Case Studies | Scott Lindenbaum / Broadcastr

Scott Lindenbaum is the Co-Founder of Electric Literature, a new publishing company that uses digital media and device-based distribution to keep literature a vital part of popular culture, and Broadcastr, an app for iPhone and Android that creates intimate and immersive experiences by unlocking pictures and audio relevant to where you are, turning your smartphone into a multimedia guide to the world, and everyone can contribute.

For almost ten years Scott Lindenbaum was a half-pipe snowboard competitor sponsored by Burton Snowboards. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Brooklyn College, where he studied under Pulitzer Prizewinner Michael Cunningham and Obie Award winner Mac Wellman. He has won awards for his short fiction, is a produced playwright, and has taught at the college level.

Scott met Andy Hunter in 2006 at Brooklyn College’s M.F.A. program in fiction writing. Together they have co-founded both Electric Literature and Broadcastr. Electric Literature was born out of the desire to keep both the short-story form alive in any and every format and Broadcastr was a way to open a platform for everyone to share stories easily in the context of location.

Broadcastr's purpose to explore memories, insights, and enriching information about eclectic and everyday places on every continent on Earth. Take a walk while stories about your surroundings stream automatically to your phone. A celebrity chef whispers in your ear as you stroll past his favorite restaurant; a renowned architect guides you through lower Manhattan; a comedian shares a hilarious personal anecdote at her favorite bar. Broadcastr also partners with companies such as the History channel, The Sept 11 Memorial & Museum, Fodor’s travel guides, Simon & Schuster, and Audible.com to provide their own story content for the app.

Electric Literature seeks to combat the notion that literary fiction is doomed. Their belief is publish everywhere, every way: paperbacks, Kindles, iPhones, eBooks, and audiobooks, to make it inexpensive and accessible, and to streamline it: five great stories in each issue. The most important thing is the stories themselves, not the medium on which they get distributed.

Broadcastr interface

Electric Literature cover

Scott presenting Broadcastr