David Kaiser is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Coincident TV, a software suite that allows content creators and distributors to design, manage and measure interactive video engagements across digital platforms. Kaiser is a serial entrepreneur behind seven startup companies, including RespondTV and Navisoft, and was also the first VP of engineering at Macromedia (acquired by Adobe).

Check out our interview with David below and connect with @coincident_tv on Twitter.

1. As experiences become more immersive in the social web, Coincident TV has created an interesting platform that intertwines content, social media, and ecommerce. Please tell me more about how the company came about and what your vision is.

I thought of the idea behind Coincident TV (CTV) in 2008 while at home watching the news with my laptop beside me. After a story caught my attention, I went online to look up more information but found myself frustrated with the disconnected experience. Although simple, it sparked the idea to build a technology that enables hypervideo, the merging of online video, social media, weblinks and commercial transactions.

My vision is to change the way we watch TV by transforming how we view and interact with online video. The goal of hypervideo is to create an interactive experience for the audience, enabling greater engagement between fans, programs, brands, businesses and content owners.

2. What would the ideal implementation of Coincident TV look like?

The great thing about Coincident TV is that it’s flexible and scalable, so the ideal implementation of CTV technology is whatever the author wants it to be. The software suite, both an editor and a player, enhances the video production and viewing experience. Whether it’s a content creator wanting to add real-time social media access to their video or a content producer looking to create revenue-building solutions through increased brand integration, the sequence and combinations of possibilities is only limited by what the author develops.

3. The Coincident TV executions I’ve seen on Fox.com for Glee and So You Think You Can Dance, and the demos on your Web site do not have the option to embed, which has become a key feature for YouTube, Vimeo and most video sites. Is embedding something that you have not decided to pursue or have clients not requested for it?

We are poised to jump into video embedding in a big way this Fall. While most technologies presently focus on sharing individual videos or pieces of content, Coincident TV will soon enable any video viewer to quickly and easily assemble entire video playlists and channels to share across the web. They’ll be able to use videos from YouTube, Blip TV, their own computers – literally any source. Users will also be able to add their own content links and other annotations into their content channels – without ever editing or even accessing any of the source videos. We see this as a quantum leap forward for embedding and we’re excited to launch the application.

4. What is your personal view about HTML 5 vs. Flash?

Flash is still the dominant and ubiquitous standard. And while our technology was originally conceived to work with Flash, we definitely understand the long-term potential of HTML5. And since CTV is based on a proprietary language, we were able to quickly adapt our software suite, both the editor and the player, to support HTML5. We see this as a huge competitive advantage for our platform: build one CTV file and it seamlessly works in Flash, HTML5, even Android.

5. What were some of the best lessons that you learned from working at Navisoft and Macromedia?

I learned the importance of surrounding yourself with a team as dedicated and passionate as you are. At both Navisoft and Macromedia, I worked with enthusiastic teams of technology professionals and our hard work paid off. AOL acquired Navisoft in 1994 and our technology became AOLPress and AOLServer. At Macromedia, we developed Director, the seminal PC animation application and precursor to Flash, and were later acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005.

6. What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur and how did you decide to become one?

While I have found it takes a number of things to find success as an entrepreneur, one key is having patience. It takes time to raise funding to get off the ground, and with any business, you don’t immediately start to see profits. It takes time and an investment. Although I didn’t start my career with the intention of becoming a serial entrepreneur, I discovered that I enjoy the challenge that comes with a startup that introduces new, exciting technologies, like CTV, to both businesses and consumers.

7. Is Silicon Valley still as essential for startups and tech companies or are cities like NYC becoming more attractive for talent, opportunities, and funding?

While Silicon Valley is still a hub for many startups and tech companies, the landscape is definitely starting to change and having a presence in other cities can be beneficial. While Coincident TV is headquartered in San Francisco, we also have offices in Los Angeles and New York. By having a presence in these cities, we feel we have an advantage as Hollywood and Madison Avenue are currently seeking new ways to monetize their content online and offer a more dynamic entertainment experience. We’ve been able to meet with studios and television executives and show them that Coincident TV can help them create an effective monetization model.

