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ShortForm adds videos from Hulu, CollegeHumor

Ryan Lawler — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:02:34 +0000

Video curation platform ShortForm is giving its video jockeys (VJs) new content to choose from, with clips from premium video sources like Hulu and CollegeHumor now available on its platform. The addition will allow its VJs to build playlists that now incorporate broadcast TV content and comedy clips, which play seamlessly when a user tries to access them.

ShortForm VJs will now be able to choose videos from the entire library of Hulu and CollegeHumor content, in addition to existing content from YouTube and Vimeo. They can create RSS feeds that will alert them of new content that is added to the site, and can drag and drop videos from those sources directly into any new playlists they build.

ShortForm embeds Hulu and CollegeHumor video players into its playlists, keeping all of the ads that run against the videos and allowing its partners to monetize their content. But despite the different players, videos play seamlessly next to each other in VJ playlists, creating a continuous stream of content. Viewers can then share those videos through social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

ShortForm CEO Nader Ghaffari told us in a phone interview that the deals are an extension of the startup’s plan to add as many content sources as possible to its platform. “We want to sit on top of all the places videos exist,” Ghaffari said. “We’ll try to integrate with every source our VJs want.

The deals come as both Hulu and CollegeHumor make their videos more accessible to third parties, especially startups. Both recently partnered with social video discovery startup Shelby.tv, which allows viewers to see videos that their friends have shared or linked to on networks like Facebook and Twitter. And Hulu has expanded its network through deals to embed its videos on Frontier Communications’ TumTiki and Yahoo’s Screen video portals.

Partnering with platforms like ShortForm is one way that even premium content sources like Hulu and CollegeHumor can build greater awareness for their programming. While many other video discovery platforms today — such as Shelby.tv, VHX.tv and Showyou — rely on what contacts on social networks have shared to surface videos, Ghaffari argues that there’s value in the type of human, editorial curation that happens through the ShortForm platform. “Channels perform best when people are telling their own stories,” he believes.

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Parks and Recreation Proves Web-Savvy With Viral Video Push

Liz Shannon Miller — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:00:43 +0000

Buzz around Thursday’s third-season premiere of Parks and Recreation is pretty high, and there are plenty of reasons for it. For one thing, the show is great (I think so, anyway). For another, a lot of people might have discovered it during the lengthy hiatus between seasons two and three, thanks to the first two seasons becoming available on Netflix Instant (which is what happened to me). But it certainly doesn’t hurt that a series of viral videos highlighting the show’s return have been released this week, showcasing the NBC comedy’s talented cast as well as some skillful web strategy.

The most buzzed-about of these videos, with nearly 180,000 views, is the subtly-titled Rob Low Goes Nuts, which portrays the new recurring member of the show as a vain egomaniac with a mastery of four-letter words. It is pretty funny and you’ll probably enjoy watching it.

Rob Lowe Goes Nuts from Rob Lowe

In addition, cast member Aziz Ansari stars in two original shorts for College Humor as their “Star of the Week”; only one of the videos, in which Ansari debuts a new title sequence for Parks and Recreation, features the show’s cast, but both end with a promotion for the show’s return.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

This isn’t the first time Ansari’s been featured in supplemental web content for a major media property; in 2009, his character Raaaaaaaandy (from Judd Apatow’s Funny People) was featured in multiple original videos as well as his very own website.

Much like the Funny People content, these videos were created internally — at least in the case of the Rob Lowe video, which was produced by the Parks and Rec team and distributed by Funny or Die. “We had no problem with [featuring the video],” a Funny or Die spokesperson said via email, “Since first, it’s a very funny video and second, we have made videos for Funny Or Die with basically everyone in the video and we always support people who have worked with us in the past.”

Not only was this viral push something that came from the show’s producers, but both initiatives show an impressive amount of web savvy; using Funny or Die as the platform for Rob Lowe Goes Nuts ties in nicely with that site’s tradition of celebrities behaving unexpectedly. Meanwhile, focusing on Ansari for the College Humor push makes a great deal of sense, as Ansari got his start in the New York comedy scene, and has appeared in at least two dozen other College Humor videos.

Parks and Rec is just one of the six comedies that now make up NBC’s Thursday night line-up. But it’s the only one going to some trouble to court web audiences.

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Video: On the Perils of Caring Too Much About Twitter

Liz Gannes — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:03:40 +0000

My favorite web video show, “Jake and Amir,” takes on the topic of Twitter users’ egos and insecurities in its latest episode. While it might be a clever ploy to get CollegeHumor’s Jake Hurwitz more Twitter followers, at least it’ll give you a giggle on this slow summer Friday (slightly NSFW).

“It’s not funny if you read it out loud.”

“Well, all tweets are read.”

“Not out loud… not out loud.”

