eGuiders named "Curator of the Month" on YouTube!

Check out our special video made just for the occasion. Click on the link at the end of the video to go directly to our YouTube channel and see our featured playlists and original content!

NATPE LATV Fest: eGuiders Evangelizes Web Video Curation

NATPE, the National Association of Television Program Executives, is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of digital video content in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms.

I was fortunate to be able to represent eGuiders during a panel discussion entitled "Deepening The Audience Experience With Online Programming." It was a packed house and I shared some of my experience about what works and doesn't work when trying to extend a TV show online with video.

I cursed a little, I laughed a little, I even at one point was going to throw a chair into the audience just to mix it up a bit. There were some really smart people on the panel as well. David Bloom form Words and Deeds was moderating and he did a fantastic job at keeping the conversation moving. Marc DeBevoise, SVP, Digital Media of Starz Network was there, Greg Goodfriend, Co-Founder of EQAL (LonleyGirl15 & Harper's Globe) gave some good feedback about creating story extensions for TV shows online. Lisa Hsia, SVP, Bravo Digital Media dished some knowledge about Real Housewives of NJ and Hardie Tankersley was there, he is the VP of Innovation and Partnerships for Fox.com.

Overall, we agreed that value added content needs to be done creatively from every aspect - budgets, story, marketing, etc... I know Greg and I agree that the more the vision can come from the showrunner and organically expand the characters and themes of the show, audiences will be more engaged with the programming. As always, content is king. However, the need to be able to market and get the word out about this type of programming is still essential to its success.

Thanks to Daisy Whitney and Jordan Ryder for inviting me to participate. Some of the highlights included our panel (of course), Gavin McGarry's presentation on disrupting the old guard of TV. Running into my old friend Adam Steinman from IMG, Ross Levinsohn from Fuse Capital gave an insightful talk about finding VC money. And the debate over "What is considered a "view" when discussing online video" is always good for a few laughs and cringes. Both parties were a ton of fun and lots of quality schmoozing. Here's a few pictures from the event. Enjoy!

Associate Press gives a shout out to eGuiders.com

Happy Friday. I wanted to share some more good news about eGuiders. Yesterday afternoon a story about the site came out in the Associated Press. Jake Coyle, the writer of the article, got some great quotes from Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Many thanks to Jake for getting the human element of our story. I don't know, but I'm thinking a Pulitzer Prize could be in his future for this piece... The article has since been picked up by over 100 news outlets in North America. It may reach 200 –300 by Monday. Here are the outlets that ran the story so far:

Yahoo News
MSN Entertainment
MSNBC
ABCNews.com
CBSNews.com
Washington Post
Chicago Tribune
Newsday
Hartford Courant
Austin American Statesman
Baltimore Sun
Orlando Sentinel
Contra Costa Times
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Sacramento Bee
Seattle Times
Philadelphia Inquirer
Denver Post
The Record
Modesto Bee
AOL Canada
Myrtle Beach Sun News
Metromix.com
Lethbridge Herald
The Olympian
Metro Canada
Winnipeg Free Press
Merced Sun Star
The State (SC)
The Times Picayune
San Jose Mercury News
Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Brandon Sun
The Canadian Press
Kentucky.com
Belleville News Democrat
Centre Daily Times
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Maximum Edge
Fresno Bee
The Southern Ledger
Idahostatesman.com
Monterey County Herald
Ithaca Journal
The Salinas Californian
Times Union (Albany)
NJ.com (Newark Star-Ledger)
Heraldonline.com
Examiner.com
The Oregonian
Mid Columbia Tri City Herald
WGNtv.com (Chicago)
myPHL17.com (Philadelphia)
Reflector.com
Syracuse.com
The Patriot News
KTLA.com (Los Angeles)
KWGN.com (Denver)
Fox4kc.com (Kansas City)
Myutahjazz.com
Bay Ledger News Zone
39online.com (Houston)
Daylife.com
Topix.com
Dailypress.com (VA)
Whnt.com (Alabama)
Newsmeat.com
Mlive.com (Michigan)
Masslive.com (Massachusetts)
WTOP.com (Washington, DC)
CFnews13.com (Central Florida)
CJAD.com (Quebec)
Canadaeast.com
Omaha World Herald
The Express Times
Findlaw.com
Inform.com
Medicine Hat News

Traffic for the site has been through the roof since the 17th of February. Our first newsletter also went out today. Please visit eGuiders.com and subscribe. It's a great way to stay in the loop for all the latest videos.

