I started a job yesterday at a new startup company in NYC. I’m employee #2. I can’t say much about it yet, but will say that it’s going to be fun work, and lots of it. I’m confident in the idea, and the CEO. We’re going to change the world. Or at least make a bunch of money.

More info in June when we launch.

via Dedman

Working on a translation of Don Quixote.

The protagonist, Alonso Quixano, is a country gentleman who has read so many stories of chivalry that he descends into fantasy and becomes convinced he is a knight errant. Together with his earthy squire Sancho Panza, the self-styled “Don Quixote de la Mancha” sets out in search of adventure. The “lady” for whom Quixote seeks to toil is Dulcinea del Toboso, an imaginary object crafted from a neighbouring farmgirl (her real name is Aldonza Lorenzo) by the illusion-struck “knight” to be the object of his courtly love. “Dulcinea” is totally unaware of Quixote’s feelings for her and does not actually appear in the novel.

My session title for PodcampNYC this year is “Podcasting Television”: Why are the majority of video podcasters using television paradigms, self-censoring, and dumbing down their material? I’ll make a case for doing the opposite.

I’m going to make notes here on this post and try to arrange it into something coherent in the next couple weeks.

• What are the rules of television shows? Why is it different on the web?
• Freedom of creativity in Broadcast vs Cable vs HBO vs Internet
• Purpose of the Internet
• What does self-censorship do to a video?
• Why do producers censor their own work?
• Youtube vs The Internet; walled gardens;
• Who is your audience? Are they smart?
• Why do producers resort to l.c.d. methods and fodder?
• Mouth-breathers
• Putting television lessons to good use.
• True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. As those move easiest who have learned to dance.
• Story-telling; non-linear Vs linear

A website called Wreck & Salvage was selected to be featured at http://artvid.net/, a new web video exhibition by artist Austin Lee.

Tim and Eric have a HIT Television Show “Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job” on [adult swim]. This is a great interview from one of the few podcasts I subscribe to, and the only one I ever listen to, The Sound of Young America.

Here is an mp3 smib from the show.

Here is the full show.

I put videos I create on Vimeo. You can see my profile.

Earlier this evening, my cohort co-producer Sr. Valdez said:

American Man is blowing up on Yahoo right now. I’d say we’re over 100,000 views this month. Am I suppose to be feeling something?

I’m not sure. When I used to work at Shemuscle.com and I’d publish a new video, occasionally it would get picked up by a few popular porn blogs and our numbers would skyrocket. In our industry, those numbers translated directly to money in our pockets.

In my current occupation, the translation is more subtle.

There are people out there watching what we do, and some of them are really getting into it. They’re agreeing with us. The feeling I get from this is similar to leaving a really good rock concert. 20,000 people just implicitly agreed on everything for about 2 hours. You take that feeling with you when you go home that night, and it stays with you for at least a few days afterwards.

With video, you feel a little electric shiver when a piece gets watched 20,000 times, but it’s not quite as fulfilling as when 10 people send you nice emails or comments.

When I have an idea for a video, the process usually revolves around how to make it funny or interesting enough to entertain my friends. If I think Nick or Nelson or Valdez will like it, I go with it. If not, I toss it. (Unless I personally think it’s hilarious and then I say fuck what anyone else thinks, I’m doing it.)

It’s the general idea behind Wreck & Salvage production: Make stuff that you would want to watch. Since we understand that there is a segment of the population, however small, that agrees with us, then we have carte blanche to do whatever the hell we want. The point is, it doesn’t matter how many people see something just so long as the right people see it.

Alas, when we make a video for a company, they want numbers to crunch. So luckily we can provide them.

It all boils down to the fact that I love what we do. I think it’s just the greatest. If you do too, then thanks, and feel safe in the knowledge that every god damn video we produce on Wreck & Salvage is custom-built from the ground up, just for you.