SpotCrunch

Indy Mogul promo from Steve Kraynik

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:21:18 EST

Here's a fun viewer promo submission from Steve Kraynik!

Thanks man!

Interview with Tilzy

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:37:59 EST

As if my job wasn't rad enough, I had the good forture of running my mouth in an interview for the web video site Tilzy. A big thanks to Josh and Jamison for putting this together!

My weight ... in CHOCOLATE?!

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:12:25 EDT

I'll admit it. I never had cable as a kid. I was relegated to the Big Network's Saturday morning cartoons. Flipping above channel 28 was a wasteland of static, fuzz, and stuff that the scrap metal skeleton on the roof couldn't pick up.

While a sad state of affairs, this did promote any average friends that had cable into BEST friends.

Hey! How about a sleep over this weekend? Oh! Do you think I could stop by for dinner tonight? Excuse me! I know we don't know each other, but I saw your Nickelodeon trapper keeper and I couldn't help but wonder what you're up to after school?

What everyone else took for granted, my eyeballs were firmly affixed to. Every magical droplet of shimmering slime, every brightly colored blob, these were forbidden gods that only shone their glory at the most rarefied occasions.

Why should a station deserve such status in the mind of a young Justin Johnson? Because, dummy, FREAKING CONTESTS LIKE THIS!

Nick or Treat from Prometheus Spotto on Vimeo.

A seemingly never-ending surge of brain-busting prizes. This was Shock and Awe before it was deployed on Baghdad. Monsters! Candy! Hollywood! I can't conceive how many storehouses were stuffed with post cards. Each one bearing a unique nameaddressagephone, big dream-filled eyes perfecting every stroke.

You might be wondering ... did I enter?

No.

But you better bet your britches I'll be asking for my weight in M&Ms at my yearly review.

Atmosphere Pictures, New York.

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:38:16 EDT

The Geek Squad 1 from Prometheus Spotto on Vimeo.

The Geek Squad 1 from Prometheus Spotto on Vimeo.

Scott and Craig Colthorp's Atmosphere Pictures has been one of the companies leading the way in the 2000s promology. Among others they've worked for -- everyone from cable's Spike and A&E, to broadcasters PBS and WBIR, to the Internet with Next New Networks. Scott (director/cinematographer/producer) and Craig (designer/producer) bill themselves as a "full service creative house," but, for once I think they might be understating things.

For me, it was their documentaries for a local Knoxville TV station that sold me on their sensibility. We met when they were based in Knoxville (they relocated to Brooklyn about four years ago) and I was consulting with MTV Networks on the repositioning of TNN: The Nashville Network to TNN: The National Network, a tall order given the company couldn't replace most of the programming. It seemed we needed a Southern-based company to not stray too far from its country roots, but one that had a wider, more mainstream point of view. Their breadth of their vision bowled me over and we've been collaborating ever since.

The spot featured here was one of my favorites early in our relationship. We sent the Atmosphere team across America searching for anything and anybody they felt could define the networks "We've got Pop!" slogan, and then asked them to make mini-documentary spots proving it. They found the original Geek Squad when it actually was just a bunch of geeks with IT smarts, ties and marketing saavy. Scott captured their cheek perfectly and helped make them an acquisition target for the Best Buy guys.

What Spot Crunch is all about.

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:06:23 EDT

Spot Crunch is a TV network all about promos and the people who make them. Media promos. Like commercials but for TV networks and shows. 'Promography' is what Justin Johnson calls it.

I started my TV career making promos for cable TV and along the way did some of my best work and met some of the most talented people. Some of those folks are still making dazzling promos. Some of them are making TV shows and feature films. Some of them are really big-time media executives. But the thing they've all had in common is they were smart, way smart.

We started this network to feature the work of the young upstarts making the promos at Next New Networks. And the associated blog will point to some of the great promo people who showcase their work. But as word has leaked out, we've already been asked about presenting other work. You can submit your promos here any time. I'll sure we'll be showing them soon.

Spot Crunch is ALIVE!

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:47:58 EDT

Come to Spot Crunch every week for an all-new burst of promos straight from the Next New Networks promo pile.