Interviews with Digital Media Thought Leaders

Original, Professional, Internet Video Programming

Podcast Video | Posted by Phil Leigh on July 5, 2008

If you would like to learn about a website dedicated to original video programming that is professionally produced, this interview is for you.

Our guest today is Jim Louderback who is the CEO of Revision3. The company’s name was chosen to imply that it is focused on the third version of television. The first version was broadcast TV and the second was cable television. Version three is all about Internet video. At Revision3 they see the third version as being characteristically different in at least two important respects.

First, Revision3 videos are “displayable” and “distributable” in a variety of ways. Today’s video consumer wants to see the videos when they want and where they want. Thus, Revision3 videos are available in a variety of formats that are suitable for computers and mobile devices and can be burned to CDs and DVDs. Additionally, each video is associated with a url that can be emailed to others thereby leading to viral distribution. Finally, Revision3 also provides embed codes for each video that may be used by consumers with web pages at popular social networks like MySpace and FaceBook as well as in their blogs.

Second, Revison3 attracts talent by encouraging popular bloggers and podcasters to take their shows to Revision3. Typically the company believes that the host of the show is the key talent, and Revision3 structures its focus around such talent as opposed to merely seeking programs on specified topics, no matter how “hot” the topic. Essentially, Revision3 believes that the key is to take proven Internet (or TV) talent and optimize the distribution of their shows through the methods noted above. Ideally, their approach intends to make the shows available anytime, anywhere, on any device and go to where the viewers are (e.g. YouTube) instead of requiring the viewer to go to the Revision3 destination site.

Phil’s Take: The idea of taking the content to the places where the viewers are (e.g. YouTube) and on their terms (on-demand…any device) seems to be a powerful one. I trust it is not too much of a cliché to suggest that Revison3 may be a leader in a paradigm shift.