The flip side of the quarterlife flop

Articles have reported that quarterlife, the online episodic that NBC licensed for television broadcast, was deemed unsuccessful when it attracted something like three million viewers on Tuesday night. In terms of broadcast television economics, that’s considered a failure, but there are a number of factors here, not the least is that it was set it up for failure from the start. But failure in broadcast does not mean the show itself is a failure, which by internet standards is quite successful in terms of the vibrancy of its online community which is evolving nicely.
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Kaltura: Wiki meets YouTube by way of Yochai Benkler

One of the most interesting presentations at the Web Video Summit today was Shay David, Chief Technology Officer of Kaltura, talking about their business, which they summarize in one phrase as “Wiki meets YouTube.”

Their site provide a set of tools that allows groups of users to collaborate online in the creation and remixing of rich media. They are capturing the synergy between two macro trends, peer production and video sharing. Kaltura offers an SDK and is engaging partners to build collaborative video authoring capabilities into their sites. Among their goals is to build the largest network of remixable materials. I think this would be of interest to video journalists, documentary filmmakers, and mission based organizations. I also find it very interesting that Shay is inspired by the ideas of shared cultural production which have been eloquently articulated by Yochai Benkler.

Short films fare better in new distribution paradigm

Shorts have always gotten short shrift in distribution, with features pushing them aside, however, the web is changing the rules and paid downloads looks like a good way for shorts to have some life in distribution and earn a little cash for their makers. One evidence point for this trend is a recent story in Variety, “Sundance expands online plan” by Michael Jones reports that the 2008 Sundance Film Festival will be pay filmmakers in the shorts program for Internet downloads through iTunes, Xbox LIVE and Netflix. According to the festival, year some short films saw revenues in the “tens of thousands of dollars,” even after iTunes and the Sundance Institute took their fees.

Making Media Now (slides from Opening Remarks)

Here are my slides from the Opening Remarks I made at the Making Media Now: Filmmaking in Transition conference held yesterday at Boston University. A special thanks to Jennifer Kaplan, Bonnie Waltch, and all the people and sponsors who made this lively and engaging event possible.

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Just a few days left to register for Making Media Now

Filmmakers Collaborative will present a full day conference at Boston University on Friday, June 1, 2007 consisting of master classes, panel discussions and keynote speakers focused on new technologies and the opportunities they create for film and media makers. A must-attend for cutting edge learning and networking opportunities for media, film, and video professionals throughout New England. Registration closes May 30, so register now! No walk-ins. For more information, call Filmmakers Collaborative at 781-647-1102 or visit the conference web site. Sessions include: Camera Seminar; Film Production Tax Incentives; Demystifying Digital Formats; Copyright Issues; Networking & Box Lunch; Welcome; Opening Remark; Where in the World Is Your Audience Now?; The Social Media Game; Making Content Interactive; Guide to resources on the web; and Case Studies.

Making Media Now: Filmmaking in Transition conference on June 1, 2007

Mark your calendar now and join me and other filmmakers at the Making Media Now: Filmmaking in Transition Conference to be held Friday, June 1, 2007, from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm at the Photonics Center at Boston, University. This day-long conference will include master classes, seminars, panel discussions with experts in the field, a plenary session, networking opportunities, a box lunch and refreshments, all focused on the opportunities that new and emerging digital technologies create for media makers. Tomorrow (May 1st) is the deadline for the $65 early-bird registration fee, after that the fee goes up to $85 for regular admission. Discounted rates apply to AIMM, MPC members, and students. Register now.

My random walk through Podcamp NYC

Podcamp NYC was an exciting podcasting event organized around un-conference ideas, with something like a hundred sessions and an amazing group of attendees, and unlike some expensive industry conferences, where you end up paying to listen to sales spiels, the unconference format strives to be different, to bring together a community of people sharing ideas, but the scale of Podcamp NYC compared to Podcamp Boston showed signs of stressing the model (can unconferences scale? That’s a discussion for another day).

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The Future of Web Video

With all the excitement over Google’s purchase of YouTube and videomakers making money putting Mentos into Diet Coke bottles, you’d think that the viral video phenomena is where all the action is. But for independent filmmakers who are looking to get some financial return on their work, there are some serious distribution and revenue opportunities emerging on the web, but it’s not YouTube. Alternative sites like Brightcove, blip.tv, IndieFlix, and CustomFlix offer a range of services to filmmakers who would like to take reaching an audience and distribution into their own hands. Scott Kirsner’s new book, The Future of Web Video: Opportunities for Producers, Entrepreneurs, Media Companies and Advertisers provides the most comprehensive guide to web video to date from materials gathered in 2005 and 2006. The books is available as an e-Book or printed book. Since sites in this space and the services they offer are changing so rapidly, it’s a good thing that Scott has made his chart, Getting Paid: Sites that Help Video Producers Make Money available online for free.

Film financing summit to be held in NYC

Women in Film and Video (WIFV) is a very active non-profit organzation that has helped countless productions in countless capacities, from research and help in funding, to outstanding seminars such as this one, to be held in New York in March could be of serious interest to filmmakers.
The 5th Annual International Film & Television Finance Summit will be held in New York at the NY Regency Hotel located at 540 Park Avenue March 6th, 7th and 8th. Moderated by WIFV/NE member Vinca Jarrett, Film Pro Finance & Law Offices of Vinca Jarrett & Assoc., Boston The Structured Finance Institute (SFI) is pleased to announce its 5th Annual Film & Television Finance Summit. This conference brings together a senior roster of international film finance professionals. These financiers, independent producers, legal advisors, and studio executives provide “hands-on” practical experience and technical knowledge on how to obtain financing for film projects. This year’s summit in New York follows successful events in Toronto, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and New York City. Highlights of this Conference * Opportunities to learn new strategies for financing film & TV Productions * Latest trends and developments in use of private equity, pre-sales, production credits and studio and mini-major financing strategies * Utilizing commercial bankers to secure financings * Insights into what buyers are looking for and how to do financings from an in-house perspective * New technologies impact on TV broadcasting and film distribution * Utilizing “soft-dollar” tax advantaged financings

Rob Ryan: Reinventing the Revenue Model

What follows are my notes from an afternoon with Rob Ryan at the MIT Sloan School, June 18, 2002. I think regardless of the business you are in, Rob’s methods are a valuable addition to your strategy toolbox.

Rob’s lecture revolved around his “Sunflower” model which he designed to help think about creating new revenue streams. A company must constantly reinvent itself, seeking out new revenue streams. Using the metaphor of the Sunflower, Products and Markets are represented by Petals, Core Technologies by the Center, and Driving Forces as the Stem. [For those who are fond of latin, the Sunflower is also known as Helianthus Annuus.]

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