Category Archives: Innovation

When (and Why) Did I Start Paying for CBS?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Chris Dorr

The broadcast TV business model has always been very simple.  Convince a large number of people to view your show at the same time and advertisers will pay a lot for the right to get their attention. This is how … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Cable, Distribution, Innovation, Internet, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Will Half of TV Melt Away?

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Chris Dorr

Television shows have always worked as a binding agent in American culture since they exploded onto the scene in the 1950’s.  Gathering around the tube to witness a live event or a popular show on the night when a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Cable, Distribution, Innovation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Old, New and “Really Old” Media

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Chris Dorr

One of the challenges in grappling with our current media environment, where old style mass media and new style Internet media collide and call each other out, is understanding how it is changing.  Generally we try to see how it … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution, Hollywood, Innovation, Old Media, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Want an Audience? Listen Carefully

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Chris Dorr

There have been several excellent pieces that have dissected the Obama campaign’s effective use of digital technology.  Jon Ward added to this collection with his Republican Party Path Back From 2012 Election Requires Shift In Culture, Not Just Tactics. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Innovation, Internet, Marketing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Filmmakers: Gather Your Audience Early and Often

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Chris Dorr

Film festivals have long been powerful tools for indie filmmakers who seek audiences for their films. They serve as launching pads for that elusive big distribution deal that catapults an obscure filmmaker and unknown movie to fame and (sometimes) fortune.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution, Independent Film, Innovation, Internet, Marketing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Zoe Keating, “I want to be paid in data.”

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Chris Dorr

Over two years ago, I wrote a post about Zoe Keating and why she was an artist that other artists (particularly filmmakers) could learn from.  Then she was a leader in using the Internet to distribute and make money from … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution, Innovation, Internet, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Memo Deep Inside HBO

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Chris Dorr

Deep inside HBO’s New York offices is a memo that was originally created 5 years ago.  Each year it gets updated with new numbers and projections.  This document is controlled by its corporate strategy group and it lays out the … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution, Innovation, Internet, Television, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You Need to Build a Database of Your Followers

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Chris Dorr

Over the past two weeks I have had the chance to meet with some smart filmmakers and discuss how they might better think about and build their audiences.  And today, while catching up with my reading I had the good … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution, Independent Film, Innovation, Internet, Marketing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

As Social Media Marketing Increases, Will TV Ads Decline?

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Chris Dorr

“What is originality?  To see something that has no name as yet and hence cannot be mentioned although it stares us all in the face.  The way men usually are, it takes a name to make something visible to them.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Distribution, Hollywood, Innovation, Internet, Marketing, Movie Theaters, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

When Did I Sign Up For This “Audience Development” Thing?

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Chris Dorr

Peter Kafka of the WSJ recently interviewed Robert Kyncl, the man who heads up the channel initiative at YouTube.  Kyncl was asked about what he had learned from his experience at YouTube thus far.  He states: “Lesson one: Audience development … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution, Independent Film, Innovation, Internet, Marketing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments