Here, once again, is Mike McPhaden who is attending Just Comedy in Montreal. Take it away, Mike:
Most web sensations are nothing more than one-off viral videos that capture the attention of lay-abouts and procrastinating TV writers for a while, then disappear. Others, like lonelygirl15 seek to build a returning audience with a series of short, web-only episodes, or webisodes.
Some, like Peter Oldring and Pat Kelly’s satirical morning show Good Morning World, have achieved a quality and consistency that the grown-ups in TV land have taken notice — bigtime.
How did they do it? And how can schmucks like us make the move from the computer screen to the small screen?
The Just Comedy “Webisode to Episode” seminar, moderated by The Comedy Network’s Michelle Daly, featured a panel from both sides of the webisodic equation:
David Goldman, CEO – Comedy Time
Lou Wallach, SVP, Original Programming – Television & Digital Development – Comedy Central.
John Gemberling & Curtis Gwinn – Writer/Performer/Producers – – Cowboy & John Productions
Pat Thornton, – – Writer, Producer, Comedian
Peter Oldring — Writer, Producer, Performer, Good Morning World.
It’s the wild west out there, but here are the observations and advice about creating the next crossover sensation.
-as a creator of web content, make the best web entertainment you can and get it out there online. Serve the web, become a hit on the web. If you’re too focused on getting your product on TV one day, you won’t fulfill job #1: be a hit online.
-what’s wrong with being a hit on the web? If you can monetize your efforts, or use it to raise your profile in ways that lead to other opportunities, why not?
– keep in mind that not every web hit is ripe for expansion into a 22 minute sitcom. A character that thrills and entertains in five minute bursts online may not have enough depth and complexity to sustain over 100 episodes of television.
-another possibility is to have your content bankrolled and hosted on a broadcaster’s website. What’s in it for them? Web-only content will increasingly have intrinsic value. Networks are starting to amass libraries of the stuff in the belief that once they have enough, they can sell it on compilation DVDs, or through paid “download to own” offers.
– increasingly, established TV people are pitching ideas to networks, and the execs are greenlighting a web-only version to test the concept. A new path has emerged: episode to webisode to episode.
– the viewing world is changing, fast. Oldring says he now has friends who admit to not owning a TV set at all — they just watch everything on line now. This will become increasingly common.
-how does a small fry monetize the web, short of using Google’s Adwords? Currently, advertisers are using pre-roll — quick ads that roll before you see the video you want to see — but there’s a swing towards more integration of product into content. Naturally, big companies have an advantage here, and many funny people aren’t wild about mixing advertising with their comedy.
-huge credit was given to the web comedy sites Channel 101 and Channel 101 NY (formerly Channel 102) for encouraging the DIY comedy culture on the web.
Check them out.