'My Damn Channel' Launches Entertainment Studio and New Media Platform for Top Talent

Comedian Harry Shearer, Music Producer Don Was, Filmmaker David Wain and

Web Phenom Andy Milonakis Among First to Launch Original Episodic Videos

with MyDamnChannel.com

YouTube First to Sign Strategic Syndication Agreement

    NEW YORK, July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, My Damn Channel launches an
 entertainment studio and new media platform created to empower artists to |
 co-produce, distribute and monetize original, episodic video content.
 Comedians, musicians and filmmakers will develop short-form series and
 retain total artistic control of their own web channels. Original content
 is available free to viewers on www.MyDamnChannel.com and as branded
 programming syndicated to major web portals and digital devices.
     Venerable comedian/political satirist Harry Shearer ("The Simpsons,"
 "This is Spinal Tap"); renowned music producer Don Was (The Rolling Stones,
 Bob Dylan); independent comic filmmaker David Wain ("Wet Hot American
 Summer," "The Ten"); and Web phenom Andy Milonakis ("The Andy Milonakis
 Show," MTV), will join www.MyDamnChannel.com live at 7:00 a.m. (EDT) today.
     My Damn Channel is the brainchild of President and CEO, Rob Barnett.
 Barnett was an executive at MTV and VH1 for more than 11 years and was most
 recently President of Programming for CBS Radio. Barnett has produced new
 and "traditional" media with hundreds of popular personalities, including
 President Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, Johnny Rotten and Oprah Winfrey.
     "My Damn Channel gives our talented friends a blank canvas to do what
 they want and the digital means to reach the masses," said Barnett. "Some
 execs talk about disrupting media but forget about how smart this new
 audience really is. The B.S. barometer is very high. Our channels deliver
 the original content that web fans deserve and that advertisers and
 syndicators will support."
     "My Damn Channel is a great example of the kind of place an artist like
 me seeks out - a new outpost in an emerging medium where the rules have not
 yet been engraved in stone," Shearer added. "Rob and his team are giving me
 the opportunity to make smart, topical comedy and get it to the audience
 before it cools. What, except for having a zillion stock options in the
 company, could be better?"
     My Damn Channel is ad-supported and all of its programming will also be
 syndicated to the most heavily-trafficked online communities and social
 networks. The company will share revenues with its artists from advertising
 on www.MyDamnChannel.com and from programming syndication deals.
     YouTube, the leader in online video, is the first to enter into a
 syndication agreement with My Damn Channel. Under the agreement, My Damn
 Channel content will be available to the YouTube community at
 www.youtube.com/MyDamnChannel.
     Beginning today, My Damn Channel will launch with a diverse portfolio
 of original programming featuring comedy, political satire, music and
 filmmaking. Every My Damn Channel artist will co-create the look and feel
 of their own signature channel, including:
     - Harry Shearer Project: Harry Shearer is an actor, comic, writer and
       radio host best known for his celebrated work on "The Simpsons," "This
       is Spinal Tap," "A Mighty Wind," "For Your Consideration," "Le Show" and
       "Saturday Night Live." Shearer will satirize the current political and
       pop-culture landscape with new webisodes debuting weekly. His videos
       include songs from his forthcoming album, "Songs Pointed and Pointless."
       Shearer's first project with My Damn Channel will be produced by Karen
       Murphy ("This Is Spinal Tap," "Drugstore Cowboy," "Waiting for Guffman,"
       "For Your Consideration"). The premiere episode (7/31) features Shearer
       as Vice President Dick Cheney, singing the torch noir tune, "No Cooler
       for The Scooter," written exclusively for My Damn Channel. The second
       episode will feature Shearer as President George W. Bush (8/7).
 
