10 posts and columns on pop culture

JibJab Picks Puppets and Politics for 2010 Recap

in Social on December 20, 2010 at 10:36 am PT

JibJab went for a bit of a narrower focus on American politics in its annual original music video recap of the year, constructing a regretful duet between U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

First Ben Silverman Online Program–"Ready, Set, Dance!"–Debuts on Yahoo

in News on September 28, 2010 at 7:31 pm PT

Yahoo and Electus, the multiplatform content studio headed by former NBC entertainment head Ben Silverman, debuted its first original, branded entertainment programming tonight with “Ready, Set, Dance!” The site, which is now live on Yahoo Music and sponsored by State Farm, merges the candid-camera phenomenon with reality television and “aims to tap into the pop culture interest in television dance shows and dance videos on the Web….” The site is relatively spare right now, with only one episode, titled “Magic Sparkle Chunk and Frisky Ris.”

Video Tour of Redesign: Back to the Future at MySpace? Or Just Another Retread?

in News on March 10, 2010 at 5:19 am PT

Earlier this week, BoomTown visited MySpace HQ in Beverly Hills, Calif., to interview its new co-presidents, Michael Jones and Jason Hirschhorn, and get a look-see at its evolving revival plans to stop the social networking ship from sinking further. Thus, I did a video tour of a storyboard-like room at MySpace, where the team is trying to formulate the “discover and be discovered” motto it is now using, which is pretty much its old motto restated. Can the old become new again?

Exclusive: MySpace Gets a New Sales Boss–MTV Vet Nada Stirratt (Plus, an Internal Memo, Of Course!)

in Media on October 9, 2009 at 3:35 pm PT

Employees at News Corp.’s MySpace have been waiting to find out who their new ad sales boss will be. And, here she is: Nada Stirratt, who until today was running digital sales for Viacom’s MTV Networks. Stirratt has her work cut out for her. The struggling social networking site, HQed in Beverly Hills, has been trying to reboot its image, spur innovation in its product and, most of all, pull itself out of a too-long slump, even as longtime rival, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook, has seen explosive growth.
Nada_Stirratt

MySpace Poised to Hire New Ad Sales Head as It Preps Music- and Entertainment-Centric Strategy and Redesign

in News on October 7, 2009 at 1:57 am PT

In a week, the entire advertising sales staff of MySpace will gather at a swanky new seaside resort about 20 miles south of Los Angeles to get a first glimpse of the fresh direction the company is preparing to take under its new management. The beleaguered social networking site has been in the midst of an effort to reinvigorate its image, spur innovation in its product and–most of all–pull itself out of a too-long slump, even as longtime rival Facebook has seen explosive growth. On the possible agenda: A new strategy aimed at music and entertainment; a new look; and, perhaps, a new boss for the ad sales team.
9780446580243_388X586

Is Wonderwall Gonna Be the One That Saves MSN?

in News on February 5, 2009 at 12:28 am PT

In an interesting and innovative move compared to what has typically been less-than-hip online programming over the years, Microsoft’s MSN service is debuting a slick new celebrity site called Wonderwall today–created, designed and produced by a Hollywood company run by former Yahoo media chief and well-known television exec Lloyd Braun. Using an unusual horizontal design with a scrolling “wall,” a plethora of pictures and a deeply visual sensibility, it’s definitely a laudable risk for Microsoft, as the company seeks to continue to push itself into the online content business, despite a lackluster record. But will this time be wonderful?

BermanBraun Will Make Both MSN Celeb Site and Also Yahoo "Lunacy Report"

in News on June 2, 2008 at 3:45 pm PT

Lloyd Braun–the former Hollywood super-programmer turned Yahoo entertainment czar turned Hollywood and online programmer–has signed a multimillion-dollar deal to make an original destination site for Microsoft’s MSN portal, aimed at aggregating celebrity, entertainment and pop culture news, according to several sources. At the same time, Braun also inked a deal with Yahoo to create a daily online report of “weird news.”
msn