The next time the Jonas Brothers release an album or announce a tour, they can skip “Entertainment Tonight” and YouTube and go straight to Cambio.
On Cambio there will be daily and weekly video shows, some created in conjunction with advertisers. A partner in the Jonas Group, Kevin Jonas Sr., says Cambio will be a “safe environment” to talk to fans. It is also a chance to bypass old media gatekeepers.
For the struggling AOL, Cambio is a major part of a content strategy that has gained a lot of attention this year. Cambio “is an investment in what we believe is going to be a future network for the Internet,” said Tim Armstrong, the chief executive of AOL. Video is the second fastest-growing category of online advertising, behind search.
Of course, AOL has a long and inglorious history of Web production, pockmarked with failures. AOL, which was separated from Time Warner at the end of last year, is just a shadow of its former self in a number of ways — fewer employees, lower revenue, less traffic.
AOL’s president for media and studios, David Eun, has taken to calling the company a “start-around,” because he wants AOL to act like a start-up even though it is in the midst of a wrenching turnaround.
Cambio, which means “change” in Spanish, certainly comes across as a start-up. In the three weeks before its debut, there was a rush to complete the site design and hire employees. Jonas Group executives emphasized that Cambio would include actors, musicians and athletes outside its roster, but did not disclose any other names.
To hear Mr. Jonas tell it, Cambio is about creating better outlets for artists like his three world-famous sons.
“We were acutely aware, early on, that things were suffering” in traditional media, Mr. Jonas said, citing the waning influence of popular radio stations and TV outlets like MTV. “Having the ability to reach your audience yourself — and the ability for the artists and entertainment company to interact directly with brands — was the future.”
YouTube, where many celebrities maintain their own channels of videos, was a rough draft. In some cases, Mr. Jonas said, the fan loyalty derived from online efforts greatly surpasses the attention earned through traditional media appearances, at a fraction of the cost.
Online videos also give the artists much more control. “Direct access is the most appealing thing for any major talent,” said Rob Barnett, a former MTV and VH1 programmer who founded the Web entertainment studio My Damn Channel.
For a venture like Cambio, having A-list talent is a head start, Mr. Barnett said, because the stars can “bring an already established fan base to the party.”
“But success is always based more on whether the content is great and sustainable in the long run,” he added.
Cambio will have one daily entertainment talk show, “Cambio Connect.” The site has hired a former MTV host, Quddus Philippe, to lead it, and an independent talent booker, Steven Schillaci, to line up guests. “Cambio Connect” will often be filmed at the Grove shopping complex in Los Angeles, and will rely in part on a video production platform called StudioNow that AOL acquired five months ago.
Other Web series are also in development. Cambio’s pitch to advertisers includes ideas like “Ghost Hunting With Frankie Jonas”; a scripted docudrama starring members of the band Honor Society; and a late-night talk show featuring the Jonas Brothers’ musical director, although it is unclear if they will all enter production. True to webisode form, if there is such a thing, episodes will typically be two to eight minutes long, AOL said.
Some content will be “artist-generated,” said Keith Wortman, the president of MGX, in an amateur style that mimics YouTube videos.
Still others will be directed by brands like Bayer Diabetes Care, which will sponsor a month of the charity series “Cambio Cares.” Nick Jonas, a diabetic, is already a paid spokesman for Bayer’s blood glucose meters.
“For the brands, they deserve more than a banner at the bottom of a video,” Kevin Jonas Sr. said, referring to the types of ads that are prevalent on sites like YouTube.
At first, the programming on Cambio will be modest. The initial series will include “Nick in London,” a miniseries about Nick Jonas preparing to appear in a production of “Les Misérables.” In July it will add “Cambio Goes Home,” featuring celebrities in their hometowns, and “Cambio Style.” A fuller version of the site is scheduled to appear on July 27.
In an interview, Mr. Armstrong asserted that Cambio would be profitable on its first day because of AOL’s infrastructure and the participation of big advertisers.
For the last year, Mr. Armstrong has been reorienting AOL around inexpensive blogs, articles and video clips. In the past AOL lacked what the Miller Tabak analyst David C. Joyce called a “strong strategy to monetize” such content. But Mr. Joyce says he is more bullish about the company now, adding that the current investments will lead to more viewers and higher advertising revenue.
Executives at the Jonas Group and MGX say they expect Cambio to become a brand in its own right, replete with energy drinks and music tours. But first they have to produce something worth watching.
“It’s not dissimilar to the early days of cable,” Mr. Armstrong said of the current period in Web media. “Basically, the younger generation has wired themselves. The question is, what content goes to them on those wires?”
