Notes From An Online Video Junkie

Not Another Twitter Conference (episode 2)

2009-11-08T21:05:00.001-08:00

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Documentary filmmakers Marc Ostrick and Michael Sean Wright continue their journey through the world of social media. Not Another Twitter Conference, explores the various ways people are using social tools like Twitter to empower their voice.

part 1, the new dial tone

2009-10-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

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Part 1 the new dial tone

Marc Ostrick and Michael Sean Wright set out to document a day at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas. Ostrick, Co-Founder of eGuiders teamed up with fellow documentarian Wright, founder of nicefishfilms, to take the pulse of what some are calling the new media revolution.

The gathering of bloggers, lifestreamers and seasoned journalists provided an opportunity to dialog with media producers from around the world. Ostrick and Wright attempted to push the limits of the current technology, shooting with Kodak Zi8 and Flip Ultra HD cameras.

The short doc is part of the conversation focused on the shifting landscape of media. The new dial tone is a dialog among media producers, technologists and bloggers who are looking to express their ideas into the stream of the real-time web.

The filmmakers shadowed Robert Scoble, early technology blogger-evangelist as he interacted with the influencers in social media.

Social media is the new dial tone, according to author Chris Brogan.

The tc140 in Los Angeles Was An Inspiration

2009-09-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was truly inspired at the Twitter Conference 140 this week. Not because I learned a ton of new Twitter tricks, but because Tony Robbins gave one of the best motivational keynote addresses I have ever seen. No wonder celebrities and athletes pay this guy the big bucks. Tony had us jumping in the isles, connecting with our more positive self. He also weaved how Twitter can be used to help trigger conversation or inspiration by sharing and connecting with others. We all know that Twitter can't be used as a substitute for real relationships, but it can be used a trigger to share with others.

I was also honored to be interviewed for Robert Scoble's new venture with RackSpace, Building43.com. The interview should be live soon. Michael Sean Wright, who is also a core eGuider, was filling in for Scoble since he was unable to attend due to the birth of baby Ryan.

It was great to meet up with Brian Wong, who is the CEO of FollowFormation.com, a great Twitter tool for novice Twitter users and I got to meet iJustine, who was very sweet. She should join th eGuiders team.

Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

Here is Tony's headshot. He really does have amazing teeth. I was skeptical at first, but man can this guy tell a story. "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. " Good to remember when you're in the middle of chaos, challenge & fear. :-)

He had us on our feet, jumping for joy!

It was really incredible.

Hamming it up for the
Building43.com interview.

Rocky, the cameraman, with the rock steady hand.

Michael Wright with the hard-hitting questions.

Talking Twitter with iJustine. A new LA transplant from Pittsburgh, PA - now living in Santa Monica.

NATPE LATV Fest: eGuiders Evangelizes Web Video Curation

2009-07-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

NATPE, the National Association of Television Program Executives, is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of digital video content in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms.

I was fortunate to be able to represent eGuiders during a panel discussion entitled "Deepening The Audience Experience With Online Programming." It was a packed house and I shared some of my experience about what works and doesn't work when trying to extend a TV show online with video.

I cursed a little, I laughed a little, I even at one point was going to throw a chair into the audience just to mix it up a bit. There were some really smart people on the panel as well. David Bloom form Words and Deeds was moderating and he did a fantastic job at keeping the conversation moving. Marc DeBevoise, SVP, Digital Media of Starz Network was there, Greg Goodfriend, Co-Founder of EQAL (LonleyGirl15 & Harper's Globe) gave some good feedback about creating story extensions for TV shows online. Lisa Hsia, SVP, Bravo Digital Media dished some knowledge about Real Housewives of NJ and Hardie Tankersley was there, he is the VP of Innovation and Partnerships for Fox.com.

Overall, we agreed that value added content needs to be done creatively from every aspect - budgets, story, marketing, etc... I know Greg and I agree that the more the vision can come from the showrunner and organically expand the characters and themes of the show, audiences will be more engaged with the programming. As always, content is king. However, the need to be able to market and get the word out about this type of programming is still essential to its success.

