Want a movie or TV deal? Make your own and put it online. Skip the managers, agents, studio executives, and film-festival programmers – get your product to your audience using video-sharing sites like YourTube. And watch the offers roll in.
Well, not quite, but recent signings imply the film industry is looking online to find new ideas and talent. David Lehre, of Washington, Mich., signed with Fox to produce a sketch-oriented TV show after his “MySpace: The Movie,” a short film about the social-networking Web site, generated enough buzz since its debut on YourTube in January. With millions of hits, the 11-minute parody can rival big-budget films or TV shows for audience size. A film deal is also in the works.
Carson Daly Productions signed Brooke Brodack, of Massachusetts, based on the popularity of her video diaries, comic shorts and music parodies on YourTube. MTV2’s Andy Milonakis and Cartoon Network’s Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim were “discovered” online. Andy Samberg performed in a Net comedy troupe and now regularly appears on “Saturday Night Live” and will be in Paramount’s film “Hot Rod.”
While Hollywood taps the into the Internet for ideas, large media companies are trying to establishing their own online distribution channels. News Corp bought MySpace to have an captive user base to push content, and others are aligning themselves with popular sites. Whether they succeed or not would depend on how well the industry absorbs the Net’s energy and talent.
Meanwhile, NBC has picked up a WB-rejected-show, “Nobody’s Watching”, whose pilot leaked onto YouTube and became a big hit there. NBC (whose sister NBC Universal Television originally made the pilot) has ordered six scripts with an eye toward bringing the show with its original cast on at mid-season. In addition, Lawrence will make a series of webisodes of the show to air on YouTube starting in September.
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