eric rochow : social media handyman

Bob Tedeschi writes in today’s NY Times about how online video creators like myself are being courted by websites who want these creator’s video content on their sites.

I can attest its a bit weird, and flattering to say the least.

No one would mistake the Ask a Jew guy for Lonelygirl15, but these days YouTube contributor Shmuel Tennenhaus is feeling like a hot commodity.

Mr. Tennenhaus, an aspiring comedy writer who gained a modest following on YouTube for his droll question-and-answer clips and other spots featuring his grandmother “Bubby,” is being wooed by the site’s competitors, including Metacafe, ManiaTV and others, with promises of guaranteed exposure, a share of advertising money, or both.

“It’s all very odd,” said Mr. Tennenhaus, speaking from Hallandale, Fla. His YouTube channel, Oneparkave, has logged roughly 32,000 visits and a few hundred subscribers since last fall. “My parents say I’m special, but I can’t imagine I’m the only guy they’re contacting.”

They are contacting me as well. I was at the NY internet video meetup, and someone from a web video startup walks up to me and says, “Hi, I came here specifically to meet you” ( I had RSVPd on meetup.com ) wow.