About

Patricia Handshiegel

Digital Dish covers the ins and outs of an Internet executive moving into the television arena. Disher Patricia Handschiegel is the founder of Stylediary.net, which she sold to Stylehive.com in November 2007. She has a background in Internet infrastructure and technology business, was an advisor to Kaboodle.com (sold to Hearst in 2007), and has contributed as an entertainment/media business writer for Venturebeat.com. She’s also been an early visionary of professional Internet TV content since 2005 and is currently an advisor on several entertainment/Internet projects. Always an entrepreneur, she had a highly profitable babysitting monopoly at 11, lent her writing skill to students at 17 and landed her first published national article at 23.

She has also worked as a ghost writer for a national TV correspondent. At 22, she was recognized nationally for promoting the growth of women’s hockey and advised companies on creating hockey products for women. She’s been quoted and profiled in dozens of media outlets since and is currently developing two book concepts. A serial entrepreneur, she plans to continue to build Internet, entertainment and media companies, with the goal of promoting social change and charities. She is currently involved in the use of technology to help find missing and abused children, and has contributed financially to TheJoyfulChild.org and other organizations. She is the founder of Look|Shop|List.com (in development).

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TV Can Be a Brutal Business

September 22, 2008 3:56 PM

Oh, wicked television. How you vex me. I came to you with your best interests in mind, to help you, particularly with your little problem the Internet. I know you’re struggling. I know your audiences are falling away as where and how to reach them becomes increasingly blurry. I expanded my work to your backyard because I thought I might have some of the answers. I love you and want to have one of those amazing, happy relationships.

But, oy! You are one tough business. So many complexities, so many factors. Your needs seem constant!

Just kidding. But I am constantly in awe of how complicated creating shows can be. It’s overwhelming at times. I sometimes feel like managing my project is like being the parent of a wayward teenage daughter. Sometimes she comes home and is sweet, giving me hope that she’ll stay in line. Other times, she completely ignores me and I feel like she’ll never grow up and move out.

I come from a different world, where execution is relatively simple, streamlined and inexpensive. I’m enduring my work in the TV market pretty well, I think, and my projects are going really well, but the entire production and development process is truly amazing.

I would just like to say to every single producer, development executive, sound and lighting crew member and everybody else who does the work on a day-to-day basis, I admire you.

Forget celebrities. I’m becoming a fan girl for star showrunners and development execs.

It doesn’t come as a surprise to find so many producers trying to create Web shows or move into other areas. The Web is a lot easier, with less process. But, the tradeoff, of course, is that the money is different.

I think big things are always hard to do. I’m not surprised at all that it’s so difficult to create projects for the broadcast network.

But that’s what I like about you, television business. You’re no easy catch, and you definitely make your suitors work for it.

I will win you over yet. Just you watch! I’m sure working on it.


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