Jason Bateman, Will Arnett Don’t Inspire LOLs In DumbDumb’s Prom Date

Liz Shannon Miller — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:00:09 +0000

Let’s say that you’re an Arrested Development fan, one who owns all three seasons of the classic Fox comedy on DVD and responds to requests for loans by saying “There’s money in the banana stand.” And let’s say I say to you, “Hey, did you hear that Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are teaming up to create web original content starring the two of them and utilizing their ‘well-known comedic tone’?” I imagine you’d be pretty excited, right?

Sorry, guys, but get de-excited, now. Sure, Bateman and Arnett’s new web venture, the perhaps ill-named DumbDumb, sounds like it should be promising. Give two talented dudes some cash from a brand partner, let them make comedy for the internets on their own terms — what could go wrong? Here’s the answer: The comedy could fail to be funny.

Here’s the problem — there’s no denying how hilarious both Bateman and Arnett are. But The Prom Date, first in a planned “web content series” (per the YouTube description) from Orbitz Gum, did not make me laugh once, and frankly that ires me. Will Arnett is wearing a fake mustache, guys. And I LOVE fake mustaches.

The major problem here is that the balancing act between commercial and comedy is way off. The examples of branded content that have worked for me in the past tend to treat the product or service being advertised not as props, but scenery. One of the best examples is Easy to Assemble: Illeana Douglas works at an IKEA, but that’s just the location, not a driving force of the narrative — with the exception of some Swedish touches the show could work anywhere, even as unbranded content.

With DumbDumb’s first entry into the field, however, the twist on a simple domestic situation — overprotective parents encounter their daughter’s unconventional prom date — comes directly after characters chew Orbitz gum. Making the brand an active participant in the narrative is what makes Prom Date feel like a five minute commercial, and not a funny comedy video. Everyone involved is clearly trying hard. But the tone falls flat as a result.

The official DumbDumb site claims that “will utilize web production, development, and marketing expertise from CollegeHumor.com,” which in the case of Prom Date and the two subsequent Orbitz comedy shorts yet to come means that they were produced by College Humor’s Ben Joseph.

Joseph and the guys at College Humor are web-savvy sorts, which makes me think that they aren’t behind the decision not to link the DumbDumb official site with the YouTube account also hosting these videos (the videos on DumbDumb.com are not embeddable, of course). They’re also often hilarious, which is part of why Prom Date disappointed me so.

It’s understandable, I suppose: The back and forth between brand and creator is a tricky one for projects like these. But it’s really a shame that somewhere in this process, the funny got lost.

Related GigaOm Pro Content (subscription required): Fact or Fiction: Where Is Branded Online Video Going?

College Humor’s LOLaid Raises Funds For Haiti

Liz Shannon Miller — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:17:58 +0000

White dude rap and prank war experts College Humor might not come immediately to mind when brainstorming altruism in the online video world. Yet today the comedy hub, using the Firstgiving fundraising service, launched LOLaid Haiti Relief, an online fundraiser benefiting Doctors Without Borders.

It’s a simple exchange: Fans give whatever amount they can to DWB’s efforts in Haiti following last month’s devastating earthquake, and in exchange for their donations, they’ll receive access to three new College Humor shorts: a Jake and Amir installment, a Hardly Working skit and a commercial parody shot in 2008 that was deemed too offensive for the official site. These videos, made exclusively for LOLaid, will never be uploaded to CH’s official site or YouTube, making a suggested $5 donation the only way to watch.

LOLaid is College Humor’s first charity project, though site staff had discussed similar initiatives in the past. “This was finally an opportunity for us to sit down and say ‘How are we going to do this?’,” editor Jeff Rubin said via phone. But while the legal and logistical complications of raising money for charity held them back in the past, Firstgiving helped simplify the process: “They made it very easy for us to set up a separate fundraising page. They’re collecting the money for us and it’s going directly where it’s needed,” he said.

Firstgiving also doesn’t require a minimum donation, meaning that College Humor’s core audience of college students (who tend not to be flush with cash) could contribute as little as $1 and still get involved. So far, it’s working — in the fundraiser’s first day online, College Humor has raised almost $2,000 of its $10,000 goal, with the vast majority of those donations ranging from $1-$10. The comments are predictably sophomoric, but the cause is good, the money is piling up — and after donating and watching the videos, I can say that the content is definitely worth whatever you can spare. Because even if you hate Jake and Amir, you really can’t hate a good cause.

