Sign In
Create Account
To become a film-maker has been a dream of mine for a long time, but as everyone knows it's not usually a good thing to bank on developing a "rock star" type career (rock star = low probability of success but lucrative and fun). Entering the film business by traditional means requires a lot of hard work, dedication, networking, luck, blah, blah, etc. It's hard. Today there are two main reasons why it is a lot easier for independent artists to develop their careers in film/TV:
1) Digital video equipment is cheap, easy to use, and accessible.
2) The Internet exists.
There is no better place for independent media than the Internet. Not only because the audience is global but also because word of mouth is an incredible force on the internet. There are many ways to forward a link to your friends and it's very easy for media to go "viral". Pure Pwnage has grown from 800 downloads of the initial episode to millions of downloads exclusively by word of mouth.
But even with millions of viewers, it doesn't mean you have a career. As Internet broadcasters, we have found that we suffer from a lack of legitimacy. For example, even though we are among the most watched Canadian television shows, we are not eligible to apply to the funding sources that are the financial backbone of the Canadian television industry. Funds like the Canadian Television Fund give away millions of dollars for the production of shows that i'm sure most of you have never heard of.
Not being eligible for funding, we had to borrow a camera from the University of Toronto library to shoot our first episode.
Advertisers are generally uninterested when it comes to Pure Pwnage, though they spend tens of thousands of dollars on print advertising in publications with 1/10th our audience and even more on television commercial spots during shows that have a fraction of our viewership. We don't want to start charging viewers to download our episodes, therefore merchandising is the only way we generate income.
An interesting note on the lack of legitimacy: Even some web-savvy individuals do not see any significance in pioneering web broadcasting. The Pure Pwnage wikipedia article is periodically nominated for deletion because our website is either "vanity" or "non-notable"
Still, I am optimistic about the future of Internet broadcasting as I read more and more articles like this. It seems some of the big broadcasters are starting to get the idea that people watch videos downloaded from the Internet. Have you heard about this??!?!
So, if you are a Pure Pwnage fan keep watching the show - we have big plans. If you want to be a film-maker - go out, grab a camera and start making your show.
The Internet television revolution is here. Your grandchildren are going to be amazed that you used to have to wait until a specific time for a show to be aired. They will also get a laugh when you add that you were unable to choose the episode that you wanted to see. So a big thanks to all the fans, you have helped us get to where we are. You have made it possible for us to share our laughs with the world.
Back to top
