Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Nestle Life Creates Web Series to Promote Product

Nestle’s line of Pure Life has partnered with Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia and has co-created a new online advertisement. It is said to be the first time the brand has used online video to endorse itself. The series was developed through ZO’s branded content unit, Newcast, and with Electus, the production company headed by former NBC Entertainment president Ben Silverman.

The series, called the Nestle Pure Life Hydration series, aired last week on the Web site ModernMom.com. ModernMom, which also helped develop the series, is a site devoted to mothers seeking healthy lifestyle suggestions for families. Subjects include parenting, pregnancy, family, cooking, finances, career, health, wellness, beauty and entertainment. The series will also be showcased on ModernMom's Youtube channel.

The series features nutritionists and others providing tips about raising healthy and well-hydrated kids. The Pure Life products are notably featured in each episode, although the messages more broadly address the health benefits of drinking water (not just Pure Life), as well as other diet and exercise tips.

See more about PureLife

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Will Arnett Promotes DumbDumb

Will Arnett is one half of the branded entertainment production company DumbDumb, which he founded with Jason Bateman back in early 2010. Under that banner, the duo has since produced a handful of original web series with household brand names attached, this includes a selection of Dirty Shorts for Orbitz and a extremely successful celebrity talk show hosted inside your local neighborhood Denny’s dubbed Always Open. The creators of the popular first-person shooter Call of Duty also recently tapped Arnett and Bateman’s DumbDumb to create premium companion programming for the video game’s soon-to-be debuted online entertainment hub.

Check it out and think about the fact Arnett, who’s in a new NBC sitcom along with Christina Applegate and whose cult series Arrested Development is lighting up Google Trends with news of a movie and mini TV run – spent half his time on a cable television talk show talking about his online branded entertainment company instead of any of his current projects.
See what else was written here

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Electus Plans to Launch New Musical Series

Electus continues to pull in exciting new shows to the US market. Already being compared to Glee, The Kitchen Musical is a musical drama set in the restaurant world. It is co-produced by The Group Entertainment, Electus/Engine Distribution and Small World Productions with Electus/Engine Distribution owning distribution rights across all platforms including television, motion picture, and digital.

Silverman, founder and CEO of Electus stated: “We are pleased to add this compelling new seriesto our fast-growing slate of high concept, international programming as The Kitchen Musical has universal appeal that will resonate greatly with the global marketplace.”

Click here to read more from the Hollywood Reporter.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

New Fashion Series “Fashion Star” Partners with Retailers

NBC’s “Fashion Star,” produced by Electus and Magical Elves, recently set its retail partners for its upcoming inaugural season. Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M will all team up with the show this coming fall. The show, which is currently taping, features 14 unknown designers who are vying to win an exclusive capsule line in all three stores. The contestants will be judged by a panel of celebrity mentors, who were announced earlier this month by the network — Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson and John Varvatos.


Nicole Richie has her own jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960, which she launched in late 2008 and later expanded to include shoes and apparel. She also partnered with maternity store Pea in the Pod to do an exclusive maternity line with the retailer. Jessica Simpson started her self-titled collection, featuring shoes and handbags, in 2005. John Varvatos is a leading menswear’s designer who has worked for both Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Elle Macpherson will host.


Each hour-long episode will feature a fashion show where designers will show their work in front of a live audience. The contestant whose design doesn’t get picked up by a retailer will be eliminated.


"Partnering with the world's best retailers will offer audiences an intimate, real-world look into how the fashion industry works and what makes buyers tick," Ben Silverman, CEO and founder of Electus, said.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Electus’ “Mob Wives” Reunion Racks Up the Ratings

“Mob Wives,” produced by Electus, hosted a reunion special on Sunday night and was met with season-high ratings. VH1 aired the special at 8 p.m. and also had an encore airing at 11 p.m. During the 8 p.m. showing, 1.1 million of the viewers were in the age 18-49 demographic. The show garnered 2.7 million viewers for its special, and had an average of 1.33 million total viewers per episode in its first season. Throughout the season, “Mob Wives’” premieres have made VH1 the no. 1 non-sports cable network in the 8 p.m. timeslot with women age 18-34.

