Hollywood's big online rival: the little guy

HOLLYWOOD'S BIG ONLINE RIVAL: THE LITTLE GUY
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Rick Wartzman]
[Commentary] The latest brouhaha over alleged copyright infringement on the Internet has pitted some of the biggest names in corporate America against each other: Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner Redstone versus Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt. But you'd be wise to keep your eyes on two other guys who, in a small way, are helping to transform the media landscape: Christopher Allan Smith and Ryan Neisz. They're the creators and co-stars of an online comedy series called "Snowmen Hunters," which was nominated this week by Google's YouTube website for one of its inaugural video awards, which seek to honor user-generated content. For Big Media, the real threat will emerge as more and more advertisers, attracted by the millions of viewers who genuinely enjoy this homespun programming, gravitate toward the sites hosting these productions and, in turn, more and more money starts finding its way to the talent behind them.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-calco23mar23,1,519721...
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