MySpaceTV Launches Direct Video Upload Up To 512mb

MySpaceTV launches a direct video upload

· No apps/installs/downloads necessary, it’s in browser action.
· also announcing a new video upload amount – it’s now 512mb.
· There is also now no limit of video length moving forward.

I asked if MySpace was gong to have any rev share deals for content creators and Jason Kirk, VP of MySpaceTV said,

"at this time there are no immediate plans rev share on advertising video from Direct Upload and Record. That said, if content looks promising or finds an audience on its own we’ll certainly consider taking things further with the creator/content. "

I guess that's pretty much the same answer anywhere, "If you bring us a lot of traffic we might think about giving you some of the money."

I wonder if anyone would go to work at a online video site under those terms:

"Come work for our website and if you bring us a whole bunch of customers we might think about paying you for working here."

I have a few ideas on how I might be able to make some money using this new feature but I need to check it out a little more before I blog about it.

Here's the press release MySpace sent me:


MYSPACETV GLOBALLY LAUNCHES DIRECT VIDEO RECORD & UPLOAD FUNCTION

MySpace Users With Webcams Now Able To Upload Video To MySpaceTV Without Saving Files To Computer

Video Upload Limit Increased To 512MB; Video Length Limit Removed

NEW YORK – September 11, 2008- MySpace, the world's premier social network, today announced the launch of Direct Video Record functionality for MySpaceTV (http://www.myspacetv.com) enabling users with any webcam to directly record and upload videos to MySpaceTV without having to save a single file on their computer.

To access the new feature users simply log into their account and upload a video as they would normally, and click on the “Record a Video Now” button to start the short record and upload process. After recording, users will be able to share videos in the usual fashion throughout the site including bulletins, comments, blogs and profiles. Videos will be processed in the same way and using the same technology as regular file uploads. All videos will still be subject to MySpace’s terms and conditions. Users will be able to preview and rerecord videos before they are viewable by the public or choose to keep them private as with all other content on the site.

In addition to the launch of “Direct Video Record and Upload”, MySpaceTV is also announcing a new video upload limit of 512 megabytes per video with no upload time restriction, users still have no limit on the number of videos that can be uploaded.

“The new direct upload feature is a great addition to our constantly evolving feature set on MySpaceTV. The MySpace community is a creative group of individuals who we expect will fully utilize the direct upload with creative shows, commentaries and vlogs,” said Jason Kirk, VP of MySpaceTV. “Whether you are a musician, videoblogger, budding actor or an everyday user just looking for a job and using this tool to post a video resume, MySpaceTV makes it easier than ever before to with ‘Direct Record and Upload’. Look out for more updates and areas on the site where you can use this new tool in the future.”

Once uploaded, users will be able to share the new content they have created in a variety of ways including embedding messages on bulletins, blogs and sections throughout the MySpace community. Content will also be able to be used and shared off of the MySpace network on blogs, wikis and websites. Future upgrades of the tool will be iteratively rolled out in the next few months and will enable users to share and communicate even faster.

Where Do You Cast Your Online Videos?

Movie Studios and TV Networks hire production companies and those production companies pay casting directors thousands of dollars to use casting facilities where actors come in to audition for movies and TV shows.

Well, online videos only cost thousands of dollars - some even less. Where can you cast your online videos so that you don't look like some sleazy producer with a casting couch in your apartment?

If you're in Hollywood you can give the guys at CAZT a call or email and see if they have time available in their casting facility for FREE. That's right I said FREE. I'm using them now to cast new episodes of French Maid TV. Check out the above video for the deets.

CAZT enables casting directors, producers and directors to securely view audition videos online. CAZT profiles allow actors the opportunity to showcase their talent to casting directors, producers and director. AND with a CAZT premium membership (this is how they make their money) actors can watch their own audition video(s), read private feedback from the casting director, and post a "re-take" directly to the screen the casting director, producers and director use.

The CAZT model is different but it is allowing actors additional marketing opportunities that didn't exist before. It will be interesting to see how this works out and it it becomes a standard.

If you don't live in the Los Angeles area you might think about striking deals with local bars or churches that are closed during the day or offices with conference rooms that are closed at night.

Some people are even using the Internet and live webcams to audition people.

Where do you cast your online videos?

When Will We See New Online Video Formats From The Studios?

Sorority Forever: Episode 1 "Sisterhood"


Last night the guys from Big Fantastic invited me to a UTA / Wonderland Sound and Vision party for The WB's new show Sorority Forever. It was a fun little party in McG's office on Sunset BLVD in West Hollywood which as I was told was the former office of Ronald Reagan and SAG.

That really got me thinking about old vs new. To most people in entertainment McG is a hip cutting edge music video and motion picture director. To the kids of online video McG is established old media. McG IS Ronald Reagan.

