Go Sukashi! Season Finale

Go Sukashi!...I feel like we just met. But all is well that ends well and we should all be feeling pretty good about the last episode of season 2. This season has taken us on a ride through film parody, internet lore, and the origins of Sukashi himself. Episode 8 doesn't disappoint, so dry your eyes and shut your sweet mouth and we just might have a bonus episode for you next week. Sukashi!

Click for Episode 8!

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My Damn Channel SXSW pix!

"Sandwiches & Shorts" screened the winners of the Subway Fresh Artists Filmmakers Challenge at the IFC Crossroads House at SXSW. Grace was there as hostess with the mostest, Rob made his way around the scene, and the Fresh Artists winners were there in full effect. SXSW was a blast (but we've gotta get back to work now).

Hope you followed us on Tumblr & Twitter!

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The Secret Origins of Sukashi - REVEALED!

Where is Jimmy Hoffa buried?  Who built Stonehenge?  What's up with Donald Trump's hair?  These questions are inconsequential compared to this: Who is Sukashi? 

Well, the wait is over, ladies and gentlemen.  Watch the newest episode of Go Sukashi! and find out the secret origins of the man, the legend, and the possibly insane...Suksahi.

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A SWEDISH LESSON

     

With the big premieres of Spärhusen and Easy to Assemble season 2 quickly approaching, we started thinking about the lovely nation of Sweden and all the wonderful things it has brought us.  We're assuming you guys may not know everything (or maybe anything) about the country squished somewhere between Finland and Norway.  So, here are a few educational facts about this Scandinavian gem!

--Sweden is called "The land of the midnight sun" or "The land of the Vikings".  We’re thinking is should be called "The Land of Apples and Fish" or "The Land of Ikea"…but that’s just us.

--The Swedish alphabet has 3 more letters than the English alphabet; they are å, ä and ö.  We're wondering how this changes the ABC song...

--One of Sweden’s most famous exports is the family friendly Volvo driven by soccer moms all over America.  The soccer-mom in Sweden is known as the  latte-mama. This is due to the Swedes’ obsession with coffee as they consistently rank in the top 5 for countries with the highest coffee consumption per year.  A coffee break is known as a “fika”.  “Fika” can be used as either a verb or a noun (i.e. “let's have a fika” or “shall we fika?”).     This is similar to the English word “dance” or “shit” (i.e. “this is shit” or “I need to shit”).

--Legendary actresses Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman are both from The Land of Apples and Fish! Actor Gunnar Björnstrand, also hails from Sweden (not really sure who he is but he’s got an awesome name so therefore we included him).

--In the 1970’s, the Swedish band ABBA gained worldwide popularity.  According to the always truthful and trustworthy Wikipedia.com, “Sweden is the third largest music exporter in the world, with over 800 million dollars in 2007 revenue, surpassed only by the US and the UK”.  Obviously, with the highly anticipated release of Spärhusen’s “The Best of Sparhusen” these numbers are likely to increase.

--Finally, in Sweden dates are written Date/Month/Year unlike in America where we insist on being different from the rest of the world and writing    Month/Date/Year.  Therefore to avoid any confusion Spärhusen and Easy to Assemble Season 2 will be debuting on My Damn Channel on 8/10/2009 for the Swedes and 10/8/2009 for the Americans.

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DONNIE, DAVID & THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

In our never-ending quest to not suck....we're about to unleash the return of DONNIE HOYLE and YOU SUCK AT PHOTOSHOP.

Unless there's a breakin, a leak, and sabotage,
set your timepiece for early FRIDAY morning,
the 27th of June, the year of our lord 2008.



Monday, 6/30 is the premiere of the second all-new WAINY DAYS.
Starring......uh.....David Wain....and LEE MAJORS (The Six Million Dollar Man) ! !

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MY DAMN CHANNEL GIVES IN TO IRRATIONAL FANS

In a world of too much stupid, the best thing you can usually do in my job is give in to the WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

My Damn Channel makes three major announcements today.

BRING BACK DONNIE!

