The 911 call came in around 2:30 a.m on April 4.
“Help, someone stabbed me,” said the voice on the phone.
Police and paramedics rushed to the address he gave near the downtown waterfront, beneath the hulking steel beams of the Bay Bridge. By the time first responders arrived at the 300 block of Main Street, the man who made the 911 call was lying bloody and unconscious on the sidewalk, his unmoving figure illuminated by the lights lining the doorway of a data-server company. He was a white man in black jeans,...
“Help, someone stabbed me,” said the voice on the phone.
Police and paramedics rushed to the address he gave near the downtown waterfront, beneath the hulking steel beams of the Bay Bridge. By the time first responders arrived at the 300 block of Main Street, the man who made the 911 call was lying bloody and unconscious on the sidewalk, his unmoving figure illuminated by the lights lining the doorway of a data-server company. He was a white man in black jeans,...
- 10/22/2023
- by Albert Samaha
- Rollingstone.com
San Francisco, Oct 28 (Ians) Tesla CEO Elon Musk has finally taken over as Twitter boss and his first job was to reportedly fire Indian-origin CEO Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, the company’s policy chief Vijaya Gadde and others.
According to a CNBC report citing sources on Friday, Agrawal and Segal have left the company’s San Francisco headquarters and will not be returning.
Gadde, the head of legal policy, trust, and safety was also fired, The Washington Post reported.
Sean Edgett, Twitter’s general counsel, and chief customer officer Sarah Personette were also fired by Musk, reports Insider.
The executives Musk fired have received handsome payouts.
Agrawal received 38.7 million, Segal got 25.4 million, Gadde got 12.5 million, and Personette received 11.2 million, according to Insider.
Musk’s entrepreneur friend Jason Calacanis tweeted: “Day zero. Sharpen your blades boys.”
“Twitter CEO is my dream job,” he said.
“Seems like the twitter...
According to a CNBC report citing sources on Friday, Agrawal and Segal have left the company’s San Francisco headquarters and will not be returning.
Gadde, the head of legal policy, trust, and safety was also fired, The Washington Post reported.
Sean Edgett, Twitter’s general counsel, and chief customer officer Sarah Personette were also fired by Musk, reports Insider.
The executives Musk fired have received handsome payouts.
Agrawal received 38.7 million, Segal got 25.4 million, Gadde got 12.5 million, and Personette received 11.2 million, according to Insider.
Musk’s entrepreneur friend Jason Calacanis tweeted: “Day zero. Sharpen your blades boys.”
“Twitter CEO is my dream job,” he said.
“Seems like the twitter...
- 10/28/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Click here to read the full article.
On the day Twitter accepted a 44 billion takeover offer in April, former CEO Jack Dorsey said Elon Musk is the “singular solution I trust” for the company’s future.
The endorsement may come back to haunt Dorsey after Musk subpoenaed him on Monday to further a bid to walk away from the deal. The request for documents and communications relating to the number of fake accounts on the platform aim to bolster Musk’s arguments at the heart of the legal duel that he doesn’t have to complete the acquisition he proposed because Twitter misrepresented its user data.
Dorsey stepped down in November from his perch as head of the company he cofounded as he fielded escalating calls — and criticism — from Republican lawmakers who complained of the suppression of conservative voices on social media. He supported Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, noting...
On the day Twitter accepted a 44 billion takeover offer in April, former CEO Jack Dorsey said Elon Musk is the “singular solution I trust” for the company’s future.
The endorsement may come back to haunt Dorsey after Musk subpoenaed him on Monday to further a bid to walk away from the deal. The request for documents and communications relating to the number of fake accounts on the platform aim to bolster Musk’s arguments at the heart of the legal duel that he doesn’t have to complete the acquisition he proposed because Twitter misrepresented its user data.
Dorsey stepped down in November from his perch as head of the company he cofounded as he fielded escalating calls — and criticism — from Republican lawmakers who complained of the suppression of conservative voices on social media. He supported Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, noting...
- 8/22/2022
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the 2020 Winter Olympics in Beijing just 18 days away and U.S. diplomats boycotting the games over what a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing recently called China’s “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, and other human rights abuses,” one of the most outspoken owners of one of the NBA’s flagship franchises weighed in.
Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya, who is a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors alongside majority owners Peter Guber and Joe Lacob, expressed what he called “a very hard, ugly truth” about China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority-muslim population in the Xinjiang autonomous region.
“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs. You bring it up because you really care, and I think that’s nice that you care, the rest of us don’t care,” Palihapitiya said. “I’m telling you a very hard, ugly truth, okay? Of...
Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya, who is a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors alongside majority owners Peter Guber and Joe Lacob, expressed what he called “a very hard, ugly truth” about China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority-muslim population in the Xinjiang autonomous region.
“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs. You bring it up because you really care, and I think that’s nice that you care, the rest of us don’t care,” Palihapitiya said. “I’m telling you a very hard, ugly truth, okay? Of...
- 1/17/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the more interesting media-consumption behaviors to emerge from the pandemic era is “watch parties,” which allow consumers sheltering at home from disparate locations to chat with each other while watching the same program synchronized across all of their screens. This kind of virtual co-viewing puts an entertainment-centric spin on the video-conferencing boom perpetuated in recent by month Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other software.
From Netflix Party to Twitch, there is no shortage of options out there for people interested in watch-party solutions. But as of last month, only one of the many entries in this market, Scener, boasts a partnership with HBO.
It’s an early win that has helped this two-year-old startup become a copyright-friendly option for consumers and content companies alike.
“When you have prominent announcements with incredible brands like this, it raises your profile,” said Joe Braidwood, co-founder and COO at Scener on the latest...
From Netflix Party to Twitch, there is no shortage of options out there for people interested in watch-party solutions. But as of last month, only one of the many entries in this market, Scener, boasts a partnership with HBO.
It’s an early win that has helped this two-year-old startup become a copyright-friendly option for consumers and content companies alike.
