Social Media Film Festival

28/11/2020

Very sad, shocking news in Las Vegas. Apparently, Tony Hsieh, ex-CEO of Zappos, died from complications from a house fire. 46 years old. He revitalized Downtown Las Vegas. He was a big influencer in the Vegas tech scene. I met him once at a First Friday event. Nice guy. Hsieh was a subject in a documentary film, “The Naked Brand” that won Best Doc after screening at my Social Media Film Festival. Zappos PR dept. had given me some copies of Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness, to give away in our swag.
RIP Tony Hsieh

https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/tony-hsieh-dead-at-the-age-of-46-after-being-injured-in-house-fire-2193165/

Tony Hsieh, the former chief executive of Zappos who pumped a fortune into downtown Las Vegas and became the face of its revitalization, died Friday after being injured in a house fire.

13/09/2020

Are we heading for civil war? Interesting documentary, “Social Dilemma” about how fake news and manipulation in social media are a constant issue.

https://youtu.be/uaaC57tcci0

We tweet, we like, and we share— but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? As digital platforms increasingly become a lifeline...

27/06/2020

Zuckerberg changes policy after stocks take a nosedive.
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-mark-zuckerberg-reverse-20200626-gf2ip7pdenfmxk4l46flich72q-story.html

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced hate-content policy changes after company shares tumble.

06/06/2020

Watching a fantastic documentary, “Broken On All Sides” about Race, Mass Incarceration, and New Visions for Criminal Justice. This film by Matthew Pillischer screened at the Social Media Film Festival in 2012.
https://youtu.be/-3ZfNt6rkcU

Today, there are more Americans in prison or jail, on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. The prison popula...

02/06/2020

FB staff walk out virtually as company doesn’t do anything about Trump’s crap on the platform.

https://www.thewrap.com/facebook-staff-stage-virtual-walkout-over-inaction-on-trump-posts/

Dozens of Facebook employees staged a virtual walkout Monday to protest the social network's inaction on posts made by President Donald Trump

12/04/2020

Throwback to the only time this film fest took place. Fun video. Shows how innovative and cool social media was back in 2012 and how it helped orgs out in battling social issues and social injustices.

https://youtu.be/NxB3Ycr6mTM

This promotional video showcases 'most' of the feature and short films from Social Media Film Festival taking place Sat. Sept. 8th @ The Mirage Hotel & Casin...

11/01/2020

Oh, s**t! They F-ed themselves!

The protests started when Iranian college students gathered for a vigil, but the mood changed to anger.

22/11/2019

Could social media be regulated?
Should it be regulated?

https://www.jta.org/2019/11/22/opinion/sacha-baron-cohen-its-time-to-regulate-the-greatest-propaganda-machine-in-history-social-media?utm_content=buffer3a9db&utm_medium=social&utm_source=mjlfacebook&utm_campaign=buffer

The Jewish comedian told an ADL audience that "the greatest propaganda machine in history" is the "hate and violence being facilitated by a handful of internet companies."

24/10/2019

Alibaba Group opened a high-tech "hotel of the future" in China, run almost entirely by robots. Here's what it's like.

25/07/2019

Listen to our new podcast “Beyond the Screenplay” wherever you get podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-screenplay/id1451724425 Listen on...

25/07/2019

It’s no secret that Hollywood and technology go hand-in-hand. Whether it's the advanced weapons of aliens from outer space in sci-fi movies of the 1950s

25/07/2019

Social media is an increasingly vital tool for crisis response as non-profit organizations use it to save lives and help those in need. But its power to spread information means social media can escalate crises too.

21/07/2019

Although the official website for Social Media Film Festival was removed by the host server, I've added a new section to my regular website. You can view some videos and information there. It is a work in progress. https://rosshmartin.com/photos/social-media-film-festival/

Social Media Film Festival took place in Las Vegas, Nevada September 8-9, 2012.

15/08/2018

Social media circa 1962...

We've got the first official trailer for Green Book, the...

13/07/2018

Some interesting insight regarding the state of social media for better or worse.
https://www.facebook.com/NowThisOpinions/videos/2127680977263381/

08/07/2018

Found a screenshot of the Home Page of Social Media Film Festival. (I took it before Go Daddy deleted it. I will always make sure to mention Go Daddy as the company that deleted my most wonderful Wordpress built website and all the blogs and hard work I put into it.)

