My name is Yancey. I was born in Blacksburg, Virginia, and grew up on a farm in the Appalachian Mountains. The farmhouse we lived in was built in 1864.
I always wanted to be a writer. I majored in English and Literary and Cultural Studies at the College of William & Mary. During college I started writing for Pitchfork. It was brief (they let me go) but exciting.
In 2000 I moved to NYC. My first job was as a writer for a radio news service, and I started writing record reviews on the side for places like the Village Voice. This was the first piece of writing I ever got paid for ($75 I think).
I became Managing Editor at flavorpill before joining eMusic as Managing Editor and then Editor in Chief. I made a living freelancing for the Village Voice, City Pages, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, and others.
I started a fun baseball site called Yard Work (now defunct) with some friends. I turned an interview with Stephen Malkmus into a fantasy baseball preview.
At eMusic I started a record label called eMusic Selects. We released the debut albums for High Places, Breathe Owl Breathe, Crystal Stilts, Julianna Barwick, and Rural Alberta Advantage, among others.
I cofounded Kickstarter along with my friends Perry Chen and Charles Adler. The site launched on April 28, 2009.
Here I am giving a commencement address at McNally Jackson in 2013.
If you want to get in touch you can find me on Twitter.
Love,
Yancey