“When you have prominent announcements with incredible brands like this, it raises your profile,” said Joe Braidwood, co-founder and COO at Scener on the latest...
- 6/24/2020
- by Andrew Wallenstein
- Variety Film + TV
Jason Calacanis has made a career — and a fortune — out of investing in startups as an “angel investor,” with six “unicorn,” or billion-dollar startups, to his credit. He’s now looking to share his insight from the last 15 years on the “very opaque process” of Silicon Valley fundraising in his new book, “Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups — Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000.” In an interview with TheWrap, Calacanis said he wants to shine a light on “how angel investors make their decision of who to bet on.” He also didn’t sugarcoat...
- 8/16/2017
- by Sean Burch
- The Wrap
With the debut of its Model 3 car last month and shares of its stock rocketing up by nearly 70 percent in 2017, Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk are enjoying a major hot streak. But it wasn’t always this sunny for Musk. As Tesla prepared to start production on Model S — the $70,000 (minimum) electric car that would transform the company — it was running dangerously low on cash. Musk told friend and prominent Silicon Valley angel investor Jason Calacanis the car would cost about $50,000 while out at dinner, and Calacanis promptly cut a check for $100,000...
- 8/9/2017
- by Sean Burch
- The Wrap
Influencer marketplace Captiv8, which links up creators like Zach King, Casey Neistat, and iJustine with Fortune 500 brands like Johnson & Johnson and Amazon has just announced a $2 million funding round.
Investors in Captiv8, which has been operating in stealth mode for the past year, include Social Capital, United Talent Agency, and Jason Calacanis’ Launch Fund.
Captiv8 says its data-driven approach, which is powered by artificial intelligence, enables brands to harness the ‘Oprah Effect’ that leading creators have over clamorous fans today. Brands can leverage Captiv8’s platform to buy ads across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, and Facebook.
Captiv8 is able to target geography, household income, ethnicity, age, and gender in helping brands determine which influencer might be the best fit, it says. It works with 125,000 creators in all with a combined reach of 2.1 billion fans.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
Investors in Captiv8, which has been operating in stealth mode for the past year, include Social Capital, United Talent Agency, and Jason Calacanis’ Launch Fund.
Captiv8 says its data-driven approach, which is powered by artificial intelligence, enables brands to harness the ‘Oprah Effect’ that leading creators have over clamorous fans today. Brands can leverage Captiv8’s platform to buy ads across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, and Facebook.
Captiv8 is able to target geography, household income, ethnicity, age, and gender in helping brands determine which influencer might be the best fit, it says. It works with 125,000 creators in all with a combined reach of 2.1 billion fans.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 4/20/2016
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Thanks to his industry knowledge and unbounded candor, investor Jason Calacanis has become one of the most important voices in the YouTube space. Calacanis has not been shy in his criticism of YouTube and its aggressive revenue split, and his latest blog post returns to this topic once again. In response to Google's announcement that Susan Wojcicki has replaced Salar Kamangar as YouTube's CEO, Calacanis has offered some suggestions for Wojcicki on how to make YouTube better. Most of Calacanis' blog post reiterates points he's made before: YouTube is hugely important to Google, the site's revenue split makes money scarce for creators, and the partner program needs to be more of a two-way street. The most interesting part of Calacanis' post is his suggestion for a four-tiered partner program that would reward channels with more subscribers. Calacanis has proposed this system in the past, but in this post he lays...
- 2/10/2014
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
“This Week in Startups” is available on FilmOn! If you’ve missed certain episodes of the news and want to get caught up on the goings-on in the world of business, then tune into this channel and get all the news you’re looking for. “This Week in Startups” is hosted by Jason Calacanis, who is a master in the startup world himself. He co-founded and was the CEO of Weblogs, Inc., sold to AOL in 2005. He also became the general manager of AOL’s Netscape. “This Week in Startups” provides you with all the latest news on starting a business, the economic temperature for startups and more. The best part is [ Read More ]
The post Watch This Week in Startups for Free on FilmOn appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Watch This Week in Startups for Free on FilmOn appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/15/2013
- by monique
- ShockYa
If you're interested in the present and future state of the online video industry (which, given your presence on this blog, I would hope you are), you could do a lot worse than spending a half hour of your time hearing what Mark Suster has to say. The Upfront Ventures partner and regular online media investor delivered a keynote at Social Media Week Los Angeles where he provided some insight on current trends in the web video space. In his talk, Suster--whose investments include top multi-channel network Maker Studios--answers four separate questions: Why are YouTube "haters" wrong? Why is online video going to rule the future? What role should MCNs play? And, to Suster, what is the specific future of online video? Suster's positive view of the YouTube ecosystem is a sharp contract to the more critical viewpoint championed by Jason Calacanis during his talks over the past few months.
- 9/25/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Investor Jason Calacanis has made our headlines several times in the last few months thanks to his willingness to air the grievances other YouTube creators are thinking about. Calacanis has posted some ultra-critical blog posts decrying YouTube and has hinted at the emergence of new platforms that will compete with YouTube by offering a better deal for creators. During his keynote at Vidcon, however, Calacanis took a different route. Instead of telling creators how they can leave YouTube, he addressed the site directly, proposing a new deal that will provide more monetary assistance for creators and keep them from leaving the site. Calacanis' main talking point regarded YouTube's revenue split with channels, which he says currently sits at 55/45 in favor of creators. According to Calacanis, this deal makes it impossible for channels to both produce quality content and hire a competent sales team, even if those channels have tens of millions of views each month.
- 8/9/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
If you’re interested in YouTube, then check out Fortune’s new cover story — titled “How YouTube Changes Everything” (goes online today and hits newsstands Monday) – and stick with it to the end. The most intriguing, and critical, observations are buried. “Even as YouTube explodes in popularity, making money in its world remains a challenge for all but Google itself,” writer Miguel Helft says deep into his piece. One entrepreneur, Jason Calacanis, observes that while YouTube is “amazing for marketers, individuals and companies seeking to reach a large audience,” the business itself is “a trap.” He raises some common complaints: YouTube’s 45% slice of the ad sales pie is too big. It fails to provide enough marketing support. And YouTube, not individual producers, controls the relationships with viewers. Google shouldn’t complain, though. The criticisms are after-thoughts in largely flattering profile that confirms DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg’s observation...