Don't get me wrong, Sorority Forever looks like it's going to be a fun ride. It looks like it would make a great TV show and McG is truely a hip cutting edge director. I'm glad to see McG is partnering with Big Fantastic and creating online video but the video that is being created is basically a TV format. Now there's nothing wrong with TV formats. I have nothing against TV formats...except on the Internet.

I believe that if you want a successful online video series you have to create something that people can't get on TV because the TV viewing experience is still superior on a 42" plasma. The problem is that it's hard to get studios and networks to spend money on something that doesn't exist. Studios and networks need to know something has a chance of building an audience. And that's where opportunity lies for you.

In the early days of television radio formats were placed on TV because radio was where the money was. Today TV formats are being placed on the Internet because TV is where the money is and advertisers understand and have advertising that is built for those formats.

We have not yet begun to scratch the surface of formats for the Internet but there are a few shows that are testing the boundaries.



You Suck At Photoshop is one of those shows. If you haven't see the first season of You Suck At Photoshop I urge you to go check it out. EVEN IF YOU DONT CARE ABOUT OR WANT TO LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT PHOTOSHOP.

You Suck At Photoshop is a screen cast of a guy giving a Photoshop tutorial but as he works his mouse and keyboard you get back story of his life and subtext of his feelings towards the people in his life that are keeping him down. In addition to the linear video the star of the show, Donnie who you never see on camera opens the door for his audience to interact with the show.

You Suck At Photoshop is something you would never see green lit at a studio or network for regular TV but I wouldn't be surprised if it did show up on late night cable some day.

Beyond You Suck at Photoshop there are other new formats like Lonely Girl 15 that are developing but none have taken hold yet or built a huge audience and become a household name. Now is the time to put your thinking caps on and create new formats that studios and networks will be interested in licensing from you.

If you have a new format or know of one please share the URL.

Online Video Leaders: Jeff Macpherson

Photo by Tim Street
This photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license. If you use this photo within the terms of the license or make special arrangements to use the photo, please list the photo credit as "Tim Street / 1timstreet.com" and link the credit to 1timstreet.com.



Online Video Leaders is a new blog series I'm doing about leaders in the online video industry who I believe are breaking new ground and leading the way as we build this new industry.

For my first featured Online Video Leader I thought I would feature the person who inspired me to leave a life of producing television. A life where I was working for studios and networks who owned all the content I created. A life where I made good money but didn't get residual income. A life where I just wanted to escape and have a refreshing cocktail that would clear my mind and let me creatively run free. That person was Tiki Bar TV's Dr. Tiki AKA Jeff Macpherson. I'm sure I'm not the only one inspired by Jeff but I think he has had a much bigger effect on me than anyone else.

I had been working in entertainment marketing for several years creating TV promos, interstitials, movie trailers and commercials for Hollywood studios and TV networks but I didn't own anything I created. I would write, produce and direct industrial sales tapes for new TV shows, build websites to market movies, create online stories to launch new shows and it was creative and fun but at the end of the day I wasn't really driving the boat. I didn't get any credits for my work and worst of all I didn't own what I was creating.

That all changed when one day I got a call from Spike TV. I had been working for Spike creating promos and interstitial programing for them when at about 5PM on a Friday afternoon Spike called and asked if I could shoot something the next day on Saturday. I thought it would be something like covering a red carpet movie premier with a camera crew but when I ask asked Spike what they wanted me to shoot they said, "We were wondering if you could shoot some hot girls in lingerie reading cheat codes to videos games for the Spike TV Video Game Awards?" Without hesitation I said, "Absolutely!" My next question was, "Where are we shooting?" they replied, "We were hoping you could find a place." Then I asked, "Who are the girls?" They said, "Well, we were hoping you could find some girls." I said, "OK, do you at least have the cheat codes?"

The next day I was building a set in my office and casting beautiful women who were stripping down to their lingerie and once they were cast they would read cheat codes to some videos games. Not only was this funny, it was fun and I asked myself how could I do something like this, make money at it and own it.

I had been creating videos and interactive stories on the Internet for a couple of years at that point but I hadn't been able to make money at it directly. I would build creepy stories that used video, text and photos to tell a story but I couldn't figure out how to make money with it other than getting work from studios to create content that they owned. So with the Hot Girls in Lingerie Read Cheat Codes in my mind I came up with some silly idea about women dressed as French Maids teaching guys things but I didn't have a way to make money at it so I started searching for videos on the Internet that might be funny, sexy and some how making money and that's when I stumbled across Dr Tiki.

It was the Summer of 2005 and by Googling I some how found this thing called DTV that played a video called Tiki Bar TV. Tiki Bar TV was awesome. It had three main characters: a bartender named Johnny Johnny who wore a fez hat, a doctor, Dr. Tiki who made things better by writing cocktail prescriptions and a sexy drunk brunette named LaLa who was every guy's late night bar fantasy. These three people would hang out with other occasional bar patrons at a Tiki Bar, making cocktails, giving out the drink recipes and being silly. Tiki Bar TV had sharp witty writing that was fresh and like nothing I'd ever seen on TV. It had everything I was looking for and I was in love.