There's been virtual chaos since the disappearance of Donnie Hoyle - master mockutorian - king of YOU SUCK AT PHOTOSHOP. Winner of 3 Webby Awards tonight & creator/maker/magician of 9 MILLION VIEWS.

After months of searching, Donnie Hoyle has been found...inside the body...of a cat.


Donnie?

Keep watching, SNATCHBUCKER's SECOND CHANCE.

The truth is in there and will be further revealed.
 
YOU SUCK AT PHOTOSHOP shall return!

MAKE IT WAIN!

David Wain picks up the WEBBY AWARD tonight for Best Comedy Series for WAINY DAYS. We launched My Damn Channel with this awesome auteur and David's grabbed your eyeballs 5 MILLION TIMES. We're lucky bastards to announce the premiere of Season 3 of WAINY DAYS starting one week from NOW: Monday, 6/16.



David Wain, Saffron Burrows ("Boston Legal," "The Bank Job") in Wainy Days on My Damn Channel.


David Wain, Lee Majors ("The Six Million Dollar Man") in Wainy Days on My Damn Channel.


SAY GRACE!

Last & never least....we're proud to announce a new fulltime gig for Grace Helbig! You met her in "Bedtime Stories" - you created a mega community of fans in "Daily Grace." 



Grace's morning vlogs have been seen hundreds of thousands of times. This summer, Grace escapes Gracie Mansion. My Damn Channel goes on the streets, in the clubs, and on tour.  More o dat later.

Here's all the news o' the day with jagoonda thanks from making life great & simple by telling us what to do!

rob 

 

FOR RELEASE MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008 – 7a ET

 

MY DAMN CHANNEL GIVES IN TO IRRATIONAL FANS

 

Donnie Hoyle Returns With “You Suck at Photoshop”

Plus Season 3 of “Wainy Days” and a New Daily Show

 

NEW YORK, June 9, 2008 - My Damn Channel (www.MyDamnChannel.com), the entertainment studio and new media platform, today announced the return of two of the most popular, original series on the web.

 

Tonight, the Webby Awards will honor My Damn Channel seven times with accolades including Best Comedy series for “Wainy Days,” plus Best How-To series and People’s Voice wins for “You Suck at Photoshop.”

 

“You Suck at Photoshop” is produced by the creative duo Big Fat Brain. The series has been viewed over 9 million times. Donnie Hoyle, the mysterious lead character for these “mockutorials” vanished after episode 10.

 

Deluged by fan requests for Hoyle’s return, My Damn Channel successfully negotiated a follow-up season with the emotionally unstable screencaster. The series will reboot with all new episodes Friday, June 27.

 

David Wain is the creator, writer and director of “Wainy Days.” This hit web series follows one man’s absurd quest for love and sex in the big city. The first 2 seasons have been viewed over 5 million times. Guest stars have included Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Elizabeth Banks, Rob Corddry, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter.

 

Wain is a founding member of the comedy troupes The State and Stella. He is a successful film director whose credits include “Wet Hot American Summer” and “The Ten.” Wain is currently filming a new comedy starring Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

 

The third season of “Wainy Days” premieres Monday, June 16^th, with a long list of guest stars from top Hollywood films and hit television series including Elizabeth Banks, Lee Majors (“The Six Million Dollar Man”), Janeane Garofalo, Jeffrey Ross, Ed Helms, Alicia Witt, Saffron Burrows, Elizabeth Reaser, A.D. Miles, Mather Zickel, Zandy Hartig, Lucy Punch, Matt Ballard, Christine Lakin, Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke, Jorma Taccone and Joe Lo Truglio. “Wainy Days” is produced by Jonathan Stern.

 

Finally, My Damn Channel announces a new, daily show. Grace Helbig is the star of “Daily Grace,” premiering weekday mornings.  Grace hosts a daily, freeform vlog delivering unfiltered commentary on new video premieres, featured clips and life behind the scenes at My Damn Channel. “Daily Grace” features two-way communication with the website’s growing community of music and comedy fans. Grace is a writer, improv artist, actress and comedian. She was previously featured on My Damn Channel’s “Bedtime Stories.”

