By Gayle Goodman
GGPR & Social
It was a full house at PCNY’s Sept. 12 lunch for a buzzy panel discussion on "Television 2.0: The Mainstreaming of Digital Video Outlets." Enthused about the idea of “disrupting the news,” a sub-topic of this presentation, the panelists said they’re putting stakes into what was termed the “wild west” of growth in the news world.
Allen |
“It’s cowboy time,” cracked a wry Peggy Allen, VP of programming at Live Well Network, an ABC/Disney property. Live Well is a traditional broadcast outlet with content produced and aired by O&O stations.
Allen said that in some cases at Live Well, “separation of church and state is diminished,” and stories are often paid media. Allen wants those “integrated dollars” for stories on lifestyle, home decorating, food and cooking. “We could have national advertisers buy their way in to a show,” says Allen.
In this new digital video world, paid media coverage sometimes takes its seat next to earned media, or traditional placement; location is not a limit to coverage; real people have more chances to rack up their 15 minutes of fame, and there is a hunger for stories that are news to some, and only some. For PR folks, get on some spurs, and start pitching.
Here’s a rundown of the new outlets, and how to get on:
Huffington Post Live: J.J. Miller, supervising producer, emphatically stated the site takes “no money to do stories; the business side is on one side of a wall from production.” Describing Huff Post Live as “the first live interactive news network,” Miller explained, “Community is at the center of what we’re doing.”
The site posts 30-second viewer videos via webcam, and also takes stories on celebrities and experts. “We’re not there to break a story. We’re there to talk about a story,” says Miller. To get on, Miller wants a non-traditional pitch, and would use “a good talker.” “We’ve had John Cusack talking about mortgage reform from his house. Location is a non-factor. I don’t need reporters on the ground.”
Pitches go to: Shira [dot] Sky [at] huffingtonpost [dot] com.
DeDapper |
Buzz :60: The channel is produced by Zazoomvideo.com, with a team of familiar anchors from TV news: Jay DeDapper, Len Berman and Tim Minton. Coverage is not paid for “yet,” says panelist DeDapper, COO, who was testing the idea.
DeDapper, who is often on-camera, “wants stories only people in small places know about.” He said, “Most of the material we do has an urban, 20s-30s, slightly cynical attitude. Tech and entertainment pieces.” Send him a pitch for “what people can do with their old phone instead of the new iPhone.”
In fact, Buzz :60 uses still photos over video. “We tend not to use video,” says the energetic DeDapper. “Still photos done right have bigger impact than b-roll.” Good chance to use those high res product shots.
Pitch to Rachel [dot] Trobman [at] zazoomvideo [dot] com.
Live Well Network: If you want a recipe for Sweet Corn Ice Cream, Live Well Network has it. A broadcast channel, programming airs on subchannels of local stations (see Wikipedia for local stations).
In New York, it’s on WABC-TV, of course. Allen says it reaches 70 markets and 60% of all households with stories on “entertainment-based lifestyle categories” since 2009. Send pitches directly to Allen at: Peggy[ dot] L [dot] Allen [at] abc [dot] com.
Gomes |
Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG): DBG produces branded entertainment and original content and mixes all the formats for paid and earned media in online channels. There are opportunities for pitching experts for traditional editorial coverage; products for brand integration into stories as a paid placement; and sponsorship of full content.
Founder, and panelist, Joseph Gomes spoke about the new SpacesTV. A YouTube channel about home design, SpacesTV launched in June as part of what Gomes calls “a YouTube content initiative. It’s HGTV meets Jezebel.” A video produced on the design of a 78 square foot apartment has over 1 million views on YouTube.
DBG has a video network with 2,600 sites “in all different categories,” says Gomes, and creates branded entertainment across the network for clients including Infiniti, Hewlett Packard, Ford, and more. In 2011, Forbes ranked the six-year-old DBG third on its list of Most Promising Companies.
For pitches, contact Kayla [dot] Zerby [at] morris-king [dot] com.
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Gayle Goodman, GGPR & Social, New York, reps creative companies and people in TV production to fashion, advertising to technology. Contact her at [email protected].