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A look at Current TV’s VCAM program

Posted by Beardy on March 15th, 2012

There are only about 8 cable channels that I actually watch on a regular basis and one of them happens to be Current TV. The network runs some really excellent documentaries and news shows but I sort of miss the days when they used to run short, viewer-created docs all day long. But while Current has moved away from airing viewer-made “pods,” they still air a lot of viewer-created ads thanks to their “Viewer Created Ad Message” program. Here’s an especially great example of commercial that aired on Current. Oh…for some weird reason, Current makes you watch a commercial before you watch this commercial! So the VCAM ad is the second one that plays.

Official VCAM Selection. Purchased and aired by Samsung:

Since I’m a big fan of spec commercial contests/assignments and Current TV, I was psyched when I got an e-mail from the folks behind the VCAM program, Barry Penland and Nicole Smith. It sounded like 2012 was going to be a big year for VCAM so I decided to let Barry and Nicole tell you all about the program themselves…in the form of an interview!

VCN: So, tell me about the VCAM program. What is it and how does it work?

VCAM TEAM: The Viewer Created Content program (VCAM) is a unique advertising vehicle born out of the user-generated spirit of Current TV six years ago. The program brings independent producers together with national advertisers to create unique and often non-traditional ad campaign videos. Current TV was originally programmed solely by user-generated content and naturally complimented this aspect of our network. As Current transitioned into more traditional programming, we maintained the VCAM department as a way to offer opportunities to producers to continue to contribute to the content, as well as receive recognition and compensation. Current is based in several locations throughout the US, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Producers can either sign up to receive notifications, or check the assignment page at http://current.com/vcam to find out about open callouts. From there, they will be given details of the video assignment and the goals and guidelines of the brand. If they choose to participate and their finished video is selected by the brand, the producer can be compensated up to $5,000 and the video may air on Current TV and be posted on both Current’s and the brand’s web sites. If the video is chosen by the brand to air on other networks, there is the possibility for additional money.

An important distinction between VCAM and other contests is that our program is NOT a contest. Instead, VCAMs are based on client-initiated assignments or “calls for content” that we send out to our producer community all over the world. We engage with our producers directly and communicate with them during every step in the process: from the conception of their ideas, to execution of the production, through on-air delivery. We also give them vast amounts of help to create their commercials, for example: access to a license free music library and visual assets – often from the advertiser directly. Lastly, we invite our producers to speak directly with the brand on a conference call where producers can ask specific questions about the creative direction and receive honest feedback about what they are looking for in the content piece.

VCN: What kind of brands have taken part in the program?

VCAM TEAM: The brands that we work with are National Advertisers that have creative agencies that normally create their marketing/advertising for mainstream distribution. At Current, our advertisers are looking for innovative, cutting edge creative that has an authentic consumer perspective. They are not looking for the same old, same old. In our experience, brands have selected all types of VCAMs, whether unpolished and amateur, or clean and professional.

Brands have included: Toyota, HP, XM Radio, Paramount, Wachovia, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Pop Secret, Microsoft, L’Oréal, Nikon, Canon, Mini, Lexus, T-Mobile, Nissan, McDonalds, Scion, Sun Chips, Clorox, Allstate, Mountain Dew, Gillette, Chrysler, Electronic Arts, Chrysler, eHarmony, Revlon, Geico, Hershey’s.

VCN: Why do you think companies are interested in having “viewers” create their commercials?

VCAM TEAM: Viewers bring a unique perspective that is increasingly important in our socially networked world. Our producer community has done an amazing job at capturing brand messaging in their authentic consumer voice and we believe that is what draws advertisers to Current.

VCN: Do you have some personal favorite VCAM ads?

VCAM TEAM: Definitely! Check these out:

Lexus – “Zaqistan” http://current.com/groups/lexus-vcam-results/92261698

SunChips – “Little Steps” http://current.com/groups/on-current-tv/92391223

Sony Pictures Digital – Battle L.A. “Night” youtube.com/watch?v=VKkQs82I8Ac

VCN: What do you think makes for a special viewer created ad?

VCAM TEAM: VCAMs are all pretty special because they often represent perspectives that don’t normally appear in mainstream advertising. Sincerity and simplicity make for some of the best VCAMs – even if they’re rough around the production edges.

VCN: Are any VCAM assignments currently running?

VCAM TEAM: We have a number of assignments already in progress, but there will be many new assignments throughout the rest of 2012 that producers can consider. It is a very busy year! Sign up for the VCAM newsletter at http://current.com/participate/vcam or email us at vcam@current.com to get involved.

VCN: Here’s the final and most important question; who gets crazier at the Current TV office party; Al Gore or Keith Olbermann?

VCAM TEAM: No comment

Interview with Jon Friedman, Crash the Super Bowl finalist and creator of “Man’s Best Friend”

Posted by Beardy on January 26th, 2012

Crash the Super Bowl finalist, Man's Best Friend

Though I’m not totally crazy about some of Doritos’ picks in this year’s Crash the Super Bowl contest, I will admit that all of the 2012 finalists are….ok. In fact, I think they all range from decent to awesome. Last week I posted an interview I did with one of the creators of the CTSB finalist ad, Hot Wild Girls. I mentioned that I thought his entry was one of the “awesome” ones and that I personally would be voting for it every day. But this year, Fritolay has made it so you can vote a bunch of times in a bunch of different ways! So I’ve been splitting my votes up between my two favorite ads; Hot Wild Girls and Man’s Best Friend.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that “Man’s Best Friend” made the final five; not because it was bad but because it was….I don’t know…pleasant. It doesn’t assault your senses or your intelligence like some of the other finalists do. Sure, it has a gigantic dog in it but it’s smart and subtle and even a tiny bit dark. And the most amazing thing of all is that Man’s Best Friend was produced for only about 20 bucks! So it’s really exciting to learn that that low budget, “homemade” ads still have a shot in this contest.

