Will a Web Video Star Shine at Sundance?

The next wave of media stars is supposed to rise up from the Web, but so far examples have been few and far between (how’s that Fred movie coming along, by the way?).

But here’s another Internet success trying to make the leap into the big time, which is still, like it or not, defined by traditional media outlets: Bobby Miller, whom some of you may know as the host of Next New Network’s “Reel Good Show,” is going to try to dazzle the judges at Sundance, where he’s gotten a short film he directed into next year’s festival.

Even winning an award at Sundance is no guarantee of anything, but it’s by far the highest-profile festival in the country, so showing up certainly can’t hurt your chances. And getting “TUB” into Sundance is an achievement itself, since only 70 shorts were accepted out of more than 6,000 submissions.

Next New Networks, which is supposed to be both a production house and distribution outlet for cheap, quick video, is also trying to make the leap from money-burning start-up to success story. But that’s a different story, and at some point, maybe not-so-newish CEO Lance Podell and I should chat about that.

In any case, here’s wishing Miller the best of luck. But it will be interesting to see when, if ever, a Web star who’s made it big in cyberspace turns down an opportunity to cross over.

Meantime, here’s an example of what Miller has been up to so far (note that he’s chatting up College Humor’s Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld, who are also working on the Web-to-something else leap)

And here’s a preview of “TUB.” The 23-second trailer has some Kevin Spacey/“American Beauty”/shower scene action, which may or may not be safe for work. Nothing explicit, though:

TUB – TubMovie.com from bobbymiller on Vimeo.