August 1, 2007

"Crackle" by Sony Pushes Open Studio Concept

The former Grouper video site has been turned into Sony's own recruiting ground for top talent, with a new name: Crackle.

Cruisin' along and occasionally sampling the goods, I came across "The Handshake," a very well done and meaningful short animation:





Crackle has 12 branded channels for different shows, from comedy to music news, animation, etc., which contain more than 1,000 professionally-produced videos and top user-generated content, selected both by the community and the site's editorial staff.

Most important to you, they are running contests all the time. The current ones are:

* High Wire - Win a Showcase Billing at the Improv

* Shorts - Win a Pitch Meeting with Columbia Pictures

* WetPaint - Win a 2-Day Animation Lab & the Possibility of a Theatrical Release

As an amateur video producer, you could be be compensated in a variety of ways, from revenue shares to full seven-figure production deals. As a winner, your masterpiece will be "distributed" across Sony's hardware and film properties.

So, how do you become a winner? By climbing the so-called "Fame Pyramid." The top two user picks are then chosen for production deals. Sony's distribution network and 60-person ad team really pushes this open studio concept beyond anything other video startups currently offer.

Another great feature is a high-quality 16x9 HDTV ratio embeddable video player - the one you see above.

Cybercast credit: Sony Crackle

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