The Clicker: Boom goes the Rocket
Stephen Speicher contributes The Clicker, an opinion column on entertainment and technology:
It's official; the video blogging world is coming into its own. The harbinger to this digital coming of age? Well it might just be the explosion of everybody's favorite rocket, Rocketboom. After all -- a medium can't be truly successful if there aren't the predictable pulls over money and the ever-present "creative control."
Arguably the most successful video blog ever, Rocketboom and its host Amanda Congdon have heretofore been the poster children for video blog victory. Fueled by its seductively simple recipe of one part clever writing, one part quirky-but-likeable-host, and about ten parts really tight sweaters, Rocketboom has from its October 2004 inception grown to a massive daily audience of 250,000.
In December of 2005 Rocketboom took yet another step towards legitimization when it became featured content on TiVo's video download offering.
Rocketboom followed up on this TiVo victory in February by selling its first advertisement block (via eBay) for $40,000 dollars. Over the course of the following months Rocketboom sold other chunks of advertising, and while it hadn't sold enough advertising to firmly label it a long-term success, the future for Rocketboom was definitely looking bright.
Yet, despite the introduction of money (or perhaps because of it) all was not well in Rocketboom land. And while Rocketboom is a product of the Internet, the story is as old as television itself. It's the age old battle between the "talent" and the "management."
On July 5th Amanda Congdon let the world know via a self-produced video blog entry that her tenure at Rocketboom had rather abruptly come to an end. What followed over the next 24 hours made Britney Spears' latest Dateline interview look like a well-oiled PR machine. Andrew Baron, the site's founder and majority owner, said she made unrealistic demands. Congdon shot back, all but using the phrase "constructive termination" to describe her new role in the organization. It was a mess, and the result is an "unboomed" Amanda and a Rocketboom looking for a replacement.
To the outside observer this might look like just another typical playground spat where one child boldly announces to the others "I'm taking my ball and going home." However, underneath the adolescent name-calling and airing of public laundry, there actually is a serious issue which has the potential to affect the entire industry: when it comes to video blogging, who really owns the brand?
Yes, it's clear that Andrew Baron as 51% owner (as opposed to Congdon's 49%) of Rocketboom owns the Rocketboom name. However, is that really the brand that matters? Many viewers are quick to point out that Amanda is the "brand" to which they relate. At the end of the day it's possible that the same refreshing "just Amanda and the camera" style which helped vault Rocketboom to internet stardom ironically might also be its downfall.
Unlike traditional "talent" vs. "management" debates where the talent is held in check by a certain amount of infrastructure, video blogs have very little to keep a well-liked host / writer tied to a brand. Furthermore, the audience for these shows is often bloggers and similarly tied-in viewers. This could spell disaster for a company like Rocketboom, but it could also have an adverse effect on companies looking for funding in the field. As one ex-VC put it, "I think that you'll see a lot of companies re-examining their non-compete clauses when it comes to on-air talent. You just can't afford to let your brand walk out the door."
As for what this means for Rocketboom's relationship with TiVo, TiVo declined to comment on their Rocketboom deal and whether or not the departure of Congdon will have an effect on it.
The next few weeks will certainly tell us a lot about the industry. Will Congdon be quick to grab the reins and start her own video blog? Will bloggers spread word of the new home? Will this result in a mass exodus of Rocketboom viewers?
One thing is clear. After this latest incident both Congdon and Baron will probably spend a little more time and be a little more careful before they pick their next partners.
If you have comments or suggestions for future columns feel free to drop me a line at theclicker@theevilempire.com.
It's official; the video blogging world is coming into its own. The harbinger to this digital coming of age? Well it might just be the explosion of everybody's favorite rocket, Rocketboom. After all -- a medium can't be truly successful if there aren't the predictable pulls over money and the ever-present "creative control."Arguably the most successful video blog ever, Rocketboom and its host Amanda Congdon have heretofore been the poster children for video blog victory. Fueled by its seductively simple recipe of one part clever writing, one part quirky-but-likeable-host, and about ten parts really tight sweaters, Rocketboom has from its October 2004 inception grown to a massive daily audience of 250,000.
In December of 2005 Rocketboom took yet another step towards legitimization when it became featured content on TiVo's video download offering.
Rocketboom followed up on this TiVo victory in February by selling its first advertisement block (via eBay) for $40,000 dollars. Over the course of the following months Rocketboom sold other chunks of advertising, and while it hadn't sold enough advertising to firmly label it a long-term success, the future for Rocketboom was definitely looking bright.
Yet, despite the introduction of money (or perhaps because of it) all was not well in Rocketboom land. And while Rocketboom is a product of the Internet, the story is as old as television itself. It's the age old battle between the "talent" and the "management."
