Nov 16, 2025
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Please contact us
with corrections
or breaking news
cineSOURCE Is Ten!
by cineSOURCE staff
A cineSOURCE crew on a one day shoot, the prize of one of the magazine's early promotions: Doniphan Blair (upr lft), Jeff Deveraux (seated, cntr), Sophia Aissen (to his rt, apologies to the rest). photo: D. Blair "OPEN CINESOURCE," A DOZEN FILM
writers, editors and makers said—more or less, since we didn’t have a name yet— ten years and four months ago, over a five-course lunch in West Oakland.
Once we settled on a name and a few hundred other details, our first issue arrived three months later, on April Fool's Day, 2008, as a newsprint tabloid, with 5,000 copies distributed at media-related locations around the Bay, and on the web.
Admittedly, it hasn’t been easy. First there was the economic collapse later that year; then the paper version went bye-bye; advertising revenue plummeted; and financial advisors and friends told us it would probably be best to: “Close cineSOURCE!”
So what was our response: “Open cineSOURCE further!”
First of all, we are the only film, arts and idea magazine in Northern California. Despite our size, it is critical to keep contributing to this experimental cultural enterprise. Ten years later, we are approaching our 2,000th article, many of them innovative perspectives on films, ideas and related endeavors unavailable elsewhere.
Second, we are deeply inspired by our 51,000 a month readers (the 2017 average, up 27% from 2016); the many monthly requests for coverage (if you have a story, contact us ); and our many dedicated writers: Karl Cohen, Don Schwartz, Joanne Butcher, Randy Gordon and Doniphan Blair, among many others.
For its first two years cineSOURCE appeared like this at media-related stores and institutions around the Bay Area. photo: cineSOURCE Finally, there is the basic metaphysical principal. “Open yourself to fresh feelings and ideas,” we at cineSOURCE agree—if only about that (since we're a very diverse group), “which cinema is so good at—if done right!”
Hence, cineSOURCE's business plan: to foster more creative cinema and related arts—painting, writing and music, the coverage of which we added in 2015.
To celebrate our decade and prepare for the next, we’re planning to do a redesign, some fundraising and to throw a big party—to which you will be invited.
It was previously scheduled for Saturday, April 28th but life and budgets intervened. Hence, we've been doing little events like our 5 Day, 4 Season Tour of Death Valley and some of California's premier hot springs (April 28-May2) and our Memorial Day BBQ and Full Moon Camping at Chabot Family Camp, a wilderness site RIGHT in the Oakland Hills (May 28-31, five spaces still available).
We have to keep it personal, visionary and fun because cineSOURCE has yet to go viral and re-achieve the value it had eight years ago when it was bringing in almost $10,000 a month in ad and subscriber revenue.
"That's because cineSOURCE sucks," claim our detractors, who complain we don't cover the industry enough any more—or at least not their end of it. "Can't you cover our film this month and go out of business next month?" quips our Cinemaesque cartoonist.
Yes, and our slowing industry coverage is true. After the ad revenue dropped 97% from 2010-12, we simply could not afford to carry them any further.
But their disregard liberated us to focus on the much more important cinematic arts and new ideas and philosophies: see recent articles like "Tribe Versus Civilization Manifesto" or "Romanticism and its Discontents, East and West".
The thing is: Northern California is a super power, one of the richest regions on the planet, from the newly-legalized marijuana business to Silicon Valley.
Sadly, computerization has also brought us trolling, doxing, fake news, skewed elections and the serious social diseases of digital distancing and over-teched childhoods as well as, in Oakland as well as San Francisco, galloping gentrification.
With so much at stake, alternative voices are crucial.
An illustration of the 20 sectors of Northern California film/video, which cineSOURCE dedicated itself to covering. illo: D. Blair cineSOURCE strives to abide neither old school nor futurist, indie nor commercial, shaman nor salary man—simply the straightforward quest for the most penetrating and embracing movie, art, idea or action.
Ten years ago, cineSOURCE dedicated itself to covering all 20 sectors of Northern California film/video industry: production, schools, festivals, craft services, even.
Today our new slogan is “From the Hoods to the Woods, Holly and Red,” which suggests a more aggressive and playful diversity, although we remain stable, steadfast reporters on all things film and art and we’re still all over those 20 media sectors.
cineSOURCE’s readership jumped in 2017 after we published "Summer of Love Shows, Movies & Festivals Beg the Question: What Went Wrong with Hippie Intellectuals?". cineSOURCE was one of the only media outlets to cover not just 1967’s creative and consciousness explosion but the Fall of Love, the subsequent destruction of the Haight-Ashbury by overpopulation, cynicism and drugs.
We continue to tackle the difficult issues in “When Flawed Men Make Awed Art”, addressing the various dilemmas emerging from the ongoing sex abuse scandals and the #MeToo movement.
To keep a society as diverse as ours functional, many sides of the story must be told.
cineSOURCE continues its private eye, noir look with rapper/actress/esthetician Kaitlin Persons and downtown Oakland. photo: D. Blair What are we going do for our decade anniversary—aside from the usual edgy, investigative and philosophical articles—or to prepare for cineSOURCE's next decade?
I'm glad you asked. We plan to:
• Redesign our site, the platform as well as visuals
• Do a crowd-funding campaign to cover that
• Search out ever more creative cineastes and artists around Northern California
• Do the same in Cuba, where they’re expert survivors in the shadows of empires
Which is we invite you to join us as:
• A Reader Who Subscribes
• An Advertiser Interested in 50,000 Monthly Viewers, Many Media People
•
Thanks for your interest and as we say at cineSOURCE:
Although they cut us off at the knees, we can run on our bloody stumps faster than you can say, "Siri, fire up the Alpha Romeo and drive me to Starbucks."
