The Fake News

Format: Bi-weekly Video Blog
Length: 2-4 minutes
Genre: Comedy, News, Politics

An animated version of Norm MacDonald delivers a regular dose of Daily Show-quality zingers on the day’s news at a rapid-fire pace. What’s not to like? The Fake News is a product of Ted Turner’s SuperDeluxe, the website that’s been keeping once-Sitcom-caliber comedians busy since 2006. And it has no finer regular program than The Fake News, a lightning-fast dose of current-event chuckles from a truly great comedian.

The animated version of Norm MacDonald, while somewhat restricted in physical expressions, actually seems to free the comedian to the point where he can literally control all creative aspects of the show (other than the actual animation, doubtless) since there is no need to shoot the show in the first place. Norm keeps the humor PG for the most part, however his punchy writing infallibly takes a news story and speaks directly to the point. An exceprt:

“Vice President Dick Cheney met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to discuss lowering oil prices. After hours of intense discussion, the two arrived at a unanimous conclusion: Naaaah.”

Who would like it: Politics and news junkies who like to laugh.
Demographic: 18-50
Sponsorship Opportunities: Brands targeting educated consumers, particularly Gen X.
Product Placement Opportunities: Elements inside the animated world have sponsorship potential.
Press: (none).

GolfNow TV

Format: Daily Video Blog
Length: 2-4 minutes
Genre: Sports, Game Show

Whether or not golf is your thing, a good idea is a good idea. And GolfNow TV seems to be just that: entertaining, daily content that covers a very broad audience and also fits beautifully into an existing service. GolfNow.com is a very smart company that allows users to research, search for discounts, and book tee times online. The addition of a competition which would reward users with (naturally) golf-oriented prizes is a natural fit. However, the infusion of this competition with video is what makes GolfNow TV a stunning example of successful proprietary content.

Each day host Keri Murphy offers users the opportunity to win shwag, and reveals the answer and winner of the previous show. Typically the journey into discovering the answer to the previous day’s challenge is quite fascinating, even for those who have little to no interest in the sport of golf. GolfNow TV is very well produced and has the potential to grow a sizable audience, as well as open up some very interesting doors in the realm of sponsorship for interactive video. That, and there are certainly worse things one could do than spend 3 minutes a day watching the stunning Keri in action.

Who would like it: Golfers, wanna-be golfers, sports trivia buffs.
Demographic: 25-60
Sponsorship Opportunities: Luxury and sports-related brands.
Product Placement Opportunities: Any golf-related business. Fashion for Keri. There is also tremendous potential to cross-pollinate the brand with other sports such as Tennis.
Press: Silicon Alley Insider.

The Onion News Network

Format: Content Channel
Length: 2-4 minutes
Genre: Comedy, News, Politics

At a time when the internet was saturated with Daily Show knock-offs, the premiere source of satirical news for over 20 years, The Onion, took a big risk in unleashing their tongue-in-cheek political news video upon the world. Thankfully it paid off. Benefiting from the freedom of the interactive video format, The Onion has created its own universe in which TV panel discussions have rowdy arguments over how we can raise Darfur’s awareness of how much we are doing for them, Congressmen confess to murdering hobos in a Sizzler parking lot, and political analysts discuss how bullsh*t is the most important issue for voters in the Presidential election.

The Onion releases 2-3 new clips each week which can be found on their website, as well as on YouTube and iTunes. The production team puts great time and care into creating TV-quality segments, and the result is far and away some of the best comedic internet video content. And at a time where the iPod is a more comfortable viewing experience than cable TV, The Onion may just be able to give The Daily Show a run for its money one of these days.

Who would like it: Those interested in politics, current events, and sketch comedy.
Demographic: 18-60
Sponsorship Opportunities: Luxury brands. There is potential for communications companies.
Product Placement Opportunities: If your product is on The Onion, chances are its being torn apart by master comedians.
Press: Boston Globe.

RevYOU

Format: Weekly Movie Reviews
Length: 4 minutes
Genre: Entertainment

RevYOU brings you reviews of Hollywood’s latest releases, directly from moviegoers stepping out of the theaters in New York’s Times Square. An ingenious little program hosted by the frequently snarky, sometimes biting, and always clever Grace Randolph, RevYOU is created with great expedience each Friday and typically online by 6pm EST. Not even television news can capture and package valuable information and turn it around with the speed and (apologies for the pun) grace with which RevYOU manages week in and week out. This is the true power of internet media utilized correctly.

