Projects
Since 2000 I've worked as a critic and journalist, a founder building new platforms and tools, and a writer exploring ideas and the internet.
Current projects
Metalabel (2021-Present)
A platform and philosophy helping creative people build and share value together. Metalabel introduces new tools for creative people to release work, split revenue, and build sustainable practices together.
Artist Corporations (2024-Present)
A new business entity that turns artists and creators from 1099 gig workers to owners. Artist Corporations let a group (or solo artist) keep full control of their intellectual property and creative output while pooling income, sharing equity, and qualifying for both donations and investment under one flexible, legally recognized structure.
The Dark Forest Collective (2024-Present)
A collective exploring alternative models of culture and creativity through writing, research, and releases.
Books and writing
The Creative Life: Conversations Toward a New Creative Era (2025)
A series of 13 conversations between Yancey Strickler and Joshua Citarella exploring how they release their work and their creative practices, published in digital and physical book form.
Nine Creative Meditations (2024)
A series of nine vignettes, released in video and written form, exploring some of what I've learned in my creative career so far.
The Post-Individual (2024)
A deeply researched essay examining how the internet has transformed individual identity, released with a "Director's Cut" that includes five years of research notes, video interviews, and audio recordings.
The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet (Dark Forest Collective, 2024)
A beautifully designed 208-page book exploring life on the modern web, featuring contributions from leading internet thinkers and cultural critics. Published by The Dark Forest Collective. Featured in Hyperallergic, ArtNet, Art in America, MoMA, and the MIT Permanent Collection.
This Could Be Our Future (Viking/Penguin, 2019)
A manifesto for a more generous world that introduces Bentoism, a new framework for expanding our conception of self-interest. Published in five languages. Featured in the Wall Street Journal and Time.
The Ideaspace (2017-Present)
An ongoing exploration of values, creativity, and the self through essays and conversations. Notable pieces include:
- The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
- Post-capitalism for Realists
- The Internet Culture Era
Cultural criticism (2000-2009)
Writing about music, film, and culture for Pitchfork, New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, Spin, The Village Voice, and others.
Foundational projects
Kickstarter (Cofounder, 2009-2017)
Pioneered the crowdfunding model, helping over 150,000 creative projects raise more than $7 billion in funding. Named one of Time's best inventions and one of Fast Company's most creative people.
The Creative Independent (Cofounder, 2015)
A resource for emotional and practical guidance that has published hundreds of in-depth interviews with artists including David Byrne, Philip Glass, and Ocean Vuong.
Bentoism (Creator, 2018)
A philosophy and framework for visualizing self-interest across four dimensions: Now Me, Future Me, Now Us, and Future Us.
eMusic Selects (Creator, 2006-2010)
An early artist-friendly digital record label that helped launched the careers of Best Coast, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and others through an innovative rights-forward contract model.
Experimental projects
Cozy Cozy (2020-2023)
A family music project exploring improvisation and joy through albums The Family Album (2021) and Animal Sounds (2022).
The Bento Society (2019-2021)
A global community exploring values and self-interest through structured conversation and role-play.
Micd (2015-2017)
An audio-only app that let fans announce NBA games. Micd was mainly distributed via TestFlight to fellow NBA fans.