MyPod Studios is a curated video site with half a million in funding, a headquarters in New York and a beaming, brown-bobbed “hostess” named Bridgette who excitedly welcomes each new visitor to the site’s collection of video entertainment.
The site, which launched in September 2011, has an announcement to make: it had more than five million unique viewers in December, making it the 191st most trafficked site in the nation according to Quantcast, “right behind collegehumor.com, blip.tvand cbsnews.com and just five spots behind hulu.com,” as MyPod notes, all with a team of five. “Advertisers and consumers are flocking to the site, and they are profitable after only six months,” a rep wrote in an email to Betabeat.
Slow down there, site we’ve never heard of! A million viewers for every employee? Could such stats be true? MyPod Studios comes out of Black Ocean Video, a New York-based incubator. MyPod’s offerings include how-to videos, cocktail recipes, comedy shorts from Julia Stiles, and “men’s interest” videos of the bikini-themed variety. There are around 5,000 in all, with “moar videos plz” the most common complaint from viewers. The site already has revenue from advertising.
So how did they do it? The key is curation, says Jay Miletsky, founder and CEO. “Consumers don’t have time to wade through hours of video to find something tailored to their interests, so we do it for them. And because we’re so successful in attracting viewers, advertisers feel confident marketing through our site,” he said in a release.
The curation approach appeals to advertisers, too, who don’t have to worry about their brands appearing on offensive amateur content or having an awkward Adsense moment, like when an ad for Delta appears on a video of a plane crash.
Interestingly, Mr. Miletsky isn’t as bullish on original web series as its competitors YouTube, IAC and blip.tv. “Personally, I would love to see Web series take off in a big way,” he told ReelSEO. “But honestly, I don’t see it happening. Yes, there will be some stand out efforts, and series that get some heightened attention, but the fact is that people consume video differently online than they do on TV. When people watch television, they’re in a more relaxed environment, and their minds are conditioned to watching episodic content with a week or more between segments, for 30 or 60 minutes at a time. And they’re comfortable opening their minds to getting to know new characters and story lines.”
His comment ignores the trend in streaming web TV to television sets at home, but nevermind. MyPod specializes in quick hit, at-your-desk videos, although it’s moving into the sticky category of gaming as well as refining its mobile offerings. What else is promised for 2012? More videos of Bridgette, Mr. Miletsky says.
