GENERATION 247 - Web TV, Internet Streaming and Online Entertainment by Kevin Foong

Visit Asia with GeeksonaPlane

Life getting a little stagnant?  Perhaps it’s time for you to jump on plane with a bunch of Bay Area geeks and venture over to the other side of the Pacific Rim. Founders Fund and Web2Asia cordially invite you to join over 25 other techies for an eastward trip they’re calling GeeksOnAPlane.  Starting on June 7th and lasting for 10 days, our gaggle of geeks will hit up Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai and learn lots about Asian platforms, markets, and partners along the way.

Ticket prices vary depending on whether you want to hit up all three cities or just visit one or two. See their event page for full pricing details and the ability to register online today. Airfare gets more expensive after today so make sure to register and book your flights soon.

These are some of the topics the tour will touch upon:

- Internet & Software, Mobile Technology, Gaming Environments, Search & Social Platforms
- Startup / Business Culture in China & Japan, Vertical Market Opportunities, Market Entry Partners
- Investment Climate & State of Angel / Venture Capital / other investment sources
- Networking with new people, making cross-cultural connections & partnerships for long-term benefit

The multi-talented Felicia Day gets to monetize "The Guild"

In case you're unaware, Felicia Day is the creative genius and talented personality behind this year's web TV sensation "The Guild".  The show follows the escapades of a group of World of Warcraft gamers, very funny stuff if you've ever been a gamer and certainly worth a vicarious look if you've not.

Tubefilter broke a story about a DVD deal that Day achieved with Amazon's Createspace.  On first glance, the figures seem disheartening and unsustainable for content producers:

"What really fascinates me, however, is how little money the creators might actually be making. Each season’s DVD pre-sells for $12.99. Assuming the deal that Felicia and her team signed with CreateSpace is standard, here’s what they’re going to make:

• List Price: $12.99
• Amazon.com Cut: - $5.85 (45%)
• CreateSpace Fee: - $4.95
• Total Remainder: $2.20 (17% of list price)

That’s two-dollars and twenty cents of gross revenue per unit sold, and they still have to pay AFTRA pension and health, as well as talent royalties (if any) out of those dollars.

Contrast that to the major television and film studios, who are making almost two-thirds gross profit on every DVD they sell, and you’ll start to notice how important economies of scale are in the entertainment business."

[Edit: Tubefilter just added an update: "UPDATE: Credible sources in The Guild camp have informed us that both Felicia Day and Amazon.com are very happy with the DVD and VOD deals in place, and that the deal that was negotiated was not a standard CreateSpace agreement."]

Deleted: The Game is a Webby Winner!

Congratulations to the DTG team for their belief and hard work.  Deleted: The Game was made an Official Honoree in the Best Use of Interactive Video category and an Official Nominee in the Best Experimental Online Video category for which they won the People's Vote Award.

I'm so proud of everyone who contributed because they did so with passion and creativity.  Well done, team!

See this little submission video the guys did for the Webbys.