New sites like Icebox (which is supported by Google text ads) and 60Frames (whose ads embed in the bottom of their tiny video window) boast environments where writers can flourish creatively while they simultaneously fish for advertisers who can charm their readers with product video. In the About Us section of their sites, both venues enthusiastically voice their excitement for this arrangement.
In an evolutionary path similar to that followed by Quarterlife (which began online and was later picked up by NBC), Icebox wooed Larry David, whose animated series, The Paula Principle, pokes fun at the White House. 60Frames newest series, Erik the Librarian Mysteries, written by Brent Forrester (from The Office), had me laughing even before Mindy Kaling (who plays Kelly on The Office) set foot on the set. Worth noting: both sites are calling for writers—or as Icebox puts it, they are looking for “eye-popping independents,” to contribute to their numerous animated series.
Repurposing or Watch It When You Want?
For those who don’t get their laughter fix from watching a slouching punk librarian, there’s always Hulu.com, the child of a merger between NBC and News Corps., which has brought network programming to the net with little visible effort.
On Hulu.com, I can watch Arrested Development for free (a show that friends insist I should watch). I can also relive my youth viewing the adventures of characters such as Carlton, the bumbling drunk doorman, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show; David Cassidy from the Partridge Family; or Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter.
With high-quality videos, easy-to-navigate viewing options (you can dim the “lights” on the surrounding window color or click for a full-screen view), and available embed codes (following YouTube’s lead), Hulu.com aims for a younger audience. Clear explanations of their simple tools encourage viral distribution. Hulu.com also offers its users interactivity: users can comment on the clips, creating a sense of community.
I’m interested in watching this whole paradigm shift play itself out; we’ll see if any of these user-generated sites manage to stay afloat and retain their audiences. In the meantime, I’ll continue to watch the fifteen-second fillers before each online episode and try to ignore the ad print running across the bottom of my screen like CNN’s ticker tape headlines. I can only hope that the new methods of delivering writers’ products will also help currently unknown and deserving writers gain greater profits and a broader audience.
Photo courtesy of Hulu.com
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