Okay, it's a bit of stretch that I have much in common with Tom Green, the actor, comedian, author and talk show host. But, in an interview with him yesterday, he described himself as a "A/V geek", which is what I am sometimes referred to in the halls at Network World (well, maybe it's A/V guy, but why split hairs.)
Listen:
Why did Network World interview Tom Green? Because he's on the the cutting edge of live streaming over the Internet with his "Tom Green's House Tonight" talk show, which is broadcast live on TomGreen.com through BitGravity. Green built a multi-camera set in the living room of his Los Angeles-area home and brings in guests (Andy Dyck, Shannon Elizabeth, to name a couple) to chat for an hour or more. He even takes guest calls over the phone and Skype, with some calling in using Skype video. All this is done with a meager crew: Usually one guy, though for the bigger productions seven or eight people can be brought in.
The entire experience with what Green calls "Web-O-Vision" is reminiscent of his days broadcasting on public access in Canada, before he was picked up by MTV. Through the Web, Green is free to experiment and be wacky, without having to report to a network executive. Plus, by doing this himself, he's got more flexibility to work on movies and other projects that suit is fancy.
Network World's own multimedia editor.
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Tom Green is full circle
To me, the type of interview Tom Green does is reminiscent of, and many times as good as, watching Johnny Carson. He doesn't overpower the interview, and still has fun. How amazing it is that Tom can do all of this live, streaming on the web from his home. From what I understand BitGravity is a big key in this, which is why I've been seeing them streaming much of the content I've been watching. At least, the content with less artifacts that isn't choppy. I think Revision3 (Diggnation, Totally Rad Show) uses BitGravity as well. Again, makes sense with the amount of content they put out....