     - Don Was / "Links": Don Was has produced some of the most commercially
       and critically successful albums in music history. Was brings musicians
       from every genre to My Damn Channel giving fans unique access to legends
       and emerging acts. Was has signed an exclusive agreement for multiple
       projects, including a weekly radio show/podcast; live events; new music
       previews; and new tracks produced by Was. He will co-produce the new
       music interview series "LINKS," with actor Paul Reiser ("Mad About You")
       through Reiser's Nuance Productions. The first episode (7/31) features a
       no-holds-barred session with Velvet Revolver's Slash and Duff McKagan -
       both formerly of Guns N' Roses.  Ozzy Osbourne will appear on LINKS
        (8/7).
 
       "I wanted 'LINKS' to capture the passionate conversations that happen
       when it's after midnight in the studio - talking about favorite albums,
       musical influences and road stories," said Was. "It's not just about
       upcoming records and tours, we have real music discussions between
       musicians; we incorporate some pretty rare archival footage; and many of
       the artists will perform exclusively for us."
 
     - David Wain / "Wainy Days": David Wain is a founding member of the comedy
       troupe The State. The group had its own MTV series in the 1990's. Wain's
       past projects also include the web hit and Comedy Central series,
       "Stella." Wain has directed films, including the comic cult classic "Wet
       Hot American Summer" and his latest comedy "The Ten" (opening 8/3). Wain
       launches an exclusive new series for My Damn Channel called "Wainy
       Days," ten short-film comedies premiering weekly. "Wainy Days" follows
       Wain on an anxious search for love and romance in New York City. These
       shorts will be cast with many of Wain's favorite actors, and the debut
       episode features Elizabeth Banks from "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" (7/31).
 
       "I love the short-form series format," said Wain. "It's a great way to
       explore comic ideas without having to stretch them to feature-film or
       even TV-episode length. At the same time, characters, storylines and
       themes will develop over the course of the episodes, making my work
       utterly unmissable!"
     Additional offerings rounding out the launch of My Damn Channel include
 "Hot Mental Freedom," a video blog for the channel's talent and its fans to
 attack hot issues and topics. Web phenomenon Andy Milonakis, who has
 previously starred in his own MTV series, will debut his own "My Damn
 Channel" in August. Additional talent and syndication partnerships will be
 announced in the coming weeks along with a channel for new and emerging web
 stars.
     My Damn Channel is signing artists to episodic series deals. The
 company is the first to devote major resources to producing original
 promotional spots to fuel branding and destination viewing for its content.
 Promo spots and the unique interactive experience of the My Damn Channel
 brand are created by the firm Big Fat Brain. Promos will run on syndication
 partners, and on a dedicated channel called "PromoSexual." Big Fat Brain
 Creative Directors Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch have garnered multiple Webby
 nominations and broken down conventional marketing models with experiential
 campaigns for companies such as TIBCO and iRobot.
     In creating My Damn Channel, Barnett forged a strategic relationship
 with Okapi Venture Capital, securing an initial round of funding and naming
 Okapi Managing Director B. Marc Averitt to the company's Board of
 Directors. Warren Chao will serve as My Damn Channel's Chief Operating
 Officer. Chao was recently Vice President of Business Development and
 Strategic Planning for Gemstar-TV Guide International, and is a former
 attorney and venture capitalist. Paul Gallagher, a former VH1 executive
 producer of "Behind the Music" and Emmy nominee, has been appointed My Damn
 Channel's Vice President of Production. Vince Thompson will present
 advertising, sponsorship and promotional opportunities along with fellow
 managing partner Mark Chassman from the firm Middleshift. Thompson recently
 pre-sold advertising for the popular web/mobile series "Prom Queen."
     About My Damn Channel
     My Damn Channel is an entertainment studio and new media platform
 created to empower artists to co-produce, distribute and monetize original,
 episodic video content. Programming is created by artists for the My Damn
 Channel site (www.MyDamnChannel.com) and for syndication on today's most
 heavily-trafficked online communities and social networks. My Damn Channel
 gives its artists 100% creative control to develop their own brands and new
 storylines. My Damn Channel produces a diverse array of programming and
 entertainment experiences. The company is supported by an advertising
 revenue model, and by licensing the studio's entire portfolio of content
 across all forms of digital distribution, including online, mobile, VOD and
 DVD.
 
 

SOURCE My Damn Channel