Because of its high viewership, VH1 picked up “Mob Wives” for a second season, which will premiere in the fall. The network slated “Mob Wives” for 12 new episodes. “Mob Wives” goes into the lives of four Staten Island women — Renee Graziano, Drita D’Avanzo, Carla Facciolo and Karen Gravano — whose husbands or fathers have been arrested or imprisoned for mob-related activities. Graziano’s father has been charged with mob-related crimes, and her sister is the creator of the show. D’Avanzo’s husband has been imprisoned for crimes relating to narcotics and robbery. Facciolo’s father was the former acting boss of the Lucchese crime family. Gravano’s father was the underboss of the Bambio crime family and also served as a federal informant.

Electus’ “Mob Wives” will return the same four women for its second season.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Electus’ Ben Silverman on Panel at Cannes Lions International Film Festival of Creativity

Ben Silverman, founder and CEO of Electus, served on a panel alongside Robert Redford, founder and president of Sundance Institute and hosted by Ross Levinsohn, executive vice president of Yahoo! Americas at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. At the event, Yahoo! announced its sponsorship of the short program at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, which will take place January 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

At the event, Yahoo! will premiere a host of new short films and allow audience members to vote for a favorite. The award will be presented to the filmmaker at the Short Film Awards party, which will take place sometime during the festival. More details will be released from Yahoo! closer to the event’s date.

During the panel discussion, Electus’ Ben Silverman talked about how important storytelling can be in the entertainment industry, and how this helps create first-class content for viewers.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Mob Wives Going International

Need a substitute for 'Jersey Shore' or Housewives? Try out the new hit series from Electus and VH1, Mob Wives. Only 5 episodes in, it was renewed for a second season and a reunion show. Most recently the show was picked up internationally by over 20 territories including Austrailia and Canada! Ben Silverman's multimedia entertainment studio Electus is responsible for its creation along with Jennifer Graziano and executive produced by Harvey and Bob Weinstein of The Weinstein Company. The show gives you a real look at what it is like to be born into or married into the mob. If you're not convinced, watch the trailer from VH1 for yourself:
http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/634349/mob-wives-super-tease.jhtml#id=1660352

Thursday, May 26, 2011

“Mob Wives” Gets Second Season

Electus’ hit “Mob Wives” has proved its staying power: VH1’s Jeff Olde has announced the show will be renewed for a second season. High viewing numbers encouraged the network to continue its programming, after the show averaged 1.3 million viewers during its first five weeks on air.

“Our viewers have connected passionately with these women and their unique, authentic stories in the realms of pop culture and music,” Olde said to Gather.com. “We’re very happy to be able to continue these storylines.”

The show follows the lives of four women who run their households while their husbands or fathers are focused on the Mob. The main characters are all friends who live in New York’s Staten Island. “Mob Wives” is produced by The Weinstein Company, Electus studios, JustJenn Productions and Left/Right. Alongside Olde, the show’s executive producers include Shelly Tatro, Kari McFarland and Rick Hankey.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

DumbDumb Co-Founder to Star in New NBC Comedy

This year’s TV upfront week revealed a new project in the works for actor Will Arnett, a co-founder of DumbDumb, an Electus partner. The announcement came from NBC, the network with one of the most anticipated lineups. In “Up All Night,” Arnett will play a stay-at-home husband to Christina Applegate, who also serves as one of the show’s producers, alongside “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels and writer Emily Spivey. Maya Rudolph, another familiar face from “Saturday Night Live” who is most recently known from “Bridesmaids,” will also star in the pilot, as Applegate’s best friend and boss.

The show will mark Applegate’s return to television, two years after “Samantha Who?” was cancelled. Since then, the actress has appeared in movies including “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” “Going the Distance,” and “Hall Pass.”

