Dear Friends: With your help, we’ve come a long way in our first decade. From a storefront full of tapes and a core group of early believers, Media Burn has become an internationally respected leader in the moving image archiving community. Our videos have been viewed more than 12 million times around the world. 2014 was our best year ever. (See below for details). We’ve been able to thrive due the generous support of funders like the National Endowment for […]
Marion Barry, former Mayor of the District of Columbia, passed away last week. Elected in 1979, he was the first civil rights leader to become mayor of a major US city. He was well-loved by many of D.C.’s residents, earning the nickname “Mayor for Life.”In 1990, Barry was arrested by the FBI following a sting operation where Barry was videotaped smoking crack cocaine. He was ultimately convicted and served 6 months in prison. After his release, he ran for a […]
Last night, a grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson for the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown. As protesters took to the streets, they chanted the words, “No justice, no peace”—an echo of similar protests that arose in 1992 after a jury acquitted the officers involved in the Rodney King beating. Many of the same issues and outrages that surrounded the Rodney King trial are flaring up again in response to the events in Ferguson. So today, we’re […]
Today we mourn the loss of colleague and friend Jerry Blumenthal, a filmmaker and founding partner of Kartemquin Films, who passed away yesterday morning. We present this short video tribute from Media Burn founder Tom Weinberg, followed by highlights from some of Jerry’s early work with Kartemquin. We’ll have more on Jane Byrne later. For now, you can check out this campaign commercial, footage with Byrne on election night 1979, and Byrne’s Easter at Cabrini–Green.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show first debuted in 1975 to mixed reviews, but it soon developed a cult following like nothing before, and very little since. Fans of Rocky Horror come dressed in character and screenings grew to include pre-screening performances and audience interaction. The film now holds the record for the longest running theatrical release, and still shows in theaters all over the country. In Chicago, the Rocky Horror cult following developed around the Biograph Theater, which picked up […]
Chicago has long been known as a city of comedy. It’s where improv comedy was born, and has helped start the careers of countless comedians. Of course, despite all the successes, not everyone becomes a legend. In 1993, Chicago Slices videographer Skip Blumberg visited a comedy class at the Funny Firm. Among Funny Firm’s defining features was its comedy school, where students could enroll in classes geared around developing their comedic voice. In this video, Skip talks to some of […]
It was great fun last Sunday throwing our Video Ball. Here’s a sampling of some of the excitement. We thank Free Spirit Media and Kartemquin Films for the video footage. Big thank yous to the dozens of you who helped make it happen, and to everyone who came up on the roof to show their support. And to those who couldn’t make it, we look forward to seeing you next time! You can still have an impact by making a […]
The Media Burn Video Ball is just a few days away! Now’s your last chance to get tickets at a reduced price! And remember, there’s FREE PARKING! So if you drive, you can enter the garage on southbound Wabash or westbound Randolph. Park anywhere, and take the elevators to the 10th floor. You’ll receive a validated sticker for free parking when you check in with us. On foot, just enter on Randolph and take the elevators straight to the 10th […]