Recently in Electus Category

From Variety:  "VH1 has found its own real housewives -- all of whom are married to the mob.  Cabler has given a 10-episode order to "Mafia Wives," the first collaboration between the Weinstein Co. and Ben Silverman's Electus."

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Finally, thanks to Ben Silverman and Harvey Weinstein, the future of media is clear.  I think "Mafia Wives" will prove to be their finest hour and, most likely, their legacy.  Congratulations guys.

Ben (from Variety):  "Clearly, it's the world of 'The Sopranos' coming to life in a reality environment."  High standards, Ben, but I would expect no less... and the show is right in VH1's wheelhouse, if I may add.

I certainly hope this means we'll get to see real life Mafia Hits and a lot of violence (to accompany all that built in product placement that Electus will bring to the project).

I think I know why Ben was brought in by Harvey to help produce.  If, for whatever crazy reason, this show gets canceled, I can imagine how the conversation between Harvey and Ben will go:

Harvey (on the phone):  Hey Ben!

Ben (Eurotrash music thumps in the background):  Huh?!

Harvey:  I got a call from VH1, "Mafia Wives" is canceled - I would like you to tell the "Mafia Wives" in person.

Ben:  We can't cancel "Mafia Wives" - their husbands are violent criminals, they'll come after us.  They need that $20,000 a week we pay them for money laundering.

Harvey:  It's over, Ben.  This was your dumb idea.  You tell them.

Ben:  It wasn't my--

Harvey:  Shut up, Ben.  Do it!  And give me Barry Diller's number, I need to pay the light bill.

Five minutes later, Ben makes a call:

Ricky Van Veen:  Hee hee heeee!!  Ah-oo-gah!  You've got Rickaaaiiiee--!!

Ben:  Cut the shit, Ricky.  I need you to do me a favor.  You know that show "Mafia Wives" - it's canceled.  There's a meat locker downtown where we have our production meetings, go down and tell them the show is toast.

Ricky Van Veen:  No problema, hip master B!
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At least, I THINK that's how it would go.

I can't wait for this show.  And if it works, I certainly hope we'll see more wives of violent people.  It's just great television.  Maybe "Serial Killer Wives", "Terrorist Wives", "Dentist Wives" - it's just an endless brand and really plays into Ben Silverman's vision of the future of media. 

Ben, dude, you are hitting on all cylinders.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

Seriously?  Is this the guy you want to work for?  Ugh.  

Oh, well... It's just a shame. 

Tony, you have a reputation for being one of the good guys in Hollywood and you're going to work for Ben Silverman? 

Come on, man! 

I'm on-board with you wanting to leave MTV and get back to your real passion - being a content producer. 

I'm on-board with the company name - DiGa.  Di (Santo) and Ga (for partner Liz Gately).  DiGa.  I'm sure there is also some foreign word that it translates to that gives it another dimension.

What I'm not on-board with is you partnering with Electus. 

Every studio in town would most likely want to make a deal with you guys and now you're stuck going to Holiday parties with Ben Silverman and Ricky Van Veen? 

You're better than that, Tony!

Now, most people who read this blog regularly know that I haven't been too kind to Mr. Silverman over the past year or so (several examples are listed below)...

Example A; Example B; Example C; Example D; Example E; Example F; Example G; Example H; Example I; Example J; Example K; Example L; Example M; Example N

... but, Tony, you're being way too nice here.  You're actually giving Ben a hint of credibility.  Credibility that he doesn't deserve. 

However, maybe it's not over. 

Perhaps something can be done to stop it... something like Howard Beale in "Network" screaming to "Stop the CCA Deal now!" (fyi, the fictional Saudi Arabian deal with CCA - the parent company of fictional TV network UBS).

If enough people actually care, we could mobilize and march on Electus Headquarters (which I believe is the Wynn Resort Las Vegas) screaming over and over:  STOP THE DIGA / ELECTUS DEAL NOW!  STOP THE DIGA / ELECTUS DEAL NOW! 

