Why Online Video Just Took One More Big Step to Legitimacy
Anyone who reads this blog frequently will know that I am a big believer in low-cost video content and specifically the power of YouTube as a content creation & distribution platform. Our industry just took one big step towards legitimacy with the hiring of renowned media exec Ynon Kreiz to run Maker Studios. The industry finally has [...]
The Most Interesting Online Video Trend & Where It’s Headed
By now many of you know the Harlem Shake but what you may not appreciate is the broader trend behind the video and it has mirrored my general views on how TV will work in the future Harlem Shake is a YouTube phenomenon that in just 2 weeks has gone from nothing to on air on both [...]
If it Didn’t Happen on Twitter it Didn’t Really Happen. Here’s Why
I wrote this post a long time ago. When I did it was a little too close to home for a company to have me publish it. Much time has passed. And I felt it was instructive still so I thought I would publish. I decided to water down some details to protect the innocent. [...]
Why Silicon Valley and Hollywood Don’t Get Each Other and Who Will Win the Future
For the past three years I have been pounding the table as loud as I can about the future opportunities in digital video. The concise guide is here. My narrative has stayed pretty simple: People in the US watch 5.3 hours of TV per day People read for less than 30 minutes You will not [...]
The Misstep of Quora and The Importance of Trust Amongst Your Community
You know the old saying about trust … “It takes years to build and seconds to destroy.” And once destroyed it is very difficult if not impossible to repair. You need to be the guardian of your own reputation. You need to constantly ask yourself whether your actions in rapidly scaling an online community are [...]
Trello versus Asana
For the past several years I’ve undertaken many initiatives to “get more organized,” which basically means to make another attempt at implementing and running a solid task list that I can share with others with whom I collaborate. I seem to be really good at kicking off well-structured lists, but less good at “working them.” I [...]
The Most Obvious Mobile Ad Unit and What the New York Times Got Wrong
The New York Times recently ran an article titled, “Tech Companies Leave Phone Calls Behind.” I love the NY Times and am a paying subscriber. But this article missed the real trend. The premise of the article is that in an increasingly online world ruled by techies who don’t want to talk on the phone, [...]
The Power of Torso TV (Why Media is Racing to the Middle)
Chris Anderson wrote a really influential book some years ago called “The Long Tail” that shaped how many people think about emerging Internet markets. If you haven’t read it you should consider adding it to you library.
It was especially influential in my mind in thinking about media.
It’s Morning in Venture Capital
Many observers of the venture capital industry have questioned whether its best days are behind it. They are frustrated by the past decade of subpar returns for the sector. The most recent report to weigh in on the troubles of the industry was produced by the esteemed Kauffman Foundation. There are obvious reasons the industry [...]
Interesting New Tech Blog for your Radar Screen
Over the holiday I became aware of a new tech blog that aims to have deep insights into the next generation of technology, which they call The Hypernet. Why should you care? Well, it is established by some of the industries more successful investors – Mike Maples and Roger McNamee. My favorite post was this [...]
Should Startups Focus on Profitability or Not?
There are certain topics that even some of the best journalists can’t fully grok. One of them is profitability. I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate [...]
Getting to Know Maker Studios
A year ago I invested, along with Dana Settle at Greycroft Partners, in a startup company called Maker Studios. What excited me was that they had an immensely talented team that understood how to produce & distribute low-cost videos, initially via YouTube. It was founded by Danny Zappin, Lisa Donovan & Ben Donovan. They know this model [...]
The Amazing Power of Deflationary Economics for Startups
I’m often asked by people what investment areas interest me. It’s true that I have a functional focus on three areas: Performance-based marketing, digital television and mobile computing. I try to invest in things that I know and that I believe I might have better knowledge and relationships than the masses of VCs. I have [...]
The End of the Web? Don’t Bet on It. Here’s Why
Fred Wilson recently posted a great video on his blog with the CEO of Forrester Research, George Colony. The money slide is the graphic below. The chart shows three scarce resources and their improvements over time. The top line is available storage (S), the middle line represents processing power (following Moore’s law) or (P) and the [...]
Future of TV: The Quick Version
I recently gave a talk about the Future of Television. I’m still planning to write some in depth pieces on the topic but I thought, “given that this is about how video will consume the Internet over the next 5 years, what better way to exemplify this than with a 10-minute video.” Here’s a link [...]