Now remember the Apple iPod was very popular at this time in 2005 but at that time it only played music and audio podcasts but this guy, this Dr. Tiki had figured out a way to use video with RSS and get listed in the iTunes music store even though his podcast was video. When I saw that I knew I was dealing with a genius. From what I could figure this guy was shooting a show in what looked like his apartment (which it was) he had his drinking buddy and his girlfriend (I'm still not sure about that) acting in his show and was getting global distribution through Apple iTunes. I was blown away.

This guy was already doing what I wanted to do, I could see how I could connect the dots on getting sponsors to sponsor the show and I was sure a video iPod was on it's way. I had to partner with Dr. Tiki. I fired off an email to Dr.Tiki and introduced myself. He replied and we began an email and phone conversation that led to me jumping on a plane from Hollywood and heading to Vancouver where the show was shot.


Photo by Tim Street
This photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license. If you use this photo within the terms of the license or make special arrangements to use the photo, please list the photo credit as "Tim Street / 1timstreet.com" and link the credit to 1timstreet.com.


Once in Vancouver Jeff, Kevin Gamble (Johnny Johnny) and Lara Doucette (LaLa) welcomed me with open arms and using my 2 new Sony HDV cameras we shot an episode of Tiki Bar TV in 16:9 aspect ratio because I was convinced that the Video iPod was going to debut with a wide screen video viewer. After we were done shooting we went out bar hopping in Vancouver and had a night of fun and frivolity that left me with a headache in the morning and a time I would never forget. I got to visit the set of Tiki Bar TV!


Well, I was wrong about the 16:9 video iPod but when the video iPod did debut in Steve Job's Key Note address Tiki Bar TV was featured by Steve Jobs as an example of the new kinds of video content that would be available on the video iPod. Tiki Bar TV immediately shot to number one as the most subscribed to podcast on iTunes and the gang was very excited. Jeff and his team had created a video series that caught the eye of a major corporate executive and captured the attention of the online world.

Dr. Tiki and I were never able to come up with an agreement that would allow us to work together but Jeff did get a private investor that had a whole lot more to offer than I did and we went our separate ways.

There are many times that I wish I could have come to a mutual agreement to work on Tiki Bar TV but I'm thankful I wasn't able to because had I become part of the Tiki Bar TV gang I would have never created French Maid TV.

Jeff Macpherson has been an inspiration to me on so many levels. Jeff is a pioneer of the online video industry and a true Online Video Leader.

I can't wait to see what Jeff's next project is.

If you are interested in sponsoring Tiki Bar TV or one of Jeff's future shows shoot me an email and I will gladly hook you up.

Tubemogul Launches Marketplace for Online Video Producers and Advertisers

Today the leading online video super syndication/distribution analytics company Tubemogul launched a marketplace that is a dating site for online video content creators and advertisers complete with profiles, viewership statistics and more.

Right now the FREE Tubemogul Marketplace just covers stats of Flash videos but Tubemogul CEO Brett Wilson tells me that more features are on their way and may include the listing of Quicktime / downloadable stats as well.

I had a chance to speak with Brett about the launch of the Tubemogul Marketplace while I was at the New Media Expo in Vegas. After you watch that video be sure to see if your videos are already listed in the Tubemogul Top 40. If not you may want to set up a profile.

I'm very excited about Tubemogul launching this marketplace I think it will give brand marketers, advertisers and media buyers the statistics they need to make the right buys for the brands they represent and more importantly it will give independent content producers a fighting chance to be seen for the views they have and how they compare to cable TV views.

If only independent online video producers got paid cable TV CPM rates, our world would be a better place and here's out chance.

Thanks Tubemogul.

Hopefully other companies will follow your lead and we will see several companies competing the way text ads competed.

A New Twitter Superstar is Born

Tonight the Twitter is a buzz about the Republican National Convention. Tweets are coming from both sides of the Isle and as Sarah Palin delivers her address the FakeSarahPalin chimes in with tweets like "WILLOW STOP LICKING YOUR BROTHER" and "THAT'S YOUR CUE TO STAND UP WITH THE BABY, DANG IT!!!11!"

"NOW STAND UP AND CHEER FOR ME SUCKERS!!!! Ok ok ok ok ok now, let's get our hate on. This is gonna be fun"

As of this posting FakeSarahPalin has 1300 followers.

The real Sarah Palin 400

An Unknown Hollywood Legend Dies

Thanks to Liz Shannon Miller of NewTeeVee for this video.