Arnett will also guest-star on the season finale of “The Office” tonight, which will be Steve Carell’s last show. As the season closes and we bid Carell adieu, we assure you there’s more to come from Electus, so stay tuned!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Amy Poehler Stars in Electus' and DumbDumb’s Latest Project

Mediabistro seems to have taken to DumbDumb (a partner of Electus) and its latest project involving a string of A-list comedians and Denny’s restaurant chain. Both Tonya Garcia and Kiran Aditham have written about the most recent video to come from the project, the “Always Open” web series hosted by David Koechner. The video at hand features Amy Poehler, the hilarious star of “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation.” Over breakfast, she and Koechner chat about life and work, and it seems like Poehler gets a little creeped out by the overeager host. He calls her his “little sister” more than once and is a bit too hands-on for the comedian to handle. She shakes his hand off of her shoulder, but as always, Poehler remains a good sport.

Poehler is one of a handful of comedians who have made appearances in the web series, including Sarah Silverman, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett—who also happens to be her husband. The next episode will feature Kristin Bell, and we can’t wait to see what DumbDumb and Electus have in store for us for that one!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Electus’ Jordan Hoffner Speaks at Variety Summit

Variety’s Entertainment & Technology Summit was held on May 2, and among the renowned industry executives who were chosen as speakers was Jordan Hoffner, President of Digital at Electus. The summit’s panels explore recent buzz topics in the entertainment industry, including social networking popularity, exploding mobile platforms and new distribution strategies.

After the event, Variety spoke to Hoffner about the evolution of consumers purchasing and storing digital content for access by any digital device. He explained to the publication that “profits tend to flow more in the direction of platform owners like Facebook or YouTube than to the content creators who utilize the platforms.”

“The reality in digital is that it’s the platform that makes the most money,” he said.

Speakers who joined Hoffner include Steve Mosko, President of Sony Pictures Television; Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution; Robert Kyncl, Global Head of Film and TV at Google; and director and producer Eli Roth.

At Electus, Hoffner oversees all content and distribution deals in the digital market. Before working with the company, he was the director of content partnerships at YouTube.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Electus Helps Grow Profits for Barry Diller’s IAC

Barry Diller’s Internet company IAC, which includes the multimedia production studio Electus, has jumped 22 percent in revenue, reaching an $18.1 million first-quarter profit. IAC’s “media and other” segment also includes CollegeHumor, a stake in Newsweek Daily Beast and production firm Notional. The company also operates more than 50 Web sites. Along with Electus, it was these companies that helped grow IAC’s revenue 13 percent to $54.3 million.

The $18.1 million profit is especially notable when you compare it with IAC’s year-ago loss of $18.7 million. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Diller said that he expects the value of a recent extension of a deal with Google to reach $5.5 billion, compared with the original revenue estimate of $3.5 billion. The extended deal with Google will run through March 21, 2016.

As for Newsweek Daily Beast, Diller said it’s too soon to tell about the possibility of future synergies, but that the Daily Beast does help to sell Newsweek’s print magazine. Diller was previously head of Paramount Pictures, Fox Broadcasting and USA Broadcasting. He started IAC in August 2008.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

"Always Open" Campaign Rakes in Hits

Since Electus and DumbDumb’s successful launch of the “Always Open” web series for Denny’s restaurant chain, the hilarious videos have seen a spike in viewers and plenty of positive feedback. A recent article from SHOOT Online discussed how Electus is an example of how the industry can explore and employ various possibilities for connecting brands.

The publication talked to one of the recent stars from the web series, funnyman Will Arnett, about the link between brands and entertainment, and the possibility of eventually creating a motion picture.

"Absolutely the potential is there for that kind of feature-length project,” he said. “That’s the direction it’s going in. For years, brands have participated in this town, in movies, in television. They’ve put dollars into budgets, served as partners. We’re all figuring out more and more how to do this and it might increasingly cut out the middle man. If you can talk to a brand directly and gain an understanding of what they’re trying to do, who they’re trying to reach, you can develop the appropriate content. We’ll try to address this, going to a brand and saying, ‘We think this piece of content will reach the audience you’re trying to reach.’”