A new spotlight section is also going live on Monday and it's gonna be a good one!

Okay, it's time to play with little Mitzi. She's just too much fun!!

Marc

eGuider Update

Just Getting Familiar With This Cool Facebook Feature.   I haven't posted in a while.  Just slammed trying to get my site running like butter.

Check out eGUIDERS.COM when you have a chance.

Thanks,

MO

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Merry Christmas

Okay, a friend of mine from high-school and fellow eGuider, Nicole Snyder, turned me onto John Roberts' YouTube videos. When I started looking at some of his other very funny Jewish Mom impersonations, this one struck a chord for Christmas. This guy just nails this character. If you're not a kid from Long Island, Miami Beach or some other Jewish suburb, this may be a bit strange. But trust me, this kid brings up some funny and horrifying memories. Thank the good lord for overbearing moms and the comedy they have subsequently produced. As my mentor, David Milch, says - Storytelling is turning the pain of the past is the future tense of joy.

Merry Christmas everyone. Have a piece of honey-baked ham for me!

The Daily Online Video Fix: YouTube HD

Will this be the death of Vimeo?  YouTube just released their HD section with a super huge player.  

The Daily Online Video Fix: Sarah Palin Turkey Fiasco

Yes, the election may be over, but the fun continues.  I thought for Thanksgiving, I would add this video which became an instant classic as soon as it hit the internet.  Thanks to John Rota for sending this out last week as soon it came online. 

My lord, what a PR nightmare.  No matter how many times I watch this, I can not help but to burst out laughing.  And I still have no idea what she is saying!   This video just works on so many levels.  It captures the drama of life and death, it is a classic comedy of errors, it exemplifies Palin's "blissful ignroance", it couldn't be more topical and ultimately reinforces why this cooky governor from Alaska is not ready for prime-time.

This holiday, I will be giving thanks that John McCain and Sarah Palin where not elected into office.   

The Daily Online Video Fix: Tech Crunch Post

There was a great post that I wanted to share in today Tech Crunch blog.   I usually post videos, but I thought this article on what makes an online video popular, was too fascinating too keep to myself.    I hope you enjoy and please let me know your thoughts!

READ THE POST HERE.

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Mario Brother Parodies

Since Donkey Kong's inception over 25 years ago, American pop culture has been fascinated with Mario, the hero character from the Nintendo's addictive video game. Soon after the success of DK, Mario was given his own adventure, starring Mario the plumber and his brother Luigi. CLICK HERE to get the full history of Mario Brothers according to Wikipedia

There has been a ton of merchandising, spin-offs and other schlock out there that has furthered the Mario Brothers legacy, but in terms of original online video I think the two videos below are great examples of quality content that have stuck a chord with audiences. Both videos are very different, but each are successful in their own way.

"Mario: Game Over" by POYKPAC was nominated for Best Comedy Video of 2007 in the Youtube Awards. The talented comedy troop had racked up an impressive 9,600,000 views and was originally posted in May 2007. Writer/Director Ryan Hunter does a great job with the cast. The down-home effects add to the charm of this indie production as well. I love that these guys just went out and made this on their own. No branding, sponsors, etc., just some good old fashion talent and determination.

On the other side of the spectrum comes Seth McFarline's short, which is part of his new original online series CAVALCADE. The series are a bunch of humorous shorts that are made for those with severe ADD. The pieces are quick, funny and have that McFarline flair. In case you have been living under a rock, Seth MacFarlane is the creator of Family Guy and American Dad. This online venture is sponsored by Burger King, which I think is a very smart move for the burger flipping giant. This Mario video has reached 6,100,000 people in one month. My only issue with the video is I wish it was longer.

Nintendo, thanks for giving us Mario. Hopefully, someone will soon make a few online videos with Activision's PITFALL hero. That guy was nuts, too!

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Lexus's L/Studio

It's nice to see that certain branded entertainment is being targeted to an older, affluent, educated audience.  I was starting to think that only slick, porn parodies and renegade surfer viral ads were populating the Internet.

