Joseph-Gordon Levitt Wants to Work with YOU!

Fans of indie films know Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL) from films like (500) Days of Summer or Hesher. Others may recognize from from huge blockbuster hits like Inception or the upcoming Dark Knight Rises.* What you may not know is that he is also the owner of hitRECord.org, what he calls an "open-collaborative production company."

So what does that mean exactly? HitRECord is a for-profit production company that invites anyone to join and collaborate with other artists. It's a relatively simple and yet revolutionary business model. Filmmakers, artists, writers, editors, photographers and many different creative types work together on "collaborations." After signing up with hitRECord, you can upload your work (all types of which are called "records"), download others' work, combine it, remix it, re-edit it, add to it, etc. When your group has a finished product, JGL uses his industry cred to try and get it sold. If it does sell, the profits are split 50/50, with the company getting 50 percent and the rest is split between everyone who contributed to the project. JGL claims that in 2010, he sent out checks totaling $49,849.70.

hitRecord.org also puts on live events at theaters and universities around the country, as well as festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and the British Film Institute London Film Festival. These events showcase the work of the online collaborators, and attendees are encouraged to film the event itself to turn it into a record that they can then collaborate on online.


Geektyrant.com filmed a bit of the live event at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

In 2011, hitRECord.org released Recollection Volume 1, which contains a DVD of their films, a CD of songs, as well as a book. They also released The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories.

JGL, or RegularJOE as he's known on the site, wants to work with you. Signing up is free and it's a great way to work with creative people from all over the world. You can be inspired or inspire others with your creativity and ingenuity. And if you're lucky, maybe you'll earn a little cash for whatever you create!


*Of course, I can't help but think of him as Tommy Solomon, Information Officer on 3rd Rock from the Sun, and as Cameron in one of the best high-school flicks of all time, 10 Things I Hate About You.