The web series focuses on the conversations between host David Koechner and an actor—usually a comedian like Arnett or Sarah Silverman—have over pancakes in a Denny’s booth. Each video is three minutes long and can be viewed on Denny’s YouTube channel.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

THR Announces Annual List of Reality Stars

The Hollywood Reporter just published their 2011 Reality TV Power List, comprised of all the stars the publication calls "the top players in the lucrative world of reality programming." Tony DiSanto, who's worked with Electus, made the "Five to Watch" section of the list, alongside Loretha Jones, Bethenny Frankel, Lisa Erspamer and Bert Salke, all honorable mentions who are likely choices for next year's main list.

DiSanto partnered with Electus for the creation of a studio and production company called DiGa, which is releasing a series for Jill Martin, the author of "Fashion for Dummies," as well as three other series with Jackhole Industries. DiSanto is co-owner of DiGa with Liz Gateley. Before, DiSanto worked as the President of Programming at MTV, a position he left in January. During his time at MTV, he helped introduce several popular reality shows, including "Teen Mom," "16 and Pregnant" and "Jersey Shore."

Thursday, April 7, 2011

New Campaign Helps Denny's Reel in Hipsters

Looks like DumbDumb and Ben Silverman were right on the money when they launched a new campaign for Denny's, the popular pancake restaurant that previously catered to a mostly older demographic. The "Always Open" campaign includes a comedic web series starring Jason Bateman, Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett and more. Over plates of flapjacks in a real Denny's booth, the comedians chat with host David Koechner.

Since the online shorts launched on March 9, the company has noticed a rise in younger customers, and its BrandIndex Impression score has risen from 6.2 to 25.4. To bring the videos to life, Denny's partnered with Electus, Ben Silverman's multimedia studio, and DumbDumb for digital content and production. The BrandIndex scores from YouGov reveal a changing attitude toward the Denny's brand, most noticeably in the 18-34 year-old demographic.

The lineup of respected comedians in the shorts is likely the winning factor that's getting the attention of hipsters. The increase of approval from a younger generation doesn't mean the baby boomers-- who were thought to make up the majority of the restaurant's customers-- are stepping aside. Young or old, there will be enough flapjacks for everyone.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Partnership Between Yahoo And Electus Beginning Of New Trend Towards Original Online Content

Online companies like AOL, Yahoo, and Netflix increasingly challenge traditional broadcasters. They focus on producing original video content in order to capture audience’s attention and to surpass traditional forms of entertainment. Success is visible in numbers, which gives companies reason to further pursue shows with original online content. Yahoo for example has taken part in an increasing number of various activities, including partnerships with Electus and State Farm. This collaboration with Ben Silverman’s next generation studio Electus led to an online program called “Ready, Set, Dance!” Since the new original dance competition series Yahoo has announced the start of ‘Breakout,’ a regular service on its Finance channel.

According to Erin McPherson, Yahoo's head of video programming and originals, Yahoo wants “to be disruptive.” She further explained that her “hope is that we get to the point that we're a first window for content." Many others in the industry share McPherson’s positive attitude. Les Morgenstein, chief executive of Alloy Entertainment is convinced the web provides a large number of opportunities. "There are a lot of TV creators who have had success and not ownership," he explained.

Click here to view the original article on Electus.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Eisner Is New Member Of IAC Board

Michael Eisner was elected to IAC’s board of directors, increasing the total number of board members to 13. He is joining the company due to a recent urge and push to concentrate more on content. The e-commerce firm has been very successful in its digital partnership with Ben Silverman and his next generation studio Electus. The partnership agreed to a deal with AOL, in which a web series was developed to be streamed on AOL’s website. The morning show Electus produced is called the “AOL Daybreak” and forms only the beginning of future digital partnerships focusing on content.

