Means LLC

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Means Cooperative
Means.tv wordmark.jpg
Means TV Logo
Type of businessWorker cooperative
Type of site
OTT platform, Video game publishing
FoundedMarch 21, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-21)
HeadquartersPortland, Maine
Founder(s)Naomi Burton and Nick Hayes
Products
Services
URLmeans.tv
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
LaunchedFebruary 26, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-02-26)

The Means Cooperative, or Means is an American anti-capitalist, mass media worker cooperative. Means was founded in 2019 by filmmakers Naomi Burton and Nick Hayes in Detroit, Michigan[1] as an expansion of their video production company, Means of Production.[2] Means currently has two arms, their subscription streaming service offering Means TV, and a video game publishing arm via Means Interactive.

History

Before founding The Means Cooperative, Naomi Burton and Nick Hayes both worked in commercial media production for automakers in Detroit and attended Democratic Socialists of America meetings. They began to find their work morally objectionable and left their jobs to found the video production company Means of Production.[3][4] Means of Production first came to prominence after they produced a viral campaign ad[5] for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 election campaign.[6]

Means TV

Means TV is subscription video on-demand streaming service owned and managed by The Means Cooperative. The service features films, documentaries, television series, an original news program, and independent creators from YouTube and Twitch.[7][8] The cooperative raised nearly $200,000[9] in its crowdfunding campaign through ActionNetwork.org.

The full streaming service launched February 26, 2020.

Hayes has cited the anarchist podcast Street Fight as an inspiration for his decision to create Means TV, having worked with Street Fight to record live performances in 2017 and 2019.[10]

On Saturday, August 8, 2020 Nick Hayes and Naomi Burton's home and office was attacked in a drive-by shooting.[11] Nobody was hurt. According to Hayes, they are "not 100% sure it wasn't politically motivated."[11] No further information about the identity of the shooters has come out.

Means Interactive

Means Interactive is a subsidiary of The Means Cooperative and is the video game publishing arm of the co-operative.[12] The first game published by Means Interactive is Tonight We Riot, released in May 2020 and developed by Pixel Pushers Local 512, itself also a worker-owned co-operative.[13]

Cooperative structure

The Means Cooperative's structure is built out into three tiers: Employee, Contractor, and Royalty. The Employee tier is for employees of the co-operative and offers voting and economic rights in the organization, along with 70% of the year-end profits of Means TV. The Contractor tier is for frequent contractors of Means TV who receive voting rights and economic rights in the co-operative along with 20% of the year-end profits. The final tier, the Royalty tier also has voting rights and is reserved for filmmakers, distributors, and creators featured on Means TV and acts as a way to provide royalties to these individuals, via 10% of the year-end profits of Means TV.[14]

References

  1. ^ Wilson, Christopher (17 May 2019). "The Couple Behind The Viral AOC Ad Plans A Streaming Channel For Socialists". HuffPost.
  2. ^ Caccavaro, Dan (6 March 2020). "The Founders of Means TV on Their Post-Capitalist Streaming Service". Hour Detroit Magazine.
  3. ^ Christian, Daniel (13 September 2018). "Means of Production". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  4. ^ Ikonomova, Violet. "Meet the Detroit filmmakers helping promote progressive candidates around the country". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  5. ^ Sherman, Erik (2018-06-29). "The DIY Viral Ad That Will Change Politics Forever". Inc.com. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  6. ^ Beer, Jeff (26 February 2020). "The revolution will now be televised: How leftist streaming service Means TV timed its launch perfectly". Fast Company.
  7. ^ Keimig, Jasmyne (5 March 2020). "Means TV Is Netflix for the 99%". The Stranger.
  8. ^ DeVito, Lee (24 February 2020). "Billed as the first 'post-capitalist streaming service,' Means TV launches this week in Detroit". Detroit Metro Times.
  9. ^ Knibbs, Kate. "A 'Netflix for the 99 Percent' Enters the Streaming Wars". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  10. ^ Hayes, Nick (2019-04-30). "Nick Hayes on Street Fight". Street Fight Zine #23 - Street Fight: The True, Untold* Story. Columbus, Ohio: Street Fight Radio. pp. 40–42.
  11. ^ a b Lee DeVito (10 August 2020). "Socialist streaming service Means TV's Detroit home and office attacked in drive-by shooting". Metro Times.
  12. ^ Means, LLC (28 October 2020). "Means Interactive". means.tv. Means, LLC. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  13. ^ Walker, Ian. "Tonight We Riot Devs Wanted To Make An 'Unapologetically Leftist' Game". Kotaku. G/O Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  14. ^ Means, LLC. "| Means TV". means.tv. Means, LLC. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.

External links

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