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:

NEWS LEAK

Calling all Co-Cons. We’ve been getting a ton of calls in the wake of the writers’ strike and after Harry Shearer went mega-viral with Dan Rather & Katie Couric. We’re leaking our latest announcement here: My Damn Channel STRIKES BACK AT “OLD MEDIA” WITH TOP TALENT from HIPHOP, comedy central AND HBO Four original web series include a twisted soap opera, animated alien invasions, hiphop cooking and “Horrible” comedy NEW YORK, December 4, 2007 – My Damn Channel , the entertainment studio and new media platform, today announced three new talent signings. Grammy-winning recording artist Coolio; A.D. Miles (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “Reno 911,” “Dog Bites Man”) and Steve Kerper (MTV, HBO, “Amaze Your Friends”) will launch new video channels and create weekly original episodic video content for the Web. Debuting in early 2008, these entertainers will join comedian/political satirist Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons,” “This is Spinal Tap”); music producer Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan); independent comic filmmaker David Wain (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Ten”); Web phenom Andy Milonakis (“The Andy Milonakis Show,” MTV); and the new comic duo Big Fat Brain, in creating weekly series for My Damn Channel. “Our new media platform is only four months old, but we’re growing more teeth and muscle,” said Rob Barnett, president and CEO of My Damn Channel. “Our biggest new videos are bringing in millions of viewers, and new sponsors such as Lincoln, Universal Pictures and ASCAP have signed on. We’re striking back at our old media competitors by giving our talent a new creative platform without executive interference.” My Damn Channel’s newest artists bring with them bodies of work that are both diverse and decorated. Following is a brief overview of each: Coolio Coolio is an award-winning Rap superstar with over 27 million albums sold worldwide. He has won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance, an American Music Award, 3 MTV Awards, 2 Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards, 2 Billboard Music Awards, and 2 ASCAP Awards. Coolio continues to perform live throughout the world. He is a composer, voice-over artist, and an actor who has appeared in over 50 films and television shows. Coolio received notoriety for his recent work in reality shows such as “Celebrity Bootcamp” and “Celebrity Fear Factor.” Coolio is blazing new territory and taking on Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray and all other competitors by creating “Cookin’ with Coolio” for My Damn Channel. In this original weekly series, he will teach viewers to cook soul dishes that are fast, healthy and affordable. Using only the freshest ingredients from local supermarkets, Coolio will invite viewers into his home kitchen as he whips up Fall-Off-The-Bone Chicken, Soul Rolls and more. Coolio will be joined by two sexy soux chefs, “The Sauce Girls,” and by celebrity friends. “Cookin’ with Coolio” will be produced by Dead Crow Pictures. “When it comes to the kitchen, I’m on a mission,” Coolio said. “I’m the neighborhood ghetto witch doctor superhero and I’m gonna make you forget about every other cooking show you’ve ever seen.” A.D. Miles A.D. Miles is an actor, writer, director and comedian whose acting credits include the cult classic “Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Ten” and “The Believer,” the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Miles’ television credits include “Reno 911” and “Stella,” and he was a writer and star of the critically acclaimed series “Dog Bites Man” on Comedy Central. Miles performs regularly in comedy clubs and colleges across the country. A.D. Miles is creating the original series “Horrible People” for My Damn Channel. It’s a depraved soap opera that takes place entirely at a never-ending cocktail party, where guests drink too much and are always getting murdered or pregnant. “Horrible People” will be produced by Jonathan Stern, who also produces David Wain’s “Wainy Days” series for My Damn Channel, which has been seen by nearly 1.5 million viewers. “‘Horrible People’” is based on my belief that most of us are not as civilized as we seem,” Miles said. “We are, in fact, vile selfish beasts who are a hair's breadth away from stabbing someone over the last cocktail shrimp.” The first episode of “Horrible People” will feature Mather Zickel (“Dancing with Shiva”) and Kristen Schaal (“The Flight of the Conchords”) starring alongside Miles. Steve Kerper Steve Kerper has been writing sketches in New York City for over 150 years. The first series he created was “Pirate TV” for MTV. The late Michael O’Donoghue (first head writer for SNL) saw “Pirate TV” and introduced Kerper to HBO, where he wrote and produced “Hardcore TV.” Kerper’s series gave birth to such infamous sketches as “Raging Bullwinkle” and “This Old Whorehouse.” Over the years he has written for television at FOX, CBS, ABC, FX, Comedy Central, MTV, Showtime, TV Land and VH1. Kerper has written for films at Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, Miramax and Dimension. Since “Hardcore TV,” he has worked with such notable celebrities as Civil War General John Bell Hood, Enlightenment philosopher Thomas Hobbs, Pakistani Cricket legend Shoiab Malikatani, and tons of fat people. He missed out by only 78 votes on being Secretary of Defense of Paraguay, a bitter pill to swallow. Kerper is creating and launching two original series for My Damn Channel, on a newly-branded online destination called “Carnival of Stuff.” “Invasion” is an animated series about two small but determined aliens ordered to conquer Earth, with decidedly mixed results. The series is written by Kerper and directed and animated by Asterisk (SNL’s TV Funhouse). “Bedtime Stories” features YouTube cult personality and one-time pole vault medalist Grace Helbig. The series is based on traditional children’s fables retold with illustrations in a very provocative way. Kerper will write and direct the live action production with illustrations by Asterisk. “I’m so excited about working with My Damn Channel that I’m even thinking about getting a computer so I can watch it,” concluded Kerper. About My Damn Channel My Damn Channel is an entertainment studio and new media platform created to empower filmmakers, actors, comedians and musicians to co-produce, distribute and monetize original, episodic video content. Programming is created by artists for the My Damn Channel site (http://www.mydamnchannel.com/) and for distribution on today's most heavily- trafficked online communities and social networks, such as YouTube and MySpace. My Damn Channel gives its artists 100% creative control to develop their own brands and new storylines. My Damn Channel produces a diverse array of music and comedy from talent including Harry Shearer, Andy Milonakis, David Wain, Don Was, Coolio, A.D. Miles, Steve Kerper and Big Fat Brain. The company is supported by an advertising revenue model, and by licensing the studio's entire portfolio of content across all forms of digital distribution, including online, mobile, VOD and DVD. Media Contacts: Edelman (for My Damn Channel)

Jerry Griffin 212.704.4536

Alan Lewis 212.704.4456 alan.lewis@edelman.com