ControlTV: Best Entertainment on the web

Greetings one and all. You've probably noticed that I have not blogged for some time. I used to blog fairly often when If I Can Dream (IICD) was running. Sort of taken a break since the demise of IICD. That is the subject of an entirely different blog to come.

I wanted to hold off on blogging on the new web-based series, ControlTV, until it was near the end of their six week run. I guess I just wanted to make sure that they stuck around for the entire six weeks. Many of us IICD viewers were stunned when IICD just up and stopped the feed without warning. I now know I can offer my view of what I have part a part of for the last six weeks. Six weeks is along time to hold my interest. As a part of the entertainment business, I am very selective in what I watch. So, for me to watch anything, continuously, over six weeks, had to be entertaining.Plus, I found the interactive part of ControlTV very appealing. We had a little taste of that with IICD. ControlTV went far beyond anything that IICD did.

Our star (and yes, I consider Tristan Couvares a star) started out a little rocky. As I watched, I found the premise of the show very appealing and different from anything I had seen on the web. I was not sure what the appeal was at first. I had just learned (yes, at age 52, I can still learn something new)Twitter while watching IICD. So, I plugged in ControlTV to my TweetDeck and proceeded to have the time of my life. I found myself watching at home and at work. In fact, I have configured my laptop to boot up to TweetDeck and IE with ControlTV as the home page.

The interactivity just just didn't stop at the use of Twitter. Tristan actively participated in one on one responses with viewers. We offered our options and Tristan honestly told us his thoughts. Dream Updates, who had offered updates on IICD, now did updates on Tristan and his activities. I found myself making Dream Updates as part of my morning routine. Dream Updates also offered a fully interactive chat room for us "Controllers". That also became a part of my daily routine. I eagerly looked forward to participating in the up front, straight forward conversations with other viewers, Tristan, guests, and the production staff. At first, Tristan didn't come into chat much. Toward the end, Tristan has made the chat room a nightly activity.

I will first tell you that I know that I could not have done the job that Tristan has done in the "loft". I am a behind the scenes guy in production. I do not like being in front of the camera. I also highly value my privacy. I can't imagine the psychological effect that those cameras would have. Tristan, buddy, you have done well to tolerate our invasion to your personal privacy. I admire you for signing up for this kind of constant coverage. Plus, the constant picking apart of of your decisions. Well, I know I would not have handled that very well.

We have seen Tristan on dates, at parties, possible job opportunities, nights on the town, and evenings with his friends at the loft. All under our, The Controllers, contact watching and comments. Again, we have been afforded the chance to see life in Hollywood. It isn't as easy as it looks.

In addition to all the activities, we have seen a large step forward in the technology used to broadcast (not sure that is the right term)a project like this. As a geek, and yes, Jen Friel, a nerd too, I am excited to see this technology used for a new form of entertainment. Everyone involved in the technical operation of the project has far exceeded anything I have seen on the web. You all can be extremely proud of the job you have done. You have set the standard for all other web shows to follow. I was very happy to finally see someone get mobile (in the Fiesta) video as good as they have done. I realise that the tech side of a production offer goes uncredited and unthanked for what they do. Again, all of you should be proud at what you have accomplished.

I also managed to get myself, and my personal life, tied up into the daily interactivity. It was fun to be able to share special times with all The Controllers, Tristan, and the production staff. I received a lot of personal encouragement for everyone. I can't tell you how that made me feel. I truly felt like a member of the ControlTV "family".

I also assisted Anders in producing a weekly half hour PodCast on the activities of ControlTV. We got the opportunity to talk to Jen Friel, Marni Battista, and Maurya Couvares. They allowed us to get a glimpse of what it was like to be involved in this tend setting project. Thank you for giving me that opportunity.

Now they are at their end of this six week experiment. Have they accomplished what they set out to do? Well, if it was to entertain, they did accomplish that. I have laughed, cried, yelled, giggled, and talked to (might need a little therapy) the monitor on many occasions. Both Alina and I have found ourselves fully engrossed with ControlTV. I also believe they set out to educate both Tristan, and us, of what life is like in the entertainment field. They surpassed my expectations.

So, in closing, I would like to thank Tristan. I hope you find your path through what you have learned during this past six weeks. Doug, Ryan, Matt, Seth, Ken, Orlan, Corey, Marco, Kristan, Kimberly, Shayna, Shara, and to anyone I might have forgot, thank you for keeping my life exciting. You all have done an excellent job. We all certainly expect to see good things out of all of you. If can ever help, any of you, just ask.