assorted observations and collected inspirations.
Most people move to Hollywood with the hope of making it big, but Zonday is helping show the way to something strange and new: making it small. He says he does recognize that (borrowing a line from Chris Rock) “you aren’t really famous until someone’s mama knows who you are.” But a narrow, lucrative fame is the path that has opened up for him and for the thousands of others like him. After going viral, they’ve figured out how—against all expectation—to stay viral.
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Will all of these people get rich on YouTube? Not a chance. But unlike previous waves of aspirants hitting LA’s shores, Zappin insists, they aren’t wasting their time waiting tables or watching someone’s kids. They’re working on their craft, doing what they love, and making some decent money in the bargain. In an economy without much opportunity, they’re trying to join an uncharted and expanding demographic: the YouTube middle class.
— Pretty excellent article about the cottage industry of YouTube stars, and a fascinating concept of “making it small”, or an entertainment industry middle class. How this plays out against the falling fortunes of big media companies is going to be really interesting. (from Wired)
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Television-tagging iPhone application IntoNow has partnered with PepsiCo in a promotion that will reward app users with a free soda for tagging the drink-maker’s new Pepsi MAX spot.
“The basic concept is to find the Pepsi MAX commercial, tag it and select a store,” IntoNow founder and CEO Adam Cahan explains.
IntoNow will generate a unique digital coupon for the first 50,000 IntoNow users who tag the spot. The coupon can be scanned and redeemed, just like a gift card, at Target or CVS stores.
— Wow. I didn’t even know this technology existed. (via mashable)
Americans watched more television than ever in 2010, according to the Nielsen Company. Total viewing of broadcast networks and basic cable channels rose about 1 percent for the year, to an average of 34 hours per person per week.
— TV: Not going anywhere! Based on my viewing of TV vs films this year, I think I am a part of this trend, but in a round-about, non-reality way. I’m into ‘arthouse’ tv. So hip. (via NYT)
Dave Revsine offers this explanation for his excessive quoting. The entire table nods in agreement, although nobody can explain what they mean by it! (Now, that’s humor.) Revsine gives it a try, but at the first sign of trouble says, “You know, it’s like in the movie ‘City Slickers,’ when Billy Crystal’s character says he and his dad had nothing to talk about until they talked about baseball.” In other words, he is relying on a movie scene to explain himself. Point taken.
— Was looking for any kind of explanation for the pervasiveness of movie quoting among guys. Though several years old and not quantitative or scientific, I still thought this summary raised most of the right points. (via ESPN)