Just kidding, we never say anything like that, all peace and love, never a drop of irony.
Posted on Jan 17, 2018 - 09:58 AM
by cineSOURCE staff
A cineSOURCE crew on a one day shoot, the prize of one of the magazine's early promotions: Doniphan Blair (upr lft), Jeff Deveraux (seated, cntr), Sophia Aissen (to his rt, apologies to the rest). photo: D. Blair writers, editors and makers said—more or less, since we didn’t have a name yet— ten years and four months ago, over a five-course lunch in West Oakland.
Once we settled on a name and a few hundred other details, our first issue arrived three months later, on April Fool's Day, 2008, as a newsprint tabloid, with 5,000 copies distributed at media-related locations around the Bay, and on the web.
Admittedly, it hasn’t been easy. First there was the economic collapse later that year; then the paper version went bye-bye; advertising revenue plummeted; and financial advisors and friends told us it would probably be best to: “Close cineSOURCE!”
So what was our response: “Open cineSOURCE further!”
First of all, we are the only film, arts and idea magazine in Northern California. Despite our size, it is critical to keep contributing to this experimental cultural enterprise. Ten years later, we are approaching our 2,000th article, many of them innovative perspectives on films, ideas and related endeavors unavailable elsewhere.
Second, we are deeply inspired by our 51,000 a month readers (the 2017 average, up 27% from 2016); the many monthly requests for coverage (if you have a story, contact us ); and our many dedicated writers: Karl Cohen, Don Schwartz, Joanne Butcher, Randy Gordon and Doniphan Blair, among many others.
For its first two years cineSOURCE appeared like this at media-related stores and institutions around the Bay Area. photo: cineSOURCE Hence, cineSOURCE's business plan: to foster more creative cinema and related arts—painting, writing and music, the coverage of which we added in 2015.
To celebrate our decade and prepare for the next, we’re planning to do a redesign, some fundraising and to throw a big party—to which you will be invited.
It was previously scheduled for Saturday, April 28th but life and budgets intervened. Hence, we've been doing little events like our 5 Day, 4 Season Tour of Death Valley and some of California's premier hot springs (April 28-May2) and our Memorial Day BBQ and Full Moon Camping at Chabot Family Camp, a wilderness site RIGHT in the Oakland Hills (May 28-31, five spaces still available).
We have to keep it personal, visionary and fun because cineSOURCE has yet to go viral and re-achieve the value it had eight years ago when it was bringing in almost $10,000 a month in ad and subscriber revenue.
"That's because cineSOURCE sucks," claim our detractors, who complain we don't cover the industry enough any more—or at least not their end of it. "Can't you cover our film this month and go out of business next month?" quips our Cinemaesque cartoonist.
Yes, and our slowing industry coverage is true. After the ad revenue dropped 97% from 2010-12, we simply could not afford to carry them any further.
But their disregard liberated us to focus on the much more important cinematic arts and new ideas and philosophies: see recent articles like "Tribe Versus Civilization Manifesto" or "Romanticism and its Discontents, East and West".
The thing is: Northern California is a super power, one of the richest regions on the planet, from the newly-legalized marijuana business to Silicon Valley.
Sadly, computerization has also brought us trolling, doxing, fake news, skewed elections and the serious social diseases of digital distancing and over-teched childhoods as well as, in Oakland as well as San Francisco, galloping gentrification.
With so much at stake, alternative voices are crucial.
An illustration of the 20 sectors of Northern California film/video, which cineSOURCE dedicated itself to covering. illo: D. Blair Ten years ago, cineSOURCE dedicated itself to covering all 20 sectors of Northern California film/video industry: production, schools, festivals, craft services, even.
Today our new slogan is “From the Hoods to the Woods, Holly and Red,” which suggests a more aggressive and playful diversity, although we remain stable, steadfast reporters on all things film and art and we’re still all over those 20 media sectors.
cineSOURCE’s readership jumped in 2017 after we published "Summer of Love Shows, Movies & Festivals Beg the Question: What Went Wrong with Hippie Intellectuals?". cineSOURCE was one of the only media outlets to cover not just 1967’s creative and consciousness explosion but the Fall of Love, the subsequent destruction of the Haight-Ashbury by overpopulation, cynicism and drugs.
We continue to tackle the difficult issues in “When Flawed Men Make Awed Art”, addressing the various dilemmas emerging from the ongoing sex abuse scandals and the #MeToo movement.
To keep a society as diverse as ours functional, many sides of the story must be told.
cineSOURCE continues its private eye, noir look with rapper/actress/esthetician Kaitlin Persons and downtown Oakland. photo: D. Blair I'm glad you asked. We plan to:
• Redesign our site, the platform as well as visuals
• Do a crowd-funding campaign to cover that
• Search out ever more creative cineastes and artists around Northern California
• Do the same in Cuba, where they’re expert survivors in the shadows of empires
Which is we invite you to join us as:
• A Reader Who Subscribes
• An Advertiser Interested in 50,000 Monthly Viewers, Many Media People
•
Thanks for your interest and as we say at cineSOURCE:
Although they cut us off at the knees, we can run on our bloody stumps faster than you can say, "Siri, fire up the Alpha Romeo and drive me to Starbucks."
Just kidding, we never say anything like that, all peace and love, never a drop of irony.
Posted on Jan 17, 2018 - 09:58 AM
