Interview: Adri Saarinen

Filed under: Events, Interviews

Hot on the heels of our previous post about the in-world Jonathan Coulter concert, I've got a treat: Adri Saarinen, PR manager for the event, has given us a wonderful interview about her work with PopSci and the Creative Commons group. Thanks, Adri!

SLI: How did you come to be involved in this project?

Adri: Well, I've done some PR for various SL organizations and events, so when Creative Commons contacted Zenigma Suntzu to produce a concert, he contacted me to handle the PR side of things. Zen was contacted because he produced the City Stages concert last winter.

SLI: So you're a team on this; who else is involved?

Adri: Zen as the producer, I'm working on the PR, and Slim Warrior is providing the venue and handling concert logistics. And, of course, the Creative Commons and PopSci.com teams working from their end.

SLI: How has it been working with CC and PopSci? How much collaboration do they give?

Adri: CC and PopSci.com have been very involved in the process, mostly consulting through email on things like logo placement. They also, of course, provided the concert budget!

More after the jump!SLI: Right... is there a big budget for this, and what needs to be covered?

Adri: There's not a very large budget. Mostly we've used it for things like creating Jonathan's avatar, Yonatan Coalcliff, and buying props for, our, ah, backup dancers and the stage. And, of course, all of our musicians will be paid for this event.

Both our Creative Commons and PopSci.com contacts have SL avatars and I know they look forward to spending more time in world.

SLI: So, it's not just Jonathan with a guitar? Who are the musicians and dancers?

Adri: Yes. Jonathan was brought in because he utilizes Creative Commons licensing for his own work, and also because he works for PopSci.com. He, also, has been enjoying SL and has been exploring as well as attending live events by our own musicians.

Adri: Creative Commons would very much like to help SL residents make the most of their intellectual property rights through understanding and, perhaps, utilizing CC licensing for their SL content as well as music, machinima, etc. They felt this would be a good way to reach out to SL residents.

SLI: So they pulled the musicians and dancers from SL?

Adri: Well, we have seven SL musicians performing, as well: melvin Took, Kourosh Eusebio, Etherian Kamaboko, Slim Warrior, Jaycatt Nico and Frogg Marlowe, and Cylindrian Rutabaga.

The 'backup dancers' was rather tongue in cheek-- but needless to say there shall be some fun surprises during Jonathan's performances, mostly related to song lyrics.

SLI: Nice. Has there been a lot of interest so far in this concert, in-world and out-?

Adri: We've had around 1500 or more hits on our concert wiki page, which is hosted by Creative Commons. Both CC and PopSci.com have put the story on their front pages, and Jonathan has blogged about it.

We're prepared for around 3000 listeners on the main stream, I believe. We expect to pick up a fair number of web users who know of Jonathan through MySpace, Slashdot, etc

SLI: Due to the success of the Suzanne Vega thing, I think a lot of people were upset that they couldn't get to the concert. Is anything being done to manage the large numbers of residents expected?

Adri: We're hoping, of course, that some of those web users will become SL users, but you know what the learning curve is like-- it's quite a bit to go through for one event, even a /fabulous/ event. We're simulcasting the concert to at least four other in-world locations, providing a stream for residents to put on their own land, providing the web stream, and we're sponsoring a machinima contest of the event. So even if residents aren't able to attend due to sim limitations, hopefully they can listen in and then see the recordings.

SLI: What's the nature of the contest?

Adri: The contest will be for best CC-licensed machinima and still photograph of the event -- something that captures the spirit of the concert and conveys to others what it was like to be there.

SLI: That sounds fun; what's the prize?

Adri: It's to be determined, actually, as is the date of the film showing. Both will be announced in the coming week, and the film will be shown and prize awarded at the Creative Commons in-world location in Kula 4.

SLI: Wow, this is a huge event! Wish I could be there... will there be a way to see the concert after it's over?

Adri: We certainly hope to see videos of the event going up soon after it's over. Once the winning machinima has been chosen, it will be announced and available for viewing. One of the beauties of this concert is that the whole thing, all seven musicians, will be free to record and distribute, so we certainly hope to see that happening!

SLI: Gotcha. Creative Commons Uber Alles! Would you like to mention any future events you're working on?

Adri: Well, I don't know that I'll be involved directly, but Creative Commons and PopSci.com are both hoping to maintain a steady in-world presence with events and outreach to SL residents.

You can currently visit the Creative Commons in-world location at Kula 4 (63, 63, 22) to learn more about Creative Commons licensing and how it can apply to your Second Life.

I'm doing some consulting for a new forums site that should be opening by the end of the month, as well as my continuing work with the FFRC (Foundation For Rich Content) which should be coming off of it's summer break soon. I also consult for Second411.com and am considering working on another project with its creator.

I'd love to concentrate more on my fashion designs, but I always seem to get caught up in other projects. (smiling)

The FFRC is an organization that provides grants to residents in support of unique, diverse, or culturally enriching events.
We sponsor Trivial Obsession and Payment Podium, I believe, as well as the Spaceflight Museum, and any number of art exhibits, galleries, music events, etc.

SLI: Nice! You're a busy bee... what's fun for you?

Adri: Well, I love to sail and attend live music events. I like discussion events, art shows, and, of course, spending time with the many and diverse friends that Second Life has allowed me to know.

SLI: And, what brought you to SL in the first place?

Adri: I have a friend who participated as far back as Beta, and I was always interested in the idea, especially the intellectual property issues. My personal academic areas of interest encompass both human sexuality and Internet communities, so once SL began getting more publicity in that realm, I ended up logging on to check it out.

But if I hadn't found the FFRC, I probably wouldn't have lasted a month. At first, when you don't know any one in world, it seems like all there is in SL are dance clubs, casinos, and click-the-bits sex, none of which interest me long term. (smile)

SLI: Yes, finding like-minded individuals is key

Adri: I realized I forgot one of my favorite current projects! Combat Cards!

SLI: What's that?

Adri: It's an in-world collectable card game. It's a one-on-one sword dual game using cards to build strategy and choose moves.
It's really quite dramatic with gorgeous cards, a well-built game architecture, and fun animations.

SLI: Is it played with a HUD?

Adri: It is. You carry a certain number of cards in your 'hand' and are allowed to have six in play at a time. Cards build on each other into debilitating combos.

SLI: What would you like to see implemented in SL?

Adri: I'd love to see some kind of CRM or personal calendar type tool in the interface. I use Google Calendar and note taking extensively, but still sometimes miss things.

I think voice communication would be good, with built in voice changers for those who would be more comfortable that way

It always seems like there are more things and ideas than I have time or resources for. There, that's something I'd love in SL-- someone who wants to be a PR assistant. (wink)

SLI: Any shout outs?

Adri: Sure, these will be Creative Commons concert-related, but I'd like to send a special thanks to kaia Ennui of Nocturnal Threads for doing our freebie t-shirts and jackets (which are way cool, I'll send them to you) and to Ms. Haver Cole, Plastic Surgeon to the Stars, who did Yonatan's shape.

SLI: Thank you again, Adri!

Adri: Thank you!

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