 

Founder and CEO of My Damn Channel, Rob Barnett says, “In ten months, we’ve captured over 24 million views for our original videos. We’ll never be able to see the beach this summer now that advertisers are signing up to be associated with our quality content. Later this month, we’ll announce a major, mid-six figure deal for branded entertainment. Better than a sun tan.”

 

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. Artists create programming for the My Damn Channel site and for syndication on today's most heavily-trafficked online communities and social networks. My Damn Channel delivers creative control, funding, distribution, and revenue sharing. Co-conspirators include Big Fat Brain, Coolio, Grace Helbig, Steve Kerper, A.D. Miles, Andy Milonakis, Harry Shearer, David Wain and Don Was. 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.

 

Media Contact:

Maria Diokno

866.424.8864

Maria@MyDamnChannel.com

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MILK AWAY

The blog is called "THE NIGHT FEED" - usually written in the middle of the night - at home - after feeding twin babies.

"MILK AWAY" is the name of today's tribute to anyone who's used a meeting with My Damn Channel to fake support for a suck.

When you build a small business with a big idea - beware of spending too much time talking with people about building the business. Max time every waking hour has to go to creating the work and serving the audience. Talk is anything but cheap when you're carefully spending every dollar you've got. Talk sometimes means too many plane tickets to visit plush boardrooms where hosts serve bottled water and then feign true interest as a tactic to do a little more 'research.' Entrepreneurs lift back the veil - spill the beans - tell their story - sell their wares.

The process is flawed but all this chess taught us a few lessons. In a world with an unending number of new media choices, there are no secrets. Someone spending too much time thinking and waiting is someone left in the back of the line when a fast-moving train leaves the station.

My Damn Channel is built on speed - founded as an alternative to corporate interference - tested and vetted every minute by hungry fans armed with the best, badass bullshit detectors.

We're in debt to the people who've put their time and treasure into this mission to reboot OLD MEDIA. We stand in service to our small staff, our stellar stable of artists, our fellow media missionaries helping spread the news, and our audience keeping us honest.

Next train is leaving the station.

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COOKIN' WITH COOLIO interview

You Got Served: Cooking With Coolio By Dove ~Sheepish Lordess of Chaos~

Published Thursday, February 14, 2008

In doing his show independently on MyDamnChannel.com, Coolio is able to give an uncensored, humorous edge to the culinary arts. We caught up with the veteran rapper to chew the fat about the ways he turns soul food healthy and how he’s making true entertainment out of cooking.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us a little about how you came up with the concept for your show and how things developed.

Coolio: The concept came about from just playing around. Me and my cousin was in the kitchen one day hooking up a meal and I said, “Wow, what if we had a cooking show? It would be like this” and then we started acting it out. So we did that for a year to a year-and-a half - people would come over and if I was cooking I would pretend like I was doing a cooking show. It grew from that.

I started telling people about it, and I met this guy that was a writer - we were working on something else together - and he was interested in the cooking show. He had some people draw up some things for kitchen gear, and then he wrote an outline and we just took it from there. We shopped it for a while, and though we had a few offers, nobody wanted to let us do what we wanted to do in order to make it the way we wanted to do it. That’s how we ended up taking it to My Damn Channel, because they gave us the freedom to do it the way we wanted to.

AllHipHop.com: How do you go about creating an episode?

Coolio: That’s Elan’s job, one of our writers and producers. He came up with most of the concepts for the shows - we gave him our recipes and then he tried to come up with concepts for each show. Originally it started out as cooking and comedy, it ended up getting to be comedy and cooking. [laughs]

We started out with concepts for the first couple of episodes, and then we found out that only worked for a few of them. We scrapped some of the ideas and then we just started --freestyling stuff towards the end. After we shot the first day-and-a-half all the ideas started to grow, and then somebody would throw in an idea and it just came together.

AllHipHop.com: Are these recipes that you’ve created personally or are they family recipes?

