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The Latest From Kirby

New video, vacation, and a gift for those who need it

Hi there, I’m Kirby Ferguson. I’m best known for the series Everything is a Remix. I’m pivoting away from free content creation for financial and personal reasons. I’m seeking financial stability and personal fulfillment in the second act of life. I’m thinking aloud about all of this here. I might later revise, discard or ridicule anything said.

Happy Monday everybody! 

I have a new video! It’s about copyright and AI. This was a commission for Bloomberg. GO WATCH IT. NOW!

Summer vacation

Summer is here! Unless you’re in the southern hemisphere, in which case, winter is here! Yay winter! 

I’m about to head all the way across this fabulous content, back to my home, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Little Kirby is going to meet his grandparents and his two Ferguson aunts for the first time!

This newsletter is also going to go on vacation! It will resume bright and early September 4th, which will be the relaunch of the new Everything is a Remix site. Several exciting new and improved products will be making their premiere. If you miss me for the next couple months, I would check out any previous messages you might have missed. Just search for “Kirby Ferguson” in your email.

A gift for those who need it

I have an offer for those of you of limited means right now. If you cannot afford my downloadable products, I’d still like you to have them. If you’re a little down on your luck, I hope these tools might help you jumpstart something new and generate some excitement in your life. Fill out this form and I’ll hook you up. You’ll get the current toolkits and the upgrades when they’re released. I hope these small gifts might help you the same way that many of you have helped me in recent months. Good luck!

And for the rest you, it’s a great time to save on these toolkits! Get them now at the lowest possible price, then get the upgrades when they come out this fall!

Stories From You

This will be a longer message because I want to share some of your stories. These are messages of connection, struggle and even triumph – albeit, maybe not quite the expected kind.

This first one comes from Fülöp in Hungary. This is something I could never have imagined happening starting out. That I could touch someone from a different culture, on the other side of the planet, and that it would start through… a TED Talk? Did not see that coming.

Dear Kirby,

We have never met and we most likely never will, but I want to tell you a small story.

I found your TED Talk in my early twenties. I was a resentful, sad, pessimistic person from Hungary. I was spending more and more time online, and TED Talks were like a warm blanket of curiosity satiating information. I vividly remember seeing yours for the first time. It was packed with humor, interest and an enthusiasm that was unusual in my life. I spent the next hour rewatching it, and trying to find every example that you talked about.

It was fun. Actual, childlike, joyous fun. And then it was over and I felt happier. The world wasn’t as dark and the shadows didn’t feel as scary. I went outside and enjoyed the sunlight, while listening to the music you mentioned.

When you announced the KickStarter project, I was one of the first people to sign up. I barely had money, but I felt like I could help bring to life something important. It felt momentous. And then you started work and every now and then, there would be an update. A new video, narrated by your friendly voice and edited to absolute perfection. I would rewatch all the episodes, when a new one came out, so I could be up-to-date. I felt all the same joy and elation, as watching that TED Talk, all those years ago.

I have found a path in life that brings me happiness. I am surrounded by people that I love and cherish. My work is fulfilling and fun. And I believe that you had a small part in making that happen, by being yourself, and allowing a young man (albeit, older and older by the day) to come along for the ride.

I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for doing so. And I wish you all the happiness that you can handle.

Thank you, Kirby.

Fülöp Tardos

(Shared with permission)

This next message is from an indie musician who had their peak success in the 2000s. I was a fan before we met during the heyday of Everything is a Remix. Their transition is similar to mine — still raw, still a work-in-progress, still hurting but finding purpose and joy  in small, simple things.

I underwent a similar transition over the last few years. I’m in the final stages (ha ha) of my shift from a touring and recording artist (my equivalent to you making “Everything is a Remix”) into something else. Right now it’s more teaching, producing, and composing musicals.

For me, some of this change was motivated by age (I wanted different things out of life, my physical and mental well-being were suffering) and some of it was a response to the market (like you, not matching the “success” of an initial project). I think you put it well when you said, “trajectory is everything.” My trajectory was headed down for at least a decade, but I kept hanging on, to the detriment of all aspects of my life.

Initially the pandemic was a blessing. It got me off the hustle in a way that I didn't have the fortitude to do on my own. But then I also did something instructive/stupid in that I tried to make, release, and tour a record. The trajectory was unchanged, but I was changed by my time off. I was miserable in that album cycle. But it also finally gave me the strength to walk away from the identity and career I'd built over 25 years. 

In December 2021 I got a puppy. I did it because I have always wanted to do that. I did it because I knew it would make me change my life. I did it because I wanted something else to force me to make decisions with someone besides myself in mind. I live alone and am single (very happily) so taking on this responsibility was… clarifying.

I'm not totally past the resentment (or grief), so I especially appreciated that part of your email. I think success, however long ago, is confusing. I know I am very, very good at being a writer and performer. Reconciling that with the reality of it no longer working in my life has been one of the greatest challenges I've taken on. Good luck to you as you do the same!

E

And our final message is from a long-time fan who worked a bit on This is Not a Conspiracy Theory. This is a midlife transition that leads to triumph, although an unexpected one.

