To paraphrase an old blues, “it’s been a good year, but a long year.”

15 networks launched, YouTube’s #1 content partner, 100+ video views. Colleagues in New York and across the country, viewers and friend across the globe. Whew!

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a number of once-in-a-lifetime experiences during my life. All year I’ve known Next New Networks is one of them.

It’s hard for any of us here at Next New Networks to figure that it’s only been a year since we ‘officially’ opened. Sure, for the founders we’ve been at work getting the company together for twice as long, but we started bringing on our colleagues last January and I, for one (though I know we all heartily agree), have to marvel at what they’ve all accomplished. Like any start up everyone here came into an office space that was literally being built while the work was trying to make sense of itself, and we were trying to explain exactly what the company was up to and what a specific job would entail (we’re still working on that). And even as the paint was going on the walls and the computers were being debugged, we were launching networks and cajoling communities of viewers to come take a look.

We couldn’t have even begun without an incredible group of investors and board members who’ve become Next New Networks’ friends, advertisers who’ve kicked the tires and bought a ride, and a large audience of loyal viewers who’ve spread the word in every way now known to humankind.

More’s coming, good stuff too, I assure you.

Thanks everyone –our colleagues, our investors and board members, and our audiences– for an awesome first year. Here’s to hundreds more.

The Fast Lane Daily crew shot today’s edition at the beautiful showrooms of Manhattan Motorcars. Our own Gene Sanchez hosted the show.

No Lambo rides however, as we had some heavy rain here in NYC.

Thanks to our friends at Manhattan Motorcars for being such great hosts.

Albie Hecht is one of my best friends –ah, one of our best friends; all of the Next New partners have worked together with Albie a lot over the years– his company World Wide Biggies –”a New York-based developer of digital entertainment for kids, families and young adults”– has just announced the opening of a digital production studio, an investment raise of $9million, and distribution deals. His partners include co-leaders NBC Universal and Platform Equity, and Hearst Corp., Greycroft Ventures and Prism VentureWorks. Wow.

Nobody’s going to beat Albie and his great team (including our other close friend, and I might add, my first creative hire in television, Scott Webb), nobody. They were early media converts to the transformative power of the interactive digital world’s effect on the traditional television business.

Albie’s one of the cultural stars of the last dozen years. As Herb’s President of Nickelodeon Entertainment produced an unending string of hits like the humngo series and movie SpongeBob SquarePants, the $100 million movies of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Rugrats, and lately Nick’s runaway success The Naked Brothers Band. And Scott was Nickelodeon’s innovative Worldwide Creative Director for several years; you’ll remember, among other things, his sheparding of the truly original series Pete & Pete, and his mid-90s foresight to be an early internet pioneer with the creation of Nickelodeon Online.

Did I mention that nobody’s going to beat Albie? Congratulations to the Biggies.

There’s been a curious twist in my home video production in the last week, with inspiration coming serendipitiously from objects around me.

While cleaning out my kitchen cabinets I happened upon a box of brownie mix that expired in the last years of the 20th century. Mixing the batter into a thick glob, I recreated an unfortunate curbside incident I had while stepping out of my car. A Channel Frederator promo was born.

When our street was being repaved, a steamroller parked overnight in front of my house became the impetus for a Fast Lane Daily spot. Later the same day, an empty detergent bottle being readied for the recycle bin sparked an idea for an Indy Mogul segment.

I learned that this ass-backwards approach to production has mixed results. Detergent bottle (good), brownie-mix dog doo (maybe), steamroller (better luck next time), though the sight of me sitting high in the driver’s seat (seemingly talking to myself) with a laptop and camcorder did catch the attention of the neighbors.

It occurred to me at a lunch last week that Next New Networks had something going on for it that we’d been taking for granted. So spontaneously during a meeting I sent an email a few folks around the office:

“Subject: An unpromoted ‘network’

“I think we should non-launch a new network. ‘Non-launch’ in the sense of put up a page with our platform, put the video on, put it out on our distribution platforms that will take it, blog it, BUT don’t particularly work hard on it.

“Oh, the network? The NNN Promo Network.

“Once a day (a week? I don’t know) post three (four, two?) Of our coolest promos.

“Why? Why not? They’re cool, it’ll make NNN and each of our networks look cooler.

“Our promos are assets. Let’s use them in another interesting way.”

So, we’re starting. Spot Crunch will be rolling soon. In fact, we’re already posting on YouTube.

My media “career really took off as a promo guy and I’ve been enjoying thinking about them for many years. Our team, superbly led by Justin and Alan, is doing work that blows me away. So, instead of just using the as promos the way they were meant to be seen –in the middle of networks– why not show them as interesting entertainment in their own right? It’s the web! Try it differently.