- 7/25/2013
- by DAVID LIEBERMAN, Financial Editor
- Deadline TV
Maker Studios, besides fending off a lawsuit from former CEO Danny Zappin, is launching its own website to host its videos later this year as an alternative to YouTube. Internet entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, CEO and founder of Inside.com, a major YouTube content provider, said recently that a few of the online video giant's top partners are prepping competitive sites, and many have construed them as "rivals" to YouTube. TheWrap used that very word in writing about Maker's plans. These companies are upset with the low revenues they get from YouTube, and have expressed...
- 6/26/2013
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
"Manage change by provoking it." Alexander Manu , Keynote Speaker, Stream Conference 2013. If there were one line I could repeat about the mood at the inaugural Stream Conference from Brunico, this would be it. I have no illusions that the world of traditional "filmmaking" and the digital arena are converging so I try to attend as many new media and advertising conferences as I can. The panels are interesting, but I most enjoy mixing with the other attendees to get a boots on the ground perspective from the digital trenches.
Stream bills itself as the "world’s first marketplace and conference for Internet TV originals...bringing the independent production community together with the leading Internet TV development executives, media agencies and brands to network, do business and learn how to work together more effectively."
A very ambitious mission for a first-time event. I have to give them credit though, the Brunico team (responsible for the venerable RealScreen and KidScreen conferences) had quite a line up of speakers and execs for the panels and speed pitch sessions offered to attendees.
A few takeaways from Stream:
"You can distribute your content if you believe you can." Alexander Manu, Keynote speaker, Stream.
Billed as a "provocative author, speaker and leading practitioner in the field of strategic foresight," in all honesty Alexander Manu provided one of the best keynote presentations I've heard in years; on the level of Ted. More than a couple times I shared a Mind=Blown moment with fellow attendee Will Keenan from Maker Studios as Manu discussed his research on behavioral space and the changing context of content delivery and creation. Manu posits that "the transformation from linear to Internet TV is not a tactical challenge, but a strategic one." Hmm... See what I mean? The audio is available free here.
Most of the following panels were excellent and featured high-level execs from the likes of Yahoo! Inc., Paramount Insurge, Wme, Funny or Die, and others; with titles such as, "Agents and Managers for the Digital Age", "Meet the Newest Heavyweights to Enter Original Online Video", and "The Art of the Syndication Deal".
However as an active YouTube creator I was most interested in what the heavyweights from the McN (Multi-Channel Network) panel had to say.
Moderated by Drew Buckley (COO Electus), the panel featured Barry Blumberg (Evp Alloy Digital/President Smosh), Brett Bouttier (COO Awesomeness TV), Sarah Penna (Co-founder Big Frame), Aaron DeBevoise (Evp Machinima), George Strompolos (CEO Fullscreen), and Chris Williams (Cdo Maker Studios).
The debate rages over what these new entities "MCNs" really are and what they bring to the content table. Some are essentially aggregators of similar YouTube channels that make it easier for audiences and advertisers to find similar content to enjoy or a particular demographic to target, and others have morphed into neo-traditional entertainment content production studios. What I found most interesting about this panel was that while it was supposed to provide insight as to specifically how MCNs make money for their content partners, it morphed into a discussion of how these studios are working hard to actually move their content Off YouTube, or at least develop content that lives in more traditional spaces than YouTube exclusively. This was literally on the heels of a fascinating blog post by YouTube personality and entrepreneur Jason Calacanis decrying what he called the unfair business relationship between Google and it's content partners. Read his post here and feel free to give your two cents' worth below!
The MCNs understandably have to walk a fine line, but they all admitted to also be working on taking their content to other platforms and/or traditional TV, if not off YouTube altogether. Lucas Shaw has his own thoughtful take on the McN's discussion here.
I think a diversified strategy usually tends to be best anyhow, but in the end good content will always win. If one platform or distributor doesn't want it, keep shopping it until you find the right home for it. We use YouTube to study the market, create interest, and even make some money on the side. Our Ouija movie I Am ZoZo was essentially incubated on YouTube and we made changes to the film's script based on the demographic and viewer interaction we were seeing on our viral video.
Even while admitting that they are always trying to diversify, Barry Blumberg Evp of Alloy Digital and Smosh made a pretty simple argument in favor of staying with YouTube on some level, "Say what you want, but YouTube doesn't want to own your content like the TV networks do." A powerful distinction! With YouTube rolling out subscription channels and continuing to work on it's VOD service I wouldn't count them out as a viable long-form distribution platform. When you factor in the cost of hosting and streaming your own video content and creating a massive user-friendly social network, YouTube's terms hold their own against any broadcast deal (last time I checked NBC wasn't handing out advertising rev-shares to indie producers. or letting them own 100% of their content.)
Random quote for thought: "DVDs are still the biggest moneymaker," Brett Bouttier COO, AwesomenessTV on their DVD release of the "All Around the World" concert film about boy-band phenoms Mindless Behavior. It's true, DVDs are still hanging around so don't give up on them yet!
Interesting startup of the day:
There are a million new services popping up promising to help filmmakers get distribution or providing some automated service that is supposed to streamline the insanity of film production. As a habit I make it a point to try out most of them if for no other purpose than to see what these services think I need. As a "music licensing and technology company that provides creative music licensing solutions for all media" music licensing service Audiosocket seems to have great potential for indie filmmakers and established producers alike. I sat down with toppers Jenn Miller and Edward Averdiek and posed a couple of questions about their new service.
Zack Coffman: How can your services help producers and content creators deal with the conundrum of music licensing?