8. If you could bring web experiences to television sets, what would you do to ensure that people would find it appealing?

With Web television already available to consumers and new advances happening daily, Coincident TV wants to bring interactivity to these experiences.

Additionally, our technology can be applied to DVDs to create an experience similar to online video viewing. With CTV’s technology, DVD extras will have the ability to constantly be refreshed and can provide a unique experience
every time they are viewed, depending on the audience’s real-time interests and curiosity.

9. With the rise of Twitter and Foursquare, and the opening up of Facebook, social media continues to change the way we view privacy. Do you think “opening up” is essential for the evolution of the social web?

I think there has to be a balance. The evolution of the social Web is exciting because it is making everything more collaborative and engaging. People want to interact with each other and content online but not at the expense of their privacy. There has to be a happy medium where people feel safe sharing otherwise the advantages of the social Web will be negated.

I’m a big fan of visualizations. For this year’s SXSW, Pepsi came back with an updated version of their “Zeitgeist,” created by Amy Hoy and Thomas Fuchs of Slash7. I liked this year’s version much better because it included Foursquare check-ins (which everyone was doing) and it seemed to be more relevant for people that were actually there.

I wish there was a Zeitgeist for every event that ever was so hopefully there is a trend toward more visualizations. Regarless of how you feel about the Zeitgeist’s actual value, it looks cool and it makes a non-tech company look very high-tech. Well done Pepsi. Well done.

Below are a couple of videos of the displays they had at the Austin Convention Center. Note the Samsung HDTVs :)

It’s CES time again, and this year, Samsung is going all out with several firsts, a lot of ICES Innovation awards (23 actually!), and a commitment to creating the future of home entertainment.
              
Home entertainment continues to get increasingly exciting with slimmer and cooler televisions and blu-ray players, but the basic experience of watching a movie from your couch hasn’t changed much in many years. Not to worry, in 2010, the 3D experience will make its way from theaters to your homes.

While the first 3D film premiered back in 1922, the technology that is used today is much more advanced and has finally made in-roads to work with the content Hollywood is producing. With widely distributed and popular 3D movies and a lot of curiosity around the idea of in-home 3D viewing, Samsung will deliver a complete 3D home entertainment solution to bring a truly immersive and memorable experience to consumers.

Samsung is not a stranger to 3D; it actually introduced 3D DLPs beginning in 2007 and 3D flat-panel Plasma HDTVs in 2008. At this CES, Samsung in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor, announced that it will soon offer a complete out-of-box 3D experience including 3D HDTVs (not just LCD and Plasma, but also LED!), a 3D blu-ray player, and an exclusive promotion that includes a first-time feature-length, 3D Blu-ray version of DreamWorks Animation’s 2009 release, “Monsters vs. Aliens,” created and produced by Technicolor. So, just for a second, imagine watching “Monsters vs. Aliens” in 1080p, at home with your whole family, in 3D, on a very cool looking LED HDTV. And then just imagine all the great content that will come out in the coming year, and you get the picture. Home entertainment. Transformed.

Of course there are some challenges for 3D. I bet you can’t think of many 3D movies (I can’t either), and I doubt anyone will want to watch only 3D. Samsung knows this so it is going to take it a step further by allowing you watch 2D content in 3D through its auto-conversion technology. This will add some excitement to your old movies.

Samsung also announced Samsung Apps, the world’s first multi-device app store. That means apps for your phone, your TV, your blu-ray player, and in the future, all kinds of devices. Samsung Apps is featured as part of the upgraded Internet@TV – Content Service, and provides consumers with an expanded, easy to navigate selection of content and applications from leading services like Accedo Broadband, AccuWeather.com, The Associated Press, Blockbuster, Fashion TV, Netflix, Picasa, Pandora, Rovi, Travel Channel, Twitter, USA TODAY, and Vudu. Samsung will also allow developers to create innovative apps that we will be able to experience with ease and speed. You can expect the first batch of apps to launch in the Spring and premium apps to launch in the Summer of 2010.