RevYOU takes two different approaches to reviewing a film, since the producers are clearly aware that people walking out of the first showing of a movie are usually biased towards liking the film, no matter what it is.
RevYOU spends a quick minute in the studio disseminating the film and the story behind it, typically hitting on a few little-known facts sure to make movie bloggers drool on their webcams. Then Grace hits the streets to very politely belittle the people who actually liked a horrible movie, or engage in some surprisingly interesting discourse with the occasional well-educated moviegoer. Ultimately, RevYOU is for everyone: full of irreverence, in-depth information about what current releases are worth seeing, and above all a genuine love for all things Hollywood.

Who would like it: Anyone who goes to, or enjoys movies.
Demographic: 14-60
Sponsorship Opportunities: Entertainment-focused and communications companies.
Product Placement Opportunities: The show is product placement for new-release feature films and filmed in Times Square. Opportunities abound.
Press: (none)

Squeegees

Format: Episodic Series
Length: 5-7 minutes
Genre: Comedy

It’s a simple formula: take a talented sketch comedy group, give them a very basic environment in which to run wild, and sit back to watch the madness that follows. Still in an experimental phase of online video development, ABC.com has turned to this formula in an effort to bolster their new interactive production arm — Stage 9 — and for the most part, it works very nicely.

On the heels of ABC’s unsuccessful first attempt at an original series (the frequently-clever Voicemail), Squeegees is a safe bet for building and keeping a mostly-younger audience. The show revolves around a team of high-rise window washers and the utterly absurd events that transpire throughout the course of their daily work. Chock full of pop-culture parodies ranging from “Cliffhanger” to a fake Nickelback music video, Squeegees at least makes up for its immature humor by taking some risks and challenging its audience in ways one would never see on, say, ABC Primetime. As far as internet video goes, Squeegees is very well-produced and acted, clearly utilizing a much larger budget than most others are able to spend on production value for interactive content. Whether or not the Squeegees experiment will be a success is hard to say, but one can assume that the team behind the show will continue to create some insanity that’s probably worth watching in the meantime.

Who would like it: Fans of sketch comedy and sit-com audiences.
Demographic: 14-30
Sponsorship Opportunities: Companies focused on youth, and teenage consumers.
Product Placement Opportunities: The characters in the show manage to incorporate products into the storyline with consistency.
Press: Forbes, New York Times.

Clark and Michael

Format: Episodic Series
Length: anywhere from 4-15 minutes
Genre: Comedy

Michael Cera, a rising star with a terrific radar for intelligent comedy (”Superbad,” “Juno,” and TV’s “Arrested Development”), needed something to do during the school year while he attends college. CBS needed to whet their appetite for internet television programming. What resulted is the delightfully adolescent original web series Clark and Michael, created and executed by Cera and his best buddy Clark Duke (you may notice him as a bit player in “Superbad”).

Clark and Michael feels a bit as though “Arrested Development” went low-tech and started to follow around Cera’s George Michael as he and his best buddy struggle to launch a career in Hollywood. And considering the critical success of “Arrested,” there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Clark and Michael is chock full of great performances, including occasional cameos by notable comedians such as David Cross. The show has as tendency to meander and run slightly too long for computer-based entertainment, however thanks to iTunes and the advent of podcasting, one can give Clark and Michael the optimal viewing experience it deserves — watching it as a full-length television program. Despite it’s big media parent company, Clark and Michael has received only moderate “buzz” and feels like internet television’s best kept secret. Perhaps if word finally gets out that Clark and Michael exists, they’ll get around to making Season 2.

Who would like it: Fans of improv and sketch comedy, sit-com audiences, lovers of anything entertainment-related.
Demographic: 14-30
Sponsorship Opportunities: With an ‘A-list’ star creating the show, opportunities abound for sponsors.
Product Placement Opportunities: Clark and Michael are extraordinarily influential members of the 14-30 demographic and consume many products within the show.
Press: Variety.

Minnesota Public Radio

Format: Content Channel
Length: 3-8 minutes
Genre: Music, Interview, Art

Since 2005, Minnesota Public Radio has been filming their on-air artist interviews and performances. What has amassed is an extremely high-quality collection of special musical performances by popular artists including Spoon, Calexico, Madeleine Peyroux, Martha Wainright, Yo La Tengo, Albert Hammond Jr. (from the Strokes), Frank Black, and Tori Amos. Additionally, MPR hosts a growing catalog of noteworthy interviews with authors, politicians, and popular culture icons.

