Episode 11: Creating a Web Phenomenon

This week we learn the intricate details and challenges that Eqal founders Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried faced in creating Lonelygirl15, one of the most unique and compelling web video phenomenons to ever happen. Along with core NM crew Chris McCaleb, Zadi Diaz, and Steve Woolf, it's well over 3 hours of stories about that crazy time, what it took to build a truly interactive fictional web series, and the path it led toward creating a venture-funded social entertainment company.

Miles and Greg talk about the way the Internet investigated every clue in the Lonelygirl15 videos in an attempt to figure out who the character was, including frame-by-frame analysis, botanical reports on plants that appeared in videos, and triangulation of products in Bree's room that people used to attempt to determine a geographic location. We also talk at length around the evolution of Umbrella, Eqal's web video social platform, and their recent buyout of Spark Capital, one of the venture capital firms that funded their original investment round.

In short, this is another can't miss conversation for anyone interested in creating truly progressive entertainment from people who are literally years ahead of the pack. Also, we get into a fourth bottle of wine for the first time ever, and things get hilarious...

Direct MP3 link