ASPEN, Colo.-
JibJab Media Inc. creators Gregg and Evan Spiridellis were featured this week at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in a program titled “Broadband Theater.”
The program showcases the Internet and how it is emerging as the new frontier for comedians and up-and-coming acts, bypassing stand-up clubs and television talk shows. Comedians tout the Web as a perfect venue for up-and-coming acts because of it’s wide reach, instantaneous delivery and the relatively low production costs.
“Comedy is the best genre for the Web,” said Gregg Spiridellis, whose site created with brother Evan features several videos, including the election parody, “This Land,” which has logged more than 80 million views and has a cult-like following.
“All of entertainment is based on referral. People want to share laughter; think of (the Web) like the water cooler,” he said.
Festival CEO Bob Crestani said comedy is no longer about stand-up as they reviewed submissions, many from the Web.
JoeyandDavid.com started as a video act but writers Joey Manderino and David Young created a live performance for the festival.
Singer Jonathan Coulton said he’s figured out a way to make money off of his podcast. He sells T-shirts and downloadable recordings of some of his humorous music videos.
“Somehow, all of these things add up to a living, which surprises me,” Coulton said.
The rapid rise of blogs that feature celebrity news has surprised even those in the business.
Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com, said he resisted working on the Web site at first because of fears that it would take away from a television show he was producing. But Levin came around when he realized that stories can be broken instantaneously and outside of the traditional constrictions of television and print deadlines.
A videotape of Michael Roberts making racist remarks while performing at a Hollywood comedy club was posted on a Sunday night, while video of Mel Gibson’s arrest on drunk driving charges also came outside of the traditional news cycle, at 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night, Levin said.
What this television industry veteran finds most astonishing is how quickly these videos spread around the world. “I am stunned at how much more powerful this is than TV. You put it up and people find it immediately,” Levin said.
HBO, the primary sponsor of the festival, has a new broadband joint venture with AOL, Crestani said.
Still, comedy on the Web remains something of a new frontier.
“I was not aware of this part of the Internet. When you think about it, it’s obvious, but I didn’t know it was there,” said William Wouzle of Aspen, who has a WiFi business and was attending the festival this week.