Oh, and did I mention that Samsung is also launching a premium touch screen remote control with a QWERTY keyboard in the LED 9000 series that lets you watch TV on it? Well, now you know. Very fun indeed.

And for those people that would like to watch TV anywhere on-the-go, a new iteration of the Samsung Moment will be the first phone with Mobile DTV, a new free-to-air mobile TV standard that’s launching later this year (with an initial soft-launch in Baltimore and Washington, DC). Let me say that again: Free TV. Anywhere. On your Android-powered phone.

Samsung truly wants to transform home entertainment and that is going to take an actual commitment to what people can only dream of today. 3D TV is around the corner and it’s only the beginning. Samsung intends to inspire the world and create the future. Starting this year at CES.

If you’d like to stay on top of all things Samsung, visit www.facebook.com/samsungusa and follow us on Twitter @samsungtweets.

Disclaimer: I recently joined Samsung as Social Media Manager. While I am employed by Samsung, the views expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of Samsung.

Conor Knighton produces and hosts infoMania, a TV show about all things media, pop culture, world news, and even politics. The show, which airs every Thursday on Current TV, was developed with Madeleine Smithberg (co-creator of The Daily Show) and is not the typical infotainment / clip show by any means.

Oh no, infoMania is brilliant, and it should be in a category of its own. Often funny and surprisingly intelligent, with several awesome segments like Sarah Haskins’ “Target: Women” and Brett Elrich’s “Viral Video Film School“, as well as rants about people like Susan Boyle, well-compiled exposures of the media’s affair with Twitter, and the occasional association of completely unrelated people like Gene Simmons and Sonia Sotomayor (who I agree, must have been separated at birth), infoMania is a show you can actually watch right now.. online.

So please do. And also make sure to check out Conor’s blog and twitter feed.

1.You were the first person to appear on Current TV back in 2005 and you are now the host and executive producer of infoMania, which has been compared to “The Daily Show” and “The Soup“. How did you get started and what was the road to infoMania like?

Initially, Current hired me to produce and host a show about the internet’s top rising searches.  We called it ‘Google Current’ because, uh, it was about Google and it aired… on Current.  We weren’t very creative back then.

I did that show for a while, and then a similar one with Yahoo – they were both short, 3 minute updates at the top of every hour.  At the time, Current was all about short form content. 

However, it was a lot of running up and down to the studio all day, and we eventually convinced the network that a half-hour, once a week show would not only be a better outlet for us creatively, but would give our viewers something to tune into (or record) on a regular basis. 

We played with a few formats, but eventually landed on what has become infoMania – a comedic and critical look at the chaotic world of the media.

2. How would you describe being employed by a company that is led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore? Is their some kind of green policy that you guys have to follow maybe?

There’s no policy per-se, but we try to keep the baby seal clubbing to a minimum, out of respect. 

He’s a fan of the show, which makes me feel incredibly guilty.  There HAVE to be better uses of his time than watching my goofy ass tell jokes about Paris Hilton’s New BFF.

Mostly, I’ve just been impressed by what a cool, down to earth guy he is.  And he’s AMAZINGLY good with names – I don’t know how he does it.

3. You’ve poked fun at the way that broadcast TV has integrated Twitter. You also have claimed to only be on it because you are on TV. What do you really think about Twitter now that you’ve used it for a while?

You can’t pitch a cooking show these days without emphasizing how it’s going to integrate with twitter.  Twitter is all OVER TV, and most of the time, when you see anchors reading tweets on air, it just comes across as desperate.  Follow us!  We’re cool! Let’s read what’s on the TwitterBoard!  I think Twitter may have some future as a platform, but it’s certainly not the savior of television. 

I do find it interesting as a real-time search engine – I’ve used twitter to figure out if that shake I just felt was actually an earthquake, or to check in on what people think about our show.  And I’ll occasionally pick up on interesting links/stories from the people I follow.  It’s not useless – it’s just overhyped.

