The Future of Web Video

After a year of work, and more than 100 interviews, I've just published a book called The Future of Web Video: New Opportunities for Producers, Entrepreneurs, Media Companies and Advertisers. It's available in eBook/PDF form (which you can download immediately), or as a paperback, which requires a few days for shipping. (Note: Second edition of the book was released in March 2007.)

I'm posting the table of contents below, to give you a sense of what it includes, followed by a few endorsements. The book is 100 pages long. One of the elements of it is available free online (`Getting Paid: Sites That Help Indie Producers Make Money'), and there's also a lengthy PDF preview available here. Variety also ran a slightly-edited and updated version of one of the advertising-oriented interviews from the book, which you can find here.

Initially, my objective with the book was to put together something that would be useful for independent "creatives" -- filmmakers, freelance TV producers, anyone with a camera and an idea -- who want to understand how they can make money in this Web video economy. I hope I've achieved that. But as I was writing, I expanded the scope quite a bit, getting into the the challenges and opportunities Web video creates for big media companies, advertisers, and entrepreneurs. There are lots of interviews, data points, and case studies.

I welcome your comments, whether you buy a copy or not.

Table of Contents

Tuning in to the Future of Web Video

Web Video: Opportunities and Challenges (Chart)

> The Revenue Equation

Getting Paid: Sites that Help Indie Producers Make Money (Chart)

Perspective: Steven Starr, Co-founder and CEO, Revver

Perspective: Arik Czerniak, Co-Founder, Metacafe

Perspective: Kent Nichols, Co-Creator, "Ask a Ninja"

> Going Viral

Perspective: JibJab Media Co-Founder Gregg Spiridellis

Perspective: Fritz Grobe, Co-Founder of Eepybird and Co-Creator of “Extreme Mentos and Diet Coke Experiments”

Conversation: “Evolution of Dance” creator Judson Laipply

Perspective: Ahree Lee, Experimental Video Artist

> Beyond the PC

Web Video on TV: Reaching the Couch Potato Audience (Chart)

Perspective: Jeremy Allaire, Founder and CEO, Brightcove

Conversation: Jim Barton, Co-Founder and CTO, TiVo

Perspective: Shawn Strickland, Vice President, Verizon FiOS TV

Can You See Me Now? Crossing the Cellular Chasm

> Movies

Perspective: Waterborne director Ben Rekhi on Web Feature Films

Conversation: Writer-Director Lance Weiler

Perspective: Joe Swanberg, Independent Film Director

Conversation: Jonathan Rothbart and Stuart Maschwitz, Co-Founders of The Orphanage

> Advertising

Conversation: Steve Hayden, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

Conversation: Jeff Lanctot, Vice President, Avenue A | Razorfish

Conversation: Andrew Robertson, CEO of BBDO Worldwide

Perspective: Jamie Tedford, SVP of Marketing and Media Innovation, Arnold Worldwide

> Data and Predictions

Surveys, Stats, and Forecasts
- Advertising
- Discovery
- Mobile video
- Payment
- Sharing
- Viewing habits
- Atom Entertainment's 15 Most Popular Videos of All Time

Visions of What’s Ahead
- Viral video
- Playing Web video on television
- Amateur vs. professional content
- High-def
- Piracy
- Advertising, measurement, and tracking
- Transitions and transformations

> Back Matter

Glossary

Recommended Reading

Blogs and Other Resources

Author Bio

A Note on Sources

Comments on the book:

“The Future of Web Video promises to be an essential resource for independent filmmakers hoping to make some money in the ever-expanding realm of online video.” -– DVguru

“Few journalists have written as extensively on the business of online video as Scott Kirsner, and in this report he manages to cover all aspects of this dynamic field, from storytelling to producing to monetization. It’s the most comprehensive single source of information I’ve read on our emerging industry and I highly recommend it.” -– JibJab Media co-founder Gregg Spiridellis

"Kirsner's treatise on the constantly changing face of digital content is extensive and highly relevant. An excellent read." -- Matthew Jeppsen, FresHDV

"The Future of Web Video is so clearly the ultimate work on this subject, it will be a long time before it reaches obsolescence." -- Isaac Botkin, Outside Hollywood

"After languishing for over five years, video over the Internet has grown at a blazing speed over the last year. The Future of Web Video is an outstanding review of the key moments, from the perspective of the movers and shakers, that defined the onset of this revolution. By putting this hyper-fast-moving world in context, this book is a must-read for anyone expecting to play a meaningful role in web video in the future." -- Jason Holloway, CEO, Dovetail.tv

"As an independent producer, I was doing all the research on the same topic for myself...To my knowledge there is no other book about this topic." -- Wolfgang Boeck, Aisha Media

"A must read for every filmmaker. A comprehensive look at an elusive emerging market that has the potential to change the way films are made and distributed." -- Lance Weiler, producer/director, `Head Trauma' and `The Last Broadcast'

"If you're thinking about trying to distribute some video-based content online, especially if you're trying to make money at it, this is the best $15 you'll spend all year." -- Mike Curtis, HD for Indies

"For filmmakers looking to get paid for their work, the world of Web video can resemble a terrifying alternate universe where millions of viewers hungrily devour thousands of clips, all without paying a penny. That alternate universe, though, is quickly becoming our own, and for those looking to successfully profit from it Scott Kirsner’s The Future of Web Video is a must-read. It’s a concise and comprehensive analysis of the viewer trends, distribution opportunities, and revenue schemes out there now and soon on the horizon that working filmmakers can’t do without." -- Scott Macaulay, Editor, Filmmaker Magazine and producer, Forensic Films

"The Future of Web Video is the most comprehensive look yet at the very latest developments in the marriage of filmmaking and the Internet. A must-read bible for filmmakers, producers, and media companies to learn from leading pioneers about the opportunities, challenges, and realities of the digital distribution revolution and the paradigm shifts now underway." -- Liz Rosenthal, director, Earthly Delights Films and programme director, Digimart

"Kirsner’s The Future of Web Video gives you a roadmap into a brave new world: how to play, pay and get paid with viral, user-generated content. Future serves to capture what every digital professional must synthesize today: how the economics of internet video are changing, influencing our audience and everything we do." -- Greg Berkin, Former Technology Evangelist, Intel Corporation, Director, Skin City

"With all the clutter bombarding Web audiences and the content community alike, Scott Kirsner's The Future of Web Video cuts things down to an accessible treasure trove of information that will whet the appetite of any would-be producer. From reviews of practical resources that will help you get your work out there, to a few cautionary tales, the book is...a telescope pointed at what's down the road..." -- Animator and filmmaker Tyler Gibb