12/05/2018

Social media app Klout is going away.
http://www.businessinsider.com/klout-scoring-system-for-social-media-influence-shutting-down-2018-5

It's the end of an era, as Klout, the service that measures your social cred, is shutting down.

19/03/2018

The power of celebrity & social media.

“ 😳

Not sure if you’re aware of what happened with Rihanna and Snapchat this week but ... They lost close to $1B in a single afternoon because they thought it’d be funny to post a quiz asking ppl if they’d rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown.

Yeah. They did.

This is what happens when you have a product team comprised of mostly men. They think asking MILLIONS of people to slap a DV survivor is “funny” and they paid a billion to learn a lesson one woman could’ve taught for free.” - Kataka Gara

19/02/2018

07/02/2018

We have liftoff! How cool is that? A Tesla car is roaming space right now. Music provided by David Bowie.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/06/583627592/watch-live-spacex-attempts-launch-of-powerful-falcon-heavy-rocket

The private space company has launched the Falcon Heavy, a rocket more powerful than any other in use today. It's now bearing a roadster into an elliptical Earth-Mars orbit. Watch the rocket's flight.

18/06/2017

A great experience it was. I wish it wasn't so difficult to put on. Some day I hope to revisit this great idea.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dN9SFCFWrs8

Founder Ross H. Martin discusses SMFF days after the festival that took place in September 2012 at the Mirage Hotel & Casino, Royal House, Bikini Bar and usr...

12/05/2017

A social experiment...and beer.
https://youtu.be/8wYXw4K0A3g

Heineken presents ‘Worlds Apart’ An Experiment. Can two strangers with opposing views prove that there’s more that unites than divides us? Fin...

23/03/2017

), the film and television industry once again demonstrated how its technological innovation benefits all content consumers and creators; and discussed how the ever-changing landscape is affecting content, distribution, exhibition, and audience experience.

22/02/2017

Big announcement about space tomorrow! http://mashable.com/2017/02/21/nasa-announcement-not-aliens/

NASA is making an announcement Wednesday... so let the rampant speculation begin.

29/01/2017

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg fights back against Trump's ban on Muslims.
http://usuncut.com/politics/trump-mark-zuckerberg/

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg just told Donald Trump to f**k right off with his Muslim immigration ban in a viral post.

26/01/2017

Astronauts and space program scientists battle Trump administration deniers with a rogue NASA Twitter account. http://usuncut.com/resistance/nasa-scientists-join-resistance-rogue-twitter-account/ Follow

Scientists resisting the Trump regime are growing in number, with a new NASA Twitter account emerging that's solely dedicated to bypassing censorship.

17/01/2017

"13Th" is EYE-OPENING!!! Important! Educational! Insightful! Powerful! It's time to make changes to mass incarceration of African American men. Too much money is being made by corporations and politicians. Innocent people stay in prison because they're poor. If they fight and lose a trial they're given longer sentences. Must see! Share with others! Very current! https://youtu.be/V66F3WU2CKk

The title of Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary 13TH refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Neither slavery nor...

07/01/2017

Outstanding and mind blowing!!! This happened in American history? Three women battle sexism and racism at an intense time in history to help secure the safe return of astronaut John Glenn flying back from space. So well done! Amazing cast! Forget the Oscars! You're going to remember this important inspiring film for years to come. What is the point of men and women exploring space if we can't learn about each other and advance human kind? https://youtu.be/5wfrDhgUMGI

HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—...

30/12/2016

is a documentary about a girl in a Chicago high school who helps organize people in her homeland in Syria to fight the dictatorship regime using social media. She strengthens the revolution by connecting with the people and grow their strength in numbers at protests. https://youtu.be/_m-WNZAuczU

From her childhood bedroom in the Chicago suburbs, Ala'a, an American teenage girl, uses social media to coordinate the revolution in Syria. Armed with Faceb...

12/10/2016

Stellar Tidal Disruption. Black Hole Eats Star. Science.

It's called "stellar tidal disruption."

08/09/2016

It's been 4 years since SMFF took place in Las Vegas. I would love for it to happen again some day. Bieng Social. Going Global!

BIG STORY in RJ today!!!! Go get a copy!

28/08/2016

We are all slaves and zombies...to social media.

26/08/2016

AWESOME, INSPIRING ARTICLE!!!

In Getting There: A Book of Mentors, the lauded creator candidly reveals his years of struggleand his eventual path to success.

17/08/2016

California Freeways to Soon Generate Electricity? WOW!

04/08/2016

This is Elon.

Yes!