4. How do you prepare for each InfoMania episode and how much time do you spend online or watching TV?

On Thursdays, just a couple of hours after we put the finishing touches on that night’s show, we have an all-hands meeting to prep for next week.  It never, ever ends.  Kind of like the fourth hour of the Today Show.

In those Thursday meetings, we try to make sure everyone is on top of what’s coming up – what shows are premiering, what are people buzzing about…  It’s also a chance for everyone from Producers to PAs to pitch ideas – this week, we’re taking a look at QVC, HSN, and the insanity that is televised home shopping. 

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are a mix of screening, writing, and shooting – we divvy up the watching, but everyone is online, passing clips back and forth.  It’s a hectic week, but we always manage to get a show out.

5. The web has made it easy for the whole world to share thoughts, photos and videos with anyone else. It is no surprise that Current TV is big into user-generated content (made by “VC2 Producers“). What do you think is the future of UGC content on TV and the web?

Some of the best content that’s ever aired on Current was sent in by our viewers – non-professionals who managed to shoot, edit, and produce a very compelling story that was ready to air ‘as-is.’

But, despite the cheapness and ubiquity of equipment, it’s still pretty damn HARD to make compelling TV.   Not everyone is good at it.  I think the future of UGC is in finding a way to mix the professional with the amateur – making sure the broadcast is still watchable while maintaining a diverse selection of stories and viewpoints.  As a network, that’s what Current tries to do.

6. With the way the web and TV are blending, do you think channels like Current TV will start producing shows based on web sites and blogs or is it more likely that it would produce shows intended only for the web?

The Rotten Tomatoes Show – Current’s crowd-sourced movie review show – was developed in partnership with that site and community.  It debuted earlier this year (it airs right after infoMania) – I think you’ll be seeing more of those types of partnerships on Current.

We’re in around 60 million homes as a television network – I’m sure we’ll develop more web-only content, but the focus now seems to be on finding ways to integrate the web with what we’re already doing on TV.

Also, most of our content is available across the web.  You can watch full infoMania episodes on our website, on youtube, on iTunes, and hopefully even more destinations very soon.

7. A few of the InfoMania “correspondents” attended Ivy League schools; Sarah Haskins went to Harvard, Brett Erlich went to Stanford, and you went to Yale. Is this some kind of conspiracy against regular schools or are Ivy Leaguers simply smarter + funnier?

Brett went to Stanford?  No way.  That dude eats paste and plays video games all day.   Not possible.

I don’t think there’s any conspiracy – as far as I know, none of us majored in “making fun of Spencer Pratt,” so I don’t know how much our educations really prepared us for what we do now. 

8. You once appeared on an episode of Gilmore Girls. What was that like, and more importantly, are Yale girls really like Rory?

It really is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance, but it was a ton of fun.  I’m not sure if it even counts as acting, since I was playing a Yale student on the show.   But it was a total blast, and everyone was super nice to me.

I don’t know how typical of a student Rory was, but their sets were SUPER accurate.  There were little details in the classroom set that, while totally unnecessary, were impressively correct.  Props to the designer.

9. Glenn Beck has been warning about our road to socialism and Wired claims that the “new socialism” is actually social media. What do you think is the cause for the fascination about social everything in 2009?

I thought that Wired article was interesting.  I guess sites like Wikipedia, Flickr – they’re finally at the point where everyone is using them, sometimes multiple times a day.  It’s a part of our culture now.  Now that parents and grandparents have hopped on facebook, it seems like a lot more outlets are taking notice.

10. Are there any tech announcements or recent launches that you’re excited about?

I’m debating whether I want to upgrade my iphone 3G to the 3Gs.  I was excited about Wolfram Alpha in theory, and I’ve played with it some – it’s impressive, but not something I find myself going back to on a regular basis.   And Project Natal looks pretty sweet. 

If, very soon, there’s an especially crappy week of infoMania, that’s probably the week I bought the new Ghostbusters game for PS3.  I don’t game much, but I’m excited about that one.

