Great panel discussion tonight at the Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica. Bob and I (Alec) were lucky enough to join some great panelists, and drop some knowledge-bombs on the crowd.

Some key takeaways:

• Create content to SERVE your audience. They purpose of the content is not to serve YOU as a creator. Nothing stops viral spread like there being “nothing in it” for the consumer.
• Have an exit strategy. Treat your writing like a business. Decide whether you need to partner up, sell out, or gather an audience to monetize. (At Space Shank, we do both — we create content to sell AND to leverage our position into getting bigger and bigger writing/producing gigs.)
• Be funny and approachable. The two go hand-in-hand, I think. Bob and I made an effort to lighten the business talk with some jokes. Some hit, some missed, but hey, if nothing else, be entertaining!

One last funny experience from tonight’s panel. Now, we knew we were a big deal because we were a part of this prestigious panel discussion. However, about halfway through the event, my wife noticed that our nameplates had a small, itsy-bitsy typo on them. It listed our company as “Spank Shark Media.” Hilarious. Juuuuuuust when we thought we had made it to the big leagues.

It’s cool. Special thanks to the Writers Boot Camp and Script Magazine!

New Media Panel
Monday, September 21, 2009
7:30 PM
Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica

Hosted by Script Magazine/Final Draft, the panel will also include Donna Michelle Anderson, Aaron Mendelsohn, and blip.tv’s Rafi Mamlian. Details:

The Screenwriter of Tomorrow: What New Media Really Means for Writers
Everyone has heard the term New Media tossed around, but what does it really mean for the screenwriter? Have we learned how to monetize DIY content? Do the writers of today have to pick up a camera to survive? Can being transmedia make the difference in your writing career? Learn from writers working in new media and related media (graphic novels, short film, etc.) how you can expand your career by thinking outside of your writing space.

For more info, or to RSVP, visit ScriptMag.com.

Let us know if you’re coming, and we’ll look for you in the audience!

It’s the first in a series, and, yes, we made it before the Michael Jackson news broke last week…

ROCK WITH YOU (Old Dance Video from 1980)

But the work isn’t over:
WE NEED YOUR VOTE!!!
Log in and vote (it just takes a second) at Stickam.com.

Episode 1.4 “The Escape” was named one of the TOP 10 COMEDY submissions. Category winners and the grand prize winner will be announced at the LA TV Fest July 8 & 9, 2009.

View Episodes 1.1 through 1.6 at: MyRoommateTheCylon.com!

My Roommate the Cylon

We’ve launched episodes 1.1 through 1.5 of our Battlestar Galactica-themed web series, with the sixth and final episode coming up Friday. With BSG now over, and Caprica still months away, get your Cylon quick-fix at MyRoommateTheCylon.com!

Streamy Awards 2009

As a voting member of the IAWTV, Alec and the team got tickets to the biggest event of the year: The Streamy Awards. Our biggest takeaway? Beyond the excitement, energy, and great show put on by our friends at Tubefilter, Tilzy, and NewTeeVee, the big winners that night were all tied to TV in some way. Dr. Horrible? Written by a prominent TV writer and starring TV stars. Face of the Enemy? Spun-off from BSG and written by a TV writer. Finally, The Guild, is certainly the most indie of all the winning web series that night, but it was initially hyped by leveraging creator Felicia Day’s following from her days on Buffy. Being backed by TV fame-slash-money doesn’t take anything away from the winners — it just signifies the continuingly-closing door for truly independent fare to shine against studio-backed programming. More on that later.

Blah, enough naysaying. Great night!

Robert Gustafson, Alec McNayr, Katie McNayr, & Brady Brim-DeForest. Courtesy Wm. Marc Salsberry.

Harper’s Island

Alec was invited to attend a special screening of Harper’s Globe, the EQAL-produced companion online series to CBS’ new Harper’s Island.

Read his write-up at ScriptMag.com: CBS Crosses Over With Harper’s Globe

The Inappropriate Yoga Guy

Last, we have to share our friend Avi Rothman’s web series with you. Based on a YouTube hit character, Ogden The Inappropriate Yoga Guy is a series backed by (and featuring) Yoga Journal. It’s really, really well done!

Today, Space Shank’s own Alec McNayr (that’s me!) was named to the International Academy of Web Television.

[view blogged press release here]

The IAWTV is the voting body for the Streamy Awards, coming up on March 28, 2009, and is backed by Tubefilter.tv, Tilzy.tv, and NewTeeVee, three blogs that I read like a man possessed.

In related news, Tubefilter and Tilzy also just gave great reviews to our new web series, My Roommate the Cylon.

I’m honored to have been asked and named. Looking forward to the Streamys festivities!

It’s called My Roommate The Cylon.

It just launched tonight with Episode 1, entitled “The Test.” Embed, link, follow, and subscribe at: MyRoommateTheCylon.com!

Modern Day Jesus: Santa vs. Jesus

It’s one of a series of funny videos meant to introduce a “relationship teaching series” happening at my church. You can also see some photos from the shoot on my Flickr. Enjoy.

disHarmony.com: Three Little Words (1:32)

(Did you catch the continuity error?)