Coolio: It’s kind of weird, I’ve changed all of my family recipes, because my mom used to cook with all of those high cholesterol ingredients and high fat ingredients. So I just took a lot of her basic recipes and added to them. I think my spaghetti is better than hers, and that was one of my favorite things that she cooked. I just made it a little bit better, I just took some of those flavors out that weren’t absolutely necessary and turned the fat and cholesterol meters down and we just came up with some good things.

Then I create as well. It’s all experimentation, it’s just like making music or doing art or making clothes. You do a model, a sample and then you let people try it and you try it. Usually if I like something everybody else is gonna like it, because I’m real critical of food. If I go to a place and buy a meal and it’s not good, I’ll never come there again.

I pick up some concepts from restaurants that I go to, I’ve even went in the kitchen and asked the chef, “What is this? How do you make this?” I’ve had a bit of formal training, I don’t have a diploma or anything, but I almost finished the whole course.

AllHipHop.com: As far as being on tour and on TV sets where you’re in trailers with catered food and in different environments where you’ve probably eaten really bad food over the years, have there been any red flags for you that said, “Hey I need to change the way I’m cooking right now?”

Coolio: Nah, not really, I got a cast iron stomach and a high metabolism and I’m regular. [laughs] My body does its job pretty well, I don’t have ulcers, stomach problems, problems with gas or anything like that. People get older and they start going through that kind of stuff. No high blood pressure or cholesterol, because I stopped eating that way when I was in my early 30’s. When I cook, or when I’m paying for something and I have a choice, I’m eating pretty healthy stuff. I eat my greens and I get it going, it’s pretty easy for me though. I’ve never had a problem with that.

AllHipHop.com: Has anyone influenced you in particular, watching them go through having high blood pressure, diabetes or things like that?

Coolio: No not really. One of the things that influenced me a lot was eating in Italy, and being in Italy for over a month and how they don’t use butter really at all. They use olive oil, so for a lot of dishes I substitute olive, sunflower or peanut oil for butter.

AllHipHop.com: How many episodes did you start out with?

Coolio: We did 10 for the first season.

AllHipHop.com: Would you entertain doing it on television or are you just really adamant about sticking with this plan [on the internet]?

Coolio: Well, I suppose at this point we’re gonna stay on the net because we have a lot of mature content. But if the money’s right and people are gonna make it worth our while, then we’ll take it to network television or to cable. It’s hilarious, but you don’t even realize that you’re watching a cooking show at some points in it. It’s like you’re watching some comedy, but then at the end when you see the finished product you realize, “Damn, he just showed me how to make some s**t! I could use this.”

AllHipHop.com: What are some other ways that people can reduce cholesterol and unnecessary fat when they cook soul food?

Coolio: You can use sugar substitutes. When recipes call for pork or beef, you can use turkey instead. It just depends on what it is you’re cooking, you look at what you’re cooking and say, “Should I use butter here or not? What kind of oil should I use? Should I use pork in my greens or smoked turkey necks?” When it comes to soul food, that’s all you can do.

I don’t do a lot of soul food. I can do soul food, but people know how to cook soul food. The people that don’t aren’t gonna try to cook soul food, they’re gonna go out and buy it from somewhere. Now if you’re talking about somebody that’s just starting out and wants to cook soul food, if they don’t know anybody that cooks it, then yeah, maybe I can give them a few tips, but for the most part I do fusion more or less.

I do Mexitalian, Blasian - which is Black and Asian - like soul rolls. Soul rolls are eggrolls but they got flavor in them. You’ve never tasted an eggroll that will taste like one of my soul rolls. I came up with that because the traditional eggroll with all of the bean sprouts, they never put enough meat in it. I just kind of flipped that whole concept, I still use cabbage, but I just added a few things to it to make it taste better, and then at the same time it’s still healthy.

AllHipHop.com: Are you calorie conscious when you create your works or are you more about watching cholesterol?

Coolio: It depends on who I’m cooking for. We’re starting a catering business - it depends on what the client calls for. One thing that I refuse to substitute is flavor though. If somebody tells me, “I like really bland food” I’m like, “Oh well you need to get another chef or caterer because I refuse to make food without flavor.” Everything I cook is well-done. I don’t cook any meat rare or medium-rare over here. But one thing about my steak is, you don’t need a knife, all you need is a fork.

AllHipHop.com: It’s hard to make buttery soft steak well-done.

Coolio: Most people try to fry their steak. The only way you can do steak on top of the oven and make it get butter soft is by smothering it. Smothering takes away a lot of the flavor as well, especially if you’re not one of those people that likes some really well seasoned foods. It depends on what you like, some people don’t like garlic and onions. I can make stuff and put garlic in it, and you’ll never know - I hide it with another flavor.

AllHipHop.com: I’m sure a lot of people are going to want to tune in and see what you’ve got going on.

Coolio: I would advise people to tune in. Just go to mydamnchannel.com, it actually airs on Monday of next week. I would advise people to check it out, you’re gonna get some insight and laugh your a** off at the same time. Then I’ll give you some ways to look at some old favorites, like caprice salad. That’s pretty basic, but I’ve actually come up with another way to do it that’s not caprice salad anymore, it’s “Coolio Caprice Salad” that’s got kick. Some people like it real plain and they want to taste the flavor of the cheese, that’s what a lot of people are going for. Especially Italians, they just put a little bit of oil on it and that’s it. But I kind of flip it.

The whole premise of my style is to help people be able to go to a regular grocery store, get a two dollar steak and make it taste like a 20 dollar prime rib. That’s my thing right there.

COOKIN' with COOLIO - episode ONE: http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Cookin_with_Coolio/Cookin_with_Coolio/1CoolioCapreseSalad_530.aspx

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LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

In a world of too many sports analogies, you'll often get the phrase: "level playing field." Dot-commies use this line to help them build confidence in our fight for new democracy vs. Old Media. The field is getting more level by the minute. I've sat inside old skyscrapers long enough to see million-dollar execs sweat bullets when a few too many websites or emails dare to question their mystical ability to know what the public wants. Honesty is a sacred currency in new media. A small group of intense fans can shake skyscrapers from their foundation. The mistake too many execs make is to run in fear from fans who attack. Mass communication is a contact sport. When we first started MyDamnChannel.com, we had arguments about whether or not to let users comment and post negatively on our videos. We quickly decided before launch that we'd be doomed the minute we started editing or blocking feedback of any kind. We're planning to launch new features by Feb 1st to ensure that My Damn Channel becomes more BOTTOM UP. Keep Attacking.

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ATTA BOY

I'm using the blackberry as a flashlight to night feed my daughter 2:20 a.m. The twins will be seven weeks old tomorrow. My son smiled at me for the first time last night. Not some kind of fake, I-just-farted, facial fake - but a real bigtime, full expression of happiness! The ultimate Hanukkah present. Even better than uniques, investment checks, and six-figure ad sales deals. Back in non new media land, we used to say there's no sense waiting for an "atta boy." It's that slap on the back that any boy or girl wishes they could get once in a rare while from the boss. That elusive validation that's says "I'm happy, good, pleased..." In old media, the boss is rarely visible - usually situated in a different building from where the frontline work gets done. That "other" building is seldom referred to by its address. The working class in most companies almost always use a one-word title/description for the offices that house upper management. This one word moniker is usually invoked with a dose of disdain and disappointment when it passes the lips of the people who make the bosses all their money. Workers call the "other" building: "corporate." You'd think positive reinforcement was as essential oxygen in any team sport, but if you take a close look at the titans who run old media, you'll usually notice they move too fast to stop and care enough to throw an "atta boy" bone to the workin' stiffs. Holiday season is a fine time to see what your C.E.Uh.Oh is really made of. But don't sit there waiting too long for that "atta boy." You can find it all on your own - by putting your own content on the web - you're almost on a completely level playing field with "corporate." With the right distribution and promotion - you can generate the kind of numbers that make everyone pay attention - that leads to dollars - and even a few smiles along the way.

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