100,000 Fans Vote to Air Indie Horror Film on MTV 2

Do you want to be the Master of Your Own Destiny? Well, too bad, but — judging by a recent campaign by MTV — you can increasingly have more control over what you watch, thanks to social media.

Savage County is not a big, mainstream horror film, but due to a campaign from MTV and Eventful, the movie (which was directed by David Harris) will now be airing on a mainstream network (MTV 2) on October 7.

How did this come to be? The deal was this: If 100,000 people “demanded” to see the film (via the Eventful’s “Demand It!” feature) it would air on MTV. If not, well, the film was formatted to function either as feature or in chapters, so it would have merely appeared on digital channels. On top of MTV 2, it will appear on MTV.com, Comcast VOD, and many other places like Playstation Network, Xbox, iTunes, DVD and Amazon.

According to MTV, the film reached the 100,000 mark in less than a month and a half (the Eventful campaign launch on August 10). According to David Gale, executive vice president of MTV’s new media division, this is only the beginning of the campaign.

Today MTV is launching a digital comic book, which will function as a prequel to the film, on Comic Book Resources. They also commissioned NYC artist Vincent Castiglia to create a painting for the film (in his own blood… shudder) and gave 10 prints away as prizes via horror news site Bloody Disgusting.

And that’s not all, there are also currently five trailers for the flick — which tells the tale of a group of teens who have a terrifying run-in with the mysterious Hardell family — as well as a transmedia project called The Savage Country Gazette, which is basically a newspaper from the town featured in the film’s title (think that website that launched to generate buzz for The Blair Witch Project). “Watching a movie doesn’t have to be a sit back, lean back experience,” Gale says, referring to the interactive nature of the website.

According to Gale, the network is working on getting the word out at a low cost while also reaching fans where they’re likely to be. “We had to build a fanbase in advance,” Gale says. And, judging by the 100,000 people who want to see the film, Gale and MTV have succeeded.

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Savage County Official Trailer from Savage County on Vimeo.

Regardless of the merit of said film (you can check out the trailer above and come to your own conclusions), the social media campaign surrounding it is certainly part of an interesting tradition. First, there’s the idea of letting fans decide what they want to watch. Last year, the show Chuck scored a third season thanks to the social media efforts of fans, and, back in October, Paramount used Eventful to successfully lobby for the wide-release of indie horror flick, Paranormal Activity.

The campaign also dovetails nicely with cinema’s recent trend of getting folks where they live — remember that whole The Last Exorcism on Chatroulette thing? (Incidentally, anyone else noticing a trend here? Horror films using social media to gain a foothold and generate buzz. But that’s a post for another day.)

If you place content in a place where it doesn’t seem too blatantly promotional — i.e. give viewers experience and content versus telling them to watch something — people will be more apt to listen.

What do you think of MTV’s campaign? Will you watch Savage County?

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Reviews: Eventful, Vimeo

More About: Film, MARKETING, mtv, pop culture, video, web video

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Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit Recap & Complete Videos

Mashable and 92Y Social Good Summit in partnership with the UN Foundation brought together leaders in social good on Monday to explore the most inspirational, promising and effective ways in which new media can help address the world’s challenges. We want to thank everyone who participated in the event and made it possible.

The Social Good Summit, one of the few public events being held during UN Week, was all about solutions. Every speaker, from (RED) CEO Susan Smith Ellis to Jumo Founder Chris Hughes, explained how digital media and innovative ideas can combine to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the UN’s framework for creating a safer and healthier world for us all.

For everyone who didn’t make the event or watch it live, thanks to Livestream, we have all the videos below in chronological order for presentation. Included are links to the some of news coverage surrounding the announcements made during the event. We’d also love any feedback about how we can make the event better in the future. We’re continuing our series of events during UN Week with the Digital Media Lounge, which is also being streamed live during the week. Also, for more UN Week coverage, visit our Social Good channel or UNWeekMedia.com

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Livestream Videos of Speakers

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Opening Keynote from Susan Smith Ellis, CEO of (RED)
(RED) CEO Susan Smith Ellis took to the stage to announce the organization’s goal of using social media to help ensure that no child is born with HIV/AIDS by 2015. Ellis also announced the first ever Social Good Day in partnership with Mashable.