Ah, nevermind.  Good luck, Tony. 

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

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

Apparently there is a new movie coming out called "Electus" and it looks like it stars Ben Silverman. 

This afternoon, I thought I would do a little checking up on Ben's $100 million dollar company and discovered that, unlike the way the website looked a month ago, there is actually some content now. 

Content starring Ben Silverman.

The content is a $100 million dollar sizzle reel with flying headlines glorifying the accomplishments of...  Ben Silverman. 

I stared at the video, with its horrible techno-pop / Eurotrash soundtrack (though fitting), in amazement.  Is this what revolution looks like?

I then went to the other page (yes, there is one other page on the site, you can't expect too much in one year) and discovered a chart. 

A chart that even a freakin' moron can understand. 

How can something that looks so simple (so elegant) and so "old media" change the world in such a profound way? 

I'm still trying to process how great it all is.  I'm seriously at a loss for words.

There is only one person on the planet that knows what the future of media looks like.  His name is Ben Silverman but he can't talk right now - he has an early morning call on the set of another sizzle reel he is starring in titled "Managing Expectations".

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

OK, online media publishers - enough with the freakin' slideshows!  They're nothing but a waste of time to those who click through all those pages of The World's Top 10 Shellfish and the Best Tasting Fruits You've Never Tasted.  What's the real reason for these time suckages?  Page views and ad impressions - the life force of online media (yes, I admit, my humble blog also depends on these metrics).  And what's the best way to rack up page views and ad impressions?  Slideshows with one image and, on average, three ads per page.  Multiply that by the Top 50 Female Insurance Industry Executives - and you get the idea.

But you didn't come to this page for my rant against Slideshows - you came to see 10 SLIDESHOWS YOU MUST SEE RIGHT NOW!  Let's get to it!  (Note: I have mercifully avoided the obvious and did not put this in Slideshow format.)

10 Unbelievable, Unlikely Animal Friendships

 























What Booze Looks Like Under A Microscope

 

Who cares?  He's a celebrity and celebrities win.  Deal with it.  No one would care if the Pope or Rupert Murdoch was moved to the front of the line.

I think the 'booing' was more because of the Orbit Gum Commercial Jason produced for DumbDumb and Electus than for getting special treatment by a store manager.

I also heard a rumor that at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York, once it was discovered that Ben Silverman was standing in line like a common schmuck, people in front of him laid on the ground.  Police then ordered Ben to step over and on their bodies to get to the front.  Ben did gladly and was able to get the last phone in stock (which was promptly comped to him by the store because of who he was).

And in Queens, New York, Ricky Van Veen waited in line for over 24 hours and still didn't get a phone and wasn't allowed to cut.  He also still hasn't been able to get tickets to Twilight Eclipse.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

I see Ben got the message (though the horse and buggy logo doesn't inspire "future of entertainment").

"Coming Soon" is a step in the right direction, I suppose.  Just be sure and have a "Thanks for the Memories" logo ready once the money is gone.

By the way, I enjoyed the Orbit Commercial.  Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are perfect in those commercials.  They really made gum chewing cool.  

Most gum commercials don't get a launch party.  But most gum commercials aren't made by Ben Silverman's company.  And with the death of independent film, celebrity parties to show gum commercials just may be the new normal.  (The key words here are "gum" and "commercials".)

Perhaps the next step is for Electus or Notional to come up with an Award that it can give the gum commercial so that Ben can call it "Award Winning" at his next corporate presentation.

And, maybe, down the line, those five minute "gumisodes" can be trimmed down to 30 seconds and shown on regular television - then you'll really sell some gum.  But the fellows at DumbDumb may not think that's as cool.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

So, after my very long vacation, I decided to check in on my old friend Ben Silverman's new company - Electus.  Now, I've been pretty tough on Electus and Ben Silverman since this venture was announced 11 months ago(!) - so, I went to Electus.com with new hope and got nothing... just an error message.

