I recently tweeted out via Spidvid’s Twitter account that we were looking for talented web series creators and producers to do email interviews with. A few talented individuals fitting that description reached out and wanted to be part of the campaign.

My first interview was a collaboration with Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the creators behind the web series “Broad City”. I took each of their answers, mixed them up, and turned them into content for you to learn from. Enjoy the interview below.

1. What are the biggest challenges in creating a web series?

Abbi – For one, it’s challenging to create a web series with no budget! I think the most difficult thing is figuring out the relationships between the characters, and how to maintain them in various situations. Being confident that you have a story worth telling is key to getting everyone on the same page.  Any collaboration can be difficult, and figuring out our process as a team has been both interesting and tricky over the last nine months. What roles do each of us have, and how do we brainstorm ideas and execute them to complete the end product.

Ilana – I think the biggest challenge was finding the right director and editor to round out our team. The series started as just the two of us, and so we decided to make the most of the situation by trying out as many directors and editors as we could, kind of like how Six Feet Under rotates directors. This was of course not optimal, but we learned a lot from that experience, and it led us to our third member, Rob Hugel. As much as we wanted to keep it purely us two and our own dynamic, we learned that shit is going to change. In fact, that’s still something we’re learning about, enabling us to focus on the core tasks we’re good at, and letting others do what we’re not quite as skilled at.

2. Was collaboration between team members integral to the success of your production projects?

Abbi and Ilana – Absolutely, collaboration is the project. This process started out as a conversation in a pizza shop by just bouncing ideas off of each other. Creating that dynamic between these two ‘characters’ was something we had figure out by spending a ridiculous amount of time together. About half way through, we changed the way the series is produced. We now meet about 2 times a week to go over ideas about future projects, and how we can reach more people with our story. We have worked with a bunch of different directors, cast and crew, and found those collaborations to be refreshing to the show by bringing in different perspectives. The last couple months have been very interesting, and our team is working better and better together to constantly improve the show with each episode.

3. Is finding talent which bodes well for web series hard to find?

Abbi and Ilana – I would assume that for the average web series creator it would be challenging to find the right talent to work with, but we are fortunate to be based in the middle of the most talented pool of actors and production crew in New York City. If anything, it has been hard for us to narrow down the list of who we want on our team, as we adore and admire lots of skilled people.

4. Is film school needed to become a star in the video or film industries?

Abbi and Ilana – Completely unnecessary, you don’t even need your own camera! However, film school may help with grooming students to understand the importance of telling interesting stories that viewers want to watch. The created content and delivery is most important, so not everyone involved necessarily has to go to film school. Every team needs some technical knowledge and experience though, so whether that comes from a formal education or not is up to the individual.

5. What will the web series landscape look like in 2015, and how will it evolve from its current state today?

Abbi -I think web series exposure will only grow from here, and more and more valuable platforms will become available for creators and producers to leverage. The challenging part is competing for viewer attention against the plethora of new web series released now and in the future. And with everyone’s attention spans increasingly diminishing, that’s another challenging element to take into consideration.

Ilana – I have NO IDEA. Actually, I think that mankind will be wiped out in 2012. If it isn’t though, then I think that 90% of all content on TV will have originally existed on the Internet first.

I thank Abbi and Ilana for the interview, for their insights, time, and kindness. If you aren’t already, be sure to have our future interviews and posts delivered to your email inbox, or get them through your favorite RSS reader.

Jeremy Campbell Lists, community Abbi, answers, Broad City, content, create, creators, directors, editors, email, experience, grow, Ilana, information, interview, knowledge, learn, new media, online show, online video, producers, questions, story, teach, video, web series, web show, web video

My team and I created Spidvid so that video and film entertainment could be created by teams made up of individuals regardless of their location, age, skill level, or experience in the industry. Our vision is to create an open video and film production platform, network, and community. We want individuals from across the planet to join in to help grow Spidvid into the world’s largest video and film creation ecosystem.

Spidvid’s platform and community is moving nicely through public beta, and lots of video creators and filmmakers have already benefited from its use in one way or another. But we want to do more to make every production project as successful as possible.

If you are working on a project right now, or have a future project in the works, we want to help. Whether it’s with funding, connecting you with talent for your team, offering some tips and advice, or promotion and marketing for your web series or short film. Email us, tweet out to us, or post your needs on our Facebook page and let us know how we can offer value to your projects, and content.

