Meet Melissa! Melissa Schneider is our new Director of Production, joining the My Damn Channel family with the experience, energy and cred we need to help produce over 30 new original series in the months ahead. She's also the lead producer for our new 2012 mega show with YouTube...
My Damn Channel: Live
Melissa expands our management team in the NY office where
Jesse Cowell (Director of Content) and
Molly Templeton (Director of Talent & Audience Development) work with
Rob Barnett (Founder/CEO) to oversee more killer original comedy and music than legally allowed on the Interweb.
"Melissa brings awesome experience, talent and spirit to our team as we prep to make 2012 the year My Damn Channel delivers more new original programming than ever before," said Rob Barnett. He added, "She's developed and produced over 30 original digital series and branded entertainment campaigns and over 30 independent music videos, commercials, and short films. She worked for David Chase for god's sake!"
Melissa graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and went on to work for The Public Theater / NY Shakespeare Festival during George C. Wolfe’s tenure. She left the theater to work in (wait for it) The Sopranos...in the writers' office for creator David Chase, and writers: Terence Winter (creator, "Boardwalk Empire"), Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess (creators, "Blue Bloods") and Matthew Weiner (creator, "Mad Men").
Melissa went digital...producing online content for Macy’s, XBOX, Vuguru, Nickelodeon, Swanson, Verizon FiOS, CJP Digital, and Summit Entertainment to name a few. She was the Director of Production at Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) in New York City, where developed and produced digital series and branded entertainment campaigns.
More announcements on our new series, stars and launch info for My Damn Channel: Live hits this space soon.
(The Sklar Brothers at My Damn Channel HQ!)
We like The Sklar Brothers.
They're funny. Their
podcast is reliably funny. They did a web series with us called
Back On Topps, which got us as close to Yankees GM Brian Cashman as we're probably ever going to get:
And this week they put out a new album,
"Hendersons & Daughters."
In fact, it's already Number One on the iTunes Comedy chart:
(You guys knocked Daniel Tosh out of the top spot! Thank goodness.)
So check it out. Buy the album. Tell them we said "Thanks for being so nice that one time you came by the office." And always make sure that you shout out loud whenever and wherever you possibly can, "HENDERSON!!!"
(Intern Josh, wondering forlornly how he ended up here)
EDITOR'S NOTE: It's Josh's last day as an intern for My Damn Channel! I asked him to write up a post telling you what it was like for him this summer!
Coming into My Damn Channel as an intern I thought all I was gonna learn was how to file papers and fill out reports. Boy was I wrong! Friday will be my last day and I still haven't correctly filled out a single report. My boss is always saying that it drives him crazy how long it's taking me to get the hang of the office duties, but I can tell he's just joking. How I treasure that agonized look he gets trying so hard to hold back laughter.
What I learned though was way more valuable than any college education. I would say it was worth about $230,000, a couple hundred more than four years' tuition at Wesleyan. What I learned was the value of making the effort to gain the respect of your peers.
Before I ever set foot into that office, I had my work cut out for me. My future co-workers had already started gossiping that I only got the internship because of my family connections. After failing for three years to strike any gold, my great-great-grandfather started My Damn Channel during the California Gold Rush as a burlesque show designed to entertain entrepreneurs who had given up on trying to find gold and started companies catered to the needs of the gold miners. Grandpa Schmulie Meisel. I can't believe that was such a popular name back then — Grandpa.
My first day at work the guy sharing my cubicle got mad at me for unplugging his computer. "What do you need a blender for?!" he irrationally snarled. "How else are you gonna make computer smoothies silly? By hand?!" I chucked his computer into my oversized blender. He must've thought I was awfully spoiled, not making my computer smoothies by hand. I really had an uphill battle ahead of me if I wanted to gain anyone's respect.
A couple of days in I got the courage to pitch a show idea to the head of development. It was a parody of "Friends" called "Friends." He looked at me like I was an idiot. "You just handed me a bunch of "Friends" scripts. I think I know now why the printer's out of ink. Look, why don't you hold off for a bit before you make any more pitches." Apparently my scripts had gone right over his head. And "Friends" was a pretty accessible show. The guy I shared my cubicle was a rube, our head of development was dense as a neutron star, and my boss was an incorrigible prankster. My situation was less than ideal to say the least.
Halfway through the summer things had only gotten worse. I was miserable. My only friend was the janitor, and he was a Roomba! I'd cry myself to sleep every night, and when I wasn't feeling that sad I would get my butler to cry me to sleep. My job was a major disappointment. It wasn't at all like that show "The Office." We had TWO guys named Dwight, and the prettiest girl wasn't dating the most handsome guy (me), but instead this guy Jim who's so inexperienced with women that when I asked him to share some girlie stories he just laughed.
All I could do was trudge along until my five weeks were up, filing away papers wherever I could cram them (I may not get the job done pretty, but I'm damn fast). And just when I had given up on ever gaining a single ounce of respect from any My Damn Channel employee, a stroke of luck bolted me right in the face.
I'll always remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was only yesterday today. Jim's girlfriend (I think her name was Xamela) told him he needed to go somewhere to sign some forms. She couldn't give him a ride because she was busy. He asked if anyone else could take him, and I shot out of my chair like I was sitting on a lit match (which for the one of the first times I wasn't). Jim didn't see me at first; his eyes scanned the room for someone to drive him but everyone pretended to be hard at work because they were too lazy to take him. Finally he saw me and said "Fine let's go Josh." And fine it was. Everyone looked up at Jim and smiled at him. Their smiles seemed to say, "I'm really happy for you that you get to go on a fun/crazy/cool ride with Josh." But the smiles had a little menace behind them that signified jealousy.
