Founder/CEO Rob Barnett on the Online Video Space

At CES 2012, Founder/CEO Rob Barnett gave JWT Worldwide Chairman and CEO Bob Jeffrey a little insight into his perspective on the online video space and My Damn Channel's strategy:

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It's WAINing again - Wainy Days shoots Season 5

Ken Marino, Jon Stern, Rob Barnett, David Wain

WAINY DAYS first launched on day 1 of My Damn Channel: 7/31/07. David and I knew each other a lil bit from the salad daze at MTV. He saw the future when he and the Michaels created STELLA shorts...back when it took a year and half to buffer a 3-minute clip.

I promised David he could do the original series he wanted without the typical network interruptus, "notes" and meddling. We'd deliver cash, massive promotion and distribution to reach his fans and make WAINY DAYS the premiere series of our (almost) TV network of the future.

David pitched a show where his character would make out with the hottest women in Hollywood and have every date go horribly wrong. I said 'yes.' We locked the right price for the first season of 10 episodes. And I asked David to promise to cast this show as well as he casted his latest feature film back then, THE TEN.

32 official episodes, 4 years, and 4 seasons later, you've watched and shared WAINY DAYS to make it the longest-running, most-popular comedy series in the new world.

This week, we're filming an all-new season 5 with another killer cast including David & Ken Marino, who co-wrote the new episodes and Exec Produces with David & our beloved series producer, Jon Stern. This year's cast also features Steven Weber, Zandy Hartig, Jorma Taccone, Erinn Hayes, Lizzy Caplan, n' more.

We have a brand new sponsor: FIAT !

We'll post more updates and pics and announce a premiere date sooner than you think.

While I have you for this too-happy-too-long post: please n'joy the trailer for David's brand new feature film: WANDERLUST - opening FEB 24 2012 !

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Today we're 4 years old.

It's hard to believe that on this exact date four years ago, we launched this site.

We had only three artists to start: Don Was, Harry Shearer and David Wain. 

Daily Grace didn't even exist in 2007, when we were born.  Did you know that we made her in a factory in late 2008? Yeah, special order from the same company that makes Segways!  It's true!

Look at all the people wishing us Happy Birthday:



We're so lucky to have so many good friends...and we count YOU, dear readers, among them.  Because if you've found our blog, it means that you REALLY like us... and we like you back.  Thanks for helping us survive another year.  When we get to 10 years old every single one of us, employee and viewser, will get all-expenses-paid vacations to the Turks and Caicos.*  Here's to us AND you!  We wouldn't be here without you!  Buy yourself a cake and have some of it!  Yay!

*Totally, absolutely and appallingly untrue.

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You Have a (Ball) Point...

Hot on the heels of last week's National Donut Day, today marks yet another charmingly inane "holiday" celebrating yet another piece of contemporary bric-a-brac.  I'm talking, or course, about National Ball Point Pen Day!  So fire up your out-of-office reply function, put on your party shirt, and cut out of work early.  You don't want to be late for the parade, and besides, those Bic-themed cocktails down at the National Ball Point Pen Day barbeque aren't gonna drink themselves. Just be safe out there.  You know how drivers are on BPP Day.

And in the spirit of the season, we're giving away some free My Damn Channel promotional pens over on our Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.  Nothing to scoff at, especially since it's been well-established that pen > sword = mightier.  Click the links for a chance to win.  What's that you say?  How DARE you insinuate that this is all just a cheap ploy to unload the huge surplus of pens we ordered to give away at our 4th birthday party on Monday.  Who cares that there are boxes full of My Damn Channel pens piled floor-to-ceiling in our offices, creating a fire hazard that will likely kill us all.  That's no reason to read anything duplicitous into this whole free pen giveaway thing.  You guys are acting crazy.

So happy holidays.  Don't forget to send your mom a card.

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Rob Barnett and Mark Malkoff on The Adam Carolla Show!

Blogworld is the gift that keeps on giving!

While they were all in Las Vegas to do the closing keynote for Blogworld, founder/CEO Rob Barnett and Mark Malkoff made guest appearances on Adam Carolla's podcast.

Rob and Adam are old friends so naturally they talk about:

• *How they're both probably in higher demand for keynotes than Screech and Carrot Top
• *How they're probably not as in high demand as George Clooney and Brad Pitt
• *How Rob hired Adam to replace Howard Stern
• *How Penn Jillette is ridiculously tall
• *How My Damn Channel and The Adam Carolla Show are going to work together!!!

And, to that last point, we feel like this:



Mark Malkoff's segment begins around 40 minutes in, and Adam promptly calls him "Mark Mackoff."  It's okay, though, they blame it on the bad handwriting of one of Adam's staff.  And then they talk about:

• *How Mark has a Guinness World Record in something
• *How Mark learned you can flush an entire roll of toilet paper down an airplane toilet in 4 seconds
• *How Adam HATES IT WHEN PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN MAKE A SIMPLE QUESADILLA
• *How Mark spent 5 Days In The Bathroom

So listen to the show now! 

