Jake Fogelnest — who in 1994 started a television show from his New York City bedroom when he was fourteen years old (see clip of Joey Ramone interview on SquirtTV) — put his home phone number on the Internet. Now THAT’S compulsive.
The NYC comedy writer, VH1 guest, and radio host has received thousands of calls from fans and former colleagues who are shocked when he answers or calls them back.
Fogelnest, who hosts a daily show on Sirius, also boasts a writing resume that includes VH1, SNL, and MTV. You may well recognize him as a regular commentator on VH1’s I Love The… series.
Here’s his video explanation about the bold move (see him on YouTube here). We can only imagine what happens when the guys from telemarketing firms, Amway and the “Who’s Who” directories get his number, which is 646-484-5323.
I’ve met Jake through Hitviews, and he’s rather humble despite his hefty experience and tight relationships with the “who’s who” of comedy writing (including Adam McCay). Jake’s an easy going cat, except if you miss a deadline for a Hitviews sponsored video.
We’ll be watching this experiment from a comfortably safe distance, especially given the annoying 4 am ‘private-number’ phone call I received this morning (thanks).
If you think you have the worse job in the world, imagine working for Viacom in the public relations group. The organization has decided that, above all else, it must fiercely protect its copyrighted material. A worthy cause when your core asset is not your people, but your family of brands, movies and shows.
But is the legal attack on YouTube (which now appears to invade the privacy of YouTube creators and viewers) worth the fuss? Viacom is becoming the poster child for excess… a noble cause gone mannic like God-honoring terrorists. It’s making Disney look like Kevin MacLeod.
If you haven’t been keeping track, many of the most popular videos on YouTube right now anti-Viacom rants. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could hit the top of the “most rated” section if I shot a video of me pooping… as long as the title was “Viacom Sucks.” Heck- click here for a search on YouTube by the word “Viacom.”
TheReelWeeklyNews has made a whole cause out of calling out Viacom in a series of videos (with a somewhat annoyingly rhythmic speech pattern) that are further catalyzing the YouTube community’s absolute despise of Viacom. See video below.
Even the jaded are aghast. Viacom may have a legal right, but the PR damage will not soon heal. The real question is whether that damage will trickle down to Viacom’s otherwise beloved brands…
We’re talking big names with strong equity: Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, even AtomFilms and AddictingGames.
In the meantime, I’m staying the heck out of it, and making videos of myself pouring candy into my coffee. A cause against Viacom will forge a temporary bond among advocates of privacy and freedom of speech. But it’s fleeting. Like Stephen Covey says about bashing people behind their back… it forms a cheap morter.
I’d avocate that the energy now placed against Viacom (or Scientology for that matter) would be more influential if it was directed to a positive alternative. Kinda like athiesm — being anti-God isn’t really a sustainable position. You gotta be for something else. For athiests, maybe that’s pro-science or pro-intelligence or something. Not really sure. God strikes me as a bit more interesting than science. And while I’m on this tangent, why are athiests always trying to prove God doesn’t exist and force believers to prove He does? I believe in God but if you don’t, it doesn’t really concern me.
So what is that positive alternative to Viacom’s madness? I dunno. I’ll leave that to smarter people. I don’t even know what net neutrality means, so I’ll go penis poke someone.
Remember VH1’s Web Junk, which sometimes didn’t suck? Comedian Patrice Oneal, whose “I don’t give a shit” attitude was the most endearing part of the show, is now making online-video shorts with NYC Studio “For Your Imagination.” The DVD includes such favorites as “Cockfights,” “Last White Man Alive, “Dyke Punching” and “Child Labor.” For more see www.patriceoneal.com.
“The sheer popularity of the web series, and the fact that his fans have been asking for this format, made this DVD release the next logical step in our partnership with Patrice,” said Paul Kontonis, For Your Imagination’s CEO. “Plus there are other ways for a web series to make money without having to wait for a sponsor to write a check.”
“We’ve all been working very hard on this show and I’m happy to have an outlet for all of the things that VH1 wouldn’t let me say,” said Oneal.