Any true music fan will instantly bookmark Minnesota Public Radio upon its discovery. Be sure not to miss (“Once” Oscar-winner) Glen Hansard of The Frames performing a version of Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” as well as The Dirty Dozen Brass Band performing “Feet Can’t Fail Me Now.”

Who would like it: Anyone with an interest in music and culture.
Demographic: 16-60
Sponsorship Opportunities: Entertainment, art, and culture-focused businesses, as well as progressive or environmentally-conscious companies.
Product Placement Opportunities: It is public radio. However, companies with authors and artists seeking exposure are welcome.
Press: (none)

Afterworld

Format: Episodic Series
Length:2-3 minutes
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Animated

Afterworld is quite possibly the most ambitious internet television venture to date. The show is an animated adventure — quite literally a comic book come to life — following the journey of a man who wakes up in his New York City hotel one morning to discover that all the world’s technology, as well as the majority of the population, has suddenly disappeared. Now this man, Russell, is on a journey back to his home in Seattle to see if his family survived “the fall.” Naturally, along the way is danger, mystery, crazy characters, and (of course) clues as to what caused technology to destroy the world.
Afterworld utilizes the show’s format to the fullest in designing a user experience at Afterworld.tv that can only be described as the most elegant on-demand interface yet. The show’s creators have completed the first season - a whopping 130 episodes - and clearly have grand plans to continue the show across many different interactive platforms, including plans for mobile distribution.

Who would like it: Fans of science fiction, comic books, or those who would like to see an episodic version the film “I Am Legend” with a much deeper mystery and no zombie-vampires.
Demographic: predominately Male, 14-35
Sponsorship Opportunities: Companies targeting niche-entertainment-focused consumers.
Product Placement Opportunities: Since the series takes place in a post-apocalypse United States, there are plentiful opportunities for companies to prove that their product will “stand the test of time.”
Press: Variety.

Indy Mogul

Format: Daily Content Channel
Length: 3-5 minutes
Genre: Instructional, Comedy

A standout channel amongst the Next New Networks lineup, Indy Mogul takes Do-It-Yourself filmmaking to a whole new level. The flagship program, “BFX” (Backyard Special Effects), features clever and sardonic 20-somethings who spin a wheel to determine their budget limitations for producing a set of film trickery that can range from “exploding fake heads” to “create a space suit” to “build a miniature set for $10.” Moreover, “4-Minute Film School” is an extremely worthwhile weekly Indy Mogul program that offers How-To advice on integral facets of interactive content production, such as filming on a green screen, casting, and storyboarding.

The creators of Indy Mogul create their show using low-end cameras; a most brilliant way to demonstrate how great video can be created with talent, ingenuity, and less than $50 in household items.

Who would like it: Anyone with an interest in movie magic and producing independent and interactive video & film.
Demographic: 14-40
Sponsorship Opportunities: Companies targeting younger, entertainment-focused consumers.
Product Placement Opportunities: Indy Mogul makes consistent use of consumer products, so placement opportunities abound. Additionally, the show’s creators and hosts are becoming increasingly “hip” and “edgy” role-models to the web video community.
Press: Mediaweek.

MobLogic

Format: Daily video blog
Length: usually 2-3 minutes
Genre: News & Politics

Let it be known –

MobLogic.tv gets the distinct honor of being the very first show listed on Plentitube.

The new creation from the brilliant team behind Wallstrip,
MobLogic.tv has a driving purpose that is nothing less than to challenge the consumption of news and politics as we know it. This is surprising, given that the show is made in-house by CBS (the network that fired Dan Rather), but already since MobLogic’s launch on March 7, 2008, the show has proven that 1) people on the street actually do have insightful and humorous things to contribute to the conversation about current events, and 2) host Lindsay Campbell is perhaps the most adorable and engaging human being on the planet.

Who would like it: Anyone who follows popular culture, news, or blogs, and does not feel like traditional media coverage is adequate.
Demographic: 18-60
Sponsorship Opportunities: Companies looking for educated consumers both Generation X and middle-aged alike.
Product Placement Opportunities: Wardrobe; “buzzworthy” consumer products can be show topics.
Press: Hollywood Reporter, Mediaweek, Silicon Alley Insider.