As  a filmmaker, my work has taken me on the road with the Grateful Dead and to the streets in Iraq.  Frankly, I'm not sure which gig was more dangerous.  In both cases, the promise for excellent content is what drove my decision to leave my family for a long period of time.

Most recently, I've been glued to a chair in NYC working the phones as a consultant for large brands seeking to use video in their branding efforts.  I call this activity or my bent on this activity social video campaigns.  Sure, anyone can create a video and put it up on YouTube.  In fact, I think everyone by now has done this.  Which has caused the problem.  Too much content to view, not enough good content to watch.

 In 2005, my partner and I launched Culture Catch.  Actually, our intent at the time was to created smart engaging cultural content that wasn't available on TV.  We felt TV wasn't meeting up to our interests.  Things have definitly changed.  TV is getting better with amazing night time programming by the cable networks.  I think the Sapranos sprang open the eyes of excs seeing new reveune streams.  Now everyone is doing original series.

Brands can follow a similar path.  Right now, most are just testing the waters.  Soon enough, the numbers will add up.  Creating high quality original branded programming is the way to maximize the marketing returns.  They are not in the programming business, thus this is a stretch.  I've got a few ideas on how to solve to that problem which brands seem to love.

This series is about how to look at social video through another lens - mine.

Stay tune. I'm happy to answer questions.  In fact, one reader asked, "how do I gauge quality content"?    That's an easy question to answer.  In fact, most filmmakers know when they've really tried to ring the bell.  If the effort is there, then that's 90% of the battle.  The other test, do you lean back and watch.  That's it.