What VON Means for STBD

My head is still spinning from the VON experience. After three straight days of conference interaction, it can be tough to articulate every observation and event that's worth noting. I'll be breaking my thoughts down to bite-sized highlights over the coming days, starting here with:

STBD @ VON

I was invited to the VON conference to speak as the creator of Something to Be Desired, which is one of the web's longest-running video series. In addition to the general schmoozing and information-gathering, I had a seven minute speaking slot in which to wow the audience with whatever nuggets of wisdom I'd gathered in the past four years.

My speech doesn't exist on paper -- it was almost entirely improvised because I could never whittle it down to the 7 minutes I'd been alotted -- but the gist of my message was this:

Engaging Sustainable Episodic content.

That's what will help web video emerge from its current haze as the bright, shiny object people are still wrapping their heads around and allow us to move forward into a space where the average web user begins to realize that:

- there's more to web video than lip-synching videos and guys getting kicked in the crotch on YouTube,

- there's content being created that asks for (and is actually worth) more of your time and effort than the snack-based culture we're currently experiencing,

- this sustainable content is what active communities are built around, and

- this type of content is increasingly inexpensive to produce.

Anti-Snack?

I have nothing against snacking. I do it all the time. Our attention spans continue to evolve, meaning we can absorb more information in shorter amounts of time. This renders the old "meat and potatoes" theory inert.

If you're going to provide more than a snack, the time invested (on both sides: creator AND audience) had better be worth spending.

With STBD, we've created a show with a very long tail. It's sticky. It also requires more time and effort on the part of the audience to fully grasp what it is we're doing.

This means our core audience still hasn't arrived on the space yet because nowhere else have they seen any reason to invest more than a passing glance at a video whose elements never change over time.

Both the audiences AND the creators need to realize that this space enables us to do much more than just spoofs, skits and one-shots. Web video can be the new TV, the new film school and a whole new way of communicating, all in one.

And Now for the Big Surprise

Two elements I included in the speech generated the most buzz afterward, which makes sense because they were designed to stand out:

1. STBD will be franchising.

As I'd alluded to months ago on this blog, the time is ripe to branch STBD out beyond the borders of Pittsburgh. There's nothing stopping us from creating an STBD New York, and STBD Los Angeles and an STBD London (etc.) tomorrow, except for time and talent.

This concept really caught on with a few of the attendees, and many of them approached me afterwards with questions about how such a thing might be possible. One person in particular is quite interested in branching us out to one of the cities mentioned above. Obviously, all talk of this nature is just discussion until decisions are made and events are put into motion, but the opportunity for growth is certainly an embraceable one.

2. STBD is going open-source.

In the old media empire, the creators and studios talked AT the audience, and then hoped the audience talked amongst themselves ABOUT the finished product.

In the new media revolution, everyone is on even footing. This means the opportunities for audience interaction and creative input are immeasurable. Why not take advantage of that interest and empower the audience to take part in the ongoing creation of STBD?

How we do this will be seen over the coming months, but early elements include:

- Leaving certain elements of each episode open for public creation -- scenes, scripts, plotlines, etc.

- Empowering the audience to submit music, scout locations and rally extras for STBD shoots

- Offering audience interaction tools that will enable viewers to reinterpret our story from their own POV

Sound interesting? It is. And it definitely struck a chord with the audience at VON, who are VERY interested in seeing what STBD can accomplish by opening the doors and ceding certain areas of creative control to our fans -- which will, in turn, grant everyone who works with / on / around the show a greater sense of belonging within the community, and generate new reasons for each of them to spread the word.

Hush-Hush

In business, as in life, nothing is ever final until the last guest leaves the party. However, early indications from conversations that occurred at VON lead me to believe that at least one, if not several, of the following events will occur in the very near future:

- STBD will become a production umbrella, rather than a single show

- STBD will develop working partnerships with individual advertisers and ad networks

- STBD may be moving to a new online home

- STBD may no longer be my only "web job"

Of course, none of these events may happen as well. But the odds are that in seven months, when I'm at VON Boston in October, it may be under a very different set of circumstances...

To hear more about my POV @ VON, call in to Geek Riot this Sunday (March 25) @ 10 PM EST. Hosts Shawn Smith and iJustine have a big show lined up, including yours truly, who'll be talking about the VON experience AND the STBD relaunch beginning Monday!