Every week we are helping to make video creators and filmmakers dreams come true. There is something very magical about seeing projects successfully getting completed, and then enjoyed and shared by thousands of viewers.

Jeremy Campbell Good Wishes, community, resources collaboration, community, create, entertainment, film, film production, help, new media, online video, platform, produce, production, video, video production

Online video is growing faster than anyone would have thought in 2006 when YouTube was still a baby, and packed full of low quality videos. As online video entertainment evolves, it’s interesting that people from all walks of life are interested in creating content capable of reaching millions of people just like the big TV networks have done for decades.

There are new possibilities and opportunities in online video that simply didn’t exist even a year or two ago. The problem is that most video creators and filmmakers can’t create video content that has the potential to go viral online because they lack outside human talent needed for their projects. For the most part, the content that grabs the attention of lots of viewers had quality people behind the production project to make it a success.

Spidvid’s solution to this problem is to provide the framework needed so that talent worldwide can connect, collaborate, and create video entertainment together. When Spidvid was first launched it took awhile for people to catch onto the new media model, but more and more with each passing day a better understanding is taking shape. It’s exciting to think about new video entertainment getting created based on connections, relationships, and partnerships being formed on Spidvid.

If you want to start creating better quality video entertainment, then why not grab a free Spidvid account and then tap into the talent of our community to see what kind of projects make sense to collaborate and move forward on.

Stay updated on future Spidvid posts via email, or have them delivered to your favorite RSS reader. Or if you prefer social media then follow Spidvid on Twitter, and like Spidvid on Facebook.

Jeremy Campbell Visionary, community actors, collaborate, collaboration, collaborative team, community, connect, create, directors, editors, film production, filmmakers, individuals, new media, new media model, online video, platform, problem, produce, producers, production team, solution, spidvid, video creators, video entertainment, video production, web video, writers

So you’ve created an entertaining video or short film with your team, and are now ready to tell its story to the world’s viewing audience, fantastic. Many individuals who create video content aren’t the best promoters and marketers of it, so I’ve composed a list of tips for what should be done after a video project is complete.

1. Video metadata – You are likely going to want to upload your video or film to the web for distribution, and possibly monetization also. How many viewers find videos online is by searching for them so a video’s title, description, and tags have to be of quality. The title must grab a viewer’s attention and make him or her go “wtf?” I have to watch this right now! The description is important because lots of information can be written which can turn up in search results. Using lots of broad and narrow tags is good since lots of viewers discover relevant content using this piece of the metadata.

2. Distribution – When you want to deliver your videos online there are many options to choose from. YouTube is the first video sharing site that will come to mind, but competition for viewer attention is pretty intense there. To get mass distribution quickly, many video creators are now turning to TubeMogul which allows for uploading to multiple sites simultaneously. To release video or short film content as a team, you can turn to our platform as a solution for accomplishing that goal.

3. Marketing – Social media is becoming the go to way to promote online videos. You should be constantly growing your profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, within the blogosphere, and especially in the video sharing communities you distribute in. Advertising can be spent to attract more views, and it’s a good thing to experiment, just be sure to pay attention to the campaign analytics and statistics to see if it makes sense to buy similar ads for your next video. Some bloggers who embed video content drive huge view counts for creators, so be sure to connect with bloggers in your niche to see if they are interested in showing the video to their audience.

4. Comments - If someone spends the time to leave a comment on your video you should thank them and respond to them if appropriate. Normally less than 1% of viewers write a comment, so be sure to treasure the ones who do because they are your fans who may talk about you or your video. Word of mouth and word of mouse viewers are the ultimate marketing vehicles for your video content.

If you aren’t into promoting and marketing  your entertaining video content, you may want to partner up with an individual or two who’s talented in this important area. Our community has individuals who can increase your video’s view count, so you can focus on what you do best which is create or produce videos.

If you read this whole post you have to grab our RSS feed, or have all new posts delivered to your email inbox. If you are into social media be sure to follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Jeremy Campbell Lists, resources comments, create, distribution, entertainment, how to, internet video, marketers, marketing, new media, online video, produce, production, promoters, team, tips, video, video production, web video

It’s every video creator’s dream to have his or her video go viral in a short period of time. This means viewers share, spread, and pass along the video to others via email, write a story for their blogs, share it using social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, and discuss it offline with their colleagues at work. What an incredible feeling it would be to be walking down the street and have a total stranger reach out and thank you for creating a video that totally made their day more enjoyable.

