JoshPaul

I usually keep Sun Tzu's Five Dangerous Faults readily available (sometimes even as a desktop image), but for some reason I had to search them out yesterday. I'm posting them here, so at least I know where I can find them in the future.

1. Recklessness: leads to destruction
2. Cowardice: leads to capture
3. Hasty Temper: can be provoked by insults
4. Delicacy of Honor: is sensitive to shame
5. Over-Solicitude: exposes him to worry and trouble

Hmm…What happened?
I went to read a little Slashdot and got a 503.

As of 3:45p PST, no one has bid on this item:
Helene & Aaron Diamond Ring Package

and I sincerely hope no one does…

Akimbo is a new “Video on Demand service.” I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s “On Demand,” as you have to first download the content, but it’s is a warning sign for the Networks. It’s only a matter of time until the distribution system changes; just look at the record industry.

Our budgets are going to get continually smaller.

Ugh.

As I mentioned in this entry, I thought the “leaked” movies were coming out of a duplication house. This morning I read this article which states four people from Lightning Media, formerly Lightning Dubs, had been a source of leaks as well.

(I won’t get into the fact their site requires Flash.)

Although I don’t know the details, I feel that it’s pretty obvious what’ll happen if you put a 19 year old kid, working a graveyard shift for near-minimum wage, around a popular movie…and then provide him with all the equipment he needs to duplicate the movie. Hmm. I think my 5 year old niece could figure it out.

So, if TiVo and the rest DVR group manages to penetrate into the living room, what exactly is the point of the Networks (ABC, NBC, etc.) ? I understand the distribution mechanism, but by using TiVo I'll be able to essentially create my own network (with my choice of programming). This isn't really a new idea, I'm just publicly contemplating it.

Why does it matter that "24" is on at a certain time? To be honest, I don't even know what time it's on; I do know it airs on Tuesday evenings. TiVo just grabs 24 for me and my wife and I watch it at our convenience. Extrapolate that out and it doesn't matter what Network my programming airs on nor what time it airs.

Why can't I, as a producer, approach a sponsor and create my own programming? I can buy time fairly cheaply (relative to Prime Time commercial time) and air the programming in select markets. Yes, the programs would be sponsored, but hopefully I can do my job without insulting my audience.

I'd provide content the audience would enjoy and the sponsor(s) would have their logos/products displayed to their potential consumers.

Put another way…I'd produce "sponsored programming" (not an informercial!) and buy time on some no-name cable network at 3a. So long as I could get TiVo to find the program and relate it to other programs, it would be recorded for a target market.

For example: (Yes, it commercialized, but we're heading that way now anyway. I don't see a way out, other than HBO.)

• I'll produce a new cooking show about BBQ. Some BBQ grill company will sponsor the show, so the show can actually get made. Other minor sponsors, like a BBQ sauce company, would provide additional money in exchange for product placement/use.
• The program, done just like other cooking shows (minus the commercials), will air at 3a in the top 10 markets on cable station WXYZ.
• TiVo owners who happen to like cooking programs and accept "Recommendations" from TiVo would discover the program the next day in their list of shows on disk.

The BBQ grill company has reached it's target audience. The audience has received programming it prefers. Win/Win. Plus, the audience hasn't skipped the commercial, so the company's investment hasn't been lost.

Think of it like Amazon's and iTunes related links.

My partner and I have 37 shows in development. Of those, a good portion could be made in this manner. Cooking shows are the tip of the iceberg.

Do you, as a viewer, care that we use A1 Steak Sauce? Or Heinz 57? You're intelligent enough to know that the recipe calls for A1, but you can use something else…right?

Am I off the mark here?

Wow. After reading this article I wonder how much lower the bar can go.

Did anyone notice, other than my friend Tony, that the New England Patriots are now 15-0 (for their last 15 games)?

If they win their first two games next year, they'll have tied the 1972 Miami Dolphins for being undefeated.

Yeah, I know Miami was undefeated over a season, but it's something to think about…