KoldCast Succeeds Where Others Have Failed
When software company State of the Art went public in 1991 and was subsequently sold for $250 million seven years later, its chief executive David Samuels found himself in the envious position of having enough money to do whatever he wanted. After such ventures as EMmerzion, an advertising company that placed products in major motion pictures, and Samuel Bros. Entertainment, designed to produce reality shows, Samuels and his two sons eventually decided to form their own television network.
In another day and age such an ambitious undertaking would have been futile, but the year was 2006 and the Internet had just begun to witness an onslaught of original webseries created by independent producers. The KoldCast TV Network was thus not designed to be broadcast on traditional television but built for the World Wide Web instead, containing a collection of the best online webseries all neatly placed together in one simplified location.
“Ability to stream video and download full-length feature films and other productions has created a significant number of new opportunities,” Samuels explained to the Orange County Register in February 2007. “The monopoly that the networks have held for so long is now subject to penetration by startup companies like our own. It’s not a hobby, even though it’s as much fun as a hobby.”
After initially setting up shop on the likes of YouTube and MySpace, KoldCast formally launched its own website in early 2008 with a mixture of original dramas and comedies, music videos and non-fictional series focused on off-road racing and teen sexuality. “What KoldCast TV Viewers see today is but a microcosm of what will follow in the days, weeks and months ahead,” David Samuels said at the time. “We have several additional feature sets already planned and in the development stage. From here, we will build on this foundation towards our goal of being the first true television network delivering on-demand programming via high-speed broadband connection.”
Such optimism by Samuels was not merely false hope. In the years since its initial launch, KoldCast has become one of the top online networks for original webseries programming. According to its website, KoldCast TV is available in approximately 138 countries and adds between eight and twelve new shows each month. The majority of these are licensed from their independent creators under written contract, but in August 2009 the company revealed that it was forming its own studio in order to produce original content as well. The decision came at an interesting point in time because other digital studios, including 60Frames and ManiaTV, had closed up shop in the weeks just prior to KoldCast’s announcement due to a lack of funding.
When 60Frames Entertainment first entered the online video fray in 2007, its intention to fund and produce independent webseries was met with a fair amount of skepticism. “The problem is monetizing it,” Mark Litvack, an intellectual-property attorney who had worked with various media conglomerates, told CNET in January 2008. “(That’s the) difficulty with any project such as this.” Part of the criticism had to do with the fact that, despite $3.5 million in start-up capital from United Talent Agency and Spot Runner, the little information released about the 60Frames’ business model was limited to contracting with independent producers and making the finished products available on the likes of YouTube and Bebo, with revenue then generated from subsequent advertising sales. The concept was hardly original, and ultimately proved unsuccessful.
To strengthen its chances of success and not become another 60Frames-like online casualty, KoldCast TV hired Marti Resteghini as vice president of network programming and acquisitions in 2009. Whereas KoldCast had always been more of a mainstream outsider intent on working with independent producers throughout the country, Resteghini was a Hollywood insider with stints at HDFilm, producers of the ABC remake of the 1980s sci-fi drama V, and Warner Bothers, where she assisted with such film productions as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In addition to an impressive resume, Resteghini also brought an intellectual understanding when it came to the business of webseries production.
“As it gets more difficult for brands to advertise and reach people, ads need to get more creative,” she posted on a message board at the Web Series Network in August 2010. “This means that creators will have to get very in tune with brands and audiences and learn how to be sensitive to brand image. This is not simple and will require a middle ground to manage the process—a KoldCast, an agent, a manager, a production company—someone the brand trusts to watch over the process.”
Independent television outlets are another area that Marti Resteghini considers to be part of the future of the webseries medium. “There is lots of money to be had here but very few opportunities right now. This is even more difficult than branded entertainment. This requires an understanding of the needs of an international audience and distributors as well as how it works financially—if your series costs too much, you may end up not making any money.”
Resteghini believes that for a webseries to succeed on these two fronts it needs a degree of professional assistance. It is difficult enough, after all, for an independent producer to go from concept to finished product without having to then take on the equally difficult task of building a brand and marketing it to the masses. Thus enters KoldCast TV, which has the recognition, expertise and reach that the majority of webseries creators lack. Of course, signing with KoldCast means giving up at least a small portion of the freedom associated with a truly independent production, but the trade off may indeed be of benefit to those uninitiated with the actual business side of the medium.
There is an opposing viewpoint within the webseries community, however, that maintains that a creator should not relinquish control of their product and potentially limit future opportunities by signing with KoldCast. The online network makes no guarantees of financial success for any particular webseries, for instance, and while it provides genuine support for those under contract, the fact remains that KoldCast TV is a business that ultimately has its own interests at the forefront of any decision-making process—just like with any other business. Plus, there is something about “going it alone” that can be exhilarating to the right person and brings to mind the guerilla-style nature of independent film production of the 1990s.
In the end there will be numerous well-written and professional-looking webseries that retain their independent nature and still find success without the assistance of KoldCast. And that’s a good thing. The webseries is still a relatively new medium after all, and one of its greatest strengths in these early stages is its independent nature. By the same token, however, the industry is fortunate enough to have the likes of David Samuels, Marti Resteghini and KoldCast TV around in order to provide opportunities and professional expertise as well. KoldCast’s ability to succeed where other companies have failed demonstrates both the online network’s staying power and its commitment to the webseries medium. If that medium is ever going to achieve mainstream recognition, it needs both an independent spirit and professional outlets working side by side—and KoldCast is certainly doing its part for what hopes to be a promising future.
Anthony Letizia (December 6, 2010)
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