Man’s Best Friend was created by a very nice dude from Virginia named Jon Friedman. Let’s get to know him, shall we?

VCN: So Jon, tell me about yourself. Who are you, where are you from?

JON: I am a freelance graphic designer, filmmaker, photographer, and musician from Virginia Beach, VA. Filmmaking has always been a passion of mine, as is music (I play piano, guitar, and drums.) In the graphics world, I am best known for my design of the “Conversations with God” books, which have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. I was also fortunate enough to design Richard Bach’s last two books–he is the author of the classic books, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” and “Illusions.”

VCN: Have you entered many video contests in the past?

JON: This is the first video contest I’ve entered.

VCN: What made you want to enter the CTSB contest?

JON: Well, I can think of a “million” reasons . . . But seriously, I’ve always thought it would be fun to make commercials. I’ve had a lot of ideas for them over the years, and while I was watching the commercials during last year’s Super Bowl I thought “why haven’t I entered this contest? This is something I’ve always wanted to do.” So I made a decision right then and there to enter CTSB the following year.

VCN: Where did the idea for Man’s Best Friend come from?

JON: The inspiration for “Man’s Best Friend” was triggered by a thought I had one night. It just occurred to me that in most ads involving an animal, the animal is always trying to acquire the product. So I thought to myself, “What if there was a twist on that, or it was the opposite of that?” After having that thought, the idea for “Man’s Best Friend” popped into my head. I think that’s how inspiration works in general. Something usually triggers it–a thought, a memory, a feeling. It can be anything.

VCN: How was the ad produced? What kind of camera did you use? Mind if I ask what your budget was?

JON: I shot the commercial for about $20 using a Canon 7D (which I already own). I had to buy some Doritos, a few props, and some dog treats. I originally thought the commercial would only cost $13 to produce, so I went way over budget. The most difficult part about the production was getting “Huff the Great Dane” to cooperate. He’s really just a gigantic 120+ pound baby who wants to run around, sit in people’s laps, and eat treats (he was also fond of shaking hands/paws with everyone). Huff knew the word “sit” but that’s about as far as his training went. It took some patience and cleverness to get what we needed.

Jon Friedman in Fritolay's secret underground PR bunker

VCN: How and when did you find out you made the finals?

JON: I don’t remember the exact date, but I received a phone call between the second and third week in December. I was told to keep quiet about it of course, so that was very difficult. It’s tough to walk around acting like everything’s normal when you get news like that!

VCN: This is kind of an insider question but I think some readers will really like to hear the answer. I’ve heard that actors in CTSB ads actually get paid SAG “scale” by Fritolay. Is that true?

JON: Yes, that’s true. I only had one on-screen actor in my commercial and he had to fill out a SAG contract.

VCN: So who are you taking to the Super Bowl?

JON: I’m taking my brother (and assistant director.) We often collaborate on creative projects and his help has been invaluable.

VCN: What are you doing to promote your entry?

JON: I don’t know that I’m doing anything too special–Facebook, local media, friends and family. I’m hoping that will be enough!

VCN: What has been the reaction of your family and friends to all this?

JON: They’ve been incredibly supportive and I think many of them are more excited than I am! I’m still in shock by the whole thing.

VCN: Here on VCN we’ve talked a lot about finalists who are able to win the CTSB more than once. Are you already planning your entry for 2013?

JON: I have so many ideas, and I’ll admit, I have thought about what I might do next year. If I don’t win the big prize this year (which I believe automatically disqualifies you from entering the contest again), I will probably enter it again next year. I had a lot of fun making this commercial, and even if I don’t win again, I know I’ll enjoy creating another one.

VCN: Any final thoughts you’d care to share?

JON: This whole experience has been amazing, and I still feel honored that “Man’s Best Friend” was chosen as a finalist. If people have any questions or comments they’d like to share with me, I can be contacted at jonathan@frame25productions.com

To vote for Man’s Best Friend, head here: www.mansbestfriendcommercial.com

Interview with Eric Delgado, co-creator of “Hot Wild Girls!”

Posted by Beardy on January 17th, 2012

The hot, wild girls of "Hot Wild Girls"

When the Crash the Super Bowl finalists were announced on January 4th, I was pleasantly surprised to see that an ad entitled “Hot Wild Girls” had made the Top 5. Though the commercial was clever, topical and funny, it seemed like kind of an “outside the box” pick for doritos. It didn’t feature anyone getting brutalized and it wasn’t an over-produced, super-slick interpretation of “user generated content.” Instead it actually feels like real, authentic, UGC. It looks like it was shot by a few buddies in their living room because it was! And while it does feature dogs, at least they weren’t trying to trick a cruel human into dropping his Doritos on the ground. (I was positive we’d see another “dog gets his revenge” ad this year since there were so many copycats in the gallery)

So I was really glad to see this spot make the finals. And I was even more pleased when I found out “Hot Wild Girls” was made by a friend of VCN! The ad was written by a reader named Eric Delgado of San Antonio, TX. This is kind of insane but for the second time in about 8 months, Eric has a serious shot at winning a million dollars in a video contest. Over the summer, he and his friends made the finals in Gain’s “Smell Like a Million Bucks” competition. Ultimately his team didn’t win that contest but it seems like that brush with victory inspired them to “go big” when it came time to enter the biggest video contest of them all; Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest. And now, here’s out Q&A with Eric:

VCN: Tell me about the “Hot Wild Girls” team. Who are you guys?

ERIC: Nate Watkin, Brad Scott and Eric Delgado. We are ex-MMA fighters from Denver, CO and San Antonio, TX with a combined record of 1-27 (Brad got the W because the other dude tapped out upon entering the cage claiming that Brad was “too pretty to hit.”) Actually, Nate (my cousin) and Brad are the co-founders of their production company, Definite Productions, based in Denver. They’ve been working together for about four years producing commercials and videos. Last year, after Nate saw my Doritos entry for last year’s CTSB, we decided that we should work together on a future project since we all had a passion for comedic commercials.