Or go to Adam's website to hear it!   

You can even download it directly into iTunes!

Phew.  That was a lot.  Here, have a Rob Barnett and Adam Carolla chaser:

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Vegas, Baby, Vegas!

Last weekend My Damn Channel founder/CEO Rob Barnett hosted all-star panel for the closing keynote at the Blogworld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas.

Some of Rob's old friends like Penn Jillette and Adam Carolla and some of Rob's new friends like Mark Malkoff, Cali Lewis and Jeff Hayzlett joined Rob onstage to chat about the ever-changing world of New Media (we named them for you from left to right):



Here's the whole gang together, including the event's MC, Shira Lazar (third from left):



And a lot of you are sad you missed it.  A lot of you probably didn't even know you should've been in Vegas last weekend!  Don't fear!  You can watch the video here!  Fast forward to the 17:55 mark to see what might be the best thing to happen in Vegas since legalized gambling and stripper poles:

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My Damn Channel: Our 3rd Birthday

My Damn Channel is 3 years old today.

Punk was still a baby when this photo was taken. Nixon is looming in the background. He's pointing the finger!

The pic is taken during a time called "college radio" before consultants sucked freedom out of the souls of rock radio madmen and mystical women who turned us onto music completely capable of changing and defining our lives.

I first met Harry Shearer that year. I chased rock dreams through radio, television and film - and called Harry in late 2006, with the idea to start a then-unnamed business which became My Damn Channel. I called Don Was. I called David Wain.

We launched My Damn Channel exactly 3 years ago, on July 31, 2007.



We give artists we love, trust and respect all the tools they need to skip over stone walls of multi-national media empires and create video delivered directly to you.

We've never been stupid enough to think www.MyDamnChannel.com would be the most visited online destination in the world. But we built a home base big and bad enough for every creator to have their own channel and we built a massive distribution network to move video onto every digital platform where we can make a solid business deal to support the work. The good shit ain't free.

We built a business driven by advertising, licensing and the certainty that we can bring you talent and content in special events later this year - worthy of a buck or two from you to support the art. Crazy, right?

Artists like Illeana Douglas prove that companies like IKEA can connect in a whole new way with millions of people watching millions of videos every hour. Illeana birthed a baby called "Easy to Assemble," which Ad Age dubbed "the most-watched sponsored web show."



We survived the world's worst economy and found our way to success because YOU watch and share our videos. THANK YOU.

We have artists that trust us to respect their art. THANK YOU.

We have sponsors and business partners who believe that we can deliver the good shit and guarantee millions of eyes on it all. THANK YOU.

We have backers who put their faith and coin into a vision for a new show business as powerful today as television was in the 50's. YOU GET IT! THANK YOU!

We have a man named Warren Chao, our Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, who knew how to stop us from avoiding most of the mistakes baby companies make to screw it all up. Warren: I've never known a single human being as smart, dedicated and effective inside a company as you. THANK YOU.

Biggest thanks to our families for not killing us when the hill seemed to high to climb! 

RESPECT and THANKS to every one of you who have spent a day inside our small, evolving staff of rebels and business partners.
(Keep an eye out for your party invite!)



We start year four today. Documented in "the world's longest press release" here - with all our new channels for your immediate inspection.

One more major announcement is coming out in days to prove that you'll still have My Damn Channel to kick around for years to come. 
F Nixon.

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The Adam Carolla Show

Old pals Adam Carolla and Rob Barnett got together last night to record for Adam's massively popular Podcast
"The Adam Carolla Show"

Listen to the Podcase here
The magic begins at Minute 48

 

Join the action on The Message Board here

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HOWARD STERN 420

Howard Stern Tuesday, 420, 8:30AM EST.  Nuff Said.

Here's what happened from MarksFriggin.com - scroll down to 8:40am.

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MY DAMN CHANNEL DOES CES

We're on the scene in Vegas. My Damn Channel Founder/CEO, Rob Barnett, was selected as one of the "25 Executives to Watch in Digital Entertainment" by Digital Media Wire.
 
Digital Media Wire is a full scale media company that owns and produces 8 major conferences, publishes daily newsletters and directories, and operates the popular www.dmwmedia.com news and community portal.

Rob and his fellow honorees dissected all things digital at today's all-afternoon conference in the city of sin.

Rob was also a guest speaker on a Kodak panel at CES moderated by Kodak Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hayzlett. You can find the 20-minute video called "I Want My Web TV" (part 1) from 1p today here.

Part 2 features our wonderful wizard, star and guiding light from "Easy to Assemble," Illeana Douglas.  You can also catch her TubeFilter interview from CES here.

As soon as all the advils and bloody marys take effect, we're getting ready to launch all new episodes of EASY TO ASSEMBLE on Wednesday, January 20 on My Damn Channel. And what about SPARHUSEN??? More shall be revealed 1.20.10.

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