The Young Intelligentsia – New Orleans Creative Community Spurred to Action: Loyola grad launches new media vehicle for young, creative voices

The Young Intelligentsia – New Orleans Creative Community Spurred to Action
Loyola grad launches new media vehicle for young, creative voices 
What better way to lead than from within. Loyola-grad and self-proclaimed creative imaganeer, Justin Shiels is spurring a new movement within the New Orleans creative industry.  His most recent effort is InvadeNOLA, a biweekly online magazine and blog written by and for 18-30 year olds. 

In an arena littered with literary magazines and artistic publications, InvadeNOLA looks to fill a void in local media by shining a light on our amazing youth culture. “Lets be honest, most media for millennials is carbon copy reality TV, full of whiny obnoxious teens.We have to believe that the millennial generation has the power to change the world in a positive way, here in New Orleans there is a strong community of intelligent thinkers who challenge the status quo.” Shiels notes.

InvadeNOLA takes a different focus with each release, bringing readers articles about arts, sex, diversity, activism and growing up. The project launched in December of 2009, and in three short months, the site and blog have made a significant impact on the cultural community, gaining over 8,720 page views, including nearly 2,000 unique visitors and over 100 comments.  Penetrating beyond our local consciousness, InvadeNOLA reaches 40 of the 50 states and 27 countries. 

As Shiels continues with his greater vision for the project he is seeking both new talent and outside funding.  The future of InvadeNOLA includes the release of weekly issues of the online magazine, as well as a series of one-of-a-kind cultural events in New Orleans, like the "Son of Rambo Indie Dance Party."

Shiels explains, “the events are about bringing together the best and the brightest of our community, and letting them build their networks and inspire each other.”  Like similar local organizations, Shiels.  A strong arbiter of paying people for their talents, Shiels has started a Kickstarter fund to solicit support for InvadeNOLA.  He hopes to raise enough money to pay writers for a full 5 months, providing new content weekly.

How to help: 
Make a pledge to independent media at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1740568017/invadenola-volume-2 


For more information:
http://blog.invadenola.com
http://www.invadenola.com

Videos:
What the heck is InvadeNOLA - http://vimeo.com/10408788
Donate to InvadeNOLA - http://vimeo.com/10422224