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The Media Burn Independent Video Archive has been a dream for nearly 40 years. It was founded in 2003 by Tom Weinberg as the culmination of his lifelong dedication to creating broad access to the work of independent producers. The Archive contains over 5,000 videotapes created by a geographically, socially, and economically diverse community of videomakers throughout the world. The collection’s roots lie in the first experiments with videotape in the late 1960s by artists and radical collectives, and features the continuation of that spirit of experimentation over the next four decades. Through the democratizing possibilities of internet distribution, this work can now reach wider audiences than ever before imagined by those early experiments in “guerrilla television.”

The central focus of the archive is a unique collection of Chicago-based independent video—the most extensive of its kind anywhere. The collection portrays life in Chicago from 1969-2009, documenting all corners of the city and people from all walks of life. Our hero is Studs Terkel, whose ability to portray the stories of “ordinary” people is our model. We are lucky to have several hundred videos featuring Studs, donated from his personal collection.

We are especially rich Chicago and Illinois politics—come check out forty years of "Machine" politics, featuring people such as Alderman Vito Marzullo, Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, and Mayors Jane Byrne, Harold Washington, and Richard J. and Richard M. Daley.

The works distributed by Media Burn cover many topics, but they share important qualities: all were produced by independent videomakers outside of corporate contexts; they engage with the issues and concerns of ordinary people, locally, nationally, and globally; they teach us about the world and our common humanity; and they demonstrate artistry, skill, and creativity in the art of videomaking. They encompass many genres, from documentary to animation to narrative, but they all share a spirit of innovation and creativity that sets them apart.

Go to mediaburn.org to view nearly 1,000 full-length programs, read historical info, download related ephemera like programs and contemporary reviews, and be a part of what we do.

Media Burn is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; the Community Arts Assistance Program from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; the National Historical Publications and Records Commission; the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; and many other generous supporters.