Eisner’s Election is a unification of him and IAC CEO Barry Diller. Eisner began his career when he was hired by Diller to work for ABC. Afterwards Eisner joined Diller, who decided to leave ABC and run Paramount in 1974. In addition to working together for many years and gathering experience running some of the most well-known businesses Eisner also made a name for himself when he served as Walt Disney’s CEO for twenty-one years from 1984 until 2005. Eisner’s Viguru studio was able to develop scripted series for the Web and recording another partnership with AOL through its aggressive approach.

Click here to view the original article on IAC and Electus.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Partnership Between Electus And DumbDumb Brings Out Denny’s ‘Always Open’ Series

Ben Silverman’s next generation multimedia studio Electus has partnered with Will Arnett and Jason Bateman’s digital content studio DumbDumb to come out with a new web series for the restaurant chain Denny’s. The web series with original content will carry the title “Always Open” to refer to the opening hours and welcoming nature of the restaurant. As part of Barry Diller’s IAC, Electus has chosen to extend Denny’s nationwide campaign developed by Interpublic Group's advertising agency Gotham. All episodes of the web series will take place in an operating Denny’s restaurant and will feature David Koechner of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" interviewing other TV and movie stars as well as casual diners and Denny’s employees. It will be distributed on various websites including Denny's.com, CollegeHumor.com, Facebook, YouTube as well as other social platforms.

Both parties express their excitement of this new venture. Executive vice president of advertising solutions of Electus, Laura Caraccioli-Davis, explained "As one of America's most iconic brands, we are excited to team up with Denny's to not only create great content, but to help the brand express its values and personality to a broad audience -- and to truly enhance its presence nationwide." Chief creative officer at Gotham, Marty Orzio, added "when we created the 'always open' brand platform for Denny's, we did it with every intention of spreading that message across all media platforms."

Click here to view the original article describing the product of the partnership between Electus and DumbDumb.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Armstrong Revitalizing AOL

Tim Armstrong, who has been the new CEO of AOL for two years, is attempting to revitalize AOL by taking on board different shows and partnering with stars and experts such as Queen Latifah and Ben Silverman, Electus CEO, respectively. Armstrong is planning to use creativity and original content to target and master the next era of the Internet. "The first phase of the Internet was about access, and I believe AOL was the biggest player in that phase. Then the next phase has really been about the platform, so you've seen Apple, Google and Facebook there," he explains. "But the phase after this is going to be more of the Hollywood phase, where it's about content, creativity and really putting a human face on the Internet."

Part of this effort and direction includes employing Queen Latifah as the new host of a sports-themed talk show for women. She will star as well as produce in the web series, covering topics on entrepreneurialism, entertainment and sports. The co-founder of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, will oversee all these new plans. Latifah is excited about the opportunity and praises AOL for its ideas and commitment to target them and put them into action. "It's great having a company that's supportive of doing the same kinds of things and looking to the future, as opposed to trying to hold on to how things were in the past," she said.

Click here to view the original article on AOL, Latifah and Silverman.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Starz and Electus planning on new series

Pay-cable channel Starz is looking at broadening the width of its range. A few of the shows it is working on are about Marco Polo and William the Conqueror with Ben Silverman’s production company Electus. These shows are going to be accompanied by ‘Magic City,” Boss,” and “Le Morte d’Arthur.” On February 25th the program is going to preview its first episode of the drama “Camelot” in hopes of challenging competitors Showtime and HBO with original programs. The dark magic and by issues of monarchy filled series is going to be Chief Executive and President Chris Albrecht’s first since he left HBO.

Mr. Albrecht explains it is essential for shows to look and feel different to what is offered by regular TV channels. Only this added benefit is going to make them pay the approximate $15 more each month instead of sticking with other cable providers. Camelot, to him, is a larger-than-life epic. It will not focus on the extensive battle scenes but instead ensure its costumes, landscapes and main actress Morgan Le Fay is going to make up for anything that might sound missing. "Those epic battle scenes of thousands of warriors moving together, that never pays off when you actually make it," said Craig Cegielski, executive producer and president of production house GK-TV, "We don't have the magic of a 40-foot screen."