The "Hot Wild Girls" team

VCN: Have you guys entered many video contests in the past?

ERIC: As a team, it’s our second contest.. We entered the Gain “Smell Like a Million Bucks” contest this past summer and we were actually a Top 25 finalist for the million dollar prize. Sadly, we didn’t win. That’s why we are pretty stoked about this Doritos opportunity. We realize that we’ve overcome some pretty ridiculous odds and we are extremely grateful to be in this position. Beardy’s Note: Here’s his team’s Gain entry. That’s Eric playing the role of the Repair Man:

VCN: What made you want to enter the CTSB contest?

ERIC: Honestly.. The opportunity to have our commercial/vision broadcasted to over 120 million people worldwide via the Super Bowl and the doors that’ll hopefully open as a result.. And of course the money. The money part should actually immediately follow the “Honestly..” mentioned above. What? Just sayin’.

VCN: Where did the idea for your entry come from?

ERIC: My cranium.. But knowing you Beardy, you probably want some details. I knew we needed something that was “trendy”. I also knew the power of animals in a commercial. I wrote and wrote for a few hours until finally I came up with dialogue that fulfilled the “twist” which, coincidentally, added the final ingredient… Gorgeous girls. I love those girls Beardy…I have no problem admitting that.

VCN: How was the ad produced? What kind of camera did you use? Mind if I ask what your budget was?

ERIC: Pre-production consisted of a week of casting talent, securing a location, and locating 3 Rottweiler’s (thank you Camp Bow Wow!) that could work together. We had a $2,000.00 budget that was used to pay the talent and makeup artist. A friend loaned us the RED One camera to shoot this ad. Nate and Brad chose this camera for it’s amazing picture quality and control of the final image. Since our intention was hopefully to have this ad broadcasted, we felt it was best fit to shoot at a higher resolution. We shot on-location during a 5-hour period and had to work around the shifting daylight. All footage was logged within an hour of completing the shoot, and then edited the next day with a final that night due to the deadline of the contest.

Whoa, nice camera!

VCN: So who gets to go to the Super Bowl?

ERIC: Nate and Brad. However, if the Cowboys we’re still in the playoffs, this would be a little different. Stupid Cowboys.

VCN: What are you doing to promote Hot Wild Girls?

ERIC: Media (News/newspaper/radio interviews).. Social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, buzzfeed.com, etc.).. Website (hotwildgirls.tv).. Guerrilla marketing (fliers, posters, word of mouth, etc.)

VCN: What has been the reaction of your family and friends to all this?

ERIC: They have been AMAZINGLY supportive! They are extremely proud and happy for us.. And we couldn’t be happier to have them along for the ride. We love ya’ll!!! All that time spent in the past voting for a friend’s “Cutest Baby”, “Best Restaurant”, or “Prettiest Puppy” is finally paying off.

VCN: Here on VCN we’ve talked a lot about finalists who are able to win the CTSB more than once. Are you already planning your entry for 2013?

ERIC: Absolutely. However, I hope they just announce the winner(s) before December 21, 2012. If I’m going down, I’d at least like to know that our commercial WOULD have aired during Super Bowl XLVII.

VCN: Any final thoughts you’d care to share?

ERIC: Yes.. And this is for your frequent visitors (like us.. fellow “Joe Handycams”) Beardy. There will always be people out there that criticize your work. They’ll try and blast your creation on websites, forums, or maybe even the “comments” section under that YouTube video that you were proud to post even after a contest you didn’t win. Who cares.. Let them criticize while you continue to create. We are by no means experts in this art.. It simply makes us happy.

VCN: Well said!

I’ve been voting for “Hot Wild Girls” every day and I think you should be doing the same. It’s a cool, funny ad I’m hoping that if it airs during the Super Bowl and scores well on the ad meter, maybe next year Doritos will be inspired to make “outside of the box” picks when it comes time to choose their 2013 Crash the Super Bowl finalists. To vote for Hot Wild Girls, just click here!

Interview with Pepsi Max Crash the Super Bowl finalist, Kyle Stafford

Posted by Beardy on December 11th, 2011

Kyle battles a Doritos-loving kid in his 2012 Crash the Super Bowl entry, Switcheroo

When it was announced the Pepsi Max wasn’t going to be a part of this year’s Crash the Superbowl contest I was both disappointed and relived; disappointed because that meant there would be only 5 finalist slots instead of 10 and relived because the folks at Pepsi simply did not seem to get this contest. The people at Doritos who created and run “The Crash” have spent years building up the reputation of this mega-contest and in one season, the Pepsi Max team came in and did serious damage to the CTSB “brand.”

Pepsi Max hurt the contest in a few ways but it all comes down to which videos they picked for the Top 5. When the 2010/2011 contest was announced, the Pepsi team kept pushing the idea that Pepsi Max was a “manly” diet drink. And so, hundreds of filmmakers shot ads that were aimed at selling Pepsi Max to men. But somewhere along the way, Pepsi must have changed their marketing strategy for Pepsi Max. Because when they announced their finalists, 4 of the top 5 videos were clearly aimed at selling Pepsi Max to women. That upset quite a few people. But that was nothing compared to the backlash when fans actually watched Pepsi Max’s finalist choices. Two of them were embarrassingly bad and a third ad was very-expensive looking but it wasn’t especially funny. It aired during the big game and scored 24th on the USA Today Ad Meter…which I believe makes it the worst performing CTSB ad ever.