Thanks to Daisy Whitney and Jordan Ryder for inviting me to participate. Some of the highlights included our panel (of course), Gavin McGarry's presentation on disrupting the old guard of TV. Running into my old friend Adam Steinman from IMG, Ross Levinsohn from Fuse Capital gave an insightful talk about finding VC money. And the debate over "What is considered a "view" when discussing online video" is always good for a few laughs and cringes. Both parties were a ton of fun and lots of quality schmoozing. Here's a few pictures from the event. Enjoy!

eGuiders on Stage with Billy Ray & Miley Cyrus! (Sorf Of...)

2009-04-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

So here is some shameless eGuiders promotion...

Miley Cyrus and her dad Billy Ray were on Regis & Kelly Show live from New Orleans... My buddy Jamie plays guitar in Miley's band. He's a super talented musician who is also in the band American Hi-Fi. Jamie is also a fan of eGuiders and when he told me that he was doing some promotional gigs with Miley, I couldn't help but get him a t-shirt to wear for a couple of the performances... Of course I don't expect to get any traffic from people seeing our "e" logo on Jamie's shirt, but subliminally the logo will be imprinted into the minds of millions of Regis & Miley Cyrus fans. Plus it's always fun to see our logo on national TV... Now if we can just get Miley to be a guest eGuider!

The Streamys Awards Shine A Spotlight On Webseries!

2009-03-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

The 1st annual Streamy Awards were held last night in Los Angeles to honor kick-ass awesomeness for original web content. It was an excellent event that helped validate the efforts and creativity of those participating in original online videos. Congrats to all the winners all the good people who put this show together. I think it was a huge success.

The nominees, winners and everything you need to know about The Streamys can be found HERE.

The after party at Palomar's really was a blast. I was happy to see a bunch of people I knew and that people had been checking out eGuiders.com. The party reminded me of a Hollywood-themed Bar Mitzvah, which I mean in the highest of compliments. The one beer I had was delicious and the snacks went pretty quick.

I wish I had taken some more pictures, but I was too busy having fun and schmoozing it up.

Lisa Kudrow (who stars in Web Therapy) presents the audience choice award.

Tay Zonday (Chocolate Rain) and I outside the after party.

Tim Street from FrenchMaid.tv & Blake Calhoun, Director of Pink.

Damon Berger (Dir of Branded Content at Moderati), Ask A Ninja Co-Creator, & Jesse Cowell (Creator of Drawn By Pain).

Dan Meth (Animator and Creator of Meth Minute 39) & Shira Lazar (Web and TV Host, Lifecaster, and Online Video Power Player).

eGuiders TV Web Extensions Go Live!

2009-03-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

We just launched a new feature to the site today called the TV Web Extension Guide.

I'm also experimenting with writing this post center justified.
I thinks it's going pretty good so far.

We've been getting some good feedback and will continue to add shows to this one-stop shop for people who want to discover what their favorite TV shows are doing with online content.

CHECK IT OUT HERE.

While I'm on my promotional kick,
Sign up for the eGuiders newsletter and get some good karma points.

The NY Post picked up the feature and gave it a little love.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Back From SXSW: What A Long, Awsome Trip It's been!

2009-03-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting settled and back into the work groove after 5 days of intense, mind-expanding conversations, introductions and celebrations in Austin.

It's true that I Twittered more than I ever Twittered in my life and was partially responsible for crashing the AT&T servers. Whoops.

While I did attend a handful of panel discussions and keynote addresses, I think the most interesting aspect of the SXSW conference was meeting people in the convention center hallways, the introductions at the parties and random conversations that were popping up everywhere...

The highlight of the trip for me was hanging out at the Ustream.tv Studios where they were streaming live video all day and evening long. This is where I was pulled into a panel with Jeff "The Dude" Dowd and Robert Scoble. Jeff is the real life Big Lebowski (Jeff helped launch the Cohen Bros first film, Blood Simple & is one of the founders of the Sundance Institute). Robert is a social media pioneer and celebrity blogger / photographer. After our discussion that night, we hit some great parties and met a ton of wonderful people.