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Malaria and Social Media
Ray Chambers, special envoy of the secretary-general for Malaria, talks about the fight to end malaria and the role of social media in helping to achieve its end. In fact, social media helped 174 million people get the message about malaria.

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A Conversation with Geena Davis and Soledad O’Brien
Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actor and founder, See Jane, in conversation with Soledad O’Brien, anchor and special correspondent, CNN/US.

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Harnessing the Social Web for Social Good
Adam Conner, associate manager of Public Policy at Facebook, talks about how Facebook and the social web can be harnessed for social good.

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How Sesame Street Is Changing Our World
A conversation with Sherri Rollins Westin, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Sesame Workshop, and Kami from Takalani Sesame.

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MTV CEO Judy McGrath: Activating Millennials for Social Good
Judy McGrath, CEO of MTV Networks, overseeing MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and VH1 among other media brands, interviewed by Elizabeth Gore, executive director, Global Partnerships, United Nations Foundation.

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Howard W. Buffett: Preserving Humanity in the Age of Technology
Howard W. Buffett, director of Agriculture Development, U.S. Department of Defense shares a moving story and talks about the human elements that drive innovation.

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Digital Youth and the Social Good: Opportunities and Challenges
Carrie James, research director, Project Zero, Harvard University talks about how young people use social media and the untapped opportunity it presents.

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Johnson & Johnson’s Commitment to Women and Children through mHealth
Sharon D’Agostino, vice president of Worldwide Corporate Contributions and Community Relations at Johnson & Johnson, talks about the importance of education for expecting mothers and delivering life-saving information via mobile SMS.

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DIY Film Distribution, Fighting Hunger and Social Commerce
Oren Jacob, executive producer, Ready, Set, Bag! from Ensemble Pictures talks about using independent film, social networking and social commerce to fight hunger and benefit everyone.

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Empowering Entrepreneurs
Jessica Jackley, founder and CEO of proFounder/founder & former CMO of Kiva, says the stories of those in poverty can inspire people to action and that micro-financing can empower them for good.

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The World In A Grain Of Sand
Dr. Lisa Masterson, co-host of The Doctors and founder of Maternal Fetal Care International, interviewed by Rachel Sklar, editor-at-large, Mediaite.com.

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Pouring His Heart into a Cause
CNN Hero Doc Hendley, founder and president of Wine to Water, talks about what clean water can do to end poverty and improve health around the world. He said it’s one of the easiest fixes and one of the most important.

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Engaging Consumer Advocates for Social Good
A conversation with Jack Leslie, chairman of Weber Shandwick and chairman of the U.S. African Development Foundation, and Bonin Bough, global director of Digital & Social Media, PepsiCo. During his presentation, Bough announced that the Pepsi’s Refresh Project racked up more votes than the last presidential election.

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A Social Network for the Social Sector
Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, talks about how a connected people can create change, so he’s building Jumo, a social network for non-profits. Hughes also answered some questions from Mashable’s Josh Catone about the real value of social media for social good.

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Edward Norton: Crowdrise and Online Fundraising
Matthew Bishop, American business editor and New York bureau chief of The Economist, makes some remarks about social media for social good before Edward Norton takes the stage. Edward Norton talks about how he first was quite skeptical of social media, but is convinced that it can be used with a purpose. Crowdrise, he said, is one of those platforms that is about taking action at its core.

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Closing Keynote Interview with Pete Cashmore and Ted Turner
Ted Turner, chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc & Pete Cashmore, founder & CEO of Mashable sit down to talk about the power of media to inform the masses, whether MDGs are realistic and more.

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In Partnership with

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Livestream is the most powerful live broadcast platform on the Internet. Producers can use the Livestream browser-based Studio application to create LIVE, scheduled and on-demand internet television to broadcast anywhere on the web through a single player widget. Our service comes in two flavors Free (ad-supported) and Premium (white-label, no-ads, pay for usage). Unique features include the ability to mix multiple live cameras, imported videos clips, and overlay graphics. With Livestream, producers can broadcast live from a mobile phone; use a customizable flash player with integrated chat; and develop a branded channel page on www.Livestream.com that incorporates interactive chat.

