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.

Guess Who's Investing in Original Independent Online Video?

It's not Revver.

It's Deca!

According to Paid Content "Digital entertainment company Deca has invested in Smosh, taking an undisclosed stake in the teen-centric online video brand. The Santa Monica-based content development, marketing and sales studio will handle everything, including ad sales, business development and distribution for Smosh. Deca co-founder and CEO Michael Wayne told paidContent that Smosh was already “profitable” from advertising; it currently runs Google AdSense-powered search and display ads."

Currently the third most subscribed YouTube channel of all time, Smosh is sketch comedy for teens and tweens by 20-year-olds Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. With more than 175 million views, Smosh videos have become a pop culture phenomenon. Their site, Smosh.com, features video extras, robust forums, and a growing community of more than 340,000 registered members, who contribute to more than five million page views each month.

Now you as a sophisticated media professional might not see the value in two guys in a bedroom punching each other to the tune of the Mortal Kombat Theme but there are over 13 million views of this one video that prove that you need to face facts and realize that just because something is not appealing to you it still has an audience and has value.

As a young adult I was a producer on a variety show on Nickelodeon called What Would You Do? It was a show with hidden cameras and lots of pies. I swore to myself that I was an adult and that I was not going to let a kids' show with pies make me laugh but oh how I was wrong. Every time someone went through the Piepod, the Pie Coaster or was hit with a pie from the Wall o' Stuff I laughed my ass off.

Now you as a media buyer or brand manager might pause at associating your brand with a a show as wild and crazy as Smosh but times have changed. Smosh is the 3rd most subscribed channel on YouTube and Smosh has over 175 Million views. Someone likes and is watching Smosh and this is a huge opportunity for you as an advertiser to get in front of an audience that really cares about these guys.

Sure you can try and go make your own Smosh and get over 175 Million views but while you're doing that someone else is going to be sponsoring Smosh while you are still trying to get 1 million views.

So what are you waiting for? Call Karl House Director, Business Development at 310.587.3535 x 103 or email him at khouse@deca.tv and sponsor Smosh before your competitors do.

Micro Celebrity

Pop17, a daily exploration to track, analyze and understand the new cultural phenomenon of online micro-celebrity launched today. It includes some Internet fame survey results from interviews in NYC asking people if they have heard of Robert Scoble, Homestar Runner, LisaNova, Tila Tequila, Rihanna, Perez Hilton, Tay Zonday, Chris Crocker, Smosh and Lauren Caitlin Upton.

Micro Celebrity status is a pretty funny thing. I've received many free drinks and dinners just because I have a popular online video but that only goes so far. Last year at MacWorld I hung out with Rocketboom's Andrew Baron one night and we went party hoping getting into parties and party VIP rooms until we came upon a MacWorld party where we were not on the list and they had never heard of Rocketboom or French Maid TV. We asked if it was a MacWorld party and they said. "Yes." We asked what company was sponsoring the party and they explained that it was a party for the people who put the booths together for MacWorld - They were the convention people who produced the MacWorld EXPO. Andrew and I didn't get in to that party.

Two years ago I was walking the trade show floor at the New Media EXPO with Robert Scoble and everyone was saying hello to him "left and right" until we got to a very crowded Nokia booth where they were showing a new camera phone that recorded video. Now I had met the guy from Nokia (who was from Finland) before at a Podcast Academy but Robert had not. I could tell that Robert really wanted to get his hands on that new camera phone and he introduced himself to the guy saying, "Hi, I'm Robert Scoble." The guy from Nokia introduced himself saying, "Nice to meet you." Then the Nokia guy went on to chat with other people who want to see the camera phone. Robert introduced himself again and I chimed in and explained who Robert was but it was kind of like explaining a joke to someone from another country. The Nokia guy had no idea who Robert was but he did take Robert's card and I wouldn't be surprised if Robert did end up getting one of those phones for free.

Last year at NAB I was hanging out with my best friend Ted who runs a camera company that's pretty popular in the motion picture industry and we went bar hopping in Vegas and the drinks were free because the bar tenders knew who Ted was but eventually we came to a bar where they had no idea and the drinks were pretty expensive.

Ted and I have been at the same conferences at the same time many times and in the old days when no one knew us we would go to parties together and have a blast. Now neither one of us wants to leave our circles of friends and go to the other one's parties because no one will know us there. Ted and I talk about it and how it's fun being a big fish in a little pond and how we are both having the most fun professionally that we have ever had we just wonder if the day will come when we can enjoy our "Micro Celebrity" status at the same party at the same time together.

Digital Hollywood

I've spent a good portion of the last two days at Digital Hollywood. It's a event that has a ton of six person panels pontificating about anything and everything digital. Creative people are far and few between the suits of tech marketing people trying to launch the next white label do it yourself broadband channel for studios and networks.

Hayden Black of Goodnight Burbank and Abigail's X-rated Teen Diary http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif Paul Kontonis from For Your Imagination and John Evershed from Mondo Media the people that bring you Happy Tree Friends were but a few of the video peeps there.

Victor Harwood puts on a great show that brings in key players that know their stuff. If you are looking to get in to anything in Digital Entertainment Digital Hollywood is the place to start.

Walking around the trade show floor I was hoping to find other companies that are doing what Revver has been doing for the last year or so and that's dumping money in my Paypal account every month for advertising that they place on my videos but unfortunately I didn't find any of those types of companies exhibiting on the floor or having cocktails at the parties. I bet once the whole YouTube Advertising thing takes off other companies will copy what Revver is doing.

I'll be back there today as at the last minute The Daily Reel has asked me to join a panel they have at Digital Hollywood about Viral Videos. I'm looking forward to being on a panel with Judson Laipply, Creator of "Evolution of Dance", Ben Relles the Prodcuer of "Obama Girl", Lisa Donovan the creator and star of "LisaNova", Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox the Creators of "Smosh and Mark Day the editor of Rooftop Comedy who will be moderating it.