Digital Dish

Gaining Understanding and Feeling Encouraged

February 4, 2009 10:51 AM