Most people know his voice but few knew his name or what he looked like. In recent years he was featured on camera in Geico commercials playing himself but even still he was an Unknown Hollywood Legend.

I was lucky enough to work with that legend Don LaFontaine, who was THE voice of movie trailers and I was always in awe of Don.

Don loved what he did and he loved sharing what he did. When I would direct Don I would just hand him a script, sit back and let him read. Don didn't need direction. Don directed himself. If he messed up or needed to do it a different way he knew before anyone else. He was at the top of his game.

When I worked with Don he had a limo that drove him from recording studio to recording studio to do reads that would take him 15 minutes or less in and out and he was booking $40,000 per day in voice over work. Don was always a gentleman. He would even take people along for the ride in his limo and let them see what his day was like, giving them tips along the way on how they could get into the voice over business.

I once asked Don what trailer he had made the most money doing and he told me that it wasn't one trailer but that it was one Steven Seagal movie. It might have been Hard To Kill. Anyway, Don said he did a couple teaser trailers, a couple regular trailers, the TV commercials, several trailers for the VHS home video release including sell through, rental and industry trailers and screeners, then he did TV commercials for the VHS, then he did TV promos for the pay-per-view, TV promos for the PAY TV version, TV promos for the regular TV version and then he did more and more promos for the DVD release and the TV commercials for the DVD release of the movie. Don LaFontaine told me that he made more money doing voice over work on that Steven Seagal movie then Steven Seagal made starring in the movie.

Don went on to tell me that when he walked up to Steven Seagal at an awards show and introduced himself to Steven, Steven Seagal had no idea who he was and just nodded politely and walked away.

Don loved telling that story and Don loved what he did for a living. Don will be missed for a long time to come.

All I Want for Christmas is a Way to Dynamically Deliver Ads into Quicktime Videos for FREE

So I was thinking about what I want for Christmas this year and the only thing that popped in my head was that I want some technology. I want the really cool kind of technology that Volo, Podaddies and Castfire have to deliver dynamically inserted ads into Quicktime Video and I would also like this technology for FREE. Then maybe as a stocking stuffer I could go for some hip ad networks that have advertising inventory that they want to deliver to people who watch videos on their iPhones and iPods.

"Tim, the research, programming, hard work, sweat and tears that went into this technology is worth something. Why would you dare ask for it for FREE?"

That's a good question and here's my answer.

The current rate card for these technologies run at about a $5 CPM to dynamically deliver ads into Quicktime video. If I want to build out my inventory, get it up and running and test it with my own promos, cross promos from my friends or even run some CPA ads I can't afford a $5 CPM because I deliver too many videos and I would go broke.

"Well you have to spend money to make money Tim."

Yes you do, but you don't have to spend money on technology that won't pay for itself.

"But Tim, it will pay for itself. If you install it advertisers will come."

OK, then how about you install it for FREE and let's watch the advertisers come?

Well, I ah, I'm going to need to, ah let me talk to my boss.

OK. While you are talking to your boss I'm going to talk to some friends of mine on the Internet and find out how close they are to finishing video ad insertion for Quicktime that will run on the Open X banner ad server I installed FOR FREE to deliver banner ads on my site. Cause there are several people working on it.

Hey Chris Pirillo how is your little video ad insertion project coming?

Hurricane Gustav Ushers In Interactive Television

Photo: Steve Garfield.com


I was expecting EQAL the creators of Lonely Girl 15 to create a show that would bring Interactive TV to the masses but it looks like it was Hurricane Gustav that made Interactive TV happen on a large scale last night with CNN's Rick Sanchez and Twitter.

Sure there's American Idol's text messaging and email and Facebook and yes using those platforms are interactive with TV shows but they don't have a back channel like the instant micro blogging site Twitter does. Twitter is a service where viewers/users can see what other viewers/users are talking about even if a TV show that is using it doesn't feature a user's comments.

Now it wasn't a perfect situation last night with CNN and Twitter. I was waiting for the ever overtaxed Twitter to go down every time CNN gave out the Twitter URL on-air and indeed I did see the Twitter "fail whale" (When Twitter crashes, users see the "fail whale" error message.) a couple of times but Twitter came back and kept working. Overall Rick Sanchez and his producer did a great job of using Twitter to interact with their viewers by using Twitter spending their time reading tweets from viewers on the ground near the storm and online humanitarians like Andy Carvin who spent the weekend setting up the Gustav Information Center and used Twitter to get the word out.

Moving forward with Twitter I think that with the proliferation of live video services like Ustream, Qik, Stickam and other services we are going to see new Interactive Television Shows incubate at speeds traditional TV development could never move at and based on last night I see News organization like CNN, Fox, MSNBC and others becoming potential investors or even buyers of Twitter.

If you are a producer considering creating an Interactive Television show you should take a close look at using Twitter with a Live Video streaming services today because your competition already has.