Press
DECA Expands Online Video Offering With Ooyala
"We're seeing a significant increase in women turning to the Internet to connect with social media communities," said Scott Smith, Senior Vice President, Field Operations at Ooyala. "DECA taps into this growing trend with engaging video content that fosters brand adoption and increased viewership. We're proud to have been selected by DECA and look forward to supporting their growing online video initiatives." Ooyala's seamless ad-network gives DECA a quick and efficient way to generate revenue with ad supported video content. DECA viewers can easily distribute content to social sharing sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and to personal email.
"Ooyala provides DECA an exceptional video platform and viewing experience for our users," said Michael Wayne, CEO at DECA. "We expect to grow overall user engagement with our video. We're very pleased with Ooyala and the user-friendly experience it helps us offer our users." Ooyala works with online media companies around the world to deliver high-quality video experiences that drive viewership and generate revenue.
Quick Clicks: ‘Wilson & Ditch’, ‘Good Bite’ Food Star, ‘If I Can Dream’, NFL Rookies
Good Bite host Aarti Sequeira won the sixth season of The Next Food Network Star last night, meaning the web series star will be heading to TV next. DECA, which produces Good Bite still has more episodes in the can with Aarti, but looks like TV has nabbed another top web talent. [Good Bite]
Momversation Branches Out to … Ordinary People
Momversation — the vlogging site that regularly features bloggers Alice Bradley, Rebecca Woolf, Asha Dornfest, Heather Armstrong, Daphne Brogden, Giyen Kim, Maggie Mason, Dana Loesch, Mindy Roberts and Jessica Gottlieb — just launched its newest foray into video: Her Story.
Fandomonium at the Digital Content Newfront 2010
In "Fandomonium", Columbia journalism dean Sree Sreenivasan leads a fast and furious unleashing of all the themes around content, celebrity and social media as they feed and feed off each other to generate big, sustainable audiences and help build brands. Kraft EVP Howard Friedman, DECA's Michael Wayne, CNN's Kiran Chetry, Such Tweet Sorrow's Charles Hunter and music superstar Pete Wentz are in top form, ratcheting up the insightful conversation several notches.
Introducing the Digital Power 50 for 2010
Power doesn’t come easily in the digital content world. Despite the buzz about the iPad or Foursquare, audiences and revenues generated by programming on PCs or wireless devices is still a pittance compared with that on such established mediums as film and TV. But measured by the more intangible metric of influence, even the slightest innovation can portend big changes to come in the evolving media business.
Which makes the accomplishments of the 50 men and women highlighted in The Hollywood Reporter’s third annual Digital Power issue worth noting.
Glick Does Cookbook Doubleheader
The second deal was for a collection based on the Web site goodbite.com, called Good Bite's Weeknight Meals: Delicious Made Easy. The site features video recipe demonstrations by a number of popular food bloggers, and the cookbook will bring together a mix of those recipes to, as Glick said, "demonstrate a range of styles and flavors." Wiley is planning a fall 2011 publication.
Why Doesn't Web Video Like the "C Word"?
DECA CEO Michael Wayne, meanwhile, takes a different approach, as DECA removes its shows from the Internet following their cancellation. The reason for that, though, is the same reason they also don’t use the word “cancel”: for DECA, according to Wayne, a show isn’t just a show — it’s a brand and a standalone business.
So in considering whether or not to continue making a show like the now-defunct Bush League TV, “We look at it as: ‘Is this business heading into profitability or not?’” If it isn’t, they shut it down. “When you shut down a brand and you don’t take it offline, it can look bad, and that inevitably doesn’t reflect well on the company,” he said.
Of course, DECA’s focus has also changed dramatically over the last few years, as they’ve started almost exclusively targeting women over 25 with shows like Momversation and Good Bite, which partner nicely with brands. They only got to that place, though, after experiments like Bush League. “At the end of the day, you have to take risks, and you’re never going to be successful 100 percent of the time,” Wayne said.
Streamy Award Submissions Open Today: New Awards, Additional Process
In other Streamys/IAWTV news: Michael Wayne, CEO of DECA, has been named chairman of the IAWTV, with Blip.tv co-founder Dina Kaplan serving as vice chair. (The announced board of directors was common knowledge as of last October, when the IAWTV met as an organization for the first time.) Those who have applied for IAWTV membership for this year are still waiting to hear if they’ll be allowed to join the non-profit advocacy group.
Felicia Day, Michael Wayne, Dina Kaplan Join IAWTV Board of Directors
Web series fans, take note. The International Academy of Web Television, the independent, non-profit organization that serves as the voting body for the Streamy Awards, officially announced its Board of Directors today along with its first Chairman, Michael Wayne, co-founder and CEO of DECA (Digital Entertainment Corporation of America).
“Just as the Academies of Motion Picture and Television Arts and Sciences had humble beginnings, so do we,” said Wayne in the IAWTV press release today. ”While our industry may be in its early stages, it is growing at an exponential rate … 2010 promises to be a phenomenal year for the International Academy of Web Television with the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards and the continued expansion of our membership.” Before DECA, Wayne served as the Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Pictures Television.
Grab Them And Keep Them In 3 Short Steps
By supplying content in a robust, visual manner through video, you can engage audiences on a whole new level. Momversation does this very well through a network of online influencers who contribute videos on topics of interest to moms, ranging from sick days to learning disabilities, to how to keep your kids healthy. The videos provide additional exposure for the influencers involved, and another forum for ad-based revenue.
For marketers, this is a reminder that today's video goes beyond the traditional 30-second spot. Production quality can vary, length of time can vary, and even tone can be modified, but as with social media, the voice and the content should be authentic and genuine.