The genesis for this started innocently enough with a few Skype calls to Emma Beddows, an Australian PhD candidate studying transmedia, pop culture, and fandom.

We talked a lot about value co-creation and fandom, and somewhere along the way (I couldn’t tell you exactly when), we decided we should start a website devoted to Star Wars fans – a site that invited them remix their world into something from the Star Wars universe. Something that puts our mutual passion for Star Wars in a context perfectly suited to our interest in fandom and creativity.

Here’s how it works: just take things in your ordinary world and remix them into the Star Wars world, then send us a picture. The emphasis is on ordinary and remix, so please stay away from digital designs/art, fan art, and using manufactured toys in your remixes.

Why?

Well, there are a ton of sites with great, curated collections of fan art and digital creations. No point in reinventing that wheel. And, we wanted the remixes to be really textural and tactile, where the remix produced both an end “product” but also a true “hands-on” experience.

Finally, we chose to use a Creative Commons license for all of the images. Because, you know, it just seemed right for this kind of project. Right?

Once Emma and I had the overall concept in place, we reached out to Noah Scalin (the creative behind Skull-a-Day) and Mica Scalin to help us get things off the ground with some initial remixes, a header image for the website, and help with spreading the word.

I’m thrilled as much to be working with smart, talented people like Emma, Noah, and Mica as I am to see how the creative community has already responded to our invitation (I’m truly impressed with the submissions – can’t wait to share them!).

And if you’re a Star Wars fan or just a very creative DIY/crafter, please head on over to Star Wars Remix and check out the remixes. You’re probably a lot closer to a galaxy far, far away than you think…

It was just one part of an amazing whirlwind trip to NYC where I was able to:

- have dinner with Ivan Askwith, Cheryl Furjanic, and Mica Scalin (we continued the Futures of Entertainment 4 conversations regarding transmedia, fan engagement, collaboration, etc.)

- meet and be interviewed by Heather Leonard at The Business Insider

Brain Candy

http://www.businessinsider.com/business-news/dec-14-brain-candy-1-2009-12

Runes of Gallidon

http://www.businessinsider.com/business-news/dec-14-brain-candy-3-2009-12

- have coffee with Aina Abiodun and share some awesome ideas about new ways to create content

- stop by the Starlight Runner office and meet with Caitlin Burns and Erek Tinker (yet more thought-provoking discussions of transmedia storytelling and participatory engagement)

- and wrap it all up with a long-overdue dinner with Jen Simmons (a smart, talented woman with her own views on narrativity and technology)

all in less than 30 hours.

A non-stop trip of intellectual challenges and new insights. Mentally awesome, physically exhausting.

Happy to be home and ready to stay grounded through the holidays, though I’m already wondering when I can get back to the Big Apple…