Control TV's @TristanCouvares I've been doing these little skype nerdy dates with Control TV over the last week, but to be honest, I had no effin clue what it was about. One of my very very very dear friends in LA, Alex, called me and told me she was working on this new web show documenting a lifecaster, and she told me I needed to be on it. If you LV peeps remember, Alex was in a couple of the VERYYYYY early LiveVideo episodes on my channel, PhotoJeNic. It is our mutual friend, Vega that actually gave me that nickname in the first place. HAHAAH!! Dude, the FIRST night we went live on LiveVideo, I remember the producers calling us and telling us to tone it down. We were all dancing around the apartment drinking wine and apparently having TOO good of a time. Brad Greenspan, el nerderino running it, was afraid we'd upset advertisers or something ... which is pretty damn funny if you think about it. Most people just sat there staring at their little screens, and I took my unit to a party. (insert: that's what she said ... OOHHH!!) You guys have to remember, this is back in 2007. My friends were just pretty convinced I was doing porn. NOOOOO ONNEEEE was lifecasting at that point. Let alone using this weird janky prototype technology. I'm still peeling velcro off various things in my car, btw!
EITHER WAY!!! I massively digress ... so, Alex got me on this thing - and I had NO idea there were so many people behind it.
Per Media Week:
Comic actor Seth Green has partnered with the Web video firm Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) to launch ControlTV, an ambitious new reality series which will allow viewers to make a series of life decisions for a young 20-something man.
The idea behind the series is to marry the Web’s crowd sourcing phenomenon and its interactive capabilities with live entertainment. Starting this October ControlTV will follow its young male subject for six weeks, during which viewers will be encouraged to vote on a myriad of decisions—ranging from what he should eat to who he should date—which the man will then go through with.
Viewers will be able to watch ControlTV live at a yet to be determined Web site, where they can immediately vote to direct the show’s Truman Show-esque subject in real time. According to Rick Kleczkowski, DBG’s COO, viewers will be able to watch the show’s subject roughly 18 hours a day, seven days a week—with the number of audience-voting occasions varying by the day.
In addition, DBG will produce a daily ControlTV Webisode featuring edited highlights from that day’s events, which will be distributed across multiple male-oriented sites represented by DBG. At the conclusion of those daily Webisodes viewers will have another opportunity to vote and influence the show’s subject’s actions during the following day.
Kleczkowski sees those aspects of the show as providing ControlTV with breakout audience potential. “This is innovation at its best in terms of leveraging the digital experience,” he said. “The interactive component is what really hits it out the park here.”
To get ControlTV off the ground, Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Austin Powers) has recruited an impressive lineup of production partners, including Matthew Senreich—one of the brains behind Green’s Cartoon Network's series Robot Chicken--Richard Saperstein, former president of Dimension Films, Bachelor and Bachelorette director Ken Fuchs, as well as the commercial director Stephen Kessler.
Meanwhile DBG is handling both distribution and ad sales for ControlTV. Already, the company has lined up Ford Motor Company and Sprint Nextel as sponsors who are set to receive the branded entertainment treatment. For example, during episodes of ControlTV, the show’s subject will be seen driving 2011 Ford Fiesta and using Sprint’s new HTC EVOtm 4G phone.
“There is an opportunity for brands to have extended dialogue with consumers,” said Kleczkowski.
Insane balls. I'm loving it. I'll be there around 2pm PST, so check it out if you're around.
And don't forget to follow Tristan on Twitter!
Super stoked to be hanging out at their loft today, I'm SOOOOOOOO excited to see how they document it, and what their nerd gear looks like. This is the future, man! We've connected all these people, have access into lives like we've never been able to experience before - we now have the money and marketing behind it .... OMG! Greatest time to be alive.
Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 8:23PM
