Wallstrip: The Magic is in the Process
I have been cracking up reading the various theories as to why CBS supposedly bought Wallstrip. Explanations abound: it's Lindsay, right? It's all about the talent. Hey, it's hard to create a popular web video show, right? The writing, acting and production needs to really resonate with the audience. Or gee, is CBS really be behind the eight-ball in their creative process if they need to go out and pay a bunch of money for a seven-month old vlog site? The best way to break down the problem: analyze the value stack.
Where exactly are the pressure points in bring a show from idea to release? The answer: it is the vehicle for stringing together the creative writing, the acting and the filming in a seamless, time-sensitive and cost-efficient process. IMHO, it is this process that represents the real IP of Wallstrip. Lindsay, Jeff, Adam and Howard are all key to making this process happen, but it is their collective know-how that creates the value. Believe me, it is not as simple as it seems. This is why CBS made this purchase, to get this know-how and to expand it beyond Wallstrip into a provider of leading-edge web video content. They've got the talent pool. They've got the distribution. They've got the ability to do edgy deals in the contex of a large, old-line organization. This is smart.
The only story I've read in the mainstream media that begins to get at this point was in today's New York Times. The idea for this was, of course, picked up from the web on the VC Ratings blog, which was, in turn, extracted its essence from Fred Wilson's authoritative post on the topic. So there you have it. To the NYT's credit, they got it. And the real answer was on the Web. It's good to be open minded. Get the best content from wherever it resides. And this is the result of the value engine that is Wallstrip.
it's true. the value is in the people. 3 people putting together a show that would take cbs 30. We do it with 2 people. but then again cbs isn't buying us.
Posted by: veronika raquel | May 28, 2007 at 02:33 PM
That reporting stream you've laid out above fits in nicely with the information dissemination cycle on your company home page: expert blog -> journalist blog -> daily periodical - interesting stuff
Posted by: Josh Jaffe | May 27, 2007 at 03:51 AM
or CBS just screwed up :)
duncan is a genius so lets just give up :)
Posted by: howard lindzon | May 26, 2007 at 11:38 PM
Preach my brotha! :-)
Posted by: Michael | May 26, 2007 at 11:40 AM