It was so powerful to be in a place where everyone with similar interests and passions converged to discuss, share and celebrate the web.

Here are a couple of pics from Robert Scoble. I'll post another blog post soon about some other adventures and tweets from SXSW.

Associate Press gives a shout out to eGuiders.com

2009-02-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday. I wanted to share some more good news about eGuiders. Yesterday afternoon a story about the site came out in the Associated Press. Jake Coyle, the writer of the article, got some great quotes from Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Many thanks to Jake for getting the human element of our story. I don't know, but I'm thinking a Pulitzer Prize could be in his future for this piece... The article has since been picked up by over 100 news outlets in North America. It may reach 200 –300 by Monday. Here are the outlets that ran the story so far:

Yahoo News
MSN Entertainment
MSNBC
ABCNews.com
CBSNews.com
Washington Post
Chicago Tribune
Newsday
Hartford Courant
Austin American Statesman
Baltimore Sun
Orlando Sentinel
Contra Costa Times
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Sacramento Bee
Seattle Times
Philadelphia Inquirer
Denver Post
The Record
Modesto Bee
AOL Canada
Myrtle Beach Sun News
Metromix.com
Lethbridge Herald
The Olympian
Metro Canada
Winnipeg Free Press
Merced Sun Star
The State (SC)
The Times Picayune
San Jose Mercury News
Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Brandon Sun
The Canadian Press
Kentucky.com
Belleville News Democrat
Centre Daily Times
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Maximum Edge
Fresno Bee
The Southern Ledger
Idahostatesman.com
Monterey County Herald
Ithaca Journal
The Salinas Californian
Times Union (Albany)
NJ.com (Newark Star-Ledger)
Heraldonline.com
Examiner.com
The Oregonian
Mid Columbia Tri City Herald
WGNtv.com (Chicago)
myPHL17.com (Philadelphia)
Reflector.com
Syracuse.com
The Patriot News
KTLA.com (Los Angeles)
KWGN.com (Denver)
Fox4kc.com (Kansas City)
Myutahjazz.com
Bay Ledger News Zone
39online.com (Houston)
Daylife.com
Topix.com
Dailypress.com (VA)
Whnt.com (Alabama)
Newsmeat.com
Mlive.com (Michigan)
Masslive.com (Massachusetts)
WTOP.com (Washington, DC)
CFnews13.com (Central Florida)
CJAD.com (Quebec)
Canadaeast.com
Omaha World Herald
The Express Times
Findlaw.com
Inform.com
Medicine Hat News

Traffic for the site has been through the roof since the 17th of February. Our first newsletter also went out today. Please visit eGuiders.com and subscribe. It's a great way to stay in the loop for all the latest videos.

A new spotlight section is also going live on Monday and it's gonna be a good one!

Okay, it's time to play with little Mitzi. She's just too much fun!!

Marc

Marc Ostrick & eGuiders.com on Fox Business Network

2009-02-23T22:37:00.000-08:00

Today, I was interviewed on Fox Business Network live via satellite from Los Angeles to discuss the launch of eGuiders.com. It was one of the most unnatural and anxiety provoking experiences I have had in a long time. But I have to admit it was still a fun challenge.

It's tough to stare directly into a camera (with a 1970s smiley face taped on top) and pretend like I am talking to a person who I can't see. I had an earpiece jammed into my ear and could only hear their tinny audio - the audio feed sounded as if it was coming from China.

Overall, it went well, but the two hosts, Tom Sullivan and Cheryl Casone I don't think visited the site over the weekend just to get the idea of what eGuiders.com was about. They busted my balls a bit, but what do you expect at Fox. I'm just happy to have a platform to get the word out. It took a few seconds for me to loosen up a bit, but by the end I was getting the hang of it. I'm curious to hear your thoughts...

eGuiders.com Gets Some Love

2009-02-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Wow. What an exhilarating 24 hours...