11. You’ve been on Chelsea Lately, won $10K on Pyramid (hosted by Donny Osmond), and even hung out with the Numa Numa guy. What are the perks of being a “celebrity” and what have you found to be somewhat overrated?

Wow, what a bizarre resume.  I should have gone to law school. 

I definitely don’t consider myself a celebrity.  The ‘perk,’ I guess, is that since I’m the guy on camera, I end up getting a lot of credit for each week’s episode.  But the truth is, there are actually all sorts of talented people working behind the scenes to make infoMania happen every week. 

I don’t know any of their names, but they seem nice.

12. Any guilty media pleasures that people would not expect?

We watched a lot of “Deadliest Warrior” last week – it’s such a bizarre premise for a show, but I get a kick out of it.

13. What advice would you give to anyone interested in writing, hosting or producing a TV show?

Make sure it airs on Thursday mornings.  Because at that point, we’re pretty much done with infoMania – there’s no way we can make fun of you.

Frank Eliason is the Director of Digital Care at Comcast. His team is in charge of assisting customers on the web. Frank has done a good job of creating an important presence for Comcast in social media, particularly on Twitter. He told us about the importance of the customer experience, the current environment in which Comcast operates, and his personal life. Please send him a tweet after reading!

1. When I first joined Twitter I immediately saw pages for John Mayer, Oprah, and then… Comcast Cares. What caused Comcast to include Twitter as a line of communication for customer care?

As we are working to improve the Customer experience, one of our objectives has been to meet Customers where they already are. We do this in many ways throughout the internet, including blogs, forums, Facebook, and Twitter. This is just a great way to listen to Customers and assist when we can.

2. What internal/external feedback have you received thus far?

Feedback internally and externally has been overwhelmingly positive. Customers love to have a voice and we love the feedback.

3. Often times when a customer tweets @comcastcares with a question or issue they get a reply asking them to email customer care. What plans are in place to get closer to achieving “one-tweet resolution”?

LOL! I love the “one-tweet resolution!” This happens when the trouble that is being reported may require a little research or we may need more information beyond 140 characters. Our preference when possible is to keep it on Twitter. There may be other times, like the other day I was traveling without all my tools, so I asked people to email my team.

4. Are there any plans for special announcements and/or discounts via twitter?

To us this is not a space for marketing, but rather a space to have conversations with our Customer.

5. Verizon recently announced that they are testing a “twitter widget” that will possibly be released to FiOS customers in the near future. Does Comcast have any plans to offer a similar product?

There are so many “widgets” out there thanks to the open API that Twitter has. I think it would be natural for this to shift to other mediums like TV, and I would be excited at the prospects. Imagine watching the same show with someone and Twitter about it? I do not know if Comcast will offer such a tool, but at the same time I think for many it may be more convenient to do it with the laptop instead of TV screen real estate taken up by the app.

6. Comcast Town is another recent initiative, what are the thoughts/aspirations behind it?

It is part of our “Dream Big” campaign. We are working to transform the company and this ad campaign supports that. I love the fact that the marketing team included a social media aspect to the campaign.

7. What other strides is Comcast making in order to become an innovator in the digital revolution?

We never sought to be an “innovator,” we just wanted to do what was common sense in our mind: Help Customers when they need it. My team handles so much, including reaching out via blogs, forums, moderating our own help forums, etc. I think Customers and the social web will continue to find new places that meet their interest. Our plan is to continue to meet Customers wherever they are on the web.

8. There’s a constant “he said/she said” buzz between cable and satellite. What is Comcast doing to make Comcast cable a hands-down winner in the years to come?

I would never get into any of that. For me Comcast is very different because of the packages we can offer and the speeds of our internet. As we rollout DOCSIS 3 with speeds that will be up to 160 Mbps Comcast will be the choice for internet, TV, and phone. I also believe our On Demand offerings surpass those of other providers. With our project cavalry, which will move many channels from analog to digital, we will be offering a lot of HD. This is an exciting time.