So I went to the IAC Corporate site and got a blurb on Electus - which gave me a link to this... more nothing:

Look, Ben, I realize Electus.com isn't going to be the final destination for all the brilliant content you produce (I mean, you did create "The Office" - didn't you?  Ricky Gervais owes you big time!), but how about a basic Corporate site with a little information? 

Even Notional.com put up a logo - but, then again, Ricky Van Veen is a freakin' genius.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

Now THAT'S what I call a month off. 

As many of you have noticed, I haven't been around for the past month (replies to your emails are coming).  Where have I been?  CLIMBING MT. KILIMANJARO! 

I was told MK is considered one of the easiest of the BIG mountains to climb and would require very little training. 

After assigning myself the difficult task of bringing down big media buffoons such as Ben Silverman, Meredith Whitney and Jeff Zucker, I don't have the time to train to climb mountains.  And, yet, with only a few hours logged on the Stairmaster, somehow - I MADE IT!  More pics and stories to come on that later - but this isn't a travel blog and I'm sure you can find much more interesting Mt. Kilimanjaro tidbits elsewhere.

As I have been "off the grid" for a month - I was very happy to hear about Jeff Zucker's potential exit from NBC Universal after the merger.  I was very unhappy to hear he may receive upwards of $40 million when he leaves.  I was hoping his exit package would only include one big kick in the ass on his way out the door.

I would love to see a Jeff Zucker / Ben Silverman reunion over at the ill-fated Electus.com before it runs out of Barry Diller's money and shuts its doors for good sometime next year.

Oh, well, a girl can dream, can't she?  It's great to back.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

OK, don't go all crazy MIPTV Conference people, Ben Silverman didn't say shit that hasn't been said before by... everyone producing new media content. 

Perhaps he says it in a way that make people think it sounds new or perhaps people just want to party with the guy - but it's crazy how he can speak for 45 minutes and not say a thing.

I still don't know what the hell Electus is based on the way Ben tries to define it (the website offers no help). 

It sounds to me like a production company.  A production company that will have Facebook Fan areas and YouTube channels.  Basically like every production company on the planet. 

It will be a production company that acquires (or JV's) ideas for reality and game shows that can be exploited in the U.S. and international markets.  Please tell King World, Telepictures, Mark Burnett, Endemol, etc. or other companies that have been doing this FOR DECADES that your idea is revolutionary, Ben.  I'm sure they would laugh you out of the room and tell you to stop stealing their stuff.

Electus' plan is to bring Burbank, Madison Avenue and THE WORLD together before a project goes forward - basically marrying advertisers with content producers up front.  Perhaps you should Google (or "Electus'le" - which will be your way of rebranding Google - in a deal you'll announce by Press Release and then we won't hear about it ever again) the concept for the 'Soap Opera' from the 1930s. 

If your plan (if I may interpret it from your Press Release to announce the deal to create DumbDumb) is just to stick a bag of Doritos in Will Arnett's hand while he and Jason Bateman talk about their love for Doritos (plus they'll attempt to throw in some silly plot that's added just for fun) while one of them Twitters about his love for Doritos and encourages viewers to "Fan" Doritos on Facebook... then that's fine and dandy. 

Everybody gets paid by Doritos and everybody (probably) makes money.  It's called a commercial. 

Seriously, producing "branded" content with celebrities doesn't mean shit.  It means they're doing commercials and probably feeling pretty bad about themselves once they have to start announcing the winners of the Electus Award for Cheesiest Doritos Fanatic (which no doubt encompasses the person who can get the most people to join the Twitter feed).

There's nothing wrong with that.  Money is money.  That's why you're in business.  Just don't call it revolutionary or visionary or YOUR IDEA!  It's just a production company.  Gary Coleman has a production company.  Everybody is doing what you're doing.

Do it in 1994 as the internet is just coming into people's homes... then it's revolutionary.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea