At the forefront of today’s media revolution stand Max Lugavere and Jason Silva (more commonly known as simply “Max and Jason”), two young, incredibly talented and charming best friends who are currently taking the world by storm on the Emmy-winning network, Current TV. If you’ve yet to hear of this network or these boys, not to worry, it’s only a matter of time before they undoubtedly become household names.


While attending the University of Miami, Max and Jason received their big break after hearing that Al Gore was planning to launch a TV network specifically targeted for passionate storytellers. Despite the ambiguous nature of the network’s message, the ambitious pair sensed a promising opportunity and didn’t waste any time. After eagerly submitting a short documentary, the boys were selected out of thousands of applicants and were immediately requested to head out to Los Angeles to host and produce Current TV. Since then, they’ve been pioneering the way for millions to engage in citizen journalism. “We were passionate about storytelling, be it through film, music, writing or whatever. We very much symbolize ‘Generation Y,’ where we have all these tools at our fingertips,” explains Max. “All we want to do is utilize them in a way to hopefully disseminate ideas and perspectives and hopefully make the world a better place.”

If you haven’t checked out “Current,” as it is often referred to, here’s a quick run-down. Whether you feel like pulling up the webpage or tuning in on TV, you’ll find five-10 minute mini-pod documentaries that cover almost every imaginable topic and are not only produced by hosts such as Max and Jason, but also those that are openly welcomed and encouraged by the general public to contribute as well. Since its debut in 2005, Current has become the nation’s fastest growing cablenetwork station. “Before Current, there was no outlet for people like us,” Max says. That’s the beauty of Current. It gives everyone a voice, and with that voice you’re able to speak to the world.


Since teaming up with Current, Max and Jason have covered a range of interests ranging from singer-songwriters, filmmakers, global issues and even incidents as random as testing out pheromone-enhanced love lotion on unsuspecting women along Rodeo Dr. “Juxtaposition works well with Current because Current offers you a taste of the world in juxtaposing pods all the time. You see a conversation about the Middle East and the U.S. economy receding, but then you see a funny pod about style in London,” explains Jason. “It comes at you in these nuggets that are varied and might seem like they contrast harshly, but no, that’s the world. The world is all of these things and all of these different perspectives. It works really well with who we are.” It’s seems as though the imagination of these two runs wild when it comes to creating pods and that’s what they love. This unpredictable duo is refreshing, intelligent and sure to keep viewers on their toes. “We want to be facilitators. We’re ambassadors for this truly transparent time in our history when people can express viewpoints and ideas, and we just want people to know that we’re out to help.”

As far as up and coming projects, the team plans to do a bit of an eccentric feature involving a hypnotherapist that claims to heal childhood traumas by looking into your past life and will also be interviewing director Cameron Crowe to discuss his pioneering dual usage of both the right image and the right song to create the perfect moment in feature films. Aside from those numerous planned projects, their main mission is to constantly get viewers involved with Current. “We want to be facilitators. We’re ambassadors for this truly transparent time in our history when people can express viewpoints and ideas, and we just want people to know that we’re out to help,” says Max.


Max and Jason both recently led discussions in New York at the Paley Center for Media regarding citizen journalism and are also loosely involved with the American Democracy Institute, primarily in hopes of getting the youth active within the presidential election. “We walk the walk and certainly talk the talk as far as empowering young people in citizen journalism and disseminating ideas, but at the same time, we live in L.A., and we go out and play in this hedonistic sandbox just as good as anybody else,” says Jason.

Thanks to these two individuals, groundbreaking strides are being made towards making the media available to young people in a way that never has been done before. “We were born in the new media revolution. We’re building it,” says Jason.

By Allison Taylor