Will Ferrell’s FunnyOrDie video startup is spreading its wings with a new site: ShredOrDie, focused on extreme sports and hosted by pro skateboarder Tony Hawk.
ShredOrDie will seek to mix extreme-sports and celebrity culture in a manner similar to FunnyOrDie’s blending of comedy and celebrity, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Initial site content include Hawk interviewing Lance Armstrong, snowboarder Shaun White, Christian Slater and skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, along with a range of action videos from sports including skateboarding and snowboarding. ShredOrDie also will feature user-generated video.
FunnyOrDie has had a mixed reception to date, starting with a bang as Will Ferrell’s initial clips gained widespread viral views, to only give way to lower traffic. More recently FunnyOrDie saw another surge after hosting the spoof Eva Longoria sex tape. It will be interesting to see whether Ferrell’s model will successfully work in a different vertical.
I wonder from where so much user generated video comes from.
Looks that there are more video sites than video uploading users.
http://www.meetingflex.com
Funny crap! I mean that literally.
http://fakestev...er.blogspot.com
I like the customized player they use. Frame-by-frame, slow motion, and 5-seconds-backward will all definitely be used and appreciated by this crowd.
Also, strangely, I’ve found that YouTube and other broad video sites don’t have a lot of quality extreme sports footage that is easy to find, so they are definitely fulfilling a need.
And getting Tony Hawk on-board is wonderful PR. If they can get the word out, I think this site will do well. They have a pretty targeted audience, too, so they may be able to generate relatively high CPMs.
Youtube – the walmart of online video, Will’s sites – the specialized big box stores + celebrity. Interesting business model.
Jon
The “…ordie” network of sites represents a new development in Hollywood: a smart talent agency (CAA) turning content into (potential) equity value upside for clients. Full analysis at moseskagan.com