L/Studio, Lexus's online video channel, was created to share culture, entertainment and design. Below are a few examples of some of the programming that I thought was compelling to share.

All the content is well produced and very professional.    

WEB THERAPY is a comedy series starring Lisa Kudrow from Friends fame.  She is a self-absorbed shrink who's short sessions take place over web cameras.   I thought they were funny for those who like there humor on the dry and dark side.  Don Roos an industry vet, co-wrote with Lisa Kudrow and directed the series.

PUPPY LOVE is a trailer for an upcoming series about, you guessed it, puppies.   Looks cute for those who love small, fuzzy animals.  

And finally, my favorite, is a clip of Ray Manzarek, keyboardist from The Doors, giving us a little "Light My Fire" on solo organ.  This is one of three clips.  Very cool.

After watching, did I feel like buying a Lexus?  Not really.  But my respect for the car company went up a few notches.  And it did reinforce for me that their brand is associated with hi-quality, original products that push the norm.    Lexus should feel good about their effort with L/Studio.  Now, I just hope they get the eyeballs to justify creating more content.

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Jesus Is My Friend

In honor of Sarah Palin and the global economic crisis, I thought this online video - Jesus Is My Friend by Sonseed - is a perfect pick-me-up. The song is catchy, the message is pure and it really puts a smile on your face. It reminds me of some of the early tongue-and-cheek songs by Ray Davies and The Kinks.

With over 850,000 views on YouTube, this is surely to become a classic video in no time.

I hope Sonseed gets back together for a few more toe-tappin', faith-based tunes to turn all those frowns upside down.

Paul Cibis, another fan of this video, had this to say about Jesus Is My Friend -

When life gets you down and you find yourself in a panic about the economay collapsing, terrorism on the rise abroad, and hurricanes destroying our coasts, where is the one place you can always turn to bring peace and joy to your heart? 1980's public access white people playing Christian ska music!!! Everything about this video from the music, to the clothes, to the film stock is so uncool that it laps itself and becomes freaking awesome.

Well said for sure. Hope you dig the vibe!

The Daily Online Video Fix: Web Series, LOCKOUT

As promised, I wanted to share with you a bunch of webisodes from my documentary series LOCKOUT.  These videos were originally produced and licensed  to Eveo.com in 1999 during the first Internet boom.    They were intended to have a guerilla filmmaking style to inspire other video enthusiasts to submit videos.    The site was basically YouTube before there was a YouTube. I was one of the few people that were paid to seed the site with content for their launch.  Unfortunately, most people in 1999 did not have broadband connections and the streaming time was very slow.  Hence the dot-com crash of  2001.

The series focuses on the creative process of breaking bands in New York and Los Angeles.  I am posting these videos as a way to get a sense of what was being produced back then and how original content for the Internet created its own form.   

I feel the greatest success of this series was capturing the energy and passion of those individuals I was documenting.   It's up close and personal.     Out of the handful of artists I featured, Linkin Park by far was the greatest success.  That year they released their debut album and became the biggest selling act of the year (see the videos in my previous post about the series).

Below are the additional video clips from the series.  I hope you dig them and feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. 

The Daily Online Video Fix: A Shot of Jewish Humor For The New Year!

Happy Rosh Hashanah!   I thought it would be appropriate to share a couple of memorable online videos that relate to the new year of 5679.

PHONE ATONE is a new comedy that ties in the current race to the white house, while HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH is a hip-hop animation that is meant to get you grooving to temple.  

Both videos were produced by BIRTH-RIGHT, a Jewish organization that funds educational trips to Israel for teenagers and young adults, free of charge.   I think these videos serve as an excellent strategy to get young people interested in Jewish traditions in a fun, modern context that is relatable.   It also shows how original online entertainment can target specific audiences and succeed.   HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH (made in 2006) has over 150,000 views, while PHONE ATONE has over 730,000 views.   

Check out these videos and let me know your thoughts!

Shalom...