Jenn Miller: All music is pre-cleared for any media, so you can quickly and easily find and then license music to meet your needs at the click of a button using our technology.
Zc: What kind of music do you have available? There are stock libraries out there already. What makes Audiosocket different?
Jm: Our curation strategy is what differentiates us, we have a team that scouts emerging artists using blogs, venues and festivals to find great acts. As well, we just partnered up with Cue Songs, a company founded by Peter Gabriel and Ed Averdieck, to bring their well known artists to our roster of great indie artists! Their music will be available this fall.
Zc: Is it affordable?
Jm: Yes. We strive to get our artists paid fairly while using a fresh perspective on what licensing rates should be based on where their media is being used. No one will pay even $100 for a track being used for a personal video of their kids playing soccer to share with friends and family. But they're very happy to pay $2. Likewise, a wedding videographer will not pay $100 a track for a single use when they may make $500-$2000. We understand that and have priced these licenses accordingly.
Zc: What about syndication, copyright notification systems and Content ID?
Jm: Our licenses can cover all web media, just make sure you get the right license. We're also in early beta with a license identification technology which authenticates a license across the web. It will call back a license from anywhere on the web, validating its clearance rights so for those using the system, your work will not be claimed, taken down, contested, etc.
Zc: How did Audiosocket come into being?
Jm: While running an extreme sports organization, I was clearing music for these films by famous artists when I discovered a much easier approach. Instead of trying to track down and get return calls from dozens of rights holders in a timely manner within a fixed budget, I started working with my now business partner, licensing music from touring bands he'd booked for shows at one of his venues. My clients got affordable music from the freshest emerging artists and their movies helped propel these bands careers. And my job of clearing content was simplified. Win-win-win. So my business partner and I, on a whim one night over margaritas decided to start Audiosocket.
Written by Zack Coffman, Head of Content, Distribution, & Strategy at One World Studios Ltd. He is an award-winning producer specializing in online strategy and monetization, live streaming, and YouTube channel development. Connect with Zack on LinkedIn, Google+, and @choppertown.
Stream bills itself as the "world’s first marketplace and conference for Internet TV originals...bringing the independent production community together with the leading Internet TV development executives, media agencies and brands to network, do business and learn how to work together more effectively."
A very ambitious mission for a first-time event. I have to give them credit though, the Brunico team (responsible for the venerable RealScreen and KidScreen conferences) had quite a line up of speakers and execs for the panels and speed pitch sessions offered to attendees.
A few takeaways from Stream:
"You can distribute your content if you believe you can." Alexander Manu, Keynote speaker, Stream.
Billed as a "provocative author, speaker and leading practitioner in the field of strategic foresight," in all honesty Alexander Manu provided one of the best keynote presentations I've heard in years; on the level of Ted. More than a couple times I shared a Mind=Blown moment with fellow attendee Will Keenan from Maker Studios as Manu discussed his research on behavioral space and the changing context of content delivery and creation. Manu posits that "the transformation from linear to Internet TV is not a tactical challenge, but a strategic one." Hmm... See what I mean? The audio is available free here.
Most of the following panels were excellent and featured high-level execs from the likes of Yahoo! Inc., Paramount Insurge, Wme, Funny or Die, and others; with titles such as, "Agents and Managers for the Digital Age", "Meet the Newest Heavyweights to Enter Original Online Video", and "The Art of the Syndication Deal".
However as an active YouTube creator I was most interested in what the heavyweights from the McN (Multi-Channel Network) panel had to say.
Moderated by Drew Buckley (COO Electus), the panel featured Barry Blumberg (Evp Alloy Digital/President Smosh), Brett Bouttier (COO Awesomeness TV), Sarah Penna (Co-founder Big Frame), Aaron DeBevoise (Evp Machinima), George Strompolos (CEO Fullscreen), and Chris Williams (Cdo Maker Studios).
The debate rages over what these new entities "MCNs" really are and what they bring to the content table. Some are essentially aggregators of similar YouTube channels that make it easier for audiences and advertisers to find similar content to enjoy or a particular demographic to target, and others have morphed into neo-traditional entertainment content production studios. What I found most interesting about this panel was that while it was supposed to provide insight as to specifically how MCNs make money for their content partners, it morphed into a discussion of how these studios are working hard to actually move their content Off YouTube, or at least develop content that lives in more traditional spaces than YouTube exclusively. This was literally on the heels of a fascinating blog post by YouTube personality and entrepreneur Jason Calacanis decrying what he called the unfair business relationship between Google and it's content partners. Read his post here and feel free to give your two cents' worth below!
The MCNs understandably have to walk a fine line, but they all admitted to also be working on taking their content to other platforms and/or traditional TV, if not off YouTube altogether. Lucas Shaw has his own thoughtful take on the McN's discussion here.
I think a diversified strategy usually tends to be best anyhow, but in the end good content will always win. If one platform or distributor doesn't want it, keep shopping it until you find the right home for it. We use YouTube to study the market, create interest, and even make some money on the side. Our Ouija movie I Am ZoZo was essentially incubated on YouTube and we made changes to the film's script based on the demographic and viewer interaction we were seeing on our viral video.
Even while admitting that they are always trying to diversify, Barry Blumberg Evp of Alloy Digital and Smosh made a pretty simple argument in favor of staying with YouTube on some level, "Say what you want, but YouTube doesn't want to own your content like the TV networks do." A powerful distinction! With YouTube rolling out subscription channels and continuing to work on it's VOD service I wouldn't count them out as a viable long-form distribution platform. When you factor in the cost of hosting and streaming your own video content and creating a massive user-friendly social network, YouTube's terms hold their own against any broadcast deal (last time I checked NBC wasn't handing out advertising rev-shares to indie producers. or letting them own 100% of their content.)
Random quote for thought: "DVDs are still the biggest moneymaker," Brett Bouttier COO, AwesomenessTV on their DVD release of the "All Around the World" concert film about boy-band phenoms Mindless Behavior. It's true, DVDs are still hanging around so don't give up on them yet!