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MTV Gets Pranked by CollegeHumor

Chris Albrecht — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:31:03 +0000

From the network that brought you Punk’d comes Pranked, a new show hosted by CollegeHumor‘s Streeter Seidell and Amir Blumenfeld (though to be fair Pranked seems nothing like Ashton Kutcher’s old show). From the press announcement:

PRANKED – 10:30PM ET/PT

The new show for the Thursday night block is Pranked, a 30-minute program that showcases the best pranks ever caught on camera and posted online. Known for their seven part Prank War, which has received over 5 million views online, hosts, College Humor.com’s Streeter Seidell & Amir Blumenfeld, provide commentary during each episode. The internet celebrities bring their humor to television as viewers watch homemade pranks that are engineered, executed and filmed by kids and normal everyday people, with no help from producers, professional editors or cameramen. When it comes to silly humor, MTV curates the best online pranks and couples it with the best comedic commentary.

What does this mean for MTV’s The College Humor Show, which wasn’t a ratings hit, and hasn’t been renewed yet? That’s still up in the air. From Seidell’s tumblr:

While we still do not know the fate of our beloved CollegeHumor Show, Amir and I are going to be hosting a new show on MTV.

Not that we want to brag, but our very own Liz Shannon Miller called this back in March when she wrote about CH’s Prank War:

One good thing to come of all this conflict, though: If the sketch show doesn’t work out, then they’ve got a format that I bet the MTV audience will LOVE.

And for those who are forgetful or just plain missed it the first time around, here’s an installment of Seidell and Blumenfeld’s “Half Million Dollar Shot” prank. It’s doubtful that the pranks found on the show will live up to this level of quality, but with those two hosting, it should at least be fun to watch.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

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Will MTV Renew The CollegeHumor Show?

Chris Albrecht — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:36:07 +0000

The CollegeHumor Show (CHS) finishes up its first cycle on MTV this Sunday, and though we weren’t huge fans of the show at the beginning, it has grown on us. The question is, did it grow enough to keep it on air?

MTV won’t make a renewal decision until after the season finale, but Tony DiSanto, MTV’s executive VP of series development, was enthusiastic about the series when we spoke with him by phone today. “Absolutely our expectations were met,” said DiSanto. “We’re proud of The CollegeHumor Show.”

Of course, it’s his job to tout the network’s series while they’re on the air, so we take that exuberance with a grain of salt. But there is probably at least a nugget of truth under the corporate-speak. According to Nielsen, the show has averaged 763,000 viewers per episode during its first five weeks. For the month prior to CHS‘ launch on February 8, the same time slot (Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m.) averaged 458,000 veiwers.

Still, “It’s not a ratings monster hit,” said DiSanto. In fact, the shows that bookend CHS (Rob Drydek’s Fantasy Factory before and Nitro Circus after) each get much higher ratings, so there’s a dip in the audience.

We asked TV by the Numbers ratings guru Robert Seidman for some insight. Based on the drop in audience, he wasn’t too hopeful. “That seems like a gots-ta-go situation,” Seidman wrote. “If MTV is offered the show practically for free (and it can’t cost much to begin with), they might try to find a home for it but I don’t think it will be in that time slot.”

DiSanto was more optimistic but actually offered a similar opinion. “Take into account, it’s all about efficiency and how cost-effective a show is,” said DiSanto, “Because of its new production model, it’s not a huge gamble for us.” While the show hasn’t been officially renewed, DiSanto said “it’s hard to say if it will be in that same time slot. It definitely would stay in the Sunday night block. It all depends on what gets greenlit.”

CHS was just the beginning of a recent push from MTV to scour the Internet to find web series that can be brought to television. The network recently ordered pilots based on 60Frames’ Private High Musical and Dan Levy’s Long Distance Relationship, noting that acquiring these web shows streamlines the development process.

Perhaps CollegeHumor’s lo-fi approach to comedy will keep it on a high-profile TV network.

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CollegeHumor Serious About its TV Show

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:30:28 +0000

On Feb. 8, comedy site CollegeHumor will make its jump from web to television when the appropriately titled The CollegeHumor Show premieres on MTV. The crew there is hard at work shooting and editing episodes, but director/executive producer/writer/actor Sam Reich took a few minutes to talk with us about the what to expect from the show, what it’s like creating television and whether other MTV personalities will come out from their Hills to pop in.

Think of The CollegeHumor Show (TCHS) as an office comedy. Only unlike most office comedies, all the actors actually work in, well, the CollegeHumor offices.

The vast majority of TCHS will be brand-new, with each episode centered around a basic plot — the site goes down, or a rival site starts getting more traffic, etc. The story elements will be punctuated with sketches similar to CollegeHumor’s Hardly Working series. “The Hardly Working series was the inspiration — it’s a much longer, better version of that,” said Reich.

Longer indeed. CollegeHumor was used to working in 2-5 minute chunks, now they have to come up with 22 minutes of material for each episode. “It’s a different beast,” said Reich. “It’s storytelling, and we don’t do that; we parody a lot of stuff. A lot of this is about characters and storytelling, but it’s still all over the place.”