Before you dream big about becoming an overnight weblebrity (web celebrity) sensation, you must first strategically think about the elements which make videos go viral in the first place.

Here are some of the most common reasons why a video goes viral

• Humor - People love and can’t resist watching funny videos during the work day, or after getting home while relaxing before dinner. One of the growing content niches in this area are parodies which make fun of shows, movies, or music videos. When done right, parodies do very well online because they are typically based on popular stories (such as the movie Avatar) so many of us have a frame of reference to draw from already.

• Remarkable - If you can’t create humorous content then perhaps you should look towards doing something amazing that catches viewers off guard. Individuals who have outstanding personal talent in singing, acting, or dancing can do quite well. Susan Boyle is a classic example of someone who had an incredible voice but the world didn’t know about it until she appeared on American Idol. You don’t need to have a voice like Susan’s for others to take notice, but you should draw from your unique skill set to do something catchy and memorable.

• Controversial – It’s too bad that controversial content usually spreads faster than other more meaningful heartfelt content, but that’s just the way we are now as a society. Viewers love to pass on gossip related videos, and flock to sites like TMZ to watch the new scandal making its rounds. Michael Buckley of What the Buck? is a classic example of a web celebrity whose videos consistently attract a million views. His passion for commenting on various controversial issues (usually involving celebrities) has earned him tons of rabid fans eager to share whatever he creates.

Now that you know some of the common reasons why a video goes viral, it’s time to focus on the tactics

1. Content is King – We’ve all heard this many times but it’s not entirely true. While it is important that the story and content of your video needs to be really strong, sometimes random videos go viral for no apparent reason. Think of a concept that many of us can understand, relate to, appreciate, respect, and easily talk about. If your video isn’t something that will motivate others to discuss, share, and comment on, then you’re not hitting the right cords.

2. Simple – Keep it short and sweet because our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. An ideal viral video runs between 15-30 seconds. You might wonder how you can squeeze greatness into such a short period of time, so that may be your main challenge. Simply break down long stories into bite-sized clips. Or adopt a sweet kitten that does something like this. It’s cute, short, and perfect for others to remix and share.

3. Metadata - This is likely the least sexy part of putting a video up online but is an extremely important one, especially as hundreds of thousands of new videos get uploaded every day. To have your video discovered you need a catchy title, description, and informative tags because most viewers find content by searching for it. Make your metadata appealing but don’t mislead viewers by using popular names and words if your video doesn’t contain them. There have been many viewer backlashes about false video promises based on the metadata used, so make sure you aren’t the next creator to receive negative and even abusive comments about your content. Accurately describe your video, but be unique in how you position your video in the mind’s of viewers.

4. Reach Out – Promoting your video may very well be the important thing you can do for it. Share it with everyone you know, and encourage them to send it along to their followers and fans if they truly think the content is worthwhile. Tweet about it, share it everywhere you can, write a blog post about it, make sure it’s embeddable, reply to viewer comments to help build a community around your content, and reach out to bloggers who write for the niche your video is in. Connecting with other video creators by placing comments on their channel and videos is also a very smart idea, since many of them pay close attention to those conversations. If a creator likes what you had to say they may check out your profile and portfolio, and be interested in collaborating on a future project with you. Bloggers are the biggest source of views for online videos, so treat these individuals very well if you want to have a video of yours embedded on their treasured Web real estate.

A special note: If you have an interesting script in your hand, or just a concept in mind, don’t be shy to make a video no matter what the quality may be. The main thing is that you have some fun and enjoy yourself, because if you do you will find a way to improve the content quality over time. When you need human talent you know where to go to find like-minded individuals who also want to invest their time into creating a potential viral hit too.

Enjoy this post? Stay updated on all our future ones via email or through your favorite blog reader via RSS. Or if you prefer social media, follow us on Twitter, and fan us up on Facebook.

Jonha Guest Post, Lists, resources create, engage, film, film production, filmmaker, how to, online video, produce, resource, share, spidvid, Spidvid.com, susan boyle, tips, TMZ, video, video content, video creator, video production, viral film, viral video, web video, WhattheBuck