Edward Seaton

LOVE YOUR VIDEO!

Holy Crap it was good, and from what I can tell you piggy-backed a photo shoot to save money. Smart!

How did the magazine respond? Did they love it and want more or do they think it was just a neat trick?

I think it was awesome and just loved how your worked all the fashion into a memorizing little narrative.

Edward

Can I get some free gear too?

I completely agree with you, and your website (thewakeplace.com) is a perfect example of what I was ranting about in a previous comment. You built the space and therefore you control the space. Its a specific, specific genre, not just water sports, but specifically wake boarding. Love it!

I think the main hurdle here is when the potential client (Gap, GM, whatnot) asks how many views they are going to get, and they will ask.

I had a meeting today with an ad agency that wanted a "viral video."

"We'd like to buy two viral videos please." I had to laugh.

As Steve pointed out in the clip, the old way of counting views in TV land is an arbitrary estimate which ad execs and the like love to show off over pricey power lunches. The new way of distributing videos in Web land comes along with very, very precise metrics, and until the Brand Managers themselves understand those metrics, the indie filmmaker has a better shot at selling his/her script to Dreamworks than signing a multi-million dollar deal with a brand like the Gap. DreamWorks is in the business of telling stories while The Gap sells crappy clothing.

First you have to create an audience. Its no good going into company X saying, "we just know that this is gunna be hot shit and get millions of views."

"Prove it", will be the answer you hear over and over again. And don't think that it will be easy trick to pull either. Getting a million hits on Youtube is one thing, happens all the time right? But you have to remember that there are already hundreds of millions of user on Youtube each day, and from every corner of the globe! Their there, looking for content to watch, waiting for the next video of some deadbeat dad getting kicked in the nuts by his kid. Those same viewers are not going "hang out" on the Gap's website waiting for the next video from Joe Shmo filmmaker... At least that is my opinion. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were any of you.

It is possible that in the future someone will be able to walk into a mega brand like the one's we've been talking about and sell them on such a concept. Although I think that person will already have a track record of millions of views and I'm not talking about views on Youtube or even Vimeo. I'm talking a million plus views on your own URL with your own servers, in short, your own community. Own the community and you've got something, but be warned, having a thriving group of people on Youtube, Vimeo, Ning, or whatever is not the same thing as owning your own community. You are in a sense just looking after part of someone's much larger mega community.