If you had 30 million page views a month, a deal with HBO for a weekly series and plans to start making movies, one would assume you had it all figured out. For funnyordie.com CEO Dick Glover and Creative Director Andrew Steele, they are still figuring it out.
After over a decade of writing for SNL, Steele joined funnyordie.com, because he grew bored of the traditional medium. He believes that the internet is a viable option at this point, but people are still trying to figure out the silver bullet.
Funnyordie.com has created a platform that works. Besides the user generated comedy video content, they have been involving celebrities in the sketches they produce. The set up works beautifully. Their goal is to foster a place for talent to do whatever they want to do. It can be anything from trying something new in a risk free environment, to supporting a cause or to even changing their image.
They do everything on the cheap. This recent video combines a tremendous amount of talent….
Everyone got involved for FREE! Shot it on a Sunday, it was posted on that Wednesday. Ron Howard directed this sketch and before shooting, believed that it would cost six figures. Instead, it was under $5,000; most of that to pay for travel for the talent. So how do you get Chevy Chase, Dana Carvey, Jim Carrey, Dan Aykroyd and the others in one room? You give them a reason; the purpose of this sketch was to bring to light the need for financial reform.
Glover has been smart in the business structure as well. His creative offices are based in Los Angeles and Hollywood. The actual technology structure is based in Palo Alto and all the advertising sales and marketing offices are in New York City and Chicago.
While the platform of funnyordie.com seems to be working, much of the other things are a tad nebulous. Glover laughed that they can guarantee eye balls, but they cannot guarantee how viral the sketches will be. He said that just because it has a celebrity attached does not mean instant success. They actually create office pools to try an guess what will be a success and what may not live up to expectations.
Do not take any of that as the venture being unsuccessful. Their model of content is somewhat counterintuitive. A stand alone niche website is supposed to fail. Their site is definitely succeeding with seven million unique hits a month!
Along with the website and the HBO series, they are venturing into film making. They are currently working on a single focused film with Tim & Eric.
The panel was Q&A based and at the end Steele said something that has really been echoed in many of the other panels this year.
“We are in a creative explosion. Everyone can make a video. The one thing that drives all of this is hard work…you can be a movie maker in a second! Go out there and do it right now!”
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One major aspect to funnyordie.com is its ability to get every visitor involved. Even if you just go to the site and watch a sketch and leave—you have added something to the site. Funnyordie.com realizes the importance of using the Internet to bring people together in order to contribute and create. Users may be involved as much or as little as they choose. This gives the visitors creative freedoms that only the Internet can provide.
This article also touches on the problems many companies have with the Internet. How do you guarantee popularity? Even if you manage accomplish this, how do you guarantee profits? Funnyordie.com’s combination of its own comedy with user-generated comedy draws a lot of attention. Yet it is still a mystery as to what sketch exactly will bring viewers in and why.
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I like how they are figuring out that people are always online and it’s time to expand the medium. Most tv shows already have it to where you can watch the episode online.DVR has some challenges that soon will come for it. I no longer have it because I can watch everything online. I think it’s awesome that they are doing the shows online so every visitor can be involved, and is. Also the visitors don’t have to do much to be involved; there’s a lot of simple people out there. Or there’s the ones who want to do much more than a simple sketch.
I have never been or even heard of funnyordie.com but I will go check it out now. Now, if HBO did take a liking to this, you can bet for sure that everyone who is a Sex and the City fan, Entourage or any other HBO series would be on this website.
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I think that the combination of regular user generated content and professional content like the sketch directed by Ron Howard helps draw an extra audience and helps it to be like a comedic YouTube, but slightly different. Plus, anytime you think of good videos on the Internet usually they become popular because they are funny. I think that helps reach a hybrid audience of YouTube and Hulu. Not to mention their innovative way to be efficient and be able to make a profit from the popularity without completely selling out.
Funnyordie.com appears to be another innovative Web site leading an emerging trend of user generated content helping to spur quick popularity. However, the weekly HBO series is a bit of a different direction which I believe will only expand to more people, especially considering how popular many of those HBO series are.
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It really amazes me that these big-named writers, actors, actresses and producers are telling students like myself to, “Go out there and do it right now!” I keep thinking, “Why would anyone want to see what I can do?” In reality, I should be thinking, “Why WOULDN’T anyone want to see what I can do?”
It seems ludicrous that someone like Andrew Steele, a man who has a secure writing job in the Hollywood world would give it up on a whim for a website that may or may not succeed. Looks like he made the right decision. While SNL sketches are slowly going out (how many times do people say, “They’re just not what they used to be!”), funnyordie.com is clearly a huge success. Like jb1770, I think funnyordie.com clearly reaches a mass audience and is supported by a lot of people of a wide variety of ages, education and genders.
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If anyone wants to get a large group’s attention viral is the way to go! Funnyordie.com is a great website. Sure it doesn’t really contain useful information, but it’s doing something right because I hear it’s name on tv and news programs now. Viral marketing and advertising is the new future and way to go to get your word out to the masses.
Good for Glover and Steele for getting their site in everyone’s mouth. Maybe one day they will use their talents to get across truly useful information to the masses?
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I am a big fan of funnyordie but I had no idea about it’s background until now. The fact that Andrew Steele switched to this new media is just another example of how people are putting more faith and material on the internet.
The sketch was funny and I love how they got so many funny people together for something they all believe in and want to promote. It appears to be an easy way to spread a message. I wish much success to the producers of the website, hoping for more funny yet meaningful videos!
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User generated content has been such a huge success, look at YouTube. I think it was a great business move for funnyordie to allow users to upload their own funny videos as well as watch professional comedians. This highlights the most important aspect of social media: community participation.
Just like users molded Twitter as a platform for charities and causes, funnyordie is also focused on spreading important messages, as well as providing entertainment. It seems like they’ll get it all figured out soon.
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funnyordie is great, really funny stuff. I think what makes it so good is the people in the videos are free to do what they want. There is no censor looking over your back. This creates a great medium for comedians to entertain us.
While entertaining, funnyordie is also good because it spreads good messages too. “Socially aware comedy” I think funnyordie will be around for awhile, I am looking forward to movies.
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Steele had some comments about SNL that weren’t necessarily appropriate to put in the blog. He seems incredibly happy with his decision to leave traditional media. Comedy for a cause definitely helps to bring the big names to computer screeen!
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Steele was right on when he said we all can make videos, although it takes a little extra talent and skill, any one can do it.
Funnyordie.com is a great opportunity to have access to their work 24-7, which promotes what they are doing and brings publicity and creates a following. Fans are key to making something successful. Having celebrities to support their cause is an extra incentive because people will recognize a familiar face.
It shares a message about entertainment, its funny and uncensored!Using the web to connect to people has become popular and will continue to grow.
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Although, before today, I was not familiar with funnyordie.com, I am now, and I already have enjoyed it a lot. I think that it has an awesome concept in the fact that users can comment/interact with the famous people that created it.
As a strong supporter and follower of numerous HBO series shows, I am very excited to see what comes of this. In a time when shows like SNL, and that sort are not doing exceptional, although it is risky, it is necessary to think outside of the box and head in a new direction.