Viral Video in the Mainstream: Trends in New Original Broadband Programming

If, in today’s online universe of YouTube, MySpace, and Digg, everyone can be famous for 15 friends, how do marketers corral the every-growing consumer urge to create, deconstruct and disseminate video works? And, most importantly, how will anyone make money from original user-generated content (UGC) on the Web?

Will user-producers merely exploit an explosive media trend or point the way to a revolutionary distribution mechanism – one in which cancelled TV pilots; short films, or experimental social dialogues (both personal and professional) can be uploaded, “shared,” and discovered?

At this panel, some of the most successful producers of “viral” video on the Web will describe their approaches to leveraging the phenomenon of Web video and how it relates to mainstream media today and in the future.

Panelists:

Andrew Baron ROCKETBOOM – www.rocketboom.com
Andrew founded Rocketboom, a three-minute daily videoblog based in New York City, in October of 2004. Since its launch, the show, which covers a wide range of information and commentary – from top news stories to quirky Internet culture – has become a staple of the online video universe and is widely disseminated via RSS feeds.

Fritz Grobe, ‘Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments’, EEPY BIRD – www.eepybird.com
The founders of Eepybird have created an Internet sensation that has landed them on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ and on the ‘TODAY’ show. Their famous experiment, in which elaborately choreographed fountains of Diet Coke spurt into the air after Mentos candy is dropped into cans and bottles – a tribute to the water show at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Has seen them reep more than $28,000 from selling ad spots at the end of the video. Eepybird’s founders share their ad revenue with Revver, the online video site that originally hosted the clip.

Noah Kalina, ‘Noah K. Everyday’ – www.everyday.noahkalina.com
For 2,356 days, from January 11, 2000-July 31, 2006, Brooklyn-based professional photographer Noah Kalina photographed himself every day. The resulting video from this epic documentary project, ‘Noah K. Everyday,’ was posted on the sites YouTube and Vimeo and, in just one month, was viewed more than 2.8 million times, on its way to becoming the third-most discussed video in the history of YouTube.

Dina Kaplan, BLIP TV – www.blip.tv
Founder and COO of Blip.tv, which launched in May, 2005, Kaplan oversees all business operations for the company, which distributes its user-generated content throughout the blogosphere: to blogs, iTunes, video iPod and aggregator sites. The company offers an opt-in advertising program and splits all
revenues with its users 50/50. Blip.tv also brings videos to people’s TV sets through deals with Akimbo and TV Tonic.

Douglas Sarine/Kent Nichols, ASK A NINJA – www.askaninja.com
A weekly video podcast that launched in November 2005, ‘ASK A NINJA’ has become an Internet sensation, with more than 20 million viewings. Founded by fellow writers/improve comedians Douglar Sarine and Kent Nichols, ‘ASK A NINJA’ takes in 600 questions a day from viewers around the world and answers a question a week. Its profile on YouTube is in the top ten. It’s been on the iTunes top ten since February of 2006. It’s website receives 30,000-80,000 visitors a day.

Panel moderated by Shelly Palmer, Chairman, The Emmy Awards Advanced Media Committee, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, – www.shellypalmer.com.