Will anyone like Spot Crunch? Will you like Spot Crunch? I guess we’ll see.

Today Fast Lane Daily turned 100. What does this mean? We’ve created 100 episodes of the show. An impressive feat.

It certainly is a marking point in the Next New Networks career thus far.

In celebration of our 100th birthday, we spent an afternoon at Gotham Dream Cars.

Here are some photos wrapping up the event, and of course, the final product.

Operating the camera

Lindsey and Kenny Posing

Derek DeAngelis’s Parking Spot (and Mini-bike)

Lindsey fell asleep on the way back. She’s a lightweight.

After watching the final episode, we were given a celebration.

Gene, as usual, had to pump up the creative factor.

With the rage inside him, the damage was done.

The cake began to bleed. (I’m kidding, it was a Red Velvet cake. Yum.)

And that wraps up Fast Lane D… err, this blog entry for today. Tune in tomorrow for some more fun in the sun, with Derek D.

(Reblogged from http://ianjenkins.net)

Prior to my lengthy stint at MTV Networks, I spent about 2 years on and off working for the producers who made the commercials for the regional electronics chain, Crazy Eddie’s.

If you’re over 30 and grew up in the New York area, you’ll probably remember Jerry Carroll, the Crazy Eddie’s spokesman ranting into camera and ending each spot with “his prices are INSANE.” The spots were occasionally memorable, but totally unavoidable if you spent any time watching late-night television.

I would find myself preparing crew lists one day, and up in the studio rafters the next, dumping bushels of artificial snow on Jerry while he carried on about Christmas in July. If a take got botched, we’d all climb down, sweep up the mess and reload for the next try. When extras were needed, we were elves, Easter bunnies, or whatever the particular season required. The pay sucked, but it was the one job where I could actually turn on the TV and see something I had worked on.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but the experience shaped my way of thinking about promotion. Crank ‘em out, make ‘em cheap, and make ‘em iconic and recognizable as all hell. Crazy Eddie’s was out of business by the late 80’s, but nearly 2 decades later we still remember the commercials. How crazy is that?

Our next new network has arrived!

From World of Warcraft to Lineage, from EVE to Everquest, Total MMO will be the place where gamers can get all the latest news, tips and reviews for their favorite massively multiplayer online games.

Total MMO Update

The first show on Total MMO is Total MMO Update, hosted and curated by Abra Chouinard. Each week, Abra pulls together the latest tips & tricks, the coolest gameplay videos and breaking news from the world of MMO gaming. Total MMO Update focuses on World of Warcraft, but there will be plenty for fans of other MMOs to enjoy, too.

Abra’s not only the host of the show, but she writes and edits it, too. In between marathon WoW sessions, she’s sniffing out the latest MMO rumors and finding the big stories. She’s a great addition to the Next New Networks family of shows and we’re happy to have her here. Watch the first episode of Total MMO Update right here:

Right now, Total MMO Update is also being featured on the front page of UGO.com. Thanks, UGO!

Fast. Fresh. Every day. That’s been the Fast Lane Daily promise thus far, and there’s a reason for it. Sure, robots may seem like the likely answer, but that is far from the truth… well, sort of. The N-Bot may have something to do with it, but not completely. The Fast Lane Daily production team is composed of a group of highly dedicated individuals who put forth great effort.

Over the past few days, and at a few select events such as our week live at the NY International Auto Show, I have been taking some behind the scenes photographs of the team, and slowly compiling them within a flickr account. Here are some of those photographs, with no specific emphasis on anything in particular. Hopefully the following will give you more personal feel for the team, the effort, and the product we create.

I hope you N-joy (Get it?! HA!), and keep watching!

My kids have started to get the Next New Network bug. My six year old asks me daily “Dad, you got any new computer shows”. Meanwhile, my soon to be 12 year old is taking matters into her own hands—literally. Two weeks ago, I walked into the kitchen to discover her and her friends looming over a giant tub of muck—only to find out that they were reenacting a Threadbanger “how to” give your blue jeans a “worn-out streaked look” by soaking them in coffee. (The Threadbanger episode used $1.50 coffee salvaged from refuse. My daughter used our best $20 coffee and commented “Oops” when told the difference.) Then, last week my daughter declared she needed “photoshop” after seeing the Jet Pack episode of Indy Mogul, thinking space travel would be cool. And with her birthday coming up Saturday, she let me know her own video camera would be “hint, hint” something she knows somebody would like. So count her among the many who take us at our word to “make your videos” and next thing you’ll know she’ll be contributing and distributing.