Seattle scene (Kurt Schlosser photo)
Seattle scene (Kurt Schlosser photo)

Seattle is one of the most vibrant technology ecosystems in the world — home to tech titans like Amazon, Expedia and Microsoft as well as tons of up-and-coming startups in industries ranging from gaming to biotechnology to aerospace. And then there are all of the Silicon Valley giants — Facebook, Google, eBay, Salesforce.com, Splunk, etc. — that are rooting here to pick up smart developers and engineers.

But we’re also isolated, tucked away and sometimes forgotten in this mossy corner of the Northwest. Because of that geographic isolation, Seattle’s tech community doesn’t always get the love of a New York or, even, an Austin. Oftentimes, companies like Amazon and Microsoft get tossed into the Silicon Valley bucket when being referenced in national media.

It’s one of the reasons we like operating GeekWire here, putting a different lens on the world of technology. Seattle is really like those Pemco ads —  “a little different.” We like that. I’ve often said that I was proud of our city during the dot-com boom era when we didn’t label ourselves Silicon-something. (Remember Silicon Forest; Silicon Alley and Silicon Prairie?)

We’re Seattle, and that’s good enough for us.

Now, some enterprising Seattle geeks are looking to raise the profile of the tech community and its unique spirit. They’re turning to Kickstarter to finance a short film that can tell the world why the home of Macklemore and Bill G. “is the greatest city in the world for entrepreneurs, creators and makers of all kinds.”

Leading the charge on the effort, which sprung in part from an initiative in the Mayor’s office last year to boost entrepreneurship activity, is the well known video shop Bootstrapper Studios and writer/director Scott Berkun. (Disclosure: I previously served as an advisor to the city’s startup initiative, and Bootstrapper is a vendor of GeekWire, providing video services for the GeekWire Summit and other events).

So, here’s the pitch from the “We Make Seattle” crew:

Seattle is great for creatives and entrepreneurs, which is why we live here. The challenge is the world thinks all we’re good for is coffee and rain. Our short film, called ‘We Make Seattle’, tells the story of why Seattle is an amazing place for creatives and entrepreneurs, and will change how the nation perceives our great city.

wemakeOne of the biggest debates during the startup initiative talks over the past year was how to “amp up” the messaging around Seattle. It’s certainly a good discussion to have, and one where GeekWire also feels as if we can play a role, one of the reasons we’re convening leaders in the tech economy for our annual GeekWire Summit.

Other cities, including our creative neighbors to the south in Portland, have turned to videos in order to get their respective messages out.

The race is certainly on, as communities look to tout the benefits of their startup ecosystems, hoping they can score the next Facebook or Google or Amazon.

My thoughts: Seattle is in a good position to capitalize, but it could do a lot more in terms of making the innovation economy the forefront of the discussion. The number one priority, in my view, is to make Seattle the most attractive place in the world for people between the ages of 18-35 (yes, I am out of this demographic) to live, work, play and build awesome companies.

The “We Make Seattle” team wants to raise $28,000 in order to make the video, and so far they’ve picked up nearly $10,000 in contributions from 74 backers

Here’s a look at the Kickstarter video:

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