Interesting startup of the day:
There are a million new services popping up promising to help filmmakers get distribution or providing some automated service that is supposed to streamline the insanity of film production. As a habit I make it a point to try out most of them if for no other purpose than to see what these services think I need. As a "music licensing and technology company that provides creative music licensing solutions for all media" music licensing service Audiosocket seems to have great potential for indie filmmakers and established producers alike. I sat down with toppers Jenn Miller and Edward Averdiek and posed a couple of questions about their new service.
Zack Coffman: How can your services help producers and content creators deal with the conundrum of music licensing?
Jenn Miller: All music is pre-cleared for any media, so you can quickly and easily find and then license music to meet your needs at the click of a button using our technology.
Zc: What kind of music do you have available? There are stock libraries out there already. What makes Audiosocket different?
Jm: Our curation strategy is what differentiates us, we have a team that scouts emerging artists using blogs, venues and festivals to find great acts. As well, we just partnered up with Cue Songs, a company founded by Peter Gabriel and Ed Averdieck, to bring their well known artists to our roster of great indie artists! Their music will be available this fall.
Zc: Is it affordable?
Jm: Yes. We strive to get our artists paid fairly while using a fresh perspective on what licensing rates should be based on where their media is being used. No one will pay even $100 for a track being used for a personal video of their kids playing soccer to share with friends and family. But they're very happy to pay $2. Likewise, a wedding videographer will not pay $100 a track for a single use when they may make $500-$2000. We understand that and have priced these licenses accordingly.
Zc: What about syndication, copyright notification systems and Content ID?
Jm: Our licenses can cover all web media, just make sure you get the right license. We're also in early beta with a license identification technology which authenticates a license across the web. It will call back a license from anywhere on the web, validating its clearance rights so for those using the system, your work will not be claimed, taken down, contested, etc.
Zc: How did Audiosocket come into being?
Jm: While running an extreme sports organization, I was clearing music for these films by famous artists when I discovered a much easier approach. Instead of trying to track down and get return calls from dozens of rights holders in a timely manner within a fixed budget, I started working with my now business partner, licensing music from touring bands he'd booked for shows at one of his venues. My clients got affordable music from the freshest emerging artists and their movies helped propel these bands careers. And my job of clearing content was simplified. Win-win-win. So my business partner and I, on a whim one night over margaritas decided to start Audiosocket.
Written by Zack Coffman, Head of Content, Distribution, & Strategy at One World Studios Ltd. He is an award-winning producer specializing in online strategy and monetization, live streaming, and YouTube channel development. Connect with Zack on LinkedIn, Google+, and @choppertown.
- 6/20/2013
- by Zack Coffman
- Sydney's Buzz
Investor Jason Calacanis, as he is wont to do, recently made waves when he hinted at several YouTube competitors set to launch in the fall, including one from Maker Studios. Calacanis may think it's possible for top multi-channel networks to rival YouTube by offering a few simple features, but others are skeptical. A recent article in Adweek explains why Maker's odds of online video domination are longer than Calacanis believes. The article makes a few valid points, including one also noted in this space: Maker doesn't come close to having the scale needed to compete with YouTube. The Maker name doesn't draw in viewers as well as Smosh and Philip Defranco do, and unless it can convince most of its star channels to abandon YouTube entirely (a move that would certainly put a hurt on their audience sizes), it won't bring in nearly enough viewers. Of course, Maker probably never...
- 6/19/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Several of YouTube's biggest partners have criticized the company in recent weeks, upset that they aren't making enough money from their massive networks on the world's largest video site. Entrepreneur Jason Calacanis and Alloy Digital executive Barry Blumberg both publicly questioned whether companies will ever make substantial money from YouTube, and advocated looking for new opportunities off the platform. Ashley Mackenzie founded his company, Base 79, to attack this very conundrum. He wanted to help sports leagues, record labels and other entertainment companies makes as much money as possible from YouTube. Five...
- 6/13/2013
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Investor and YouTube entrepreneur Jason Calacanis is seizing the moment. After making headlines with an incisive blog post decrying YouTube and the vice grip in which it holds its creators, he drew attention at the Stream Conference when he hinted at several soon-to-launch YouTube competitors, including one from Maker Studios. Calacanis' latest effort is another one sure to draw discussion. He has penned a post titled "A YouTube Creators' Bill of Rights" where he explains five essential features that YouTube should be offering its creators. Calacanis' post is a response to the trend of top creators (included Ray William Johnson and Philip DeFranco) brokering deals outside of YouTube. "HBO’s directors, writers and actors don’t look at HBO as a marketing tool -- they look at it as the best *home* for their best work," he writes. "Netflix is also becoming the best home for artists’ best work, and...
- 6/12/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
While Jason Calacanis stated at an online video industry conference in Southern California last week about how all is not well in the fledgling state of YouTube, another online video executive revealed at least one newsworthy data point on the state of the online video ad industry at a similar event in New York City. TubeMogul Founder and CEO, Brett Wilson told the audience of Videonuze’s 2013 Online Video Advertising Summit that 15% to 25% of skippable online video ads are viewed to completion. That means, according to Wilson, 80% to 85% of skippable online video ads are skipped. And Wilson would know. His technology service that helps marketers make online video ad buys across a number of different inventory sources is consistently in Comscore’s monthly Top 10 Online Video Ad Properties. In April 2013, for instance, TubeMogul ranked 7th in the Us among similar companies with over 818 million video ads served. Wilson revealed the...
- 6/10/2013
- by Joshua Cohen
- Tubefilter.com
YouTube's biggest partners are now publicly questioning whether they will ever make enough money from the online video giant to sustain their businesses. Tuesday at the Stream conference, executives from multi-channel networks echoed a controversial blog post by entrepreneur Jason Calacanis over the weekend in which he chided YouTube for taking too large a cut of his channel's revenue. The post has been the talk of the online video community since it surfaced -- so much so that Electus COO Drew Buckley kicked off his panel by asking those executives for...