On July 5th Amanda Congdon let the world know via a self-produced video blog entry that her tenure at Rocketboom had rather abruptly come to an end. What followed over the next 24 hours made Britney Spears' latest Dateline interview look like a well-oiled PR machine. Andrew Baron, the site's founder and majority owner, said she made unrealistic demands. Congdon shot back, all but using the phrase "constructive termination" to describe her new role in the organization. It was a mess, and the result is an "unboomed" Amanda and a Rocketboom looking for a replacement.
To the outside observer this might look like just another typical playground spat where one child boldly announces to the others "I'm taking my ball and going home." However, underneath the adolescent name-calling and airing of public laundry, there actually is a serious issue which has the potential to affect the entire industry: when it comes to video blogging, who really owns the brand?
Yes, it's clear that Andrew Baron as 51% owner (as opposed to Congdon's 49%) of Rocketboom owns the Rocketboom name. However, is that really the brand that matters? Many viewers are quick to point out that Amanda is the "brand" to which they relate. At the end of the day it's possible that the same refreshing "just Amanda and the camera" style which helped vault Rocketboom to internet stardom ironically might also be its downfall.
Unlike traditional "talent" vs. "management" debates where the talent is held in check by a certain amount of infrastructure, video blogs have very little to keep a well-liked host / writer tied to a brand. Furthermore, the audience for these shows is often bloggers and similarly tied-in viewers. This could spell disaster for a company like Rocketboom, but it could also have an adverse effect on companies looking for funding in the field. As one ex-VC put it, "I think that you'll see a lot of companies re-examining their non-compete clauses when it comes to on-air talent. You just can't afford to let your brand walk out the door."
As for what this means for Rocketboom's relationship with TiVo, TiVo declined to comment on their Rocketboom deal and whether or not the departure of Congdon will have an effect on it.
The next few weeks will certainly tell us a lot about the industry. Will Congdon be quick to grab the reins and start her own video blog? Will bloggers spread word of the new home? Will this result in a mass exodus of Rocketboom viewers?
One thing is clear. After this latest incident both Congdon and Baron will probably spend a little more time and be a little more careful before they pick their next partners.
If you have comments or suggestions for future columns feel free to drop me a line at theclicker@theevilempire.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
casey @ Jul 6th 2006 9:28PM
never heard of it... i do podcasting...
Might have to check it out though... Is it ipod vid format available? I really feel to lazy to convert right now...
BUt sounds cool. Thanks engadget, now I must check it out.
GOD @ Jul 6th 2006 9:37PM
Why is the map of the world upside down in that picture?
TeleCustom @ Jul 6th 2006 9:39PM
I saw this on the news the other night, and I still have no idea what Rocketboom...was...I guess. Never ever heard of it. Seeing as it has 250,000 viewers in a land where big sites register easily in the millions/day, I don't understand where the buzz about it is coming from.
rickm @ Jul 6th 2006 9:58PM
It was ok. The tight sweaters were the key though. I watched it twice then moved on.
Moran Bentzur @ Jul 6th 2006 10:01PM
At least get the names right. Geez, the guys name is Andrew BARON.
south @ Jul 6th 2006 10:06PM
I've heard of it, and watched it, but there's nothing new about a blonde with big boobs reading news stories. he had the idea and the business nous, she had the talent... etc. sounds like a new medium being born. whatever.
Arex @ Jul 6th 2006 10:10PM
I only know of Rocketboom through the automatic downloads on my Tivo. No wonder there haven't been any new Rocketboom downloads as of late.
But anyway, I see little difference between the talent vs. management debates in video blogs and more traditional outlets. Rocketboom can no more afford to lose Amanda Congdon than the Tonight Show (a.k.a. "Leno") or Late Night (a.k.a. "Conan") can afford to lose Jay Leno or Conan O'Brian. The only difference is that Leno and O'Brian are under contract which, I assume, Congdon was not.
Ged @ Jul 6th 2006 10:42PM
I honestly cannot fathom what Rocketboom's "fans" loved about it. The blog was neither funny nor compelling. Congdon was not terribly talented nor overly likable, just middle of the road. A pretty face does not great content make. In contrast, Ze Frank had me hooked from the very first minute and I've been faithfully tuning in ever since.
umijin @ Jul 6th 2006 10:45PM
Actually, RB content and quality had really slipped in the last 2 months. It's quite stale compared to earlier in the year.
So it's really not a big loss, regardless of the internal conflicts.
Jack Paar @ Jul 6th 2006 11:12PM
Ah, yes.
You can't go around changing the host of the Tonight Show.
You'd better hope Johnny Carson lives forever, though.
doug @ Jul 6th 2006 11:14PM
I guess they will be remembered as the first success in the Internet video era, but I always thought the "show" was a goof and frankly hard to watch. I guess if you want to call it "quirky" I can go with that, but I did not like it very much.
I do have to give my hats off to them for generating that size of audience, but I think some of it was them just coming out of the box first and some people saying they liked it just because they thought it was cool to say so. I certainly will not miss it...
neo-fight.tv @ Jul 7th 2006 12:12AM
I ran into both of them a few weeks ago in S.F. and things seemed a little tense to me then. I wrote it off as unfamiliarity, but I guess things were already sliding... Oh well...
Spyvie @ Jul 7th 2006 12:24AM
I refuse to install quicktime or any other apple malware on my PC, so I've never heard of it.
Jake @ Jul 7th 2006 12:55AM
Spyvie: You're running Windows and you're worried about malware?
DougT @ Jul 7th 2006 1:12AM
You should listen to the This Week in Tech (TWiT) broadcast from Vloggercon - where Jason Calcanis and Andrew are both guests on the show. Andrew sounds pretty full of himself ... to one point almost arguing with Jason C. as if he knows more about the blog/vlog/whatever-o-shpere than Jason does. He sounded downright uncomfortable and self-important. Andrew just punched minute #13 out of his 15 .... and he knows it.
Arex @ Jul 7th 2006 1:27AM
"You can't go around changing the host of the Tonight Show.
You'd better hope Johnny Carson lives forever, though."
Haha! Good point.=) Of course, Carson gracefully bowed out and passed the torch on to his successor/long time stand in. The question raised by the post, I thought, was more along the lines of what happens when the personality behind the show/blog moves elsewhere such as when Letterman jumped ship to CBS. Letterman took all of his viewers with him leaving Conan to essentially start from scratch and make his own audience.
crlake @ Jul 7th 2006 1:48AM
I’m sorry but she is really NOT that good. Sarah Lane did the exact same thing, only better on the “old” Attack of the Show” (G4). Amanda Congdon is monotone and BORING. Congrats on her having big boobs, but that and blonde hair will buy you a cup of coffee in California -- A dime a dozen. How about having some talent, or at lease a sense of humor?
Sam Sherwood @ Jul 7th 2006 2:59AM
Yeah, I honestly can't believe Rocketboom got to the heights that it did. I queued it up on my TiVo for a week, and then promptly removed it. Even CNet's hum-drum, homely editors have more appeal...
Sarah Lane, on the other hand, I'd TiVo in a minute. She wasn't necessarily better looking, but wow, she was just an incredibly TV personality.
Sounds like Congdon is shooting herself in the foot.
RacetrackOwner @ Jul 7th 2006 5:25AM
"Rocketboom followed up on this TiVo victory in February by selling its first advertisement block (via eBay) for $40,000 dollars."
Tip for professional writers: The little $ symbol means you don't have to also write the word "dollars," and this is an excellent example of the reason bloggers still aren't taken seriously.
LC @ Jul 7th 2006 6:28AM
I never heard of it. When I saw the title, I thought it was the North Korean missle program.
Nobody cares about your blog. @ Jul 7th 2006 7:30AM
Talk about a tempest in a teacup. This little known, poorly produced video segment distributed of the Internet has its (one) decent presenter leave and you'd think North Korea has launched their ICMBs as far as the headlines of the 'blogosphere' are concerned.
What I see here is inflated egos, dirty laundry washed in public and a seriously deluded group of 20 somethings thinking they're Hollywood stars. In fact, Jason Calacanis, the owner of the network Engadget is hosted on does just that, offering to the woman who got fired a job, and I quote "You're a star baby... it's time to be treated like one" and "hit me if you're interested". Talk about an exaggerated opinion of your own importance... An absolute joke.
Guy Via @ Jul 7th 2006 8:14AM
How many proposals a day do you think she gets?
Uncle Jerry @ Jul 7th 2006 8:54AM
Watched it a few times with my pants and the sound down. Really wasn't that great. The view was nice but substance and delivery have been done better on other shows.
And her neck is to long...
CJ @ Jul 7th 2006 9:54AM
They got too big for their britches... they have very small britches.
Does anyone wear britches anymore?
Nick Schmidt @ Jul 7th 2006 10:11AM
There goes Rocketbooms main entity for revenue!!
Anyway, it seems like a lot of people don't know what Rocketboom.
Rocketboom basically was the first big video blog (aka vlog). Amanda talked about any news, gadgets, just about anything and she made it funny.
There is even a fund lauch party for her..
http://www.fundable.org/groupactions/UnBoomedLaunchParty
I also do video blogs.. check it..
Nick Schmidt
http://lastlapnick.blogspot.com
Rymix @ Jul 7th 2006 11:09AM
I would.
Mark Remy @ Jul 7th 2006 11:35AM
Don't worry. OfficePirates.com has a neat solution to this whole mess:
http://www.officepirates.com/officepirates/fyi/0,26102,1210555,00.html
(Scroll down to see the video of the hot replacement for Amanda.)
booda @ Jul 7th 2006 12:15PM
I tried watching this once...it was absolutely horrible. The "Hamster Dance" was more watchable. It made me realize that her "fame" was due to hard-up geeks trying to get laid and not due to any worthwhile or important content. Apparently some virgins thought her gawkiness was endearing...it just made me cringe. Besides, her forehead is HUGE.
The Jeremy @ Jul 7th 2006 12:30PM
I really enjoyed watching Amanda Congdon on *Rocketboom* even though I personally disliked most of her politics. Now I shall cancel *Rocketboom* from my TiVo downloads.
As for C/Net on TiVo, I find those segments terrible. TiVo would have been wiser to ask Leo Laporte and the rest of the ex-TechTV staff to do such programming for them. Martin Sargent would have killed by adding his extra $0.02 to every segment. Then again, perhaps TiVo is being paid for such placements.
To the folks suggesting Sarah Lane was better than Amanda, apparently judging from her work doing "The Feed" on *Attack of the Show*, I must suggest that ya'll are crazy AND blind. Lane did not do well on her own, and it was yet another example of the stupidity of G4 not to add a second anchor to do "The Feed" with her to balance her out. But I digress...
Rich...! @ Jul 7th 2006 1:55PM
Thank goodness, I couldn't stand her, it amazed me that the show was so popular...!
Zuke @ Jul 7th 2006 2:11PM
I liked Amanda's quirky pertness and deadpan delivery style. Very funny, even if many of the news stories were dull. I thought she had that girl-next-door cuteness working for her - not Hollywood-cute where it was distracting. I hope she comes out with her own video podcast, cuz I'll watch it.
"10 parts really tight sweaters" - priceless!
miguel cervantes @ Jul 7th 2006 3:41PM
that's why this mdel is far superior!the hostless video blog. jokes by the people for the people.
http://www.thejokeproject.com
Adamz @ Jul 7th 2006 5:07PM
Vidocity is more watchable if you're into NYC culture and attractive blondes. http://www.vidocity.com
crlake @ Jul 8th 2006 1:05AM
@ The Jeremy,
Not to flame with you but…. How exactly do you enjoy watching Amanda and hate her politics at the same time? I’m sorry but that doesn’t make sense? Either you hate the show, or you like the show? Which means, the only reason you watch “Rocketboom”, is just to see Amanda Congdon. That’s fine, and that’s totally your choice, but wanting someone to have talent -- doesn’t make it so. She’s still boring.
“The Feed” is only 5 minutes long, so why would anyone have 2 hosts on a 5-minute tech segment. On the “OLD” AOTS – there were 3 host, of with Sarah Lane was one them. I’m sorry to tell you, that Sarah Lane is a better spokeswoman, than Amanda will EVER be. It takes more than a little “hair flicking” to hold people’s attention for an hour.
Frangible @ Jul 8th 2006 3:52AM
"How exactly do you enjoy watching Amanda and hate her politics at the same time?"
What part of "tight sweaters" did you not understand?
eggzakt @ Jul 8th 2006 5:21PM
Well,
Scrolling through the comments here really drives home the impression that most of you are jaded, shallow and critical people who seem to prefer to stay in your houses and troll the net making critical comments about anything and everything to make yourself feel better.
Sure I'm a fan of Rocketboom - rather was, a fan. But this is not about simply disliking something. I'm addressing the overall lack of maturity and intelligence presented in the comments. I've watched it for a number of reasons: it's funny informative and creative. Amanda is attractive, sure. But so what? You might not care for it. That's fine. But to sum it up with simple-minded comments about someone's physical appearance after watching one or two episodes? Come on people! How old are all of you? I haven't heard crap like this since I was in high school. I guess you either are in high school, or simply never chose to mature beyond it.
I really don't care if some of you want to flame me. Just know that I'm not interested in your opinions anyway so will unlikely return to any of the comments section. I'm simply above it. And you.
lol @ poster above @ Jul 9th 2006 11:01PM
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sounds like Andrew Baron himself. I wouldn't put it past you (or your pals) to troll engadget so as to be overly critical of the feedback, but alas, I agree with most here too.
This show is just morbidly dry to the bone. It seems a fluke that so many every payed any attention to the show. And now, it's over.
Oh, and just so I fit your demographic blanket, I heard Andrew Baron on TWiT and he has to have the gay'est country boy accent I've ever heard... and annoying too. Yap, yap, yap, that's all he does.
Antonio Cardenas @ Jul 10th 2006 7:03PM
Who knows, in one or two years we may see Amanda starring in the most recent film of Steven Spielberg... Or in the Betty Ford clinic...
tim @ Dec 25th 2006 11:31PM
"Will Congdon be quick to grab the reigns and start her own video blog?"
Agh! That's "reins."