Inside a Glenview garage, three friends who admit they have no “real jobs,” just a passion for the internet, produce video internet shows on modern pop culture on a network they call Maybe Hip.
Two of their five weekly shows so intrigued The Chicago Convergence co-founder John Patterson that he brought them aboard TCC’s website as a “partnership.”
The trio behind Maybe Hip does not have a visual media background admits Rob Silver, speaking on behalf of his fellow producers. Patrick Lothian, is a freelance cameraman and web designer; Silver and Lexi Scherr work in property management and Scheer is recording her first full-length CD.
All are 24-year old Glenview residents who have been friends since high school. Their purpose was to create a video internet channel focusing on the interests of internet-savvy teens to thirty-somethings.
To equip their studio, “We invested under $7,000,” explains Silver. “We bought an HDPanavision AG–HMC150 and a smaller Panavision camera, three umbrella lights, three wireless Shure lavalier mikes and an Adobe Creative Suite.”
The set is basically the hosts seated comfortably in chairs conversing with their guests.
In mid-December, two weeks after Maybe Hip’s debut, Patterson introduced the shows on TCC’s website, exposing them to TCC’s 2,800-plus members.
What Patterson responded to was how “the shows represent a convergence of a few industries we cater to,” says Patterson. “They are also a ?network’ that speaks to the indie producer, the indie musician and the indie web show producer.”
Furthermore, Patterson notes, “There are not many pop culture-focused web series in Chicago — if any — and it made sense to spotlight ?the digitally hip.’”
“Chicago Rocks” is a 20-minute live show about bands, which Silver describes as “a day in the life of Chicago-area bands or those bands which play in Chicago.” It runs every other Friday, with Scherr and Lothian hosting.
“My Indie Life” is a 10-minute Thursday show that “introduces viewers to the best bands you never heard of from around the globe,” says Silver, who hosts with Scherr.
“This is a very cool group to be a part of,” says Silver when asked what this partnership, or promotion, meant to their fledgling endeavor. “We love the idea of networking with digital media professionals and possibly down the line fostering partnerships on our other shows.”
Rob Silver’s Email: rsilver@maybehip.com.