So Pepsi’s Top 5 were just not on par with the kind of ads that Doritos always picked. There were only two 2011 Pepsi Max Crash the Super Bowl finalists that I personally liked. One was “Love Hurts” and the other was this ad entitled, First Date:

One thing the Pepsi Judges did that kind of impressed me was that they weren’t afraid to pick ads that didn’t have high-end production values. (Of course, I think this strategy backfired in one or two cases) First Date doesn’t look super slick and it wasn’t shot with a $18,000 Red Camera. The thing it has going for it is great writing. It’s clever and interesting and it’s aimed at both women AND men. And best of all, it’s TRUE. People connect with this idea because they have probably been in situations like the one depicted in the video. First Date wound up airing during the Super Bowl and despite the fact that this ad only cost about $25 to make, it was ranked the #7 best ad of the night on the USA Today ad meter poll. It just goes to show you that good writing conquers all.

The man behind First Date is named Kyle Stafford and he plays “the guy” in the commercial. It turns out that Kyle is a fan of VCN and he graciously agreed to answer some questions about his Crash the Super Bowl experiences. And now, on with the interview:

VCN: So Kyle, tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do for a living?

KYLE: I am from Northern California. A place called Rohnert Park, north of San Francisco. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara and came straight to LA to become a world famous writer/producer. Ten years later and I am now an Editor over at Warner Brothers. It’s actually not a bad gig, but I still write/produce on nights and weekends.. I am married and we have 2 sons. And they are actually all in this years CTSB commercial.

VCN:  Do you enter a lot of video contests?

KYLE: This year will be out 4th year entering the Crash contest. Last year we actually made 3 commercials, 2 for Pepsi Max and 1 for Doritos. But besides this contest, we don’t really enter other contests.

VCN:  Do you remember why you entered the contest last year?

KYLE: We actually were not going to enter last year, because we had entered the 2 previous years and thought we had pretty good entries and never got in, so we were all stubborn, like “screw it” we don’t need them. Then we came to our senses and realized we did need them and we ended up making 3 spots. We actually thought a different entry was going to be the finalist. A spot called Pepsi Wedding, which you had in your Top 30 list. So when they called and said it was for First Date we were all kind of shocked.

VCN:  Tell us about how you created First Date.

KYLE: A couple of friends and I have a comedy/skit website called GoodLookingLiars.com, so we had been making content on and off together for about 2 years when we decided to enter the contest again. We hadn’t really put any thought into the commercials since we were not going to enter anything, but then when we decided to enter, we had almost no time, so we had to act quick. I got the idea in LA traffic, during an especially awful stretch on the 405. I just remember it making me laugh, so I called Nick Simotas and Robby Wells right away and told them the idea and they both laughed. Then I called my wife and she said there was no way we could say that during the Super Bowl. That’s when I knew we were going to make it. The ad cost about 25 dollars to make. We got the restaurant for free, got friends to be extras and shot the whole thing in about an hour. It isn’t the most complex commercial in the world, with no production audio and really only 3 camera angles. The 25 dollars was just to buy frozen dinners to put food on the plates as well as a pack of gum so the whole cast and crew could partake in a good chew. The actress opposite me is Julia Bellows, she is a super funny friend of ours that we have used in a bunch of our stuff.

VCN:  How and when did you find out that you made the 2011 finals?

KYLE: The people at Pepsi called us about 3 or 4 days before they posted the results…. The only reason they tell you in advance is to make sure you have all the correct actor/location releases and paperwork before they go through the process of making you a finalist. I was actually at work when they called, and we were not allowed to tell anyone until they posted, so I had to sit at work the rest of the day with this huge dopey grin on my face and I couldn’t tell anyone why.

VCN:  Did Pepsi Max ask you to keep the news to yourself?  How did your friends and family react when they heard the news?

KYLE: Yeah, we were asked to keep the news under wraps until they posted the finalists. I think my friends and family thought I was kidding, most probably did until the second they saw it actually air during the game. Good thing my face was on it or nobody would have ever believed me.

VCN:  How was your trip to the Super Bowl?

KYLE: Trip to the Super Bowl was amazing, we got to sit in a luxury box at the 40 yard line with catering and free booze. Dallas was freezing though, Pepsi had actually planned a bunch of cool events and parties to go to, but we had to cancel a good amount because it was really hard to get around, but we got to go to the Pepsi Jam concert thing with Kid Rock and Duran Duran. So the whole trip was pretty surreal, being whisked away to events and having VIP passes. Usually I am working catering at those things, so it was cool to sit back and enjoy it all.

VCN:  Your commercial wound up playing very late in the game.  How did it feel when it finally ran?

KYLE: Yeah, they don’t tell you if you’re going to air until you see it on the TV, so every commercial break is pretty intense. They aired 5 of the 6 ads in the first quarter, so only one ad was going to air the rest of the game, so then we had to sit through every commercial break until about the middle of the 4th quarter. They actually ended up airing our ad on the Dallas Stadium jumbo-tron, which is the biggest jumbo-tron in the world I think, so my already giant head was spread out over a 60 yard TV. We actually thought at that point our ad was not going to air on TV, thinking the Jumbo-tron was a consolation prize or something. But then the time came and it aired and Nick and I freaked out and hugged, it was a pretty cool moment. I think Nick had a roll of quarters in his pocket.

VCN:  First Date did amazingly well on the ad meter.  In came in 7^th.  Did you expect to rank so high?  Even though you didn’t “land in the money” were you happy with how your commercial performed?

KYLE: The ad did a lot better then we thought it would. We didn’t expect it to rank so high, but I think in the sea of slick over-produced ads, I think we were kind of novel in that our ad was so insanely simple and true. The biggest thing we kept hearing was how true our ad was and I think people were laughing at the truth of the guy/girl thing. It’s funny, landing in the money was never even a thought for us, we just wanted it to air, then when we saw we came so close, you start thinking “Damn! We almost got like 400 grand.” and you start to get bummed, but then we shook ourselves and remembered we were at the Superbowl and had an ad that we created that just aired in front of 110 million people and we perked up. And Nick said he had a roll of dimes now.

VCN:  Were you surprised that Pepsi Max wasn’t part of the Crash the Super Bowl contest this year?

