(Display Name not set)September 2010 Archives

Ben Silverman needs to eat.  Wild eyed and gulag skinny, Ben took the stage at Sharon Waxman's "The Grill" (can't wait to blog about that some day) and continued to tell people he is changing the world. 

"I'm not 21 and still in my dorm room, but I think this company has an opportunity to be an enormous company in terms of its profitability.  I'll measure success in terms of impacting the audience, empowering storytelling and making dough."

That must be so encouraging to Barry Diller.  I'm sure he's licking his chops anticipating those Electus profits.  Seriously, where do I sign up?  How can I invest?  Ben is so focused on making money it doesn't look like he's slept a wink or ate a meal in months.  I mean, look at him - all disheveled and greasy - that's the face of success.

The Hollywood lifestyle has really done wonders for him.  I need to find out what multivitamin he takes.

From what I gather, here's what we can look forward to from Ben Silverman and Electus:

• "Pedro & Maria" (MTV) brought to you by Proctor & Gamble.  Because nothing says Hispanic like Proctor & Gamble.  The show is basically a Romeo & Juliet remake (but waaaay cooler than Shakespeare with much better music).  I'll be looking out for a scene in a laundromat where Pedro or Maria are washing clothes with P&G's All-New Gain detergent with Stain Buster 4X.  Or worse, one will text the other "Can U p/u some PROCTOR & GAMBLE GAIN DETERGENT 4 me?"
  

• "Master of the Mix" (MTV) brought to you by Smirnoff Vodka.  A reality show DJ competition.  Because only the best DJs drink Smirnoff.  And, remember, it takes a lot of Smirnoff to become a great DJ. 

Shows unlike any we've ever seen.  Great stuff, Ben. 

And these series perfectly embody the Electus manifesto:  "Allowing Content Creators and Branding Partners To Reach Audiences Like Never Before".  Because how else is MTV going to reach an audience?  Through its massive global reach and international marketing organization?  Unlikely.

And there is obviously a lot more to come from Electus.  Ben continued:  "We have relationships on a profound level with the A-list storytelling matrix in Hollywood and NYC.  Our goal is to win Golden Globes."

Lofty goals indeed, Ben.  But, why the fuck not?!  Greatness like this only comes around once every million years or so. 

So shoot for the moon, Ben, and even if you miss you'll land among the stars.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

OK, it's September.  The power players in the media world have completed their 'summering' and can now return to the passion of their lives - ridding the world of boredom and malaise by producing films, TV shows, games and websites.  So... it's great to be back.

The title of this blog is truly remarkable and, frankly, bullshit. 

I received the chart to the left from a friend of mine at Facebook (which was pulled from a recent management presentation). 

Takeaway:  The number of Facebook users by 2015 will EXCEED THE EARTH'S POPULATION. 

Sounds impossible I know.  But I suppose nothing is impossible when it comes to Facebook.  Because at Facebook it's not "Impossible", it's "I'm Possible".

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog titled "Facebook Is Worthless".  I stand by the arguments in that blog (even though I received the wrath of many a Facebook insider who doesn't want to see the value of their stock options go down) because, no matter what Facebook senior management tries to tell the press, no one seriously believes they are profitable.  I believe the real numbers would freak too many people out who are praying for an IPO in the near future.

Just because everyone is on it doesn't mean the future is bright.  Just look at the AOL and Microsoft monopolies in the 1990s.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea