EnTrends [ahn-trends]

Taking a Look at How Modern Entrepreneurs Work & Live!

Original Article: http://www.entrends.com/woodythompson.htm

One of our favorite interviewees from the past, Woody Thompson, has since made the move from the East Coast to the West Coast, and was kind enought to give us an update on his latest ventures, in his own words:

Q: You started "Pop-Up Video," and your business venture in your late twenties. Now that it has been 14 years since the show premiered, how have you evolved as a person, as entrepreneur?

A: “Pop-Up Video,” was the first show I'd ever created, so the learning curve was immense and the onslaught of press and attention was overwhelming. Needless to say, it has been humbling to have produced hundreds of hours of, what I consider to be great TV, in the past 14 years, and never been asked to be on any "it" lists or fielding any calls from Oprah, since.

In 14 years, I have grown my shop from one show, with one client, to a full-service production company that creates content for TV, the web, phones, iPads, jumbotrons, gas stations and supermarkets. Depending on the day, I employ anywhere from 20 to 100 people and provide hourly, daily, weekly and monthly content for over 25 clients. I have evolved from an idea guy to a businessman, but "Pop-Up Video" is still the starting point for 90 percent of my business relations and notoriety.

Q: Do you make decisions differently now days, and pursue different business ventures, than you did back then?

A: The business of content is completely different now. We researched "Pop-Up Video" by calling directors and artists at home, on their home phones. It took forever to get them to call you back. I had interns doing research at the library and we had to order music videos from the VH1 library a few days in advance in order to screen them. Then we had to return them within three days or we got fined.

Today, I could do that same research in an hour. Seventy-five percent of my business is on the web. I make daily shows and weekly shows for MSN, Yahoo! and Google. I have formed production partnerships with huge international production entities like Shine, Endemol and Electus, and I also create my own content that I own and distribute on my own. Whether it's iPhone apps or a web series, that was impossible to do 10 years ago.

Q: Does Eyeboogie still have a working relationship with VH1? If so, how has it evolved?

A: I have a new show that will premiere on VH1 this October that is a web cam dance competition show. So yes, I still have a relationship with them, but the people who bought and oversaw "Pop-Up Video" have all gone on to much greener pastures. In fact, the execs in charge of "Pop-Up Video" were Jane Lipsitz (owner of Magical Elves, who created "Project Runway," "Top Chef..."), Lauren Zalaznick (President of Women and & Lifestyles at NBC Universal), and Jeff Gaspin (head of all NBC cable groups). A not so shabby club.

Q: You told us ten years ago that you had a number of projects planned for the future. Which of these, if any, did you pursue and how did they turn out?

1. Dating and pageant shows pitched in the U.K. And L.A.:

A: I have a web cam bedroom beauty pageant I'm still trying to sell.

2. Sandwich spread:

A: Must-O-Maze: Still in development, but as delicious and necessary as ever.

3. Interactive wireless program for teens:

A: We have shows in development at Xbox, and we have something called the Freakbox, that is a mobile video booth that allows kids to enter talent contests, send messages to friends, or just get their freak on, at a mall or concert, or on a street corner, and it uploads instantly to the web.

4. Helicopter commuting service:

A: Ummm...It was really hard to raise the $26 million I needed to buy the first one, so it, uh, went away – but still a great idea.

5. Solution to the NY City public restroom crisis:

A: My NYPee is available for venture funding any time. Great idea, but since I moved to L.A. in 2003, I haven't walked more than 500 yards in years.

Q: What is your current company working on?

A: You can check out my company website for updates on all our ventures: 

http://www.eyeboogie.com  

Check out our daily shows as well:

http://tv.msn.com/last-night-on-tv/ http://surfreport.msn.com/ http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/  

Q: What are your future goals and ambitions today?

A: I want to continue to create innovative programming that is slightly ahead of the curve. The goal is to go from creating and producing for others, to creating and producing for myself. Every brand, every store, everybody, has the capability now to be their own 24/7 network. We have only just begun the video revolution, as every phone becomes a more and more sophisticated video camera. We will all communicate through video within the next five to ten years. I want to be on the forefront of taking that video and making it entertaining to a broad audience, just like I did with music videos, back in the day.

Q: Do you think any of your future endeavors will be as popular as "Pop-Up Video," or just different and meaningful in other ways?

A: It's weird to think that my daily show for Yahoo!(Who Knew) is seen by more people in a stretch of four hours, than an entire season of "Pop-Up Video" ever was, and yet, no one has ever asked me about it - and Oprah has yet to call. So, in terms of popularity, it's relative.

Q: How has your lifestyle changed personally in the last 10 years?

A: Same chinos, same sneakers. Still get my haircut three times a year. The big difference is that I now have three boys to wrestle with at night and we live in L.A., which means I have a nice pair of sunglasses and I can buy toilet paper and toothpaste through a drive-thru window.