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Supporting Sponsors

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Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for non-profit organizations, enabling them to improve operational efficiency, build strong relationships, and raise more money to support their missions. Since 1981, Blackbaud’s sole focus and expertise has been partnering with non-profits and providing them the solutions they need to make a difference in their local communities and worldwide. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health by applying innovative mobile technologies. The rapid proliferation of cell phones has made it possible to provide timely health information in even the most remote locations. In February 2010, Johnson & Johnson launched Text4Baby in the U.S. through its partnership with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB). In September 2010, we announced a five year initiative with our affiliate, BabyCenter, focusing on mobile health outreach to mothers in six countries starting with China, India and South Africa.

P&G’s purpose is to improve people’s lives, and its Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW) is a non-profit initiative that has provided over 2.4 billion liters of clean drinking water to people in need since 2004. CSDW has partnered with a diverse network of organizations to help distribute PUR™ Purifier of Water packets. These packets, developed by P&G and the Centers for Disease Control, use some of the same ingredients as municipal water systems to remove pollutants from contaminated water. To learn more about the CSDW program, and see how the PUR™ Purifier of Water packets work, please visit www.csdw.org and get involved at http://givehealth.changents.com/.

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Ticketing Partner

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At Eventbrite, we’re passionate about bringing people together around a live experience. Whether it’s a photography class or a sold-out concert, an inspiring conference or an air-guitar competition — we’re true believers in the magic of events and the power of connecting people. Our service allows everyone to discover events and experience the excitement of bringing them to life. We do this by making it incredibly easy to create, find or attend an event. We help you manage the hard stuff — such as registrations and selling tickets — and we set you up with the tools to help your event spread virally through social networks. It’s event management, search, and promotion all coming together for the first time. We call it social commerce.

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Reviews: Facebook, Internet, Mashable, social media

More About: 92y, livestream, social good, social good summit, ted turner, un foundation

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HOW TO: Gracefully Promote Yourself Online

Recently, my Stuff Hipsters Hate co-blogger and I received the following netiquette question from a relatively self-aware reader:

“how do I get my music blog out there (as it is fairly new) and make it accessible to my friends without looking like the pretentious f*** I really am and trying to make them realize that my taste in music is better than their own?”

Putting aside the fact that said capital-letter averse typist has decided to start a music blog in this overly saturated cesspool we call the Internet, what we’re really talking about here is the delicate art of self-promotion. If you want to earn eyeballs, buzz or cash dolla bills for something you’ve dreamed up, using social media is pretty much a must (and a topic taken on by plenty of writers before us).

But promoting oneself online is a concept that myriad people hate. There are the humble few who genuinely feel uncomfortable telling you why they are worth your time. Then there are the scores of self-righteous cads who really hate having to bother.

“I have to admit that I need others to validate the excellence of my intellectual property?” a musician might ask, staring at the contact info of yet another booker and weighing a possible future gig against the possibility of rejection.

Often he thinks, F this, and goes back to jamming in his basement for an audience of old hat boxes and Christmas ornaments. This is one of multiple tributaries feeding into hipsters’ poverty.

Self-promotion is an art, not a science, because it takes a bit of instinct and talent to tiptoe across the tightrope between tooting your own horn and sprinting down the street at 6 a.m. with an air horn blaring whilst your soon-to-be-former friends roll their eyes and plug their ears and discuss behind your back how desperately they wish you’d just shut the eff up.

And so begins my Netiquette column — which I write with my Stuff Hipsters Hate co-blogger, Andrea Bartz — this week over at CNN.

Check out the column at CNN.com >>

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, flyfloor

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Reviews: Internet, iStockphoto

More About: cnn, netiquette, social media, Stuff Hipsters Hate

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LIVE: Watch the UN Digital Media Lounge [VIDEO]

Mashable is proud to be working with the United Nations Foundation and 92nd Street Y to host the first ever UN Week Digital Media Lounge this week. Today’s speakers include recording artist Lupe Fiasco, Helene Gayle, president & CEO of CARE USA, and leaders in social good. We’ve also added 100 slots for the week to allow more media and bloggers to attend.

