Creating Your Own Webshow

*Originally published on 12/17/09



People often talk about how Internet has changed media forever.The music industry has had to alter its marketing because of digital distribution, and movie and gaming companies are using the awesome power of our beloved interwebz to reach audiences and get their products out there in new ways.

It's not even relegated to major companies. People have launched podcasts, the Internet equivalent of radio talk shows that can be downloaded. Others, aspiring film makers specifically, have used their limited resources to actually start their own web shows. It allows them to do something they love while still pulling in a little bit of extra money. Heck, a few of the bigger names manage to actually support themselves on that income alone.

I've considered the idea myself, I may still do it, but I'm still in the brainstorming phase.

To start your own web show, you'll obviously need an idea. Review shows are fairly common, you can do that, just know that there is a lot of competition and that the movie/video game market is well covered by other critics. You don't want bust your hump coming up with videos only to come off as a poor man's Nostalgia Critic or Angry Video Game Nerd. There are still a lot of things to review, but if you want to gain Internet notoriety, you're going to have to deliver something that a dozen others aren't already.

It sounds obvious, but you're going to need a good camera. While most computers and laptops come with a webcam, it is generally viewed as bad form to just sit in front of a webcam and talk. You don't need a high end camera, but you'll want a camcorder of some sort that can hook up to a computer.

Definitely start with YouTube. It doesn't pay, but it does get your product out there to a wide audience. From there you can move to a server like blip (or a similar site) that actually does pay you. This way, you have already established your audience and don't need to worry about gaining enough views to pull in enough money to make it seem like worthwhile effort. All of the major names in Internet criticism like Nostalgia Critic, the Angry Video Game Nerd, and Spoony all started on YouTube and now they all have pretty large fan bases.

I would suggest having a few episodes ready to go before you launch your first episode. Seeing as videos like this take anywhere from one to four weeks to write, film and then edit, getting a head start will give you a little bit of flexibility in regards to time. While you would only need three or four episodes filmed, you'll want to have ideas far beyond that. Writer's block is a pain, trust me, so you'll want to plan ahead to make sure you can get through those dry spells.

Don't worry too much about the early episodes. I know that sounds odd as that is what is going to draw your audience in, but every show needs some time to find its footing. It's only natural that the first few episodes would be a little rusty and have some kinks to work out. As you get the hang of it and develop your own personal style, the show will evolve and people will appreciate it more.

Going back to the big names I mentioned before, if you go back and look at the early episodes, you can tell that they were still trying to work out what the strengths and weaknesses of their comedic styles were. If you're a viewer who is looking for a new show, feel free to grant the producer a grace period if they are starting out just so that they can establish themselves. It's a tough gig and it takes a little while to get everything worked out.

It's a fun gig, but it does take a lot of work and even a little bit of money. Many of the online critics are young working class people so you don't need a huge budget per se, but you will need materials like props and software and such. If you want to get into that field it is a great way to get your name out there and pull in a little extra cash along the way.