What Is Hollywood Anyway?

As I rush off to India for my first tour of Bollywood, I thnk to pay attention to Julian Myer’s comments to Variety last Friday (“Myers fears Hollywood’s end is near”):

Longtime Hollywood publicist Julian Myers will turn 90 soon. And he worries the end may be near … for his beloved town.

Myers frets that the WGA stalemate — with all of its acrimony, vitriol ,and job losses — is a harbinger of ill things for the industry.

“The strike impasse is speeding the end of Hollywood filmmaking and television production,” said he.

Notice Myers qualifies his statement with the word HOLLYWOOD because film and video production are no longer geographically anchored to that festering freak show.

However, while we certainly agree with his sentiment that much volatile change is afoot, we wouldn’t go so far with the doomsaying Mr. Myers portrays. Though the colossal days of Hollywood largesse are waning, rest assured the studio system of today isn’t going anywhere. There will always be power players, but maybe this strike will have done some good.

In fact, why do Myers’ comments strike such a chord with the Punk Marketing crowd?

His statement is illustrative of the way the wind is blowing, highlighting the fact that media content models are shifting. But all of this could leave the uninitiated scratching their heads asking “Golly, what’s next?”

It’s a pretty easy question to answer if…

…you’ve read Punk Marketing (especially Chapters 10 & 11!).

…you were one of the 13 MILLION people who watched that “Chocolate Rain” video, composed and performed by 25-year-old singer/songwriter Tay Zonday.

…you work for Dr. Pepper’s marketing team and were smart enough to pay Tay to do a branded content video for Pepper’s line of Cherry Chocolate soda.

You may have already seen the “Rain” when it was posted on YouTube back in November, along with the gazillions who started sending it to friends, but if not—loser—you can check it out here.

It’s a kick ass example of how an independent artist (quote unquote) can benefit from a new content model and oddly cash-in on the power of 2.0! And how companies CAN use branded content for marketing to insinuate themselves into a mix without being too damn heavy-handed.

So if it works for marketing, why not TV shows and movies? It’s only a matter of time before major production dudes begin seriously engaging and recruiting straight from the ranks of DIY artisans just now relegated to the wilds of YouTube and the very large Web.

In fact it’s already happening. Peep into what Jenna Wortham posted on Wired’s Underwire blog last Tuesday, “From YouTube to the BoobTube: a Parody of The Office Gets a Movie Deal:”

A group of YouTubers hit it big when their mash-up vid got picked up for small-screen distribution. 305, due out on DVD this Spring, will be a Spinal Tap-style mockumentary, following the adventures of a group of Spartans.

So there you have it. Need clearer?

Myer’s was right in one respect: ‘an end’ is near in a manner of speaking: but it’s the end of the beginning, not the beginning per se.

No writers strike, no stalemate, no real Hollywood—it’s all just gravy for everyone!

Or maybe curry.

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