In the past six months, the economy has forced at least a half-dozen online video studios to scale back production or shut down — but that’s not stopping a pair of movie industry vets from funding DCN Studios, a new digital entertainment studio that will develop original series and live-streamed events for college kids. David Salzberg, former president of Mandalay Sports Action Entertainment, and Christian Tureaud, former partner at HighRoad Entertainment, will serve as the studio’s co-presidents; paidContent has learned that their investment was in the “mid five-figure range.”
DCN Studios will distribute the content through the Georgia-based Digital College Network (DCN), an out-of-home entertainment company that pumps programming into around 250 university bookstores.
So why invest in new web-based studio in the middle of what appears to be a bursting bubble? The execs said it was because the distribution network and advertiser relationships were already there — DCN just needed the content. “They weren’t trying to figure out how to get on-campus, and they weren’t looking for the money,” Salzberg said. “They just had these unique ideas for creating content that they needed help executing.” DCN Studios will produce student-generated and premium online video.
Currently, the network reaches around 3.5 million college students; distribution points include LCD screens in bookstores, DCNLive.com, on-campus events (like a street team and promo bus during the Final Four) and a pending mobile app. Sponsors and partners have included Island Def Jam, CBSSports.com and ABC National Sales; the execs said a typical deal is in the mid six-figure range for a six month to year-long sponsorship. DCN Studios’ biggest challenger is Viacom’s mtvU, which reaches around 7.5 million students on over 750 campuses — and has the benefit of being able to pull in MTV content.

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