More Things to Do! [Blogging Every Day #29]

[29]

In yesterday's blog, I didn't mention a few additional activities that I'd like to pursue in the coming months.

First, I hope to create a fully realized book trailer / short film based on my book. I already have a very basic trailer available, but it's primarily text and basic imagery. I'd like to produce a live-action version, perhaps in coordination with the launching of book two. It's a major expense in time and money, so I've moved somewhat slowly so far, but as the reach of book expands, I'll make the jump.

For quite a while, I've also been considering the creation of an audiobook version of the book, read by the author. That's a time-consuming process, so I haven't yet taken that jump - but you can expect that shortly. I'm considering producing the audiobook initially as a series of free podcasts, and later making the compiled book available for purchase. As long as I don't hire a reader, expense isn't a factor.

I've also considered returning to my YouTube channel, which has been on the back-burner as I've pursued book-related activities. I was discussing the book for a while, but it started to feel repetitive. I'll consider other options, and my re-visit the channel as I create the book trailer. For a while, I had an informal web series, The Vlogger Interviews, in which I interviewed a wide range of YouTubers. I'm considering reviving the interview concept with a wider range of individuals - authors, entrepreneurs - and perhaps occasional YouTubers.

All this is great, as long as reserve at least some time to write....

You can follow my activities @rickflix

Will Apple TV Turbo-Boost Vlogs?

Study  after study shows that people are unplugging from cable at an ever increasing rate.  As reported on mashable.com recently (Millions of Americans Cut the TV Cord, by Alissa Skelton), The Convergence Consulting Group reports that between 2008 and 2011, 2.65 million Americans ended their pay-tv subscriptions.  They predict that number will grow to 3.58 million by the time 2013 rolls around.   The exodus, according to the report, is driven by online streaming services - Netflix, Hulu and the like.

What the report doesn't reflect, but which will undoubtedly make a dramatic impact in a follow up report a year or two hence, is the rise of online-specific entertainment, led by YouTube and driven by the emergence of the "digital hub"  -  televisions and devices (like Apple TV) that unify most of your digital entertainment (online video, music, podcasts) in one convenient place.  Watching YouTube in your living room is finally becoming as simple as watching your favorite television show.

The numbers so far are likely very small - but they're certain to grow.  As AppleTV and it’s cousins become more commonplace, I expect that millions will soon begin to discover online entertainment - expanding the market so rapidly that conventional (aka traditional/old/archaic) media will be left scratching it's collective head.

Recently, I demonstrated Apple TV to a friend largely unexposed to YouTube and online entertainment. I launched the YouTube app, and scrolled the featured and most popular videos.  A scientist at heart, his attention was drawn to a recent video by Charlieissocoollike - Fun Science:  Randomness -  part of his series defining scientific concepts in brisk, easy to understand and funny videos. At 21, Charlie is a veteran vlogger - he's been on YouTube since he was sixteen.  According to the latest statistics, his videos have over 225 million views.  He's not a typical vlogger - but I think it's fair to say he's a good ambassador for the vlogging community.

In a single moment, my friend understood, for the first time, the personal appeal of online entertainment.  Vlogs take on an added power when presented full screen on a 46 inch television.  A large part of the appeal of effective vlogs is the creator’s personal connection with the audience.  On a television, that connection is only strengthened.  I began to wonder if his reaction might be an early hint of the potential growth of vlog-based entertainment.

The technology isn't there quite yet - all of YouTube's social and community features (commenting on a video or channel, or liking, for example) are currently inaccessible from Apple TV and other similar devices.   Bring these features into the family room alongside big-screen YouTube, and the combination could very well engage millions and make possible a true Vlogging Industry.

The Vlogger Interviews: Ryan Abe [ForSkitsAndGiggles]

More about Ryan Abe:

There was a time, not so long ago, when a young entertainer's heart would skip a beat when offered the chance to make the big jump to television - Ryan Abe got an email recently just like that - an agent, perhaps, who asked, "how would you like your own tv show?"

"I guess he expected me to be wowed by it," he says.

He wasn't.

At 21 years old, Ryan is already a successful YouTuber.  His channel, ForSkitsAndGiggles, has a subscriber base over 242,000, and  his YouTube Partner revenues have made creating online video a full time job.  More importantly, Ryan doesn't think of YouTube as simply a stop along the way.  It's the place to be.

"A lot of YouTubers have turned down TV shows left and right, because they already have an audience.  Why would they send their audience to a show that could be canceled within a week?"

The entertainment industry is slowly awakening to the power of the YouTube community.  In his March 15, 2012 Daily Variety "Tech Bytes" column, David Cohen wrote, "The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that YouTube is getting ready to burn down the filmed entertainment business as we know it.  In fact, the match has already been struck.  We just haven't felt the heat yet."  He suggests that the change will be profound; as 78 rpm records popularized the era of the three minute pop song, the three minute YouTube video may very well become dominant form of video entertainment.

Ryan spoke recently with a veteran newscaster, who recalled his experience in the early days of television, and advised him to "just keep doing this, because everyone told me I was an idiot to want to work on television," back when radio was still King.   

"It took my dad a long time for him to even accept what I do and he was, I guess, concerned:  'what is my son doing, he's going outside, dressed as a squirrel?  What is he doing?'   And I always said, 'I think that this might do something, I have an idea it could go in a good direction' "  Today, Ryan's dad is convinced that his son was right.

"It's  a really nice thing to think about, to be part of something that is technically changing the whole game, entertainment wise - and they're scared," he says of the traditional media industry, "they're really scared.  And I think that's a good thing for us."

To use an expression dating back to the early days of radio:  stay tuned!

As Al Jolson said in the first "talkie" motion picture in 1927, "You ain't seen nothing yet!"