Amateur Video Maker Snuck Into Hulu’s Gated Garden

I was on Hulu this morning looking for the classic Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken “Need More Cowbell” skit. I felt tricked when I was taken to “Funny or Die,” where I found amateur content. Then I got curious about how an amateur got on Hulu.

Sure enough two of my videos snuck onto Hulu via my Funny or Die profile (the site allows consumer upload). I can’t seem to figure out how it happened, but it’s certainly worth understanding.

Like many, I’d love to have my content on Hulu… GIven that option, I’d probably selectively upload “common denominator” humor videos,  or those from my YouTube “best of Nalts” playlist. I actually post many of my videos exclusively to YouTube. But if it’s a funny prank, I use Tubemogul to upload to a variety of sites. Sadly, Funny or Die is not one of them… so I often let my profile on that site languish.

Although I doubt Hulu will soon revenue share with amateurs like YouTube, it would nice to be there to find a different audience. That said, as a user I’d want to have the option to filter searches by pro/amateur content to simplify results. And I doubt my videos would be popular on Hulu because the audience has different expectations than those of us that migrate to YouTube to get away from television and enjoy short bursts of video with the ability to share and communicate with creators.