9. The government mandated transition to digital television is just days away causing some consumers to jump on the cable bandwagon. What is Comcast Cares doing in the days ahead to make the transition to cable as smooth as possible?

The best response can be found on our blog.

10. Other than being the “Comcast Twitter guy“, who is Frank Eliason?

Truthfully what you see is what you get. I am passionate for the Customer. I am a family guy. I started in social media with a family website. Initially used to communicate how our daughter Gia was doing in the hospital after she was born premature. After she was released we used it to educate and raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis, which she was diagnosed with at birth. When she was 3 she was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a childhood cancer of the liver. We again shifted to the web and provided updates and educated people on the childhood cancer. After she passed away we updated the website with her sisters who were born a few years later. The original website can be found at www.sitedreamer.com/gia and the current website is www.eliasonfamily.info.

11. If you could say anything to current/future Comcast customers using the Twitter standard of 140 characters or less (and we will count), what would you say?

We’re working hard to improve the experience for our Customers. Please share your feedback with us at We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com.

There are several hints about Hulu streaming on the Xbox 360 (remember that Microsoft used the 2008 E3 to announce Netflix streaming) and this rumor is running on a few comments made by Microsoft itself.

Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s senior VP for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, made an interesting statement about the upcoming E3 in an ESA press release last month:

“Microsoft is gearing up for a big presence at E3 which will completely transform how people think about home entertainment. We’re excited about the momentum that is building in the industry in anticipation of our June 1st media briefing, which will kick off E3 in blockbuster style.”

Back in December, Microsoft’s Shane Kim told The New York Time’s Bits that the Xbox does not have an Internet browser as that would make them just another pipe delivering content in different ways, and that people watching video online are concentrating on sites like YouTube and Hulu. He also said:

“Netflix is the first major strategic partnership to open up the platform. We are just beginning to scratch the surface.”

In addition, Gizmodo has a recent post pointing out Olivia Munn’s tweet in which she mentions a Hulu/Microsoft promo on June 8th. June 8th is a bit later than the June 2nd to June 4th E3 Expo, and according to a Gizmodo update on the same post, Olivia was supposedly actually talking about a promo for Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine launching on June 3rd.

The comments by Mattrick and Kim, combined with the very random Munn tweet, sound like Hulu is coming to the Xbox 360. Kicking off E3 in “blockbuster style” and “transforming how people think about home entertainment” does not make me think of Bing whatsoever.

Thinking from a product and consumer point of view, it completely makes sense fort Microsoft to partner with Hulu, which is already making its way to a TV-like experience through Hulu Desktop. Hulu would finally make it into a large amount of living rooms and Microsoft would give consumers one more reason to skip Sony’s Playstation and the Nintendo Wii. Current users for both platforms would be thrilled and that builds loyalty worth making a big deal out of at E3.

The business side of things requires a lot more than two companies simply shaking hands. Monetizing this through a partnership has its issues (keep in mind that Netflix charges users to stream movies while Hulu is ad-supported), but there is definitely a huge amount of value in bridging the online video streaming world with living room interactive gaming. Hulu and Microsoft might kiss and tell at this E3, but if they don’t, they both better expect a competitor to try to go for it.

We’ll just have to wait till Microsoft’s E3 press briefing on June 1st (or E3 itself on the 2nd).

David Siteman Garland is an entrepreneur,  speaker, and host of “The Rise to the Top,” a show that is entertaining, empowering, and energizing entrepreneurs.

1. Tell me about how you started “The Rise to the Top.”

It all started in a coffee shop. I felt like there was a market need on television for a show designed for forward-thinking young and young-at-heart entrepreneurs, and also room for events and resources to really help people grow their business and get involved with the community. I saw what was out there and honestly thought we could do it better by bringing in extremely interesting guests and delivering helpful content. I went all in, invested everything I had in getting it started and was fortunate to land some early sponsors who believed in me and the concept. The most crucial aspect though was surrounding myself with great people simply by asking for help. I talked to everyone I knew and said “I‘m doing a TV show and this is what I want to do but I’m not exactly sure how to do it. If you think it sucks, punch me;  however, if you like the concept I would appreciate a nudge in the right direction.” A bunch of nudges later I had a solid network of people who had years of experience helping me.

