The new media -- we create it ourselves

I am never happier than I am on a bicycle, despite New York's fatality statistics. I love the feeling of freedom and mobility, of moving faster than pedestrians, of never getting stuck in traffic. As I pass people holding out their arms hailing cabs, I high-five them, as if to say, "If you were me, you'd already be on your way."

These same thoughts were on my mind as I spoke to filmmaker Lance Weiler, a pioneer in the DIY (Do It Yourself) movement. In 1998 Weiler co-created the film The Last Broadcast, for just $900. "We felt like we'd buried it in our backyard," he says. Instead, Weiler took the unheard-of step of creating his own video label, making the film the first ever to be distributed digitally to theaters, eventually grossing over $5 million.