up useful tips about interactive storytelling at the session on the Knight Mozilla News Technology Partnership. One of the participants made this drawing as I shared the story of how the idea to produce the video popped into my head as I passed the Divine Lorraine Hotel in Philadelphia.

In “Gone with the Wind,” Butterfly McQueen famously said: “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ babies!”

I’m a DIY filmmaker who knows little about web-based movies. But “The Innovators” is my baby so I will learn. Well, at least learn enough to know what questions to ask.

So pass the Popcorn.

Black Founders Are Too Legit to Quit

Today is opening day of Philly Tech Week, the first annual celebration of technology and innovation in the City of Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection).

Between getting my geek on, I will be working on the trailer for “The Innovators,” a web documentary that will show the changing face of innovators. While African Americans are celebrated as music and sports innovators, the story of entrepreneurial-minded black innovators is largely untold.

I want to give a big shout-out to Angela Benton and Wayne Sutton, organizers of New Media Entrepreneurship Accelerator, for stepping up and helping black founders bring their ideas to the marketplace.

This summer, NewME will host a select group of minority-led start-ups in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program will provide mentors a co-working space and networking opportunities with some of Silcon Valley’s digerati. NewME will culminate with a Demo Day, which I plan to shoot for my webdoc.

The speakers and mentors will include MC Hammer, who told the Wall Street Journal:

Just as it was no big deal to get a hold of me for this (interview), I’ll be just as accessible and available to NewME entrepreneurs. Hollywood is in the perception business where you create layers to create mystery. In Silicon Valley it’s about taking away the layers to get to the substance.

And when the layers are taken away, venture capitalists and angel investors will discover that black founders are, well, “too legit to quit.”

Innovation Policy and the Economy

A conflict arose and I was not able to attend yesterday’s conference on innovation policy and the economy sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Yes, it was pretty wonky. But I’m conducting research for my web documentary about entrepreneurial-minded black innovators.

The trailer for the webdoc will be released in May.

In the meantime, you are invited to join the conversation on Facebook.

New York State of Mind

I am headed to the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ ethnic media watchdog workshop at the New York Times.

I grew up in Brooklyn, moved away, moved back. and nearly two years ago, moved away again. I have an on and off relationship with the City.

Right now, I heart New York.

UPDATE: Even the birds do it in New York City. A shot of a Casio TRYX billboard in Times Square.

The Twilight Zone

I live online. If it’s at all possible, I’m spending even more time glued to my laptop as I work on the trailer for the video about entrepreneurial-minded black innovators.

Last weekend, I did a Google search for images of black innovators. You can imagine my surprise when I saw my face among innovators like Dr. Charles R. Drew, Aretha Franklin, Katherine Dunham, Michael Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Madam C.J. Walker, Stevie Wonder and Benjamin Banneker.

Sure, I share lots of news and information. But I think you can blame it on SEO.

Cue the music.

Five Steps of Innovation

Earlier this week, I checked out an exhibition at the National Museum of American History, “Lighting a Revolution: Five Steps of Innovation.”

The exhibition provides an overview of the process of innovation:

Step 1: “preconditions” or prior knowledge that inventors build on
Step 2: the act of “invention” itself
Step 3 : “promotion” of the invention
Step 4: “competition” to the invention
Step 5: “consequences” stemming from use of the invention

It is illuminating that even though Thomas Edison was renowned as “The Wizard of Menlo Park,” he had to promote his inventions to “get money from investors.”

Fast forward to today. Black innovators are largely invisible to venture capitalists. So it should come as no surprise that the overwhelming majority of black startups have not raised any money.

A ChubbyBrain study found:

Despite the fact that over 1/2 of BlackWeb2.0 startup have launched, have traction and/or revenue, a significant number, almost 9 of 10 (88%) had not received any funding from venture capitalists, angel investors or government grant programs. This was much greater than aggregate statistics which saw 63% of startups not being funded. Given the maturity of many of the startups, BlackWeb2.0 startups were notable in that many seem to have gotten somewhat far along without external financing of any kind to-date.

To borrow a phrase, startups without finance don’t stand a chance. Black innovators need money.