- 6/5/2013
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Rumors have surfaced that one of YouTube's largest multi-channel networks is looking to becoming one of its strongest competitors. According to TheVideoInk, Maker Studios is planning an online video platform that will rival YouTube and is set to launch in the fall. The report cites entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, who appeared at the Stream Conference and stated at "two new competitors" that "will emerge" in the fall with several more possible in the next couple of years. Calacanis hinted that Maker will be one of the companies to launch a platform, though both will come from existing properties. Calacanis, who has been heavily involved in the YouTube Original Channels Initiative, recently tore apart YouTube in a savage blog post that claimed "YouTube is absolutely going to disintermediate the McN (multichannel networks) in the next year or two. You can see it starting already. I mean, why would YouTube let other publishers control the top talent ultimately?...
- 6/4/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Maker Studios will launch its own online video site by the end of the year, according to multiple individuals with knowledge of their plans. Maker is one of YouTube's biggest partners, a network of channels that reaches more than 30 million people a month in the United States alone, according to ComScore. Entrepreneur and YouTube partner Jason Calacanis said during a chat at the Stream conference earlier on Tuesday that two different competitors would emerge in the fall. He cited Maker as one of those competitors. Also read: How Big Can Makers Studios...
- 6/4/2013
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Jenna Marbles gained more subscribers this past month than any other YouTube channel, including the current overall top dog force that is Ray William Johnson. It’s Monday, and that means time for our weekly Tubefilter video blog—now in its third week—of online video new worth knowing. In it we cover the lighting rise of Boston-based Jenna Marbles into the Top 100 most subscribed channels, adding over 630,000 subscribers in just the past four months alone. She now sits at 63rd most subscribed (for now) with 843,127 subscribers. Our full interview with Jenna is coming out this week on Tubefilter’s YouTube channel, so be on the lookout for it. We also recap the sold out (and standing room only) Tubefilter Meetup with Dane Boedigheimer, Dan Weinstein, Wilson Cleveland, Barrett Garese and Jason Calacanis from last week—a thorough recap, including the full recording of the panel can be found here.
- 8/15/2011
- by Marc Hustvedt
- Tubefilter.com
Well that was awesome. This past Wednesday over 400 online video enthusiasts packed the Ballroom at Busby's in Los Angeles for the most recent Tubefilter Hollywood Meetup, Beyond YouTube. So far this year, we've focused a lot of attention on the YouTube platform—from our CES Panel Secrets of YouTube Superstars Revealed, to You're a YouTube Partner—Now What?, and The Digitiour Debriefed—and we figured now it was time to see what other ways online video creators are reaching and building audiences, and how they're optimizing revenue. We pulled together a diverse panel of online video experts—Jason Calacanis, angel investor and CEO of Mahalo and This Week In; Dan Weinstein, Partner at the Collective Digital Studio (who manages the creators behind iJustine, Fred, and The Annoying Orange); Barrett Garese, Director of Content Partnerships at Blip.tv; Wilson Cleveland, Founder of Cjp Digital Media, and Dane Boedigheimer, creator of YouTube...
- 8/12/2011
- by Drew Baldwin
- Tubefilter.com
Live web shows have one insurmountable hurdle every time they fire up the TriCasters and go live—alerting would-be viewers, wherever they may be grazing, and wooing them over to their stream. Television has spent years building up the notion of appointment viewing, anchored by daily Primetime programming (8:00 to 11:00 Pm), that became a fixed piece of the American daily schedule. But as the internet and DVRs disrupted appointment viewing, moving us to a VOD-centric video culture where everything is (or should be) on demand at all times, the rise of live web shows has been stuttered as it tries to find footing with the modern viewer. Ustream is the heavyweight in live video viewing, reaching more than 50 million unique people each month with live streams of everything from Bald Eagles to balding princes. Now the company is doubling down on Facebook with the launch of its impressive new App this week,...
- 5/10/2011
- by Marc Hustvedt
- Tubefilter.com
While it isn't fair to those still working there to pronounce Cinematical dead, this week has seen a steady stream of writers and editors leave the site in recent days, all but leaving it for dead, and without sounding too grandiose, taking a little bit of film culture along with it.
Of course, there are thousands of film sites now covering every crevice of the industry and artform. Whether you're into the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, title sequences, films of the '60s and '70s, or a podcast devoted strictly to the Criterion Collection, there's a place where nearly every cinematic interest can be satisfied. But that wasn't the case back in 2005 when Cinematical debuted with the drive to cover them all. At the time the site was launched under the stewardship of Weblogs founder Jason Calacanis, Mark Rabinowitz and Karina Longworth, film writing on the Web was...
Of course, there are thousands of film sites now covering every crevice of the industry and artform. Whether you're into the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, title sequences, films of the '60s and '70s, or a podcast devoted strictly to the Criterion Collection, there's a place where nearly every cinematic interest can be satisfied. But that wasn't the case back in 2005 when Cinematical debuted with the drive to cover them all. At the time the site was launched under the stewardship of Weblogs founder Jason Calacanis, Mark Rabinowitz and Karina Longworth, film writing on the Web was...
- 4/6/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Well, that was fun. For those of you who headed to Austin for South by Southwest, we hosted a little party with Jesse Draper and our friends at ValleyGirl.TV to kickoff SXSW Interactive and celebrate Tubefilter's panel Decision Trees: YouTube's New Breed of Interactive Storytellers. The turnout was spectacular. The best and brightest of online video filled the open air patio at the Cedar Door, an Austin classic just a block away from the Convention Center. Check-ins on Foursquare unlocked the "Valley Girl Margarita," a potent take on the Door's classic Mexican Martini. Free beer, great weather, and killer soft tacos made for a great evening enjoyed by all (free food Ftw). SXSW Keynote speaker Felicia Day stopped in along with new media uber-agent George Ruiz, Diggnation's Alex Albrecht and Zadi Diaz of Epic Fu. The omni-present Tim Street sported a new look, Shira Lazar and Julia Allison...