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Zeitgiest, Federal Reserve

I thought the last post may have been a little too flip about the economic disaster facing our country at the moment, so I wanted to post a more sobering online video that may shed some light on one of the most mysterious institutions - The Federal Reserve. I think this clip from the film Zeitgeist does a great job of giving us a background on hot the reserve was formed and how it operates. Even though this film is labeled a conspiracy film, I think it holds a lot of valuable information. The word conspiracy is sometimes used to marginalize the truth and make people think that this type of content is fiction. Sometimes, I wish it was so... As Americans, this is a very rough time and I hope this video can help give us a little understanding of the forces that shape and drive this nation.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Diesel Viral Ad Goes Nuts

With the stock market collapsing and people losing everything, I thought this video may inject some much needed escapism into the day.

Diesel's viral marketing campaign created this shock video. At first glance, it's brilliant, funny and down-right nutty.

The only problem is that it's rip off of Prono Tapados, a publication of 2006 by Paloma Blanco. Hate to be the buzz-kill, but want to keep it real.

Nevertheless, it's still a great example of a creative, edgy video being produced by a big clothing company, even if the idea was stolen from a spanish print ad.


http://view.break.com/577249 - Watch more free videos

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW IT WAS PLAGIARIZED

Paul Newman: We Will Miss You

Today, at 83, we lost Mr. Newman to cancer.  His legacy will be remembered forever.  His career spanned over six decades and I think he was one of America's greatest actors and humanitarians.  

Thank you for giving us so much.

Below is a short clip from Iconoclasts in 2007, that brings Redford and Newman back together.

  

The Daily Online Video Fix: So Bad It's Amazing

I wanted to share a couple of videos that could be filed under the category - So Bad It's Amazing.

First up is Jonah Sky's "That's What Friends Are For".  It's a piece of classic inadvertent Jewish humor.   The VHS tape of Seth's Bar-Mitzvah was found at Jonah's grandmother's house (she is in the blue/green dress).   I'm not sure if the whole family is tone deaf or everyone is just loaded on Manischewitz and Xanax.   You be the judge.    And if you think I am just some eccentric video junkie who's overdosed on too much online content, there are over 240,000 other video addicts who experimented with the addictive new comedy sub-genre of So Bad It's Amazing.

Next up, is "Who Needs A Movie?", a video that now has over 850,000 views.  John Waters would be proud.  This takes the So Bad It's Amazing sub-genre to another level.   A combination of low-rent graphics and a performance that would make Steven Wright seem jovial, sends this promo video into the comedy stratosphere.   It may almost be worth it to hire these guys just to make sure their "signature voice" gets heard by millions.   I'd love to see some of their finished wedding or business promo videos.  If their clients didn't have a sense of humor, they may have blow their brains out.   Hopefully, no one got hurt and they will be uploaded soon for the world to enjoy!  

The Daily Online Video Fix: Dr. Horrible's Sing Along

This is going to be the future of online content. Professional, dynamic and originally web-centric. Love the pacing, performances, lighting and overall production value. It's evident that Joss Whedon really gets what makes the medium work. Hulu's site really is also easy on the eyes. The player is elegant and clean. This is a short blog entry since it is Friday, the debate is on and it's time to step away from computer. I repeat, step away from the computer. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Daily Online Video Fix: Studio Visit Webisodes

As promised, here are a few more webisodes from the original online series STUDIO VISIT. The series reveals the creative process of visual artists.  These short documentaries first appeared on Eveo during the Internet revolution of 1999.  Check out my earlier post (Getting Hooked on New Media) for more info about the creation of this show.  Thanks!

The Daily Online Video Fix: Coma on Crackle

Yesterday evening I opened my new issue of Wired magazine and was surprised to find a DVD of COMA, Crackle's new online series directed by P.R. Brown.   Actually, what surprised me was that Sony (who owns Crackle.com) had the balls to promote original online programming in such a big way!  

The show is banking that the star power of Michael Madsen and George Hamilton will drive eyeballs to the series.  The free DVD proves that the studio is committed to spend some major bucks on marketing their series on traditional media platforms, such as print.  I hope it works for them. It definitely got me curious.  I'm sure Fox and Disney's Stage 9 is watching closely to see if Coma is successful.   If so, I'm sure others will be stepping up to the plate soon with their own traditional marketing campaigns.  

I guess the big question really is - how is the show?  My one line reaction on the first episode:  I thought it was huge on style, light on substance.   A lot of work went into this series and it shows. I just wish more time was spent on the story.    That's just my take.  I've included the first episode below so you can make up your own mind.  Enjoy!

From Crackle: Coma, Ep 1: The Blazer