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It was the IAWTV LA meeting last night
The IAWTV is the International Academy of Web Television, which is:

"...an independent non-profit organization whose membership is comprised of leaders in the field of web television, web video and the digital entertainment industry. The principle mandate of the organization is to oversee the selection of nominees and winners for the annual Streamy Awards™ which recognize outstanding achievement in episodic shows produced originally for broadband distribution." (from the IAWTV.org website)


Like many other people I tuned into Twitter last night hoping to pick up a feel of what was going on at the meeting. I'm not a member of the IAWTV but I feel that I'm part of the wider community and I'm very interested in finding out what the future holds. It was hard to fathom what was going on from the few people who were tweeting during the 3 hour meeting and I was relieved when I read that New Mediacracy were going to be recording a podcast straight afterwards. I knew that meant that I would get some answers.

Two hours (and eight pages of notes) later...
...and I can say that if you feel that you are a stakeholder in the community too, then you need to listen to this podcast. "The One About The IAWTV" has regulars Steve Woolf, Zadi Diaz and Chris McCaleb talking with Tony Valenzuela, Casey McKinnon, Barrett Garese, Brett Register and Rudy Jahchan about the meeting and the implications for the future. They give some information about what happened at the IAWTV meeting and the discussions they have about what they would like to see in the future are interesting, passionate and food for thought.

You should also read the post Jeff Koenig wrote before the IAWTV meeting "15 Ideas the IAWTV Should Consider to Help Protect Independent Web Series". It received a well-deserved mention on the podcast and is very well written and thought out.

Outside looking in
I will be writing about this in more depth in the next couple of days but the issues they raised about gatekeepers, structures and inclusion are things that I have been wrestling with and they affect everyone - creators and consumers alike. New Media is just that - new. It doesn't have to repeat the same mistakes old media made. Listening to the podcast gave me more hope that the future will be better.

P.S.
If you listen to the end I get a shout out which was a very pleasant surprise (except for the dog who jumped up when I yelled). Two for two, which is pretty humbling (Kim Evey and Jenni Powell also gave me a lovely shout out on the previous New Mediacracy epsiode, "Episode 12: Post-Streamys Breakdown and a New Season of The Guild"). I'll try not to let it go to my head.