The conversation about the world’s biggest challenges no longer belongs to a small set of voices — it is a global conversation with an increasingly online pulse. As the world’s leaders convene in New York, the UN Week Digital Media Lounge offers a dedicated venue that is completely wired and accessible to today’s top online voices and up-and-coming bloggers. The Lounge brings the conversations from this historic UN Summit out of the halls of the UN and into the 92nd Street Y, where digital media will deliver it to the world.

A comprehensive agenda will give bloggers the chance to interact with thought leaders on the most important global issues. Confirmed briefings include experts such as Samuel Kargbo, Department of Health, Sierra Leone; Martha Kwataine, executive director, Malawi Health Equity Network; and Steve Cockburn of EndWater Poverty. We will also announce the participation of high-level government officials, UN Goodwill Ambassadors and celebrity advocates shortly. This is truly a unique program bringing the best of UN week to the leading voices in the digital world.

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AGENDA

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Wednesday, September 22

9 a.m. – Lounge Opens

9:30-10:00 a.m. – Oxfam’s “breakfast with the world”
Live via Skype, Oxfam brings us experts from around the globe to discuss the reality of issues on the ground. Get answers for your community from people who live and know the situation firsthand.

10:30-11:00 a.m. – The Media Map Project: Media’s Impact on Development
While there is general agreement about the importance of free and independent media in
developing countries, the media is an often overlooked and under-invested sector with great potential to scale up improvements across all development goals. Internews, The World Bank and The Brookings Institute are collaborating to bridge the gap in current research by analyzing empirical correlations in the data on media and development. Funded by the Gates Foundation, The Media Map Project aims to answer the questions: What does the evidence say about media’s role in development? And what are the most effective ways to strengthen media?

12:00-12:30 p.m. – Philanthropy goes viral: what girls can teach women
Moderated by the CEO of Vivanista – the go-to site for women bridging social and impact discuss how girls worldwide are embracing social media to drive social change.

• Helene Gayle, president & CEO, CARE USA
• Kimberly Perry, director, Girl Up
• Layne Gray, CEO of Vivanista

1:00-2:00 p.m. – Keynote Session: Saving 16 million lives – the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health
To set the context for the UN’s groundbreaking new strategy – to be launched by the Secretary General directly following this briefing – a panel of leaders take on the big issues and challenges faced by women and children worldwide.

• Tamara Krenin, executive direction, Women & Population, UN Foundation
• Sue Mbaya, director of Advocacy & Justice for Children in Africa, World Vision
• Dr. Abhay Bang, co-founder and director of SEARCH
• Dr. Luc DeBernis, senior maternal health adviser, UNFPA
• Patricia Mechael, director of Strategic Application of Mobile Technology for Public Health & Development, Earth Institute, Columbia University
• Dr. Dorothy Shaw, MBChB, FRCSC clinical professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology,
• University of British Columbia, PMNCH spokesperson in Canada

2:30-4:00 p.m. – LIVE BROADCAST: Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Special Event “Every Woman, Every Child.”
Watch the UN Secretary General’s special launch live on the 92Y’s state of the art big screen.

4:30-5:00 p.m. – Live in the lounge: music, media, & activism
Closing out the day, a group of world-famous musicians and social activists team up to discuss the power of music, social media, and some-good-old-fashion adventure to change lives!

• Lupe Fiasco, artist, musician, and global do-gooder
• Simon Isaacs, VP Sustainability Marketing, ignition
• Azita Ardakani, founder and chief idea officer, Lovesocial

6:00 p.m. – Lounge Closes

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Reviews: Mashable, Skype

More About: digital media lounge, Events, mashable, social good, un foundation, UN week

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What’s next in Social Media? 5 reasons custom branded communities can work

Early adapters of social media are already looking for what’s next. They have their Facebook and Twitter profiles and want to know how they can further build on these relationships.


The answer is custom branded communities. When you build your social program on Facebook or Twitter you really are on someone else’s platform. You’re required to follow their rules and if they make changes to set up or design then your site needs to comply.

Branded communities are similar to websites in the look and layout.

Branded Community advantages:

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