Ryanne Hodson is an editor who also shoots much of the work they create. She co-wrote the book Secrets of Videoblogging with Verdi, and was one of the first several dozen videobloggers who created the techniques of video on the internet. Jay Dedman is the producer and director of the team. In many ways, Jay midwived videoblogging, laying-out the vision and foundation, and leading the movement that produced much on what is happening in online video today. Together, they create documentaries, screencasts and short films about organizations. Their clients have included the Internet Archive, PostSecret, Rainforest Action Network, Bioneers and The Sunlight Foundation.
Milkweed Media Design is the tiny web design shop of Jen Simmons and Michael Verdi. Founded in 2005, we create easy-to-maintain websites using open source tools, allowing you to have modern, snappy sites built on the internet’s best technology. Oh, and we do video, too. Compression, compatibility, embed code, machinima… we’ve been doing video on the web since the very begining.
We’d be happy to design and build something for you, advise you on internet and social marketing strategies, help you get video onto your site, and/or teach you how to use this technology yourself. Contact us for more information.
Jen Simmons
Founder / Creative Director
Whether designing multiscreen video projections for live opera, lighting and sets for theater, postcards and posters for event promotion, or internet-based interactions between people, Jen has been designing professionally for almost 20 years. It began in 1989 with digital graphic design, and evolved in 1997 into web design. In 2005, during the surge of excitement and innovation around online video, Jen founded Milkweed Media Design.
Jen also wrote and directed several short films that widely traveled festival circuits and the interwebs. She earned an MFA in film production and taught as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University’s Department of Film and Media Arts.
These days her newest design-technology explorations are focused on user experience design, Drupal theming, and NYC backyard gardening.
Michael Verdi
Partner / Creative Director
Verdi has done a lot different things over the last 20 years — performed on stage, ran a nationally recognized youth media program, created video installations (and one ice installation), and even worked on a nuclear submarine. For much of that time he's been working at making the web a place where art doesn't just live, but finds new expressions.
Five years ago he began experimenting with creating video projects designed for the web and quickly found himself at the forefront of the pre-YouTube movement to make video on the web a reality. With co-author Ryanne Hodson he started the influential tutorial site Freevlog and wrote Secrets of Videoblogging, the first book on the subject.
Previously Michael was a Creative Director at Millions of Us, working on video and machinima animation projects for clients including Coca-Cola, Toyota, and Sony. Most recently, he's been groking the newest video embedding technologies in HTML5.
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Runes of Gallidonbuilt on Drupal 6 -
Scribe Video Centerbuilt on Drupal 5 -
24 Hours 24 Artistsperformance experiment -
Eileen Togninihand-built XHTML -
Jesse Torgersonbuilt on WordPress -
Talkbot.tvmachinima -
What is Scion CityToyotamachinima -
Roman Polanski Wanted and Desiredbuilt on WordPress -
Revenge of the Electric Carbuilt on WordPress -
WanderMelonbuilt on WordPress -
Graymattergravyvideo interface -
Pushback Networkbuilt on WordPress
Strategic Partners
Our company is small. But our network is not. When larger projects come our way, we scale up by hiring some of the best in the business. It’s our privilege to consider these strategic partners part of the Milkweed family.
Markus Sandy
Drupal Developer
When a project requires custom Drupal module code, a script to translate a database, a complex server set-up, or some other under-the-hood job, we turn to Markus. One of the most generous souls we’ve met, Markus has been our guide through the journey of Drupal White Screens of Death and other mysterious forces of PHP-gone-wrong.
Brian Gonzalez
Cinematographer
Brian Gonzalez is a New York-based cinematographer, who shoots gorgeous work on all kinds of budgets. The feature film he shot at age 17 ended up at, yeah, Sundance. We suggest snapping him up while you can still afford him — before he earns his first Oscar. Newly graduated from School of the Visual Arts, Brian was a student of Verdi’s at San Antonio’s SAY Sí. Jen just pretends she was lucky enough to teach at SAY Sí when Brian was there, and sometimes calls him “my student,” even though it’s, uh, technically not true.
