Poorly Projected Pictures in the News at DVinfo.net

Jon Fairhurst · March 29th, 2007, 06:17 PM

I figure this is more of a "Taking Care of Business" post than a "DV News" item, so here it is...

Our company, Poorly Projected Pictures, is featured in The Daily Evergreen, Washington State University's paper. It has a circulation of 12,000 to our target market. It's our first newspaper article, after sending out about seventy press kits to college and local newspapers.

You can see our stuff at ColonelCrush.com

If other people here are doing regularly released web video, let me know. There are definitely cross marketing opportunities. We release about three or four minutes of video a week - hardly a saturation point. If people have a list of video sites that they check every week, it can help create a habit, and that can lead to reach, which leads to advertising and merchandise sales.

So, anybody else here with a similar business? Anybody else doing press kits and trying to get the word out?

Let's hear your stories...

Jon Fairhurst · March 29th, 2007, 10:57 PM

I just found the pdf versions of the article: Page 1, Page 2.

Wow. Big cool fonts, one BIG and one small photo. Somehow a newspaper article is much cooler when it actually looks like a newspaper article.

And, if you don't want to read about us, you can read the Hangover Remedy article right next to ours. Is there any better location in a college newspaper? :)

Ken Diewert · March 29th, 2007, 11:23 PM

Cool Jon!

Evergreen today - Variety tommorrow.

Jon Fairhurst · March 30th, 2007, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Diewert

Evergreen today - Variety tommorrow.

It's tomorrow now. Time to check the news stand!

So... anybody else here making a go of a web-based video series? Are we nuts?

Greg Quinn · March 31st, 2007, 08:31 PM

Jon;
That's very enterprising stuff, well done (I thought that was a new booming gadget that was missing from my repertoire...!).

I'm convinced that the future of film distribution will be via networked connectivity, and web is leading the way with this, so you guys are ahead of the curve. More power to you.

Greg

Jon Fairhurst · April 3rd, 2007, 01:03 PM

Thanks Greg!

I'm an engineer by training. Learning about marketing, web distribution and viral trends has been interesting stuff.

What's amazing to me is what a "high gain" system this is. Most stuff on YouTube gets maybe tens of hits, possibly a few hundred. But other things, like LonelyGirl15 and Charley the Unicorn, get millions.

The cliff is even steeper for the majors. I just read that David E. Kelley's "Wedding Bells" TV show (never seen it) is being canceled after just four episodes. It's shown on Fridays (primetime death), and got 4.5 million viewers, but still gets the ax.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...eut/index.html

If Colonel Crush ever got 4.5 million viewers, I'd be ecstatic - after cleaning up the fried ashes that used to be our server, and investing in a small server farm.

The line between hero and zero in this business is really elusive, but the need for marketing and promotions is not.

In this context I'm not surprised at all at the collusion between the Big Media companies (you promote my movie on your news show, and I'll promote your movie on mine...) The recent radio payola scam doesn't surprise me either. It's all about buzz.

So... are press releases and newspaper articles the best use of our resources? Should we buy Google ads? What's the best way to market an Internet video channel in order to reach critical mass so we can finance the site through ads?

March 29th, 2007, 06:17 PM	#1
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Poorly Projected Pictures in the News I figure this is more of a "Taking Care of Business" post than a "DV News" item, so here it is... Our company, Poorly Projected Pictures, is featured in The Daily Evergreen, Washington State University's paper. It has a circulation of 12,000 to our target market. It's our first newspaper article, after sending out about seventy press kits to college and local newspapers. You can see our stuff at ColonelCrush.com If other people here are doing regularly released web video, let me know. There are definitely cross marketing opportunities. We release about three or four minutes of video a week - hardly a saturation point. If people have a list of video sites that they check every week, it can help create a habit, and that can lead to reach, which leads to advertising and merchandise sales. So, anybody else here with a similar business? Anybody else doing press kits and trying to get the word out? Let's hear your stories... __________________ Jon Fairhurst

March 29th, 2007, 10:57 PM	#2
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	I just found the pdf versions of the article: Page 1, Page 2. Wow. Big cool fonts, one BIG and one small photo. Somehow a newspaper article is much cooler when it actually looks like a newspaper article. And, if you don't want to read about us, you can read the Hangover Remedy article right next to ours. Is there any better location in a college newspaper? :) __________________ Jon Fairhurst

March 29th, 2007, 11:23 PM	#3
Ken Diewert Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 1,200	Cool Jon! Evergreen today - Variety tommorrow. __________________ C100, 5DMk2, FCPX

April 3rd, 2007, 01:03 PM	#6
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Thanks Greg! I'm an engineer by training. Learning about marketing, web distribution and viral trends has been interesting stuff. What's amazing to me is what a "high gain" system this is. Most stuff on YouTube gets maybe tens of hits, possibly a few hundred. But other things, like LonelyGirl15 and Charley the Unicorn, get millions. The cliff is even steeper for the majors. I just read that David E. Kelley's "Wedding Bells" TV show (never seen it) is being canceled after just four episodes. It's shown on Fridays (primetime death), and got 4.5 million viewers, but still gets the ax. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...eut/index.html If Colonel Crush ever got 4.5 million viewers, I'd be ecstatic - after cleaning up the fried ashes that used to be our server, and investing in a small server farm. The line between hero and zero in this business is really elusive, but the need for marketing and promotions is not. In this context I'm not surprised at all at the collusion between the Big Media companies (you promote my movie on your news show, and I'll promote your movie on mine...) The recent radio payola scam doesn't surprise me either. It's all about buzz. So... are press releases and newspaper articles the best use of our resources? Should we buy Google ads? What's the best way to market an Internet video channel in order to reach critical mass so we can finance the site through ads? __________________ Jon Fairhurst

March 31st, 2007, 08:31 PM	#5
Greg Quinn Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 505	Jon; That's very enterprising stuff, well done (I thought that was a new booming gadget that was missing from my repertoire...!). I'm convinced that the future of film distribution will be via networked connectivity, and web is leading the way with this, so you guys are ahead of the curve. More power to you. Greg