Today was a great day for eGuiders.com, a new online video site that I launched in December. We had two really fantastic write ups from Mike Snider in the USA Today. We were also featured on ABC News and several other major publications.

The first piece, "eGuiders cuts through clutter of a gazillion videos online" - was on the cover page of the Life section of USA Today. It establishes the mission of eGuiders as the "TV Guide for the Internet" and discussing the impetus for the site.

The second piece - "eGuiders' human voice' leads the way to worthwhile videos" - highlights the human element that makes eGuiders unique and discusses the talent involved, including a sidebar of video suggestions from eGuiders.

Following the USA Today article, ABC's Tech Bytes -- a consumer technology news site that is distributed to all ABC affiliates nationwide --

featured the launch of eGuiders in a segment: "TV Guide' for Internet
Videos - New Web site organizes the seemingly endless numbers of videos
available online."

eGuiders is currently one of the top tech stories on ABCNews.com and is
the lead segment on Tech Bytes.

Last Friday, we were also very fortunate to have a mention in Time Magazine. The article is entitled "Viewing Outside The Box" and it looks at the various websites that are giving consumers additional choices for where they can watch their favorite programming online.

We also got a great nod for eGuiders on David Bianculli’s blog, TV Worth Watching. The whole day was quite thrilling, full of hugs and high-fives...

eGuider Update

2009-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Just Getting Familiar With This Cool Facebook Feature. I haven't posted in a while. Just slammed trying to get my site running like butter.

Check out eGUIDERS.COM when you have a chance.

Thanks,

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, a friend of mine from high-school and fellow eGuider, Nicole Snyder, turned me onto John Roberts' YouTube videos. When I started looking at some of his other very funny Jewish Mom impersonations, this one struck a chord for Christmas. This guy just nails this character. If you're not a kid from Long Island, Miami Beach or some other Jewish suburb, this may be a bit strange. But trust me, this kid brings up some funny and horrifying memories. Thank the good lord for overbearing moms and the comedy they have subsequently produced. As my mentor, David Milch, says - Storytelling is turning the pain of the past is the future tense of joy.

Merry Christmas everyone. Have a piece of honey-baked ham for me!

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: eGUIDERS.COM BETA IS LAUNCHING

2008-12-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

I am proud and honored to present my latest project: eGUIDERS.com. We have great people recommending great web videos. So, stop searching and start watching!

Over the last year, I have been working with a talented team of designers, developers, reviewers, writers and online media junkies who have given their best to make sure we have a successful launch. Today we are one step closer with the beta version going live.

Please take some time to check out the site, subscribe to the newsletter, watch some amazing videos and see what we're about. Please spread the word about the site to friends and family!

Thanks to the team at Plank Design in Montreal for burning the midnight oil to get us up for the holidays. Shout out to CatalystSF for their strategy and support. Evangeline Morphos for her great ideas and super-sharp mind. Adam Klein for saying the right things at the right time. And a huge thank you for all the incredible eGuiders who worked diligently to make sure we are kicking things off on the right foot. But most of all, thanks to David Milch, who with his unwavering support and vision has helped make this all happen!

So, what are you waiting for. Check out eGuiders.com and start spreading the word!

Thanks,
Marc Ostrick

The Daily Online Video Fix: YouTube HD

2008-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

Will this be the death of Vimeo? YouTube just released their HD section with a super huge player.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Sarah Palin Turkey Fiasco

2008-11-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, the election may be over, but the fun continues. I thought for Thanksgiving, I would add this video which became an instant classic as soon as it hit the internet. Thanks to John Rota for sending this out last week as soon it came online.

My lord, what a PR nightmare. No matter how many times I watch this, I can not help but to burst out laughing. And I still have no idea what she is saying! This video just works on so many levels. It captures the drama of life and death, it is a classic comedy of errors, it exemplifies Palin's "blissful ignroance", it couldn't be more topical and ultimately reinforces why this cooky governor from Alaska is not ready for prime-time.

This holiday, I will be giving thanks that John McCain and Sarah Palin where not elected into office.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Nokia's Branded Bruce Lee Ad

2008-11-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

Amazing how dead people are coming back into fashion. This time Bruce Lee is hawking digital cameras for Nokia.