Despite the longer show times, CollegeHumor isn’t abandoning its short-form roots. “The show kind of caters to that attention span, because we’re cutting to sketch every once in awhile,” said Reich, who cites the quick-bit and cutaway shows like Robot Chicken and Family Guy as inspirations.

So what’s it like working for a oldteevee company like MTV? “MTV, to their credit, has given us a huge amount of autonomy. They really haven’t gotten in our way at all,” said Reich (though I doubt he’d bite the hand that feeds so close to the premiere). Reich even sees CollegeHumor’s presence as a bonus for the network. “MTV doesn’t have a rep for producing this kind of content. It gives us a unique opportunity to bring in other people who might not be watching the network.”

When asked whether we can expect appearances from other MTV stars, Reich is quick to respond, “We’ve kept thus far kept the doors locked from any other MTV appearances.”

Guess that means we won’t be getting a Jake and Amir and Heidi and Spencer spin-off anytime soon.

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MTV’s College Humor Show Will Be Scripted

Chris Albrecht — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:22 +0000

Update for readers: We’ve got more information along with an interview with The CollegeHumor Show’s director in an updated post here.

First, Heidi and Spencer; now, Jake and Amir.

The College Humor Show was announced today as part of MTV’s slate of new series. But contrary to reports, while it is based on the popular web site, it is not a reality show.

It was described in Variety as a show “which takes viewers inside the frat-like offices of the web’s Collegehumor.com” and by The Hollywood Reporter as “a look at the ‘offbeat’ workplace of the twentysomething-run web site CollegeHumor.com.” But it struck us as odd that a site so good a creating successful original comedy shorts for the web would go the reality TV show route, so we sent CHTV writer Dan Gurewitch a note.

Turns out we were right. In an email, Gurewitch wrote that: “[T]he press release is a bit misleading — it’s a scripted, narrative comedy show that takes place in our office, starring the CH staff, and occasionally cuts to outside sketches. We’re really excited!”

Here’s a video sketch announcing the show:

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Ninja Tops iTunes Podcast List (Again)

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:02:07 +0000

Apple released the iTunes top-seller and best-of lists for 2008 this week, and Ask A Ninja was once again took top honors on the “Classics” Video Podcast list. On the more traditional media side, Gossip Girl was the top-selling TV season on iTunes while The Dark Knight (which hasn’t even been released yet on iTunes) came in at No. 1 on downloaded movie chart.

Apple doesn’t spell out whether the video podcast list is editorially created or based on hard numbers, but either way, new media shows are well represented on both the 2008 and Classics video podcast lists. Making the cut this year are:

2008

Who What Wear – 60Frames
Best of Current TV – Current
Beginning Guitar 101 – ivideosongs.com
ill doctrine – Jay Smooth (a Scam School – Revision3
Howcast Food & Drink – Howcast
Project Lore – Deca
SuperNews – Current TV
TPMtv – TPMtv (Talking Points Memo)

CLASSICS

Ask A Ninja – Beatbox Giant
Onion News Network – The Onion (which held the newcomer top spot last year)
Wine Library TV – Wine Library TV
Channel Frederator – NextNewNetworks
Diggnation – Revision3
Cool Hunting Video – coolhunting.com
Hawaii Surf Session Report – surfsessionreport.com
Geekbrief.TV – Cali Lewis
Beautiful Places in HD – ON Networks
Terra: The Nature of Our World – lifeonterra.com
CHTV: College Humor Originals – CollegeHumor
shralp!//snowboarding video podcast – shralp.com/snow
Tekzilla – Revision3

Over on the oldteevee side of things, Gossip Girl Season 2 was the top-selling TV season. Joss Whedon’s uber-popular Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (which technically isn’t a TV show) also cracked the top 10, beating out shows like House and Desperate Housewives. Of course, if NBC’s iTunes numbers are any indication, none of these shows are being downloaded in huge numbers.

TOP SELLERS: TV SEASONS

Gossip Girl, Season 2
Family Guy, Season 7
South Park: Uncensored, Season 12
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 5
Mad Men, Season 2
Heroes, Season 3
The Office, Season 5
Lost, Season 4
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 4

The Top Movie Downloads for 2008 on iTunes is ruled by The Dark Knight, a movie that as of now, can only be pre-ordered. Whereas you can kind of understand the popularity of certain shows on the TV side, some of the top movie downloads are a bit unexpected. Sure, WALL-E and Iron Man make sense, but Shooter? National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets? Jumper? Really?

TOP MOVIE DOWNLOADS

The Dark Knight

WALL-E

Kung Fu Panda

Iron Man

Shooter

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Superbad

Jumper

Enchanted

No Country for Old Men

What, no Zoolander?

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