KYLE: Yeah I was surprised, if you look back at last year, Pepsi had 2 of the top 7 ads on the Ad Meter. If you were a real ad agency and you could point to those kind of results they would be getting bonuses, but I am sure the people at Pepsi Max know a little more than I do about soda marketing, so I am sure they have their reasons. But it sucks having the finalists basically cut into half. Makes it that much harder to win.

VCN:  How did making the CTSB finals change your life?

KYLE: Being a finalist in CTSB was a super cool experience, but I wouldn’t say it has changed my life. It is a really nice story to tell and legitimizes us a little with Hollywood producer types, but nobody is knocking down our door for all our content. I got recognized a little right afterward, a few people asked me if I was that guy on TV or I would be at the store and you would see someone staring at me like they knew me from somewhere but couldn’t quite figure out from where. I had a kid want a picture with me at the game. I told him “When you go back through these pictures you are gonna be like ‘Who the hell is this guy in my photo album?”

VCN: Did you enter the contest again this year?

Yeah, we entered in again this year. I included my whole family in this year’s ad. You can tell we broke the bank again on this ad. This one actually didn’t cost anything:

http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery?video=13134

Thanks for your site and good luck to all the entrants. Keep making stuff!!!!

VCN: And thank you for your time. Good Luck this year!

Interview with Max Traylor of HighlyHumourous.com

Posted by Beardy on October 10th, 2011

This week I’m happy to welcome a new sponsor to VCN, the video contest site HighlyHumorous.com. Since Highly Humorous is brand new and since they are kind of different than the other video contest sites you might be familiar with, I thought it would be nice to talk to one of the site’s founders, Max Traylor and get the scoop on what’s going on over at HH.

VCN: So what inspired the creation of Highly Humorous?

MAX: Well, the five of us (Max Traylor, Adam Hauff, Greg D’Aleo, Jordan Berger, and Tom Blakeley) were about to graduate from business school last year and we knew we wanted to start a business where we could have fun. We saw the success of large video contests like Crash the Superbowl and we knew that video contest websites were getting pretty popular. We also loved watching funny videos on comedy sites like College Humor and Break.com so we started to develop this idea of a video contest comedy website hybrid. It turned out to be a pretty good idea so we ran with it.

VCN: What do you think sets HH apart from other video contest sites?

MAX: HighlyHumorous was designed specifically for comedy teams and organized groups of creative filmmakers. Just like Facebook brand pages, a highlyhumorous video channel is an opportunity to showcase what a comedy team can do as a brand. There are thousands of comedy teams out there, each with their own style and tight knit following. HighlyHumorous is a platform where these creative teams and their followings can compete against one another. One of the really unique things about HighlyHumorous is that there is much larger scale competition among the teams than simply one video contest. We have a leader board, which takes into account the total points that each team has earned from all the competitions that they have participated in. This allows the teams to compete on a more macro level than any other video contest website.

Sponsoring a contest for a brand means that they are tapping into the energy and organization of these teams AND the communities they are a part of, instead of reaching out to individual filmmakers with a smaller social footprint. Keeping a steady flow of contests also benefits the comedy teams. They have a chance to win cash for their videos, and they build a diverse portfolio for brand advertisements in the process. In a business sense, HH plays cupid for business to business relationships between brands who are in need of creative assets, and brands who specialize in creating engaging material for their fans.

We also try to make the platform more entertaining for viewers by allowing comedy groups to populate their video channels with material not related to our contests. Comedy teams can show off their funniest videos, announce their own live shows, plug their own social networks and websites, and collaborate with others who have the same love for comedy. Teams also have a wall on their profile where users and other teams can interact with the team and leave comments. We really wanted to make HighlyHumorous more social and engaging than the other video contest websites that we had seen.

VCN: How can someone win prizes on HH?

MAX: There are two ways you can win a prize in a contest. First, you can win the popular vote. When you submit a video to a contest any registered HH user can award that video between one and five stars. The amount of stars or (points) the videos collect determine the popular vote winners. Secondly there is an additional cash prize awarded by a team of judges. Sometimes this panel of judges will include the HighlyHumorous staff, also known as the “High Council”, but it may also include representatives of a sponsoring brand.

VCN: Some video contest filmmakers are wary of contests that require voting because of cheaters. What steps have been taken to prevent cheating?

MAX: Preventing cheating is next to impossible. Anyone can write a silly program that will shoot their video to the top of the voting charts. One of the measures we have taken to keep the game fair is to recognize when a video is collecting illegitimate votes. As soon as a video is submitted to a contest we watch it like a hawk. We know who shares the entry, when they share it, and what networks it goes to. We can then track how many people are interacting with that video and how many are coming back to vote on it. Additionally, we require voters to be registered users on HighlyHumorous.com. We look very closely at the winning entries, who voted for them, and when. We know when someone is collecting illegitimate votes from users that do not exist, and we disqualify them. Additionally, each registered user of HighlyHumorous can only cast one vote per video and no vote can negatively affect the video’s score.

VCN: What kind of contests do you expect HH will run in the future?

MAX: Many of our future contests will feature sponsoring brands that are eager to see what kind of ideas and commercials our creative community can put together. In addition to these sponsored contests we are planning smaller side contests which give our community a little more creative freedom, like parody contests. We will always have something going on to engage our content creators and to provide our viewers with a constant stream of unique videos.

Interview with Poptent’s super-salesman, “Bisbinetts”

Posted by Beardy on March 30th, 2011

Joe AKA Bisbinetts and the star of his Bounty submission

Poptent has really kicked it into overdrive in the last few months. Last spring the site was running maybe 3 or 4 video assignments at a time but currently they have 8 assignments up and running. And I’ve noticed that as soon as one assignment closes, another one soon pops up. The number of videos purchased per assignment keeps going up too. Last week Poptent announced that Sprite bought 4 videos for $5,000 each and one for $10,000. Also, a lot of the “brands” that run these assignments have started buying more videos then they were obligated to. For instance, just today Poptent announced that Pringles bought 5 videos for $7,500 each. Originally they had only committed themselves to buy one.

