After hearing from the Farah brothers about Funny or Die's ongoing video production, the main thing that struck me was the relatively brief history of the website, as well as how they helped pioneer the integration of the Hollywood entertainment arena with the more amateur, online community. I remember being pretty amused by "The Landlord" when it came out, and was quite shocked to see Will Ferrell in it. Considering that the video only came out a few years ago and that now I'm completely jaded when it comes to celebrity appearances in online videos, it testifies to how successful this integration really was. What was also interesting was how much thought was being put into the branding of these videos, and how that was and is being achieved. The overall sense I got from their presentations was my own belief that the internet is something of a wild west right now. Although the Farahs seem to be having success with Funny or Die, what they were doing at the beginning was essentially just a shot in the dark. What's exciting about studying media at this point in history is that the lack of any barriers to entry to the internet (with regards to what kind of media is hosted on there) really encourages experimentation with the form in a way that film and television don't really offer as much anymore. The rapid growth of their brand is also something to consider-- overall, their presentation made me give more serious thought to considering some kind of career focused on online media rather than just film or television.
ryan aliapoulios
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