More UGC on it’s way, thanks to Old School Viacom

Several cable television veterans are putting their band back together and taking their act to the Internet.

Next New Networks, a New York-based Internet start-up run and backed by former executives of MTV and Nickelodeon, will announce plans today to begin a series of video-oriented Web sites — what the company calls micro-networks — on niche topics like do-it-yourself fashion, comic books, car racing and cartoons.
The company’s founders include Herb Scannell, who as a top executive at Nickelodeon in the 1990s was responsible for introducing such enduring fare as SpongeBob SquarePants. Another founder, Fred Seibert, was the first creative director at MTV and was behind many of the channel’s early flourishes, like the “I Want My MTV” slogan.
The company will also announce that it has received $8 million in seed capital, in part from the Pilot Group, a media investment firm run by Robert W. Pittman, who created MTV and later overhauled Nickelodeon.

Mr. Miller, who left America Online last October under pressure from his bosses at Time Warner, cited the founders’ cable experience as the reason he is backing the company.

“To me these guys are returning to their roots,” he said. “They are unshackled from large media environment where it is much more about what your quarterly goals are, and can go back to developing new networks and ways of communicating with audiences.”

Next New Networks plans to blend elements of old and new media into a type of hybrid entertainment that is different from traditional television and user-generated sites like YouTube. Its various Web properties will revolve around professionally produced videos of three to eight minutes, which it plans to pitch to sponsors as safe and predictable places to advertise online.

Many of the programs will solicit contributions from their audiences, but the company will screen submissions before they approved as final product. The company plans to generate some programming itself while also identifying talented video contributors and bringing them into the Next New Networks fold.

Internet Start-Up to Take a Hybrid Media Approach - New York Times

Wow. I’m not quite sure what to say, other than a pleasantly surprised: Wow. If you take a look at that NY Times article, you can see some of the peeps I editted out of this quote. They’re REALLY packing a full house of talent. Big Leaguers. Moms & Pops of today’s go-to-pop-culture for tweens/teens/kids. My favorite is Mr. Miller’s comment about ‘roots.’ He is DEAD on. If I had gobs of money, I’d back them purely for their visionary success.

However– I want to know how they intend to screen all those submissions, and how they intend to protect the youth that will be interested in their theme-specific communities. They COULD be invoking the anti-U13/U16 right. But how fair is that for the “Cartoon” based community? Besides, with all that Nickelodeon-talent, I would hope they would involve kids.

This could prove to be the seeds of UGC power– like how early Nick was revolutionary in its wackiness… perhaps same will go for this initiative.

Trends, trends, trends. It’s crazy how UGC is spreading. It’s like a pre-infancy stage now. All the programming out now with UGC could just be the sparkle in the ultimate UGC’s eye. This year is going to be VERY interesting, if not exciting, for entertainment/power & the people. Hope it isn’t just a fad.

iCarly: Nickelodeon luvs UGC

To that end Nickelodeon has picked up iCarly (13×30′), a new live-action comedy series from producer Dan Schneider (All That, Drake & Josh) that stars Miranda Cosgrove (the little sister on Drake & Josh) as a tween who winds up as a celebrity based on her own web show, which she produces and webcasts from the third floor of her house. Viewers will be invited to submit their own content to iCarly, which could wind up appear on the series or the corresponding webcast. The series heads into production later this month and is set to premiere in September 2007.

Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis - CynKids 3/9/07

Oh to be a muffin in Schneider’s Bakery– a gourmet chef of tween entertainment.

It’s funny to me at least– I think I’ve kinda been watching Dan Schneider’s career (since half of it, i was watching as a clueless kid). From Better off Dead to Dennis in Head of the Class (the sweet potato in my young media diet), and then on to make such GREAT kids projects as Good Burger (Kel Mitchell where are you?!), All That, Josh & Drake, Zoey 101, etc (that etc including The Amanda Show, which I wasn’t so fond of despite offering young Josh & Drake & Amanda Bynes).

The man MUST be brilliant.

Why?

Because (according to Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis for today) he’s cleverly found a way to implement KID-BASED USER GENERATED CONTENT in a comedy-sitcom for Nickelodeon, or on an easily downloadable webcast. Zoey101 (great show for tween’s innocent love & friendship), starring little Miss Jamie-Lynn Spears herself (her performance = mixed review from me, but she’s getting better), had a really good podcast on itunes. Mr. Dan was the host (you can actually hear his voice a lot in the programs he directs/produces), with his actors (minus Ms. Spears) sitting around him talking about inside jokes, the latest episode, what they think about their characters, etc. It’s the next best thing to watching a special on a DVD with the actor/creator’s comments.

As for the little star of iCarly, Miranda Cosgroves, will she be able to pull of a different character than her Snotty, Know-it-all performances in Josh & Drake and School of Rock? And what does this mean for Josh & Drake?! There’s a D&J movie currently in production in New York, but in Nickelodeon’s list of returning shows with new episodes, J&D were not listed. Does this the end of our vaudevillian pair? Tragedy. They ARE getting a little older, and Drake seems to be chasing that music dream (he had a video on MTV’s TRL a few months back, I fell out of my seat when I saw it). I just hope they manage to be successful without the negatives of Hollywood. One can hope.

I heartily look forward to watching iCarly. I don’t have ANY doubt that Mr. Dan won’t pull this off successfully. His track record speaks for himself. It’s great to see User Generated Content used in an exciting, substantial way. I must say, Star Farm Productions’ cartoon, Edgar & Ellen, has a similar method of using UGC– kids help ‘inspire’ 10% of the cartoon based on feedback they provide through the web. Yay for helping kids connect with their own entertainment!!!

P.S. Shameless Plea: Anyone have any tickets/”in’s” for the Kids Choice Awards? Eternal gratitude doesn’t even scrape the surface of my appreciation.