Click here to view the original article on Ben Silverman and Starz.

DumbDumb and Energy BBDO take home Golden Pencil

It is only the beginning of the awards season but already producers have taken home their first trophies. Energy BBDO, and Will Arnett and Jason Bateman from DumbDumb won Gold at One Show Entertainment with its “Dirty Shorts” campaign for Orbit. The Gold Pencil at the One Show Entertainment Awards ceremony took place in the beginning of the week in Los Angeles and honored the best merger between entertainment and brands. “Dirty Shorts” was created in a partnership between Energy BBDO and DumbDumb, a digital production and content studio, backed by Ben Silverman's digital entertainment studio, Electus.

The series is a compilation of original branded short films with “the Dancer” and “The Prom Date” being the highlights. In “The Dancer” Bateman dresses up as a drag queen that hands out Orbit in order to clean up dirty minds of the strip club’s customers and attendants. Since its initial introduction the Orbit films have received 2.7 million views. Dan Fietsam, chief creative officer at Energy BBDO, spoke about his perception of the honor at the festival. "We see this honor as a testament to innovative energy, creative ambition and lots of "what's possible thinking," he said.

Click here to view the original article on the Gold Pencil and DumbDumb.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Adaptation Of My Life As An Expert Part Of Four New Sitcoms

It is time for new TV shows and NBC has high ambitions for its new four sitcoms such as one based on the book Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler. In addition Electus CEO Ben Silverman and Jack Black are working on a screen adaptation of My Life as an Expert, which is supposed to present an alternative look at life. The sitcom is going to be complimented by two more shows, of which one of them is based around Whitney Cummings who can be seen regularly on Handler’s late night show. The last one of the bunch is going to be a workplace comedy.

Brave New World is the work of Peter Tolan, who is known through the Larry Sanders Show. It is going to take place in the theme park called Pilgrim Village and will refer back to an old time view. With this last addition NBC is hoping to continue its success with its Thursday night line-up and further captivate spectators with unconventional and funny shows and sitcoms. Its track record has been very successful, as The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock we audience favorites.

Click here to view the original article.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Silverman and Friedman see future of branded content in TV and entertainment

NATPE board member Robert Friedman and Electus CEO Ben Silverman agree on the future of branded content. After Ben Silverman spoke about the topic in a chat session at the beginning of the week, Friedman backed up his expectations. Branded content is not only going to be the future for the TV business but it will also play a large role for entertainment in general. "My feeling is that the only two parties left that are spending any money are the consumer and the advertiser," Friedman stated. According to his predictions, content producers are going to have to work closely with their advertisers.

This would further require the proactive cooperation of the distributor, the producer, and the advertiser. “Those who do that will win," he said. "There's just not enough money out there anymore.” For that matter NATPE established the themes for this year at its conference on Tuesday at the beginning of the week. These will include a strong focus on branded content, the potential of the international market, and digital distribution. Throughout the confab at least two of the three themes were part of every conversation.

Click here to view the original article on branded content expectations of the Electus CEO and NATPE board member.

Silverman Will Play A Big Role In Network

Electus CEO, Ben Silverman, is going to play a big role in Bob Greenblatt’s plans for the revival of the Peacock Network. The new chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment is thinking about pushing the boundaries of broadcast television because he wants to make I more edgy and less mainstream. Greenblatt is known through his shows “Dexter,” “The Tudors,” and “The L Word” as well as through the making Showtime a pay-TV powerhouse. Even though the more conservative Comcast will soon be NBC’s parent he is not slowing down his intentions for taking his company to another level.

Greenblatt is going to utilize Ben Silverman's next generation studio Electus, which is backed by Barry Diller and which was behind the show “The Tudors.” The risky show covers exactly what he is looking for and will, next to programming that will include touches on lesbian and gay themes as well as sexual situations. Steve Burke, NBC Universal’s new CEO, is confident in Greenblatt’s capabilities and trusts that he knows what he is doing. "Bob's got the ball. We support him 100 percent," came from a source that knows Burke’s attitude, approach and thinking about the new direction.