Remember Apple's "Think Different" campaign.

Gandhi, Hitchcock, Einstein and the rest really had no say if they felt like being plastered over the world to sell Macs. That's because they were all dead.

While the ethics of using this kind of approach to advertising is debatable, it always helps when the content is kick-ass. Check out this amazing ping-pong battle. I am still scooping my jaw off the floor. I haven't seen anything this effective since the ping-pong VFX from Forrest Gump. I just hope the estate of Bruce Lee is happy pimping him out... Enjoy!!!

The Daily Online Video Fix: Tech Crunch Post

2008-11-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

There was a great post that I wanted to share in today Tech Crunch blog. I usually post videos, but I thought this article on what makes an online video popular, was too fascinating too keep to myself. I hope you enjoy and please let me know your thoughts!

READ THE POST HERE.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Casanovas Web Seies

2008-11-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

Casanovas at first glance seems like your typical web series aimed at young males in search of no strings attached sex. But Casey Casseday and Geoff Bunch's series quickly shakes off this stigma by having good performances, decent production value and most of all a sharp script. You almost wish that the episodes were serialized a bit more so we can dig deeper with the characters. At the moment, it feels more like really good scenes. But hey, I'll take it. I thought the episode below was really funny and well delivered. I'm just waiting for the women to strike back and knock some respect into these galavanting man-whores.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Future Shorts, Black Hole

2008-11-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

British filmmakers Phil Samson and Olly Williams’s surrealist short, THE BLACK HOLE, is one of those great universal tales about greed. I don't want to spoil the hook, but the precise execution of tone, pacing and production is nearly flawless. Another intriguing aspect of THE BLACK HOLE, is that the short uses no dialogue. Therefore, it is can be easily understood by anyone who watches regardless of what language they speak - talk about a virally charged. This short is ready to infect the web. I wouldn't be surprised if this hit 2 million views in the next week (it is up to 450,000 now).

So, sit back, relax and enjoy!

the Daily Online Video Fix: VW Golf goes Viral

2008-11-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Love this viral branded ad for the Golf VW. It captures the imagination of a new generation through a classic film clip. Ah, post-modernism at it's finest.

VW has been know for great ads and this is no exception. CLICK HERE to check out some early Beetle print ads.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

The Daily Online Video Fix: One last political laugh

2008-11-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

I am too anxious to write, but thought this latest political themed video was very funny, even if it was late in the game. Hope you dig this Star Wars themed poke at the campaign.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

The Daily Online Video Fix: The Obama Special

2008-10-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't catch the Obama Special that aired last night on CBS, NBC, FOX, MSNBC, etc... YouTube is now showing the video in it's entirety. I've also posted the two segments I did as well.

This video is especially close to my heart since Davis Guggenheim hired me to direct & produce two of the segments in the video. I worked on the Ohio senior-citizen couple and Ford family segments. Please check out the video and make sure you vote on Nov 4th!

Juanita & Larry Stuart from Marc Ostrick on Vimeo.

Mark Dowell Family from Marc Ostrick on Vimeo.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Strike.tv's House Poor

2008-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Strike.tv just launched about 10 original online web series. Some have real potential. I just finished watching Mindy Kaling's HOUSE POOR. I thought the concept is simple, but engaging and the cast of characters were excellent. The best part about the series however is Mindy and her brand of offensive humor. The other great aspect of the site is how they organized and displayed the cast and crew credits as well as the overall design and navigation. Check out the site to catch the other series that have just launched.

The Daily Online Video Fix: More Halloween Fun

2008-10-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just around the corner and I thought I'd add a few of my favorite original online videos that pay tribute to our pagan holiday.

First up is College Humor's take on those cheap local commercials that made people like Crazy Eddie famous. They nail the tone of these so-awful-their-awesome spots. Great performance from Nick.

Next up is a video that would make David Lynch proud. This is the strangest, scariest political web video yet. I won't go into details, you'll have to watch for yourself.

Enjoy!