2. How did the concept evolve into a TV show that is viewed by 500,000 people in St. Louis’ ABC local station?

It has been a fascinating journey. As we wrap up our first season, we have had nearly 700,000 viewers between ABC and online ,which has shattered expectations. It has taken tons of blood, sweat and tears to build our audience but we have done it without spending one penny and have grown it through social media, good press, and word-of-mouth. I figured if we created a show REALLY about the audience (meaning entrepreneurs) with their best interests always 100% on our minds and constantly trying to improve and listen to THEIR feedback, it could be something sticky. From communicating on Facebook, visiting and contributing on blogs related to entrepreneurship and becoming a part of the conversation to reaching out and becoming active on Twitter, we have built a positive reputation, and have developed a huge amount of brand advocates who spread the word with their, as I like to say, big mouths. But to really grow something, you have to give first. That is what it is all about.

3. The show has a segment called “Hot Companies”. Which young company would you predict to be the hottest for 2009 and why?

That is always a tough questions because there are so many interesting companies out there. I really like Virtual Nerd which we featured in Episode #6. Besides being really great guys, they have a great concept of online video tutoring for students. It takes away the expense of a tutor and annoyance of calling teachers at 10:30 PM and with online video there is some crazy, cool interactivity with students being able to click on things in the video, ask questions and get sample problems directly from their text book. But more than a cool concept, I think it will be successful because Josh and Leo are bright, resourceful and organized entrepreneurs. They were rewarded after we featured them (wish we could take the credit!) by winning the Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Cup, which is the entrepreneurship competition with a nice amount of money included in the prize.

4. Where do you see the show going in the next few years and what kind of role will social media play in getting there?

Over the next few years, I would like to see the show going international in reach and become the #1 show in the world in entrepreneurship. We want to continue to bring in massive guests and get our audience excited. Next season we have an unbelievable array of guests, from Gary Vaynerchuk to Scott Mednick (Executive Producer 300, Superman,  andcame up with original Sega Genesis marketing campaign) and Guy Kawasaki. I love all entrepreneurial resources out there including great magazines such as INC./Fast Company and I would love to form partnerships with them and provide great content for their audience as well. Social media is going to be absolutely huge for every reason. If we do something right and people love it, social media will help spread it. If we do something wrong, same deal. I want to continue to listen to the social media community, stay on the cutting edge and really hope that more people tune in and spread the word. The coolest thing about social media is all of the sudden you could get that one email, message, etc. that is game changer because someone found you using the tools.

5. Web 2.0 and social technologies have received a lot of attention in the last few years. What do you think will be the next phase of internet innovation?

I strongly believe the next phase of internet innovation will be the continued dramatic rise of Internet video and more interactivity. The social web is here to stay even though the tools may change over the next few years. Content producers, including major networks, and big brands are still figuring out this whole social web thing and it will be interesting to see how that all plays out. The bottom line is web has become a place where the users have control of what is hot, what is useful, what brands to buy and what to avoid. I see more collaboration and more communities set up for passionate people. Whether it is the purple dinosaur club or entrepreneurs who love twitter, niche communities will continue to be the future.

6. What do you see as the future of television?

This question gets me really excited. Most content providers are freaking out about the future of TV. They think they won’t be able to make money and it is all going online. I see this as an unbelievable opportunity and the best content will always monetize one way or another. The future which has begun of course, is allowing viewers to watch WHEN, WHERE, and HOW they want it. This means viewers can watch TV on their TV on a schedule OR on demand, online 24/7, Internet TV on TV, on their Ipod’s, Iphone’s Blackberry’s, Facebook accounts, etc. The future as I see is TV everywhere in specific niches as opposed to wide appealing shows that try to be everything to everyone which is the broken TV model of the past which worked for years but has changed as power has been given to the user.