On Cambio there will be daily and weekly video shows, some created in conjunction with advertisers. A partner in the Jonas Group, Kevin Jonas Sr., says Cambio will be a “safe environment” to talk to fans. It is also a chance to bypass old media gatekeepers.
For the struggling AOL, Cambio is a major part of a content strategy that has gained a lot of attention this year. Cambio “is an investment in what we believe is going to be a future network for the Internet,” said Tim Armstrong, the chief executive of AOL. Video is the second fastest-growing category of online advertising, behind search.
Of course, AOL has a long and inglorious history of Web production, pockmarked with failures. AOL, which was separated from Time Warner at the end of last year, is just a shadow of its former self in a number of ways — fewer employees, lower revenue, less traffic.
AOL’s president for media and studios, David Eun, has taken to calling the company a “start-around,” because he wants AOL to act like a start-up even though it is in the midst of a wrenching turnaround.
Cambio, which means “change” in Spanish, certainly comes across as a start-up. In the three weeks before its debut, there was a rush to complete the site design and hire employees. Jonas Group executives emphasized that Cambio would include actors, musicians and athletes outside its roster, but did not disclose any other names.
To hear Mr. Jonas tell it, Cambio is about creating better outlets for artists like his three world-famous sons.
“We were acutely aware, early on, that things were suffering” in traditional media, Mr. Jonas said, citing the waning influence of popular radio stations and TV outlets like MTV. “Having the ability to reach your audience yourself — and the ability for the artists and entertainment company to interact directly with brands — was the future.”
YouTube, where many celebrities maintain their own channels of videos, was a rough draft. In some cases, Mr. Jonas said, the fan loyalty derived from online efforts greatly surpasses the attention earned through traditional media appearances, at a fraction of the cost.
Online videos also give the artists much more control. “Direct access is the most appealing thing for any major talent,” said Rob Barnett, a former MTV and VH1 programmer who founded the Web entertainment studio My Damn Channel.
For a venture like Cambio, having A-list talent is a head start, Mr. Barnett said, because the stars can “bring an already established fan base to the party.”
“But success is always based more on whether the content is great and sustainable in the long run,” he added.
Cambio will have one daily entertainment talk show, “Cambio Connect.” The site has hired a former MTV host, Quddus Philippe, to lead it, and an independent talent booker, Steven Schillaci, to line up guests. “Cambio Connect” will often be filmed at the Grove shopping complex in Los Angeles, and will rely in part on a video production platform called StudioNow that AOL acquired five months ago.
Other Web series are also in development. Cambio’s pitch to advertisers includes ideas like “Ghost Hunting With Frankie Jonas”; a scripted docudrama starring members of the band Honor Society; and a late-night talk show featuring the Jonas Brothers’ musical director, although it is unclear if they will all enter production. True to webisode form, if there is such a thing, episodes will typically be two to eight minutes long, AOL said.
Some content will be “artist-generated,” said Keith Wortman, the president of MGX, in an amateur style that mimics YouTube videos.
Still others will be directed by brands like Bayer Diabetes Care, which will sponsor a month of the charity series “Cambio Cares.” Nick Jonas, a diabetic, is already a paid spokesman for Bayer’s blood glucose meters.
“For the brands, they deserve more than a banner at the bottom of a video,” Kevin Jonas Sr. said, referring to the types of ads that are prevalent on sites like YouTube.
At first, the programming on Cambio will be modest. The initial series will include “Nick in London,” a miniseries about Nick Jonas preparing to appear in a production of “Les Misérables.” In July it will add “Cambio Goes Home,” featuring celebrities in their hometowns, and “Cambio Style.” A fuller version of the site is scheduled to appear on July 27.
In an interview, Mr. Armstrong asserted that Cambio would be profitable on its first day because of AOL’s infrastructure and the participation of big advertisers.
For the last year, Mr. Armstrong has been reorienting AOL around inexpensive blogs, articles and video clips. In the past AOL lacked what the Miller Tabak analyst David C. Joyce called a “strong strategy to monetize” such content. But Mr. Joyce says he is more bullish about the company now, adding that the current investments will lead to more viewers and higher advertising revenue.
Executives at the Jonas Group and MGX say they expect Cambio to become a brand in its own right, replete with energy drinks and music tours. But first they have to produce something worth watching.
“It’s not dissimilar to the early days of cable,” Mr. Armstrong said of the current period in Web media. “Basically, the younger generation has wired themselves. The question is, what content goes to them on those wires?”
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