Do You Sizzle?

In the Entertainment Industry there have been two types of marketing that marketers have used to sell entertainment properties. Industry Marketing and Consumer Marketing. Movies have both Industry Trailers and Consumer Trailers. One set of trailers to explain to theater and DVD store owners as well as foreign distributors what the new movies are coming down the pike and one set of trailers for the general public to see in movie theaters and at the beginning of DVDs to get them motivated to watch.

In Television and other entertainment arenas trailers are put together but they are called Presentations or Sizzle Reels. These highlight reels are less story driven and just give a high energy look at what entertainment a company currently has to offer.

Last night at Entertainment Networking Event I had the chance to speak on a panel moderated by NBC Host Shira Lazar with some of the folks from Deca. - The people who just invested in Smosh. This was one of the toughest panels I've ever been on. Not because the questions were hard hitting but because it was in a noisy bar. It was the first time I ever asked people in the audience to leave a panel I was on. I just told them, "If you want to talk leave. Go outside and network." Boom. They did but it was still hard to hear as their noise drifted into the old swimming pool area of the Hollywood Athletic Club where Douglas Fairbanks used to swim.

On the panel we talked the basics of online video monetization to a crowd made up of film and TV people who had not yet posted videos on the Internet. This was a group of people who were looking for work and new ways to make money. A crowed that was thirsty for Online Video 101 information.

Some how we made it through the panel and my big take away was that what ever you are doing to promote yourself, your online video or video series you need to Sizzle. You need to give industry and consumers something exciting that engages them. I didn't get up on that panel to tell talkers to leave but after the panel was over I had people thanking me for doing that and apologizing for other people's behavior. What ever I did made an impression on people and it gave them an opportunity as an ice breaker to talk with me after the show. I sizzled.

I've posted Deca's Sizzle reel here for you all to check out. If you are a media buyer or sponsor who contacts Deca because of my blog please let me know.

And if you have a Sizzle Reel or trailer that you would like me to feature send me an email or post a link to it in the comments.

We all want you to Sizzle.