So What Exactly Is ’showbizzle’?

In my words — This is a project I’m working on with Chuck and Lindsey Rosin (located out in Hollywood) and Bob Wright of MarketingArts.com in San Francisco. What’s unique about this project is the combination of extremely well written episodic content by Lindsey, with executive production leadership from her father, Chuck, who wrote the first 144 episodes of 90120. Chuck had the notion that combining a tightly written series of two minute webisodes (say 170 total to start) with a niche social network would build a unique business proposition for the website. To get a feel for what the episodes are going to look like, visit their website at http://www.showbizzle.com. You can click and play the teasers there.

As we go along, I’m going to be talking more about the social marketing strategies that showbizzle employs. Care to join me? This is more complex than it looks on the surface due the unique nature of the content and the presence of a niche online community that will be hooked directly with this content. That’s what makes it unique and I’ll be discussing this more as we near the launch in September.

The ’showbizzle’ world is all about young (and older, of course) people fascinated with a career opportunity in Hollywood. Or maybe you just love the drama of Hollywood. Regardless, the social networking component of this project will include a way for you to become a member of the community by submitting your own episodes and having them highlighted on the home page if yours is selected. You’ll get a chance to learn the behind-the-scenes story of showbizzle and learn about writing and producing episodic content for the web from Lindsey and Chuck and other amazing professionals they’ll be interviewing in the community. That’s the preview I’ve been promising to all the folks I’ve been talking with on the phone for the last few weeks. Here is a bit more to whet your appetite, pulled from the showbizzle site.

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OK, in Chuck’s words … Think of showbizzle as scripted entertainment that could pass as a reality show, broadcast in the form of a daily blog, with the goal of building a social network aimed at emerging actors, writers, directors, fans of the biz – basically anyone with a computer and some time on their hands who is looking for some fun entertainment.

We’re looking for people, most likely like you, who are maybe thinking about spending some time out in Hollywood – or who would just like to live vicariously through the lives of our characters and the members of our showbizzle community.

Maybe showbizzle is just entertainment, or, maybe for you it’s something more… maybe you really are thinking about taking a chance, making the plunge, doing whatever it takes to make a career in show business happen – or, as we prefer to call it, showbizzle… which is kind of like show business, only a lot more fun.

Here’s the plan: Starting mid-September 2008, showbizzle will present at least three original, two-minute, scripted videos every day until Thanksgiving (that’s 9½ weeks for those who are counting) posted on our showbizzle website…

The website serves as the daily blog of our fictitious blogger – Janey – who hangs out every day on the patio at her favorite coffee place, listening to old friends and new acquaintances from all strata of Hollywood showbizzle (in other words, our characters) confide intimate details about their career ambitions, creative aspirations, pipe dreams, hook-ups, f***-ups, romantic liaisons, embarrassing day jobs, galvanizing moments, personal quests, major revelations, unexpected characters and narrative twists – you know, the basic personal and professional stuff that typifies what it’s like to be young… in Los Angeles… in 2008.

The one thing we can assure you about the 170 videos we will be posting on the showbizzle website this Fall is that each vignette will feel authentic and different from virtually everything else you can currently find on the world wide web.

We’re showbizzle. We’re different. And we like it that way.