Notional - R.I.P.
The revolution is over... and what a crappy revolution it was. Notional - the only company to ever come up with the idea for a dating show in a taxi; a competitive cooking show; a home makeover show; as well as several shitty internet game shows in development including "Ready, Set, Dance", "You vs. America" and "Chase the Money" - is dead.
Yes, I realize Notional hasn't got up on its feet yet - but, based on the announcement of the "slate" today, Notional IS creatively dead. Physically, they're still on life support and won't be dead until 2010 (thus the tombstone - thanks, R).
Oh, well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what content visionary (and current Notional CEO) Ricky Van Veen will think up next. Hopefully something that will have the same forward-thinking press release that mentions words like "revolutionary" and "ground-breaking."
I must apologize to Barry Diller and all IAC shareholders for killing off his two latest content creation ventures before they really got started - (I killed Ben Silverman's cure for what has been a cancer of bad content and business models on the internet, Electus, a couple of weeks ago... also before the launch) - but it had to be done. Come on, Ricky, freakin' internet game shows? Who gives a shit? You were so clever until you started spending Barry Diller's money. What does he get for making you rich? You... trying to make him poor.
The only show you could produce that could possibly work is you and your new best friend Ben Silverman going out every night and partying your brains out then putting your escapades up on the internet for everyone to see. You could actually erect the elusive paywall on that one. Just imagine it... you, Ben and hot chicks in bars... X-rated.
THAT is programming only you guys can do in just the right pathetic way. And THAT is your only competitive advantage.
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About Jill Kennedy
Jill Kennedy is an Ivy League MBA / refugee from Lehman Brothers.
Manka Bros. (and the Manka Business Channel) hired her (for a very low sum) to cover the world of media (not the world of Medea) in her own words without corporate inteference.
About Medea
Medea was a real bitch from classical mythology - as most famously dramatized by Euripides.
She was a sorceress and wife of Jason, whom she assisted in obtaining the Golden Fleece. When Jason deserted her, she chopped up their children. One could say, Medea acted as rationally as a major media company.
Tips, Scoops and Smoking Guns
Somehow these people still manage to get decent traffic. The problem is what advertisers what to do anything on these sites. I'm sure there is an attempt to reach the male 18-24 demo or whatever, but, really, how many males 18-24 pay attention to the advertising on a site like that.
So true, Molly. They will get eyeballs - and I don't think that's a bad thing - it's just so uninspired. All of it is. I don't mind the companies that say "we're going to produce an original online series." It's when they get so cocky to put words like "revolutionary" and "groundbreaking" etc. in their press releases or in interviews and then back it up with run of the mill crap. That's what pisses me off.
I seriously don't know how any of these content companies, including Manka Bros., can possibly make a living unless you have zero costs. But who can seriously produce content for zero costs. And what kind of a living would that be if you have zero costs and a few hundred dollars in ad income. It's a really bad market right now for everything. new launches are particularly vulnerable for failure.
Notional we hardly knew ye.
Notional's president ran his last company into the ground... why wouldn't it happen to this one?
Oh course it will happen to this one, Anonymous. I'm just stunned that anyone still gives them money. They must just be laughing their asses off that someone is so stupid to keep writing checks to them.