Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Twenty-plus years ago, the band that you started with your two buddies from college gets signed a major label record deal. You release a handful of acclaimed albums, you tour consistently while building a devoted fanbase, and ride it out as the music industry experiences the worst slump in its history. From there, you branch out, scoring a few well-received movies, and contemplate your next steps. So, what would you do next? If you’re Ryan Miller, you partner up with PBS to launch a web series.
Miller is the lead singer of Guster, the aforementioned band that has successfully managed to stay afloat during the decade-plus long series of music industry rough seas. After years spent living in New York City, he and his family decamped for Vermont not too long ago in search of some combination of space and normalcy. However, moving from an major urban metropolis to a rural area prompted Miller to ask one of the most important questions of them all.
“Where are the weirdos? Where are the high-functioning weirdos?”
This question led Miller to team up with Hilary Hess, Digital Media Director of Vermont’s PBS station, to create the web series Makin’ Friends With Ryan Miller. Each episode focuses on Miller’s attempt to connect with the aforementioned “high-functioning weirdos”—folks like a guy who turned his house into a jungle gym, a professor specializing in cyber consciousness, and the founder of the social network Ello—that live in Vermont.
Much like he does when he’s fronting Guster in concert, on this program Miller proves to be an affable and energetic center, buoyed by what you can tell is a genuine sense of curiosity about his new potential friends. These snackable videos are just the right length for some afternoon delight at your desk; sneak in one or two in between meetings and you’re bound to start plotting ways to go out and make some new friends yourself!
[You can stream Makin’ Friends With Ryan Miller on YouTube]
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