What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?
Media Co-ops
Bonfire Media Collective was started by me and my colleagues at Media Mobilizing Project, an organization dedicated to lifting up stories of struggle throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. We all had a collective vision based on this background that established the community we were accountable to and were dedicated to serving initially - marginalized people and communities in Philadelphia. Right now, we share headquarters with Media Mobilizing Project. There is a constant cross pollination between our mother organization with a pulse on Philly movements and the new business focused on local culture and media.
Bonfire Media Collective leveraged our organizational connections to get our start. All the people - from videographer and grant writer Milena Velis of MMP and Todd Wolfson of Rutgers labor organizing - acted as points of great expertise that helped us gain an upper hand in the quickly moving field of media production.
Despite the difficulties of starting a new business as nonrich and poor people, we were able to do so because our customers and associate organizations understand that the time is ripe for a worker owned business, especially one that specializes in art and media production. This is a field that regularly sees little representation of worker interests. As a collective, we ensure a horizontal framework not based on exploitation.
There is already a strong network of co-ops in Philadelphia eager to help new co-ops. Philadelphia Cooperative Alliance hooked Bonfire Media with trainings and information about loans and financing that allowed us to hit the ground running. Because of our expertise and all the projects we already had under our belts, they were able to trust us and give us access to loan resources.
We at Bonfire Media Collective are bringing fun and fulfillment into our work. We live in desperate times and being able to enjoy what we do is a treasure. We think this should be a common experience. Through cooperative business frameworks, this should be possible for everyone. By creating a success story and a strong example, we will help bring coops to everyone.
Bonfire Media Collective was started by me and my colleagues at Media Mobilizing Project, an organization dedicated to lifting up stories of struggle throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. We all had a collective vision based on this background that established the community we were accountable to and were dedicated to serving initially - marginalized people and communities in Philadelphia. Right now, we share headquarters with Media Mobilizing Project. There is a constant cross pollination between our mother organization with a pulse on Philly movements and the new business focused on local culture and media.
Bonfire Media Collective leveraged our organizational connections to get our start. All the people - from videographer and grant writer Milena Velis of MMP and Todd Wolfson of Rutgers labor organizing - acted as points of great expertise that helped us gain an upper hand in the quickly moving field of media production.
Despite the difficulties of starting a new business as nonrich and poor people, we were able to do so because our customers and associate organizations understand that the time is ripe for a worker owned business, especially one that specializes in art and media production. This is a field that regularly sees little representation of worker interests. As a collective, we ensure a horizontal framework not based on exploitation.
There is already a strong network of co-ops in Philadelphia eager to help new co-ops. Philadelphia Cooperative Alliance hooked Bonfire Media with trainings and information about loans and financing that allowed us to hit the ground running. Because of our expertise and all the projects we already had under our belts, they were able to trust us and give us access to loan resources.
We at Bonfire Media Collective are bringing fun and fulfillment into our work. We live in desperate times and being able to enjoy what we do is a treasure. We think this should be a common experience. Through cooperative business frameworks, this should be possible for everyone. By creating a success story and a strong example, we will help bring coops to everyone.
https://mediamobilizing.org/
Twitter: @mediamobilizing
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