[Sly Fox]

From the fishwrap:

LU grad creates company to promote college life

Casey Gillis
cgillis@newsadvance.com
November 17, 2006

Matt Addington wants local college students to take an active role in the Lynchburg community.

“The college (population) is growing,” said the recent Liberty University grad. “Why not try to give back while you are here? If we get any sort of movement going, it will catch on.”

To do that, Addington, 23, has organized his own company, Upheaval Media, to “get people to come together and create things within the community,” he said.

Upheaval Media is basically a group of Web sites that promote college life in Lynchburg.

There’s Lynchburg Music Scene, where you can find information about upcoming shows that aren’t widely publicized elsewhere; Chic Eats, which offers up recipes and local restaurant reviews; From the Watercoolor, a sports roundup; and Lose Your Tie, which Addington describes as an informal documentary where he writes about social issues, as well as his experiences getting Upheaval off the ground.

“Our entire focus is to take on any sort of progressive media outlet, like Web sites and podcasting, and make sure every demographic is basically hit,” he said.

The content is written by Addington and his friends, mainly in blog format, and all the sites link to each other.

“I think the biggest dilemma in Lynchburg is you’ve gotta be in the know,” said Matt Mackey, who writes for Lynchburg Music Scene. “Very little is done in the way of marketing and promoting. … We want to be that, the place you can go to (to find information).”

While a lot of it is geared toward local events, Addington said they hope to eventually have a national reach.

They recently secured office space through the Lynchburg Office of Economic Development, so they’re well on their way.

“We have to go toward people who want to get out and get involved in the community,” Addington said. “We’re just trying to facilitate that.”

• IN THE BURG: New weekly column from Upheaval Media

writers highlights area events. On newsstands now.

• ONLINE: The Web site can be found at http://www.upheavalmedia.com.

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