Click here to view the original article on Ben Silverman's Electus.

Ben Silverman Speaks On Panel About Facebook As Marketing Tool

Ben Silverman, CEO of next generation studio Electus, spoke on the panel at a NATPE event about the functionality of Facebook as a marketing tool. Silverman explained that it is crucial to implement a Hollywood-Madison Avenue-Silicon Valley shuttle system in order to take full advantage of new platforms. The large amount of Facebook applications is another reason for why it is a great instrument to bring programmers and producers together.

During his statement Ben Silverman referred back to a Facebook initiative, which Electus created in a partnership with Subway during the fall of last year. The Subway “High School Heroes” program asked users to nominate students, classmates, professors and other people from their high schools whom they thought were stars without having received enough recognition. Visitors of the Subway Facebook page were then able to vote for who they believed should be the next ‘High School Hero’. He explained that it was challenging to understand Facebook functionality when taking the approach and view point of a program developer. He stresses that this social networking platform as well as IPTV will require producers and programmers to further improve their cooperation so that they can work together even closer in the future.

Click here to view the original article on Ben Silverman and Electus.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Weinstein Co. Partners With Electus Amid TV Push

Ben Silverman, founder of multi-platform production firm Electus, housed at Barry Diller’s IAC, recently teamed up on four shows with Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s company, which is planning to spend more than $10 million annually on TV productions. The company went through debt restructuring last summer and now has approximately 15 shows in development. Eight of these are planned to go on air by the end of 2011. Former co-resident of production at Miramax, Meryl Poster, was hired to be in charge of the TV business. Harvey Weinstein explained that thanks to restructuring they have positive cash flow again. "We can't go back, but we can reboot, and that's what we're doing. I think these shows can create some stability for the company and have the potential to be cash cows."

Projects they are currently working on are showing success, such as his current partnership with Silverman on The Marco Polo series, which has received offers from several cable networks. Silverman points out why he is so fond of Weinstein and their commitment. "Harvey and his company are willing to do the hard work to promote TV shows and really market them to create a platform around them, all of which I found very attractive in this crowded marketplace," he explained in a statement.

Click here to view the original article.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Ben Silverman looks for staff for recently purchased Engine Distribution

Ben Silverman purchased the international distribution company Electus/Engine Distribution earlier this week and is not planning on making this international TV purchase his last. Electus CEO Silverman has a new global distribution division in mind, which will have offices in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. Chris Philip from Engine Entertainment will become the president and will be responsible of running the overseas offices. Engine COO Chris Moreton is going to be Engine’s executive vice president and will assist Philip in managing the offices.

Silverman stated that he is still looking to staff the company with sales personnel. "We have some great people in place but we're potentially looking for one more person in the mix," he explained. He further pointed out that Electus would continue targeting partnerships with international distributors and producers. Partnerships in the past have been with IAC sister companies College Humor and Notional, run by Ricky Van Veen, Israeli producer Abbot Reif Hameiri, US reality producers 5x5 Media, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett's DumbDumb, and Tony DiSanto and Liz Gateley's DiGa.

"We've been working in a surgical and strategic way with College Humor and Notional and DiGa," Silverman stated. "We're going to continue to bring in partners."


Click here to view the original article.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Levisohn and Electus speak on panel about studios and a necessary “balanced marketplace”

Chief digital executive at Fox Filmed Entertainment, Pete Levinsohn, was present at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to discuss and give his point of view on the state of digital entertainment. According to his judgment, the content conversation - as it connects with digital – is not advancing very quickly. This even stayed unaffected as executives such as Levinsohn began to examine the latest smart TVs and tablets.

Levinsohn explained on a panel that the studios need to maintain a "balanced marketplace" to compete with the continuously growing digital giants. He was not the only one that commented on what the necessary steps for studios look like, as Jordan Hoffner of next generation studio Electus, Disney's Bob Chapek, and several other digital and home entertainment experts spoke at the panel.

Click here to view the original article.