- 3/17/2011
- by Drew Baldwin
- Tubefilter.com
On this day 42 years ago Concorde took its first flight in Toulouse, France. Back in 1923 Time magazine debuted, and in 1807 Congress outlawed the importing of slaves--each of these facts, and a trillion others, contributed to today's world. So what's today's early news?
1. Google adjusted its search algorithm last week to suppress content mills and promote quality web writing--and now, in direct response, Mahalo (which has reinvented itself as a "human powered search engine" but is essentially a content factory) has reduced its staff by 10% because of a "significant dip in ... traffic and revenue." CEO Jason Calacanis sees the move as defining web 3.0 as an era of online experts, not journalists.
2. Google, meanwhile, has just pulled 21 popular apps from the Android Marketplace because instead of delivering entertainment, the code behind each is actually malware--either aimed at gaining root control of an owner's phone, or garnering a large amount of personal data.
1. Google adjusted its search algorithm last week to suppress content mills and promote quality web writing--and now, in direct response, Mahalo (which has reinvented itself as a "human powered search engine" but is essentially a content factory) has reduced its staff by 10% because of a "significant dip in ... traffic and revenue." CEO Jason Calacanis sees the move as defining web 3.0 as an era of online experts, not journalists.
2. Google, meanwhile, has just pulled 21 popular apps from the Android Marketplace because instead of delivering entertainment, the code behind each is actually malware--either aimed at gaining root control of an owner's phone, or garnering a large amount of personal data.
- 3/2/2011
- by Kit Eaton
- Fast Company
1. Al-Jazeera has shown that WikiLeaks isn't the only site that can leak sensitive diplomatic texts: It's obtained over 16,000 private records of meetings, and communications between Palestinian, U.S., and Israeli leaders for the last decade, and released some online. Controversy over Israel's seeming rebuttal of concessions has already happened, casting a new light on Julian Assange's business.
2. This really does look like it's going to be the year of contactless credit cards: McDonald's U.K. has revealed it'll be rolling out Nfc Visa payment systems to all its 1,200 branches by the summer. It's the first big-scale retailer in Britain to try it out, with customers able to "tap and pay" without needing even to enter a Pin when buying food under £15 in value.
3. While you, personally, may be wary about 3-D tech, the industry itself is not--Nvidia has just had a leak revealing its Tegra 2 chip plans for this year,...
2. This really does look like it's going to be the year of contactless credit cards: McDonald's U.K. has revealed it'll be rolling out Nfc Visa payment systems to all its 1,200 branches by the summer. It's the first big-scale retailer in Britain to try it out, with customers able to "tap and pay" without needing even to enter a Pin when buying food under £15 in value.
3. While you, personally, may be wary about 3-D tech, the industry itself is not--Nvidia has just had a leak revealing its Tegra 2 chip plans for this year,...
- 1/24/2011
- by Kit Eaton
- Fast Company
Facebook's the subject of Jason Calacanis' wrath at the moment. The tech pundit and occasional prankster (fake iPad review, anyone?) says he just fired off a heated email to Facebook's execs, and promoted it with a widely publicized blog, alleging it's possible to "force join" someone to a pedophile support group. It's a hoax.
Here's the letter Calacanis says he sent to Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg early this morning:
Team Facebook,
Seems as if anyone can add anyone to a Facebook Group.
There is no “opt in.”
In this case someone added Mike Arrington and I to the “Nabla” groupon Facebook. I know I’m not a member of Nambla, and I’m going to guess that Mike isn’t either.
That's the heated bit, augmented by a comment saying that he's now a member of a group that's "very bad"—the North American Man/Boy Love Association--without being asked to join,...
Here's the letter Calacanis says he sent to Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg early this morning:
Team Facebook,
Seems as if anyone can add anyone to a Facebook Group.
There is no “opt in.”
In this case someone added Mike Arrington and I to the “Nabla” groupon Facebook. I know I’m not a member of Nambla, and I’m going to guess that Mike isn’t either.
That's the heated bit, augmented by a comment saying that he's now a member of a group that's "very bad"—the North American Man/Boy Love Association--without being asked to join,...
- 10/7/2010
- by Kit Eaton
- Fast Company
HollywoodNews.com: The Producers Guild of America has announced the 2010 “Digital 25: Visionaries, Innovators and Producers,” an honor which recognizes individuals and teams that have made the most significant contributions to the advancement of digital entertainment and storytelling over the past year. The recipients will be honored at an exclusive cocktail and dinner reception hosted by comedian Kevin Pollak, on the evening of Monday, October 18th, as part of the Variety Entertainment and Technology Summit at the Digital Hollywood Conference at the Loews Santa Monica.
The 2010 “Digital 25” honorees, listed alphabetically by project then name, are as follows:
• Eddy Cue, Jonathan Ive and Steve Jobs for Apple: iPad
• James Cameron and Jon Landau for Avatar
• Justin Day, Charles Hope, Mike Hudack, Dina Kaplan and Jared Klett of blip.tv
• Idan Cohen, Zach Klein and Avner Ronen of Boxee
• Richard Rosenblatt of Demand Media
• Andrew Adamson, Teresa Cheng, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Gina Shay...
The 2010 “Digital 25” honorees, listed alphabetically by project then name, are as follows:
• Eddy Cue, Jonathan Ive and Steve Jobs for Apple: iPad
• James Cameron and Jon Landau for Avatar
• Justin Day, Charles Hope, Mike Hudack, Dina Kaplan and Jared Klett of blip.tv
• Idan Cohen, Zach Klein and Avner Ronen of Boxee
• Richard Rosenblatt of Demand Media
• Andrew Adamson, Teresa Cheng, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Gina Shay...