When I got back my boss laughed with mirth, patted me on the back, and said, "Good job sonny." All I ever wanted was for my boss to think of me as a son, but life isn't easy. I had to put in my time to get what I wanted — let's just say I don't think I could've earned the luxury of being treated by my boss like his own flesh and blood if I hadn't given Jim that ride. And now, in these last couple of months before my summer ends and I have to go back to hitting the books trying to eventually earn my GED, I can look back at my time at My Damn Channel atop my pool float, computer smoothie in hand, and know that that one lesson I learned was well worth all my trifles. Plus it helped that I was making more than the rest of the office combined.
Thanks, Josh, er, Sonny! We will miss you! We know it will be tough going back to Stanford to get a world-class education, but it's better you than us!
We fully intend to continue stalking following you and your writing as @artsypriest and as a writer for The Stanford Chaparral.
PS: If any of you, dear readers, for some strange, maddening reason, would like to be an intern for My Damn Channel, please send an email to info@MyDamnChannel.com, and be sure to include links to your blog, Twitter and Tumblr accounts, or any other writing samples you might have! In the immortal words of the Jersey Shore kids in Italy, "Arrivederci, summer!"
Posted in
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Rob Barnett,
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National Pen Day,
Rob Barnett,
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prize giveaway,
contest on 6/10/2011 10:00:00 AM by Matt Warren
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.
Who's that at the door? Oh, it's just Randy and Jason Sklar; stars of Back on Topps, the Sklarbro Country podcast, and their two man stand-up show - which just happens to be rocking Gotham Comedy Club tonight and tomorrow (25th and 26th). Great guys who are always bringing the funny. And really, if you don't think these guys are funny then we have nothing to talk about because you clearly don't understand anything about anything.
Click here for info about their live show at Gotham. Click here for my favorite episode of Back on Topps.
Ah,
Ed Helms.
He's everywhere these days. He's in my favorite tv show, "The Office." He's in my second favorite tv show, "Childrens Hospital." He's in my favorite movie of the last few years, "The Hangover." He's in my favorite new movie I haven't seen yet but fully intend to see this weekend, "Cedar Rapids."
And he's in my favorite web series,
WAINY DAYS.
Ha! You forgot about that one, right? You didn't think that's where I was going with this, did you? Yes! Way back in the halcyon days of 2008, Ed Helms made an appearance on our beloved Wainy Days:
In
Wainy #25, "Angel," Ed Helms plays a doctor who tells David Wain that
he's gonna DIE.
I know, right?
Watch it right now and see if David dies. Forget about the fact that there are currently 32 episodes of Wainy Days and that this was number 25. Logic means nothing! NOTHING!
And if you see
Cedar Rapids this weekend, just like I haven't but fully intend to do, find me on My Damn Channel's
Facebook,
Twitter and
Tumblr pages and tell me how it was. Because, like I said, I will have
totally seen it and will
totally be able to partake in that conversation, uh,
totally.
PS: For extra credit, he was also in
Back on Topps!
A busy week here at My Damn Channel HQ. Do you know how hard it is to be in our office, get mentioned on Greg Fitzsimmons' Fitzdog Radio (2/8), and make an appearance in this profile of Grace Helbig of Daily Grace all at the same time?
Not that hard, actually. But not that easy either. Have a Wednesday!
Posted in
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web series on 1/3/2011 12:42:45 PM by DannyMoney
It's Monday, and that means it's back to work - but wait! There's good news!
"Good news?" you ask. "How could there be any good news, you jackass?" Well, Mondays mean that another new episode of The Temp Life has premiered on My Damn Channel, and this week everyone at the Celtons office is hungover - just like you are from all that New Year's celebrating you did.
So enjoy, and don't worry: Friday will be here soon enough.
Woke up and did something I haven't done since 11/7/07.
I read the first blog entry at My Damn Channel. We were about 3 months past our 7/31/07 launch.
The Writers' Strike had just begun. We were moving from our first NY space on Ninth Ave. to new digs off 7th Ave. You can read the rest. The veiled reference to that phone call was about Coolio. His series, "Cookin' with Coolio", created 10 episodes full of fast freedom.
Two and half years later, we just moved back to our original space. The hackey, over-used movie title speaks volumes. We're back. Inna Good Way.
Our last office had massive water damage, reconstruction insanity, busted elevators and - oh yeah - 3 terror scares in a week - so the webgods said "MOVE."
The new place is coming together - we're growing - we're hiring - we're launching all new programming all summer long and heading towards 7/31/10 - our 3rd birthday.
Perfect that Mr. Banjo was the commentor on blog one. Respect to the Smokester.
Ugh. So much happened this week and we are exhausted. We launched Celebrity Autobiography with Will Forte, Kristen Wiig and Eugene Pack. Then, you know how when you're thinking about something you suddenly see it everywhere? Well, we saw Will Forte on tv, like, a million times this week and he has seeped into our subconsciousness. We think he might actually be our new best friend. It's bad. Message to movie marketers: you win. It worked. All we can think about is going to see MacGruber this weekend.
Justin and Alden interviewed all those people and that made us tired. Grace went to that H&M thing and she was tired. Our office is moving, and everyone knows moving sucks, so everyone in the office is tired. We're Twittering and Tumblring and Tired. Are you there, god? It's me, My Damn Channel. We need a weekend, bad.
(photo above of Andy Samberg and Will Forte at the Pearl Jam concert at MSG via Village Voice Sounds of the City blog)