For us, we are going to deliver content everywhere. The Rise To The Top Mobile is in beta testing right now and we also have The Rise To The Top Desktop Widget, that will be revolutionary, which is being built by a great company called Widget Realm. You wouldn’t believe some of things this widget can do; it will enrich the viewer experience because that is what we are all about. Most importantly, we are launching on Yahoo! TV Widgets worldwide for our second season this September as one of the first six shows on there. New TV’s being shipped to America this June will already have Yahoo! TV Widgets built into it and all viewers will need is an Ethernet chord. This means The Rise To The Top will essentially be shipped built into these TV’s as well and people will be able to access the shows on their TV via the Internet. They can even Tweet out FROM their TV what they are watching. Cool!

7. You speak to entrepreneurs on a regular basis. What do they say about handling the recession successfully?

The recession is a tremendous opportunity for entrepreneurs. The biggest hits I’ve seen are in traditional jobs and I can’t count the number of people that have come to me and said: “I was laid off (quit/fired) and now I want to start my own company because I’m always been passionate about (BLANK).” I think that says a lot. I’ve had several speeches to professionals who are laid off right now and I definitely preach entrepreneurship and many of them have now started their own companies with really nothing to lose. Entrepreneurs that are handling recession successfully seem to have two major traits. One is positivity. I know that sounds corny, but it is true. They have an upbeat attitude and are convinced their companies will continue to change the world. The second is resiliency. Things change rapidly and the best entrepreneurs can adapt quickly even in the face of disaster. Plans always seem go wrong and those who adjust on the fly, win.

8. What do you think is essential for struggling companies of all sizes to stay in the game for years to come?

Adapt to the social web and social media. Understand business is changing. I’m young and I have SO many things to learn, but I do know that the business game is changing and traditional models continue to be in trouble. This doesn’t mean abandoning all of the old rules as things like face-to-face networking should never go away and are important. However, understanding where things are going is extremely vital. Companies don’t have to be on the bleeding edge, but have to be ready to read and react like a linebacker in football or goalie in hockey when a new technology becomes vital. Example would be Twitter. Let the techies figure out what is cool and then react when the mainstream moves in. Developing a social media strategy, online video strategy, how to respond to disasters (i.e. The Dominoes Situation) are all vital pieces of the puzzle. No longer can companies get away with a crappy product and a lot of advertising money. The best stuff now will be talked about, passed around the web and rise to the top.

9. You have an agency that specializes in sponsorships. How different is it to work with large corporations, compared to working with small businesses and entrepreneurs?

When you are working with sponsorships, only one thing matters no matter what the size of the company: How is this going to help the client with THEIR goals? A critical mistake agencies make is to worry only about their goals and just sell because they need to sell. Instead, the focus has to be on the exact goals of the client and that is where we have been most successful. Oftentimes the goals of large corporations are different. Perhaps they are interested in branding a specific new product such as an energy drink or they want to be associated with a show that has a positive image and is creating good for the community. Entrepreneurs are usually looking for more sales, new clients and branding themselves/their business as the expert in their field. We help people accomplish their goals and that is why our sponsorship numbers continue to rise. It is that simple.

10. I’ve read that your business philosophy is the following: “Money follows passion and not the other way around.” What advice would you give a new/potential entrepreneur about balancing the realities of the bottom-line and the passion required to start something truly remarkable?

The number one thing you have to have to be a successful entrepreneur is passion. It may be a passion for the product or a bigger passion of helping people. Maybe it is something like having a passion to live on an island and your dream lifestyle. The bottom line is passion makes you go above and beyond. You will stay on a task until it is done even if it is Saturday at 10 PM because of your passion drive. You can see that fire in someone’s eyes when they talk about their passion and the most successful entrepreneurs can always pinpoint what they love. To me, there is no balancing act with the bottom line. The more passionate you are, the more successful you will be because when everyone else is sleeping you may be be agonizingly working on accounting even though you hate it, because you can feel in your bones that you were meant to do this and even the medial becomes remarkable.