Maker Media
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| Maker Media | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maker Media |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founders | Bre Pettis, Cymene Howe, Adam Mayer |
| Fate | Declared bankruptcy 2019; assets acquired |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Key people | Bre Pettis, Galen Long, Dale Dougherty |
| Industry | Publishing, Technology, Manufacturing |
| Products | Make: magazine, Make:, Maker Faire, online content |
Maker Media was an independent company that became central to the modern DIY and maker movements through publishing, events, and product development. It grew from a niche hacker culture and open source audience into a broad network spanning hobbyists, educators, entrepreneurs, and artists. Maker Media operated flagship media and events that connected communities involved in 3D printing, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, robotics, electronics, and craftivism.
History
Maker Media emerged in the mid-2000s amid a resurgence of interest in hands-on technology and artisanal production. Founders, including innovators from the DIY ethic and open hardware circles, launched a periodical that chronicled projects tied to the revival of personal fabrication. The company expanded as the Fab Labs concept and grassroots spaces such as hackerspaces and makerspaces proliferated in cities like San Francisco, New York City, and London. Growth accelerated with the mainstreaming of RepRap, Thingiverse, and consumer Fused deposition modeling devices; these platforms intersected with communities formed around institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers conferences.
By staging large-scale exhibitions, Maker Media catalyzed collaborations across creative technology networks that included participants from MIT Media Lab, Arduino LLC, MakerBot Industries, and academic programs at Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Corporate partnerships with firms such as Intel, Google, O’Reilly Media, and Adafruit Industries underpinned event sponsorship and product launches. The organization weathered cycles of venture financing, consumer hardware hype driven by crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and industry consolidation. Financial strain and legal challenges during industry downturns culminated in restructuring and eventual sale of assets to private parties and new stewards.
Publications and Media
Maker Media published a flagship bimonthly magazine that showcased step-by-step projects, profiles of innovators, and deep dives into tools and techniques. The magazine featured contributions from authors affiliated with Wired, IEEE Spectrum, Make: Electronics, and practitioners from OpenIDEO. Digital expansion included an expansive website hosting tutorials, videos, and community-contributed plans that interfaced with repositories like GitHub and content platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. Podcasting and livestreamed workshops connected audiences to figures from Adafruit Industries, SparkFun Electronics, Limor Fried, Massimo Banzi, and project leaders from Open Source Hardware Association.
Special issues and editorial collaborations highlighted intersections with art and design entities including Cooper Hewitt, Museum of Modern Art, and festivals such as SXSW. Editorial curation often bridged technical detail—covering microcontrollers like PIC microcontrollers and ARM Cortex families—with creative practice represented by makers from the Etsy community and design studios tied to IDEO.
Events and Community
The company produced regional and flagship festivals that became focal points for maker communities. Maker Faires brought together inventors, educators, student groups from competitions like FIRST Robotics Competition, small manufacturers, and artists engaged with interactive art and kinetic sculpture. Exhibitors ranged from startups spun out of Y Combinator cohorts to university labs at Carnegie Mellon University and community groups operating tool libraries and community workshops. Educational outreach programs connected with networks such as National Science Teachers Association and initiatives inspired by the STEM to STEAM movement.
Local chapters, volunteer organizers, and affiliated fairs worldwide fostered peer-to-peer knowledge transfer across ecosystems in cities like Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Toronto, and Melbourne. The events hosted competitions, hands-on maker classes, and vendor marketplaces where companies such as MakerBot, Ultimaker, Prusa Research, and Formlabs demonstrated hardware.
Products and Services
Beyond publishing and events, the company offered curated product lines, DIY kits, and subscription boxes developed in partnership with vendors like Adafruit Industries and SparkFun Electronics. Retail offerings included soldering kits, microcontroller starter packs centered on Arduino, and prototyping tools compatible with Raspberry Pi boards. Online services provided project hosting, community forums, and a shop that aggregated components from distributors such as Digi-Key and Mouser Electronics.
Educational services encompassed curricula and workshop materials designed for makerspaces and classrooms, often aligning with standards and programs run by National Science Foundation-funded initiatives and university extension programs. Consulting engagements advised municipal makerspace planning and corporate innovation labs inspired by the DIY renaissance.
Business Model and Financials
Revenue streams combined magazine subscriptions, event ticketing, sponsorship, product sales, and branded content partnerships. The model relied on a mix of grassroots participation and corporate sponsorships from technology firms and manufacturing vendors. As the consumer hardware market matured, volatility in crowdfunding success rates and supply-chain pressures affected hardware partners such as MakerBot Industries and influenced cash flow. Attempts to scale international events and retail operations increased overhead, while competition from online content creators on YouTube and e-commerce platforms altered advertising dynamics.
Investor interest from angel networks and venture firms intersected with strategic alliances, but the capital-intensive nature of live events and inventory management contributed to financial stress during industry contractions. Subsequent restructuring led to asset sales and transitions of event management and publication rights to new operators and licensees.
Influence and Legacy
The organization's impact persists across maker culture, education, and small-scale manufacturing ecosystems. It helped popularize technologies and platforms such as 3D printing, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and distributed design sharing on platforms akin to Thingiverse and GitHub. Educational programs and community spaces influenced curricula at institutions including MIT, Stanford University, and community colleges, and inspired municipal makerspace policies in cities like Portland, Oregon and Detroit. The festival model informed design for maker-oriented exhibitions at museums like Exploratorium and institutions participating in public-facing innovation programming. Many entrepreneurs and startups showcased at events later grew into established firms within consumer electronics and robotics sectors, leaving a legacy evident in ongoing maker communities and commercial ecosystems.