Media Burn Independent Video Archive was a dream for more than 30 years, since the first days of independent video. Independent videomakers who have been producing groundbreaking work generally have not had access to widespread distribution. Now, like the portable video technology of the archive’s roots, current digital technologies have revolutionized how people and ideas come together.

“Media Burn” was the name of a remarkable 1975 countercultural event by San Francisco-based art and architecture group, ANT FARM. Curtis Schreier, Chip Lord, Doug Michels, and Uncle Buddy took responsibility for a modified 1959 Cadillac Biarritz convertible smashing through a wall of burning television sets in the Cow Palace parking lot. Doug Hall appeared as President Kennedy.

This site was, in no small way, inspired by that classic Ant Farm event and video. It is available on this site in both a 4:30 and 24:00 version. The first use of the phrase "Media Burn" was in a monograph and book proposal by Tom Weinberg in 1969. It is still in process.

mediaburn.org is a project of the Fund for Innovative TV, Chicago-based producers of quality alternative nonfiction video including The 90's and Chicago Slices.

The creation of this site, including database, archiving, digitizing, website design and grunt work has been a labor of love, nurtured by Tom Weinberg, Sara Chapman, Carolyn Faber, Eric Kramer, and the contributions, mostly voluntary, from dozens more.

We currently have a collection of over 6,000 hours of independently produced, non-fiction/documentary videotapes. The archive includes an extraordinary collection of independent, non-corporate tapes that reflect cultural, political and social reality as seen by independent producers, from 1969 to the present. We have taken these valuable works and made them accessible to a worldwide audience via the internet. Not all of them are online yet, but we can move them to the front of the digitizing line upon request. 

An essential purpose of this site is to make the videos available to educators and students of any age or institution or national origin. We are currently developing a creative, dynamic and evolving space for teachers and students to connect with each other get information and inspiration. We welcome any collaboration on this large project.

We are based in a crowded storefront in Chicago, Illinois, USA; our reach is global and national, but there is no doubt that this is the most complete collection of Chicago independent video that exists, including the biggest collection of tapes with and about Studs Terkel and Bill Veeck, generously donated by their families.

FITV believes that independent media should be seen by as many people as possible. We have made a concerted effort to contact all the producers whose work is in our archive. However, we've lost track of some people over the years.  If any producer prefers not to have his or work on mediaburn.org, please contact us at producers@mediaburn.org, and we'll remove it immediately.

Media Burn is a project of the Fund for Innovative TV (FITV).

Board of Directors: Chair, Tom Weinberg; Vice President, Thea Flaum; Secretary, Dee Davis; Treasurer, Eric Kramer.

Media Burn Independent Video Archive  |  FITV  |  4270 W. Irving Park Rd. Chicago, IL 60641  |  (773) 794-0058  |  info@mediaburn.org