Recently in NBC Universal Category

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

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

So... Conan O'Brien has decided to go to TBS.  Like him or not, get his comedy or not, Conan immediately brings a "hip" factor to TBS where it currently has none.  Whether that will be enough to truly take the network to another level is a huge unknown at this point. 

I have a feeling this announcement has taken the wind out of the sails of the "I'm With Coco" movement.  For some reason, I think they wanted him to stay off TV and start some crazy live streaming Internet-only revolution from a shack in the desert.  Sorry freaks.  Perhaps you can steal your basic cable feed and still feel like a revolutionary.

This is a big bet for TBS but one it can certainly afford to take.  Two revenue streams RULE!  If it doesn't work, they can always move "Lopez Tonight" (with its 1.0 rating) back to 11pm and put the always profitable "Ab Roller Deluxe" informercial on at midnight.

The biggest obstacle is the fact that TBS still feels (to me - and I'm not alone) like a network that airs nothing but "Mama's Family" reruns and very low quality VHS tapes of 1980s comedies.  I know this isn't the case anymore and they actually do have some solid programming with "The Office" and "Family Guy" reruns, etc. and have had some success in original programming with all those Tyler Perry shows (What, are there 10 series now?  All with 350 episode commitments?).

But adding Conan puts TBS on a different level - a network level with a big advantage - they don't need Leno-size ratings to call it a "hit". 

Imagine the spinmeisters at Turner the day after its debut:  "Late Night Cable Talk Show's Biggest Night Ever!"; "Conan Conquers Cable!"; "The Colbert Killer!"... "2.0 in Metered Markets - 18-49"... Okay, they won't put that one in the Trades but that's about what we can expect on the high end.  If a 2.0 late night rating is worth a $100 million investment, then TBS has made the right move. 

Personally, I think it IS the right move - if anything just to improve their image.  All the other shit that's on TBS will suddenly be given a second look which may make people slow down the remote as they're passing by on their way to USA or FX. 

For Conan, I think this is also the best move.  Though if he ultimately fails on TBS, his career is over (unless he is willing to take the 1:30a.m. Last Call slot from what's his name - that guy that dated Tara Reid).  Not going to Fox and being beaten badly by Jay Leno was a very smart move by Conan.  And a very smart move by Fox - which doesn't have two revenue streams (yet) and, thus, doesn't have money to burn.

So... good luck, Conan.  You have made a good match.  And I can't wait to hear all those jokes you'll make about what a crappy network TBS is.  The crappy network that is paying you $100 million dollars.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

All I can say is, BEN SILVERMAN HAS DONE IT AGAIN! 

In only nine months, Mr. Silverman has taken his crazy $100 million dollar dream of Electus.com and turned it into the reality that IS Electus.com.  

The brilliance of the Electus.com homepage (at left) is its minimalism.  What looks to you and me like an "Error" page is actually Ben Silverman's 'crystal ball' gaze at the future of his own company.  It's a stunning stroke from the Master Innovator.

IAC (and Barry Diller) must be proud and ready to show the world as they have made the link to the site live.

Media watchers (or Medea watchers) like me can't wait to see what he comes up with next.  Perhaps Lord Silverman will provide a sliver of wisdom in his upcoming keynote to the MIPTV conference on April 13th.

What a great day that will be in the history of media.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

Well, that didn't take long.  There will be lots of "I'm With Coco" and David Letterman supporters that will say "It was expected...", "Everyone was just curious about the switch...", "Jay has all those Olympians on the show..."

Whatever. 

I write this not as a Jay Leno fan (far from it) - but as a practical person who looks at the numbers.  As I said when there was a debate over whether NBC should keep Conan or Jay... of all the late night hosts on all the networks, Jay Leno is simply the one that more people want to watch.  I'm not talking about "quality" or "educated" people here.  I'm talking about more PEOPLE.

In his first night back in the 11:35pm time slot, Jay Leno destroyed the competition. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno got a 5.7/14 share; David Letterman (3.0/8 share); Nightline/Jimmy Kimmell Live (1.8/6 share).  Tonight, Jay has Sarah Palin and Shaun White on the show.  Who do you think will win?

I think Conan may want to avoid the direct competition and forget about Fox.  I'm sure Fox executives are thinking the same thing today.

[Note to Jeff Zucker:  These results are not because of your brilliance, they are in spite of your ignorance.  The Olympics will lose over $200 million for your network and you won't make that up with "The Marriage Ref" or "Parenthood" ratings.  You will be fired.]

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

Love him or hate him, there is a reason Jay Leno has been #1 and will soon be #1 again in the late night wars. 

He will book anyone necessary to get ratings - as evidenced by the top guest on his second night back - Ms. Sarah Palin. 

Add to the mix Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno, Brad Paisley, the cast of Jersey Shore and I think it's game over for Dave as soon as Jay returns.  The Letterman vs. Leno battle will last all but one week.

It's even possible that by week two most people will have forgotten there ever was a 'Tonight Show controversy' which will mean less and less "I'm with Coco" fanatics inviting you to join Facebook clubs.

So what have we learned from this whole debacle?  As long as there are publicists and stars who need publicity, the past is meaningless.  Hollywood is a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" town. 

And what will Jay do for these media hungry whores stars?  Deliver ratings that Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel or David Letterman can't (unless Dave could book Sarah Palin again).

And ratings are all that matters.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea

P.S. - To Jeff Immelt - please fire Jeff Zucker before "The Tonight Show" is #1 again.  We all know he'll be trying to take the credit and that will make me physically ill.

The Billion Dollar Question is - WHY? 

If I were to talk directly to Jeff Zucker's current boss (Jeffrey Immelt) and future boss (Brian Roberts), I would quote my new hero, Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer, and say "Are you stoopid?"

Even if we all could forget about the recent mistakes that have been made under Jeff Zucker's watch...

• Lowest rated network
• Jay/Conan debacle
• Hiring Ben Silverman for... anything
• The absolutely horrendous Olympic coverage which not only sucks but will LOSE millions of dollars.  (The latest horrible decision was to air the TAPE-DELAYED 2-man Bobsled coverage on NBC over one of the best LIVE Olympic hockey games in years - USA vs. Canada.  I'm sure JZ would say it was a brilliant move on his part to force people to find MSNBC on their televisions.)
  

... at this point, it's a matter of credibility.  And he has none.

Imagine Jeff Zucker standing in front of a group of Wall Street investor analysts with his PowerPoint slides and telling them "This is the future of television..."  "This is the direction Comcast/NBC needs to go..." "Here are my ideas on how to turn things around..." etc. 

Seriously, who the hell would believe he has the answers?  And why does he even get the chance to give the answers.  NBC was once great.  All the missteps really started to snowball AFTER he become Chairman & CEO.  He is into his fourth year and has thus far proven nothing to nobody. 

Basta.  Enough.

However, in an effort to make my entries a little more positive, I'm going to attempt to end them all on an upbeat note.  So... that said... I do like the bulky ski resort sweaters Jeff Zucker has been wearing as he talks up NBC's suck ass Olympic coverage on CNBC.

Jill Kennedy - OnMedea