element14 Supports Makers Through Sponsorship of 'ReMade: The Rebirth of the Maker Movement' Documentary

Unique Film Follows Modern Makers Shaping Today's World and Features Popular Modder Benjamin Heckendorn

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Dec 14, 2010, 09:00 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- element14, a collaborative social community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, is supporting the do-it-yourself movement through its sponsorship and participation in an upcoming documentary, ReMade: The Rebirth of the Maker Movement. The film will follow a diverse group of makers and entrepreneurs as they document the achievements of current makers across the country and the revolution they have inspired.

ReMade: The Rebirth of the Maker Movement will reveal the stories of members of community-run workshops, including hackerspaces, makerspaces, and other collaborative organizations across the United States. These groups, which started out very small, tinkering in basements and garages around the country, have now grown into larger communities that allow anyone interested to collaborate with other "hackers" and create new gadgets or modify finished projects to suit their needs.

"Part of our goal is to show the public that 'hacker' isn't necessarily a negative term, but one that represents creativity, curiosity, and a desire to improve the world around them," said Jordan Bunker, producer, Electromagnate. "As a society, we have accepted the products we buy at face value, and have lost our way when it comes to actually making things – whether it's making your own food, your own furniture, or building a computer. We want to showcase the people, or 'makers,' that are challenging that mentality, and achieving incredible results."

ReMade: The Rebirth of the Maker Movement is expected to debut in Fall 2011. As production of the film continues, filmmakers will be making periodic updates on the element14 community to offer an exclusive look at footage they have captured, as well as share their own experiences. The first post about the documentary can be found on Electromagnate's dedicated blog page on element14.

In addition, Benjamin Heckendorn (a.k.a. Ben Heck), widely regarded as one of the most talented modders and the host of element14's "The Ben Heck Show," is also featured in the documentary. Ben has played a significant role in the Maker Movement with mods of popular electronic devices, and he encourages fellow tech enthusiasts to continue their own projects by offering unique insight regarding hardware modification techniques, tools and design tips in the bi-weekly online television series.

"We are very excited to be supporting such a worthwhile project," said Alisha Mowbray, senior vice president of marketing, element14. "In addition to selling products that hackers and makers can use, we have seen that there is an ever-expanding audience for this movement through the popularity of 'The Ben Heck Show', which is so exciting!"

About element14

element14 is the first collaborative community, research portal and store for design engineers and enthusiasts. The website provides product data, design tools, technology information and top brand components to seamlessly facilitate the design process; users can consult industry experts and collaborate with peers around the globe. element14 is sponsored by Premier Farnell plc (LSE: pfl), a leader in multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design engineers, trading throughout the Americas (Newark), Europe (Farnell) and Asia Pacific (element14). The company has group sales of 795.3m pounds Sterling and over 4,100 employees globally.

http://www.element14.com

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