NETWORKS/JOINT VENTURES CRITICAL TO SELLING VIDEO

by Roxanne Batson, WSNTV 75, Inc.

Recently, I was invited to join a panel to speak to musicians and videographers. The message at the Global Entertainment and Media Summit (GEMS) was “The industry is changing and you need to adapt to new ways of selling your work.”  I found it interesting it to note the other speakers’ discussions.   Although we’ve said this for some time now, it’s the first time I’ve attended a conference where so many industry experts said the same thing.

Keynote speaker for the conference Howard Bloom, who discovered and brought to market musical groups like ZZ Top, Bett Midler and even the Village People, said the only reason he did it was because the big companies wouldn’t give them a chance.  He was a pioneer by creating a new market for their work.  Today, in order to be successful, creators of multimedia now must think like he did so many years ago.

WSN-TV has been developed on the back of the internet revolution.  We are a company made up of independent multimedia creators who are joint venturing to market work as one large entertainment company. 

What we’ve learned is that building networks and alliances is critical in developing a market for new work.  Using multiple means of marketing creative work by multiple methods of delivery is also critical.  Delivery of film and video, books and games should be done by offering the consumer a choice of snail mail of DVDs, videos and CDS as well as online delivery via downloads from links.  A 2 hour film might take as long as 45 minutes to 2 hours to download with DSL or Cable.  Some don’t mind or they have access to fiber for fast download.  But some consumers might think that’s too long of a time or too difficult.  Thus, you must offer alternatives.  

Developing a market for professional’s work in a changing environment has been quite interesting for our company. One method of marketing is placing ads or videos on other media such as cable TV.  We began developing a video a couple of months ago that we plan to place on cable outlets to reach the television audience.   Another method of marketing is joint venturing with others who can help you reach more people.  We just signed an agreement with a company that can promote our professionals in different ways from our own online marketing.  That includes national TV, radio, newspapers, and conventions.

Last month I was asked to speak at the FTTH (Fiber To The Home) Council meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  There is also a whole new market for creative work with these fiber deployers who must deliver content through the fiber to their consumers.  My mission was to help them learn more about partnering with creative professionals to produce a commercially viable project.

I learned something from interacting with these companies too.  They are unable to work with individual professionals one by one. It’s too complex and time consuming.   They WILL buy from companies that sell packages of content including hundreds of professionals work.  The good news is there is a market for those professionals savvy enough to join a network of professionals whose creative work and content that can be marketed as a package.

At the GEMS event there seemed to be a lot of fear of the new world.  It makes many professionals uneasy to think they now have to become entrepreneurs too.

ONLY during times of change and turmoil like this, is there great opportunity!  You have to adjust your thinking.  No longer will you sell to the large media companies.  They don’t have the ability to be flexible in this changing market.  Only proven work will be accepted. 

That means creative people with new ideas don’t have a chance of getting through to big companies.  This is where joint ventures will become the predominant way of selling work.  Partnering to present a variety of multimedia programs in a mass site that attracts consumers of entertainment and education gives creators a chance for 100% distribution.  That  was never possible before!

This is a new age.  The Information Age.  As deployment of 10-100 Mbps high speed fiber continues, more and more creative work will be delivered online.  It is the cheapest, easiest and most expedient manner of delivery possible.  Unfortunately, in the United States deployment is slow as molasses.  On the other hand, Japan is deploying at the rate of 90,000 homes per month and Europe is scheduled to come online with 12.7 million consumers by 2005.  Consumers buy creative people’s work, and a lot of that buying will be online

The internet has changed and will continue to change the way we do business.  While there is certainly chaos caused by this change…. There is GREAT opportunity and GREAT money to be made for those willing to think differently!

What’s your opinion?  Write to me at info@wsntv75.com .