Kirby,  

I hope this longer than intended letter finds you well. You are a wellspring of inspiration for so many in the creative community. I had the good fortune to collaborate with you briefly on a chapter or two of This is Not a Conspiracy Theory and as someone who had early aspirations to be a filmmaker or special effects artist in my early 20s, being able to contribute to your production is certainly among the highlights of my career. You're a great storyteller.  

I started in 2004 translating my knowledge of CAD design into civil engineering marketing proposals and presentations. By 2007 I was regularly shooting video pieces and helicopter photo/video for strategic campaigns across the US.  

In 2008, the recession hit and I was overhead that was quickly dispensed of. After 8 years with the company, I decided that it was time to start my own business developing media for AEC companies (Architects, Engineers, and Construction). It was not exactly my passion but I had connections and momentum in that direction and decided to give it a shot. 

At the time, I had a partner who helped shoulder the cost of making that leap. I was extremely naive about business but in my 30s, I felt that being in the corporate system amounted to being in daycare and that I was far too old to be told what to do while having my profit robbed from my labor.  

My income was unstable at best. I had good months and bad months. The company that let me go was one of my clients. Then a former coworker that moved to another company looked me up for services. My reputation and network slowly expanded but after 14 years and working with the largest and most prestigious brands in that industry I was no better off financially for it.  

In 2012, I was fortunate enough to work with a company that invited me to work on a documentary project. The doc itself was nowhere near enough money to live on and in order to stay with the project and get the final credits, I decided to remain an independent contractor.  

I lost everything. My house. My relationship. My credit. Money. I had an irrational, Moby-Dick-like obsession with seeing the film and its 150 page historical companion book through to the finish line. I gave more than anyone asked or was reasonable to give. Most people would not have done what I did, but I did it. Today, I cannot say that I regret my decision.  

In January 2016, we premiered the documentary and went on to win numerous awards at festival. I was worse than broke but I did what I set out to do. I completed a film and designed a companion book which was probably as close to Ken Burns as I would ever get. It was not my original goal of directing or visual fx but I learned enough to know I probably wouldn't ever want those jobs. You need to be obsessed and work 16-20 hour days for 3-4 months at a time with a desire to prove you are the best. It was not the quality of life I ever wanted to create. In my 20s, after seeing the Matrix and other films that impacted me, I just thought it sounded cool. Vfx artists are notoriously underpaid and directors give their entire lives for film projects. In order to be that obsessed, it would have to be a story that I was passionate about the world needing to hear. Few stories impact me that way.  

Last October, after 14 years as a rogue corporate castaway, I entertained the idea of becoming an employee once more. What I didn't realize during those years of self-imposed poverty, strain, and unreasonable expectations was that I had developed a resume unlike anyone else's in the industry. Despite only having a high school level of education, my experience and successes blew away most of my competition.  

I always wanted to do something altruistic with a non-profit. Something that moved the needle in a meaningful way for the social changes I longed for. I had really high expectations. I have to say those 14 years in the employment desert beat that idealism out of me. I was now a master storyteller that did not care what ends my services were used for as long as they were used and I was compensated.  

In October, I was hired as a Lead Visual Designer at a huge, global company. I negotiated a pretty high salary based on my experience. It is the most anyone in this position has ever been paid but in the last 9 months, the marketing and sales team only want to work with me. The level of service I'm accustomed to offering my clients goes far beyond what other designers can deliver in the department. As of now, I'm slated to join the C-suite at the end of next year. I'm going to be in the top tier executive class of a giant company. It still blows my mind.

Anyway, this is not a brag. I just wanted to tell you that your experience and what you have created is invaluable to someone. I don't know how long I will do this but I am grateful for the second life this job has given me. All of my debts are paid, I'm saving more money than I ever had in my life while also not needing to worry about spending it either. I go out when I want, buy whatever I need for the family, and have fun with money left over every month. It's surreal. Next year I will use the surplus income to start testing new company ideas with the goal of beating my own salary so that I can quit again or at least be a highly paid consultant.  

In 2020, my father had a blood infection that infected two of his heart valves and his brain. I saved his life by dragging his belligerent ass to the hospital and nursing him back to health from home over the next 8 months during COVID. The reason I went back to work was to take care of him and my daughter as a single father.  

It all worked out beautifully. I know in the depths of my soul that if it worked out so well for me and all the stupid little shit I did that is insignificant to most, that it will happen for you too. You have created some amazing, thought-provoking, and far reaching content which very few people can do. You are special. Your gifts are needed in the world. If there is anything I can do to help you get to where you want to go, let me know. I will do whatever I can.  

I love what you have put into this world. Your heart is genuine. You are very thoughtful in a world that lacks thought more than ever.    

I appreciate you.  

All the best,  

Matt

Thank you to these people for sharing their stories here in the newsletter. And thank you to everyone who has told me your stories. I’ve read them all, you’ve influenced me and I think about you. I’ll be catching up on as many replies as I can over the summer.

And for all of you who just quietly read these message, thank you for being with me in these recent months. Happy 4th of July to the Americans, Happy Canada Day to the Canadians, happy other July holidays to the countries I’ve never lived in.

Kirby loves you all. Especially you. Bye!

K

P.S. YOU READ THE WHOLE EMAIL! Here take $5 off any apparel in the shop! Use the code GIMME5.

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