- 9/23/2010
- by Linny Lum
- Hollywoodnews.com
In his 30-year career, Kevin Pollak has appeared in more than 60 films and created indelible roles in such modern classics as A Few Good Men and The Usual Suspects. His Internet awakening occurred in 2009, when he started his Streamy Award winning weekly talk show Kevin Pollak Chat Show backed by Jason Calacanis (Mahalo). He ventured into the world of Web video with his acclaimed original Web series Vamped Out (it was his directorial debut and he wrote and starred in it as well). Vamped Out returns for season 2 on Babelgum this fall. In a series of interviews about his projects, Pollak shares the story of his evolution and what he loves about this new entertainment medium.
Fast Company: How did Kevin Pollak Chat Show start?
Kevin Pollak: About a year ago, I was visiting Jason Calacanis at Maholo's offices. He was doing a live streaming thing with his disciples,...
Fast Company: How did Kevin Pollak Chat Show start?
Kevin Pollak: About a year ago, I was visiting Jason Calacanis at Maholo's offices. He was doing a live streaming thing with his disciples,...
- 8/16/2010
- by David Lidsky and Patrick J. Sauer
- Fast Company
Media companies have been gaga for online video this year, and the trend is showing no signs of letting up. And it makes sense. Most of these outfits, old and new media alike, already have the pieces in place—solid brand, sizable daily audience, top notch content, and competent ad sales teams. So it’s no surprise that everyone from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and now TechCrunch, Silicon Valley’s daily must-read, have launched their own networks of original web series. Dubbed TechCrunchTV, the network launches with six web shows, one daily and five weekly, featuring regular personalities from the popular tech blog like Sarah Lacy, Mg Sielger, Jason Kincaid and of course founder Michael Arrington. Evelyn Rusli anchors the only daily show so far, a tech news and discussion show called TechCrunch Now. A handful of outsiders were tapped for their own shows, like Keen On,...
- 6/29/2010
- by Marc Hustvedt
- Tubefilter.com
A year ago, we began to notice a surge in live streaming web series, a rush that came as the technology and platforms finally caught up to the growing demand from creators for direct interaction with their audiences. Platforms like Ustream, Stickam and Livestream made “going live” even simpler than uploading a video to YouTube. And for creators who sought out a more professional setup than static webcams, new inexpensive tools like the NewTek Tricaster made multi-camera switching suddenly within reach. TheStream.tv and maniaTV were some of the first online networks of live shows, using custom-built studio space to run their multi-camera broadcasts and lively chat rooms. The trend saw a noticeable uptick in 2009, so much so that we dedicated a whole night to exploring the lure of live streaming web shows at the Going Live panel at the October Web TV Meetup. Then came news this spring that...
- 6/22/2010
- by Marc Hustvedt
- Tubefilter.com
Jason Calacanis is betting big on the future of web shows, and this, as they say, isn’t his first rodeo with an online content company. When he launched his live web show This Week in Startups a year ago, it appeared to be a side project from his gig as CEO of his latest startup Mahalo, a social search engine. Instead the web show turned out to be the seed for an online network of shows, many shot out of Mahalo’s Santa Monica offices. The company already had a small stable of web originals like Mahalo Daily and This Week in YouTube, but it wasn’t until Calacanis himself took the on camera spot that the idea of a separate company for this growing network of shows took flight. Now officially dubbed This Week In with Mahalo’s former Cto Mark Jeffrey tapped as CEO, the upstart network...
- 5/20/2010
- by Marc Hustvedt
- Tubefilter.com
By Christopher Stipp
The Archives, Right Here
I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right Here for free.
Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp
We Live In Public - DVD Review
There’s a moment in We Live In Public (Now out on DVD) in which Josh Harris, an Internet wunderkind who saw the convergence of our online and everyday lives meshing long before any of us delighted in the joy of broadband service, makes an underground lair. Now, as founder of Pseudo.com, one of the very first sites to ever make video on the Internet available in the late 90’s, he wanted to push the sociological and psychological boundaries of what we would consider voyeuristic.
The Archives, Right Here
I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right Here for free.
Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp
We Live In Public - DVD Review
There’s a moment in We Live In Public (Now out on DVD) in which Josh Harris, an Internet wunderkind who saw the convergence of our online and everyday lives meshing long before any of us delighted in the joy of broadband service, makes an underground lair. Now, as founder of Pseudo.com, one of the very first sites to ever make video on the Internet available in the late 90’s, he wanted to push the sociological and psychological boundaries of what we would consider voyeuristic.
- 3/5/2010
- by Christopher Stipp
Award-winning director Ondi Timoner's latest documentary is a captivating look at our growing dependence on the Internet.
When you got up this morning, did you immediately update your Twitter account? How many pictures of you are tagged on Facebook? When was the last time you posted a video on YouTube? If you answered "yes, a lot, and recently," you're not alone. So here's one more question: As we continue to display our lives to the eyes of the World Wide Web, are we chipping away at our very notion of and right to privacy?
We Live in Public is a voyeuristic and captivating look at our growing dependence on the Internet, through the bizarre world of Internet entrepreneur Josh Harris as he rides the rise and fall of the 1990s dot-com boom and bust. A successful businessman-artist, Harris was one of the most eccentric characters of Silicon Alley, carrying...
When you got up this morning, did you immediately update your Twitter account? How many pictures of you are tagged on Facebook? When was the last time you posted a video on YouTube? If you answered "yes, a lot, and recently," you're not alone. So here's one more question: As we continue to display our lives to the eyes of the World Wide Web, are we chipping away at our very notion of and right to privacy?
We Live in Public is a voyeuristic and captivating look at our growing dependence on the Internet, through the bizarre world of Internet entrepreneur Josh Harris as he rides the rise and fall of the 1990s dot-com boom and bust. A successful businessman-artist, Harris was one of the most eccentric characters of Silicon Alley, carrying...
- 8/28/2009
- by Stephanie Schomer
- Fast Company
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