Projects
Since 2000 I've worked creatively as a critic and journalist, as a founder building new platforms and tools, and as a writer exploring ideas and forms for shaping the world. Highlights include pioneering crowdfunding with Kickstarter, developing frameworks like Bentoism and the Dark Forest theory, and creating new models for creative collaboration with Metalabel.
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.
The Dark Forest Collective (2024-Present)
A collective exploring alternative models of culture and creativity through writing, research, and releases. Our first publication brings together eleven authors examining life online.
Books and writing
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 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.
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.
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 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.