So with all these assignments going on and with the increase in the number of purchases per assignment, there are a whole lot more chances for filmmakers to make money. And recently I’ve noticed that a few of the more talented members of the site seem to really be cashing in by making multiple sales one after another.

The king of these new Poptent super-sellers goes by the screen name “Bisbinetts.” This single member has sold a total of 8 videos through Poptent. (4/1/11 UPDATE: Make that 9 sales! Poptent just announced that Mr. Bisbinetts just sold an ad to Triaminic for $7,500.) Now, I won’t tell you exactly how much he’s made but his earliest videos earned him $3,500 and his latest ones sold for $7,500. So you do the math….and then curl up into a jealous little ball and have a good cry. But then get over it because not everyone can be “Bisbinetts!” In fact, even “Bisbinetts” isn’t really “Bisbinetts.” So who is the lucky filmmaker behind the screen name? Well….let’s find out:

VCN: Poptent users pretty much only know each other as a screen name and a tiny photo. So who the heck are you? Where are you from? What’s your story?

JOE: They say it’s not the size of the photo that matters, it’s how you frame it. My name is Joe. My story begins in the early 80s with my birth. This is where the details get pretty hazy. I’m almost positive I studied finance at Georgetown and worked in the insurance business for a couple years after that. I knew I wasn’t doing that shit for the rest of my life. So I quit. Then I took my savings and blew it on incredible journeys to Alaska and Europe. I had just enough left for an 8 week intensive directing program at the New York Film Academy (the one in NY). That was a blast! I learned some stuff, but mostly it just got the creative juices flowing again. I also met some great friends, including my current production partner and “PopStar” RJ75, who pretty much sells everything he makes. So, after the NYFA, I left the east coast for sunny LA as people tend to do when pursuing such a career as filmmaking. Since being out in LA, I’ve made a few shorts, a feature and a shit load of commercials. It’s been a great ride so far…

VCN: How and when did you first discover Poptent and why did you sign up?

JOE: A couple years ago I started poking around the web and found a few online video contests. I wasn’t into making commercials yet, but thought I would give it a try. I came across Poptent when they were XLNTads and they were running a Bud Light competition. I thought that was sweet and dove in.

VCN: How long was it until you made your first sale?

JOE: I never really struck gold before Poptent. I entered a solid handful of other contests before I won anything. I did manage to collect a wonderful assortment of consolation prizes – a model truck, a cutting board, a bag of pistachios, a shirt. Exciting stuff. I actually thought I was going to sell my first Poptent submission for Bud Light. It kicked ass. Bud Light got cold feet though. I finally made my first Poptent sale with Coors Light (eat it Bud Light), which was about the 5th competition I entered through Poptent.

Purchased by Coors Light. Price: $3,500

Also Purchased by Coors Light. Price: $3,500

VCN: So which Poptent assignments have you won? And which sale are you proudest of?

JOE: I have been lucky enough to nail a handful of these. I sold a couple ads to Coors Light along with eHealth, Nokia, Crystal Light, Harrahs, New York Life and Trident. I’m definitely proudest of my most recent win with Trident. It was my first foray into the rap video realm and I worked really hard putting all the pieces together. And it was a blast to shoot that!

Purchased by Trident. Price: $7,500

VCN: Do you have a strategy when it comes to making poptent submissions? Or to put it another way, what’s your secret?

JOE: A crowdsourcer never reveals his secrets. Ha, I wish I had a formula. I don’t really have a specific strategy. I make sure to read the creative brief a few times over to see exactly what the brand is looking for. Then I see if I can make something interesting and/or funny. Then I make it.

VCN: In the three years you’ve been a member of Poptent you’ve submitted 44 videos to assignments. How much of your time is spent working on Poptent-related projects?

JOE: Actually, Beardy, its 49. Some of my videos are private and hands-off.. In the beginning, Poptent wasn’t pumping out a lot of assignments. So I wasn’t really involved too much. It wasn’t until about a year ago that the company really started picking up. It was also around this time I was getting more and more into making commercials. So it worked out well. I needed spots for my reel (and money) and Poptent provided great opportunities for that. Nowadays, my involvement changes month to month. I do a lot of freelance creative work so when time allows I’ll pop onto Poptent and see what’s happening. Usually I’ll end up making a couple spots a month.

Purchased by New York Life. Price: $7,500.

VCN: HOW do you create your submissions? By that I mean, what is your process?

JOE: The HOW really varies from submission to submission. Sometimes I do it all myself and sometimes I get some help. I do have a great group of creative friends to bounce ideas off. As mentioned earlier, RJ is really the other half of our production team. We are a tireless two man crew either working on his spots or mine. Usually, I decide to participate in an assignment a week or so before it’s due. Instead of casting, I rely on my regular group of actor friends to step in (I’ll even use myself in a pinch). I know what I’m gonna get, I can keep costs down and it makes for a great time when we shoot!

VCN: What kind of camera do you shoot with?

JOE: I used to shoot with the HVX-200. Great camera, great colors, but no cinematic depth of field. I bought a Nikon D7000 (comparably to the Canon 7D) over x-mas which is what I used to shoot my last 3-4 spots (including Trident). Great little DSLR.

VCN: Have you ever submitted a video that you were sure was going to get purchased but it didn’t?

JOE: All of them? No, I usually feel good about my submissions, but there are some I know don’t really have a shot. However, there have been a few that left me stunned when they weren’t purchased. I still consider “C’est La Dude” to be some of my finest work and Bud Light chose to ignore it. I also thought my Snickers and Monograms submissions were the best of the bunch. And of course my Old Spice ad which came 6 months or more before Isaiah Mustafa took the world by storm.

NOT purchased by Snickers. Beardy’s Note: Wow! Um…I think this ad seriously could have been Old Spice’s secret inspiration for the Mustafa “Hello Ladies..” ads!

VCN: If you don’t mind me asking, what have you been doing with the money you’ve been making??

JOE: Winning. I got a great deal on a 100 quarts of tiger blood. It will be worth more than gold in a few years. Mark my words. I finally started paying off my credit card debts too. And I bought a computer. Now I’m broke again. Come on Zatarains – 1 in 17 chance!

Purchased by Triaminic. Price: $7,500.

VCN: What is it you like best about Poptent?

JOE: The Medals. If I ever feel down, I can just check out my page and see all of my accolades. I’m just two medals away from becoming the greatest commercial producer of all-time. Ok, I’m not that self-absorbed. Poptent is great for many reasons, but the best part is the community. They have a wonderful staff made up of human beings with real faces that actually interact with you. Then there’s the countless number of creators who provide feedback and with whom you can connect with and work with if you so desire. It’s very cool.

Joe and RJ spend some of their winnings at the track

VCN: The Poptent staff seems pretty open to making changes based on the suggestions of users. So if there was one thing you could change about the site, what would it be?

JOE: Get those rates up. From my vantage point, Poptent is leading the charge in this industry. I’ve dabbled elsewhere but have yet to come across a model like Poptent that drives real brands that we’ve all heard of. Poptent is setting the standard. $5k shouldn’t even be on the table anymore. These giant brands have budgets dipping into 6 figures. They snicker when they learn they can get a national TV ad made for $10k or less. It’s a tough call for Poptent because they get their slice either way, but at this point we shouldn’t be seeing anything less than a $15k purse per video.

VCN: What are your future plans?

JOE: Good question. I think I’m gonna go get a sandwich. And make a children’s film.

VCN Interview with Crash the Superbowl co-winner, Kyle Gerardi

Posted by Beardy on March 15th, 2010

In the Doritos Skybox. From left to right: Kyle Gerardi, Nick Dimondi, Joshua Svoboda, Barrett Phillips. Not Pictured (others involved in the commercials) Wes Phillips, Dale Backus (Producers) Brian Oliver and Rosie the dog (Actors in Underdog) and Wayne Phillips (the old man Kids These Days).

Though four consumer-made Doritos commercials aired during the Superbowl back in February, the big winner of this year’s Crash the Superbowl contest were a group of friends from North Carolina who operate under the banner, 5 Point Productions. Last December, that small team of independent filmmakers learned that both entries they shot for the 2009/2010 installment of the contest made it to the finals. When you consider that Doritos received more than 4,000 submissions this year and only picked 6 finalist videos, getting 2 of the 6 top spots is really an incredible achievement.

And if you aren’t impressed enough yet, here’s another amazing fact; The 5 Point Productions team also WON the Crash the Superbowl contest the first year it ran in 2006/2007.

When I first heard that one team had gotten two commercials into Doritos’ “Top 6” I was stunned. And when I realized that these guys were the same filmmakers that won the first CTSB contest I was almost ready to start screaming “shenanigans!” But before I could even develop a decent conspiracy theory, I got a message from one of the producers of the two 5 Point entries (entitled “Kids These Days” and “Underdog”) and he explained that Doritos had no idea that the two entries were made by the same team. It‘s easy to believe it was all just a coincidence because both of the team’s entries are just that good! “Underdog” was actually my favorite entry even before the finalists were announced and I thought it would have a very good chance of scoring big on the USA Today ad meter. Turns out I was right. “Underdog” went on to be one of the four finalist videos to air during the superbowl and was ranked the #2 best commercial of the game on the USA Today Ad Meter. That feat earned the team a bonus of $600,000 from Doritos.

When you ball all that good news together you know what you get? The greatest set of accomplishments in video contest history, that’s what. Sure, the Herbert Brothers landed the #1 spot on the USA Today ad meter and earned a million dollar bonus last year for their CTSB entry, “Free Doritos” but I think the combined achievements of the 5 Point Productions team top that easily. For God’s sake, they won 2 out of the 3 years the contest has been run! That’s amazing. I was really interested in hearing some behind the scenes details about this whole thing and one of the producers of “Underdog” and “Kids these Days,” Kyle Girardi offered to answer a few questions. Before we get into his answers, here are his team’s Crash the Superbowl spots:

The above is the 5 Point Team’s entry for the 2006/2007 Crash the Superbowl contest, “Live the Flavor.” This commercial went on to be the CTSB winner and aired during the game in ’07. This was for the first installment of the contest and back then, the prize for making it to the finals was $10,000 and there were no bonuses to be won if your ad made it to air.

Here’s the team’s 2009/2010 entry “Kids These Days.” This spot was selected by Doritos as one of this year’s 6 finalists. The prize for being a finalist is $25,000.

Finally, here’s the team’s other 2009/2010 entry, “Underdog.” This commercial ALSO made it to the finals and so they recived an additional $25,000 finalist prize. On top of that of course, they also recived a $600,000 bonus for scoring so well on the ad meter. “Underdog” was the only Doritos commercial to crack the Top 10 on the ad meter on Superbowl sunday.

Now that you’re caught up, let’s get on with the interview!

————————————-

VCN: So who and what is 5 Point Productions?

KYLE: That’s kind of a tough one. 5 Point was started in 2007 when they made the first Doritos ad. Josh Svoboda and I weren’t part of the team at that time, but we were good friends with most of them from middle school. Its only been about a year that he and I have really been an active part of the 5 Point team. As for 5 Point’s future: “Underdog” and “Kids These Days” might be the last you see of 5 Point, we’re gonna try and take a few jobs if we need them, but right now the main focus is on a short film.

VCN: What kind of gear did you use to shoot “Underdog” and “Kids These Days?” Do you own your gear?

KYLE: We used the Canon 5D Mark II to shoot both commercials. It’s a pretty inexpensive camera that shoots incredible HD footage, so we had to get one.

VCN: I was amazed when I found out that one team of filmmakers had gotten two entries in the finals this year and I was totally blown away when I found out that you guys were the winners of the 2007 contest. Did Doritos know “Underdog” and “Kids These Days” were by you guys? If not, how did they react when they found out?

KYLE: No, they didn’t know at first. We put different names and addresses on the commercials just in case they liked them both. We couldn’t believe for the longest time that both were finalist, we thought some sorry son of a bitch was playing a joke on us.

VCN: Did anyone ever worry that it might look kind of suspicious that the 2007 winners did so well again this year? Do you think Doritos would have picked both your videos if they knew who made them?

KYLE: I think so. Josh’s name was on Underdog and he had no connection with the competition in 2007 whatsoever. However, “Kids These Days” had the name of one the people involved in the 2007 commercial, but I like to think they just picked it because they thought it was a great spot.

: The 5 Points team filming “Kids these Days”

VCN: A few days before the Superbowl, CBS aired a TV special about Superbowl commercials and they aired “Kids these Days” and said it was one of the ads that were going to play on Sunday. It of course didn’t air though. Did you guys get a ton of calls from people telling you your ad was going to air? Do you know how or why that happened?

KYLE: I don’t know what that was about, but our phones were ringing off the hook. I tried not to pay much attention to it, but I figured if CBS was airing the Super Bowl they knew what commercials that were going to play… It kind of killed my buzz. I always had a lot more faith in Underdog, truth be told.

VCN: “Underdog” was the first CTSB winner of the night to air. Was there a special reason for that?

KYLE: Probably because I was being a little weirdo during the Super Bowl. I think they just called CBS and told them to play it first so I would calm the hell down. It’s torture not knowing if your commercial is gonna air or not, and I had no idea I’d handle pressure so terribly. My heart was about to pound out of my chest during every commercial break. If it weren’t for the 2 Xanax I took before the game I most likely would have had a heart attack.

VCN: Do you guys know how your videos did in the online voting? Do you know if you made the top three or do you think that “Underdog” might have been Dortio’s choice as the bonus ad?

KYLE: I’m not going to say how I know, but I know for a fact we had enough votes to make top 3.

VCN: How did you guys find out you won 2nd place on the ad meter? How’d you celebrate?

KYLE: It was actually Dave Herbert who told us at first, he had his cell phone on him and was surfing the web. It wasn’t really set in stone until Rudy Wilson (CEO Doritos) got up in front of everyone on the bus ride back to the hotel and said “I’m out $600 grand, because Underdog got 2nd place.”

I remember the feeling that came over me, the first thing that popped in my head was “I can finally make a movie.” I can’t think of a happier moment in my life. That night we didn’t really celebrate that much. We had a few beers and got to say goodbye to everyone… It was really sad leaving those guys, all the other finalists are amazing people. Believe it or not I was hoping to see Snack Attack or Smackout play in the 4th spot over “Kids These Days.”

: On the set of Underdog. The small camera in the shot is the Canon 5D used to film both finalist videos.

VCN: You obviously spent a lot of time with the Crash the Superbowl folks. Did you get the impression that they will bring the contest back this fall?

KYLE: I think they will. It looked like they got just as big a rush out of it as we did.

VCN: What do you guys plan to do now?

KYLE: We got some attention from the commercials, so we’re gonna try and make some extra dough. Within the next month or so I’d also like to get rolling on a short film.

VCN: If the CTSB contest comes back, would you guys be up for replacing the Herbert Brothers as the “Kings of the Crash” and being the contest’s spokesmen? (I think that’d be great and I hope that’s what happens)

KYLE: Certainly not me personally. I’m way to ugly to be in front of the camera.

VCN: You guys certainly seem to have figured out the recipe for success in this particular contest. Have any advise for aspiring Crash the Superbowl contestants?

KYLE: I guess just don’t be too hard on yourself. Before I knew we were finalists I was convinced that “Underdog” and “Kids These Days” were the two biggest piles of shit on the planet. I couldn’t believe Doritos picked them. Sorry, I know “believe in yourself” sounds lame.

VCN: Thanks a ton to Kyle for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulations to all of his teammates!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Posted by Beardy on December 9th, 2009

Friend of V.C.N and frequent video contest winner Joel Moss AKA “Happy Joel” was recently interviewed by another friend of V.C.N., Matt of Films4Prizes.com…and you can watch said interview right here, right now:

If you’re like really, really new to the concept of making money and winning prizes by entering multiple video contests, Happy Joel is a guy you should study and Films4prizes.com is a site you should bookmark and check every, single day. Joel’s won like a billion dollars by entering video contests (correction: figure is closer to $200,000) and shares his secret to winning in the above interview. Spoiler alert: His secret tip is just to put the work in and enter ‘cause you never know when you might win. That’s simple but excellent advice. I know a ton of filmmakers and I tell them over and over that they should give video contests a shot. Some seem tempted and I’ve even helped a few people find contests and plan entries but in the end, the chicken out. They don’t want to risk spending their time, money and effort on something that might not pay off.

And that right there is why video contests ARE worth the time, money and effort. Though they’ve really grown in popularity, there are still a ton of video contests that are getting very few entries. So don’t be a wuss. Get over to films4prizes.com, pick a contest that sounds fun and go for it.

Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

A look at Current TV’s VCAM program

Interview with Jon Friedman, Crash the Super Bowl finalist and creator of “Man’s Best Friend”

Interview with Eric Delgado, co-creator of “Hot Wild Girls!”

Interview with Pepsi Max Crash the Super Bowl finalist, Kyle Stafford

Interview with Max Traylor of HighlyHumourous.com

Interview with Poptent’s super-salesman, “Bisbinetts”

VCN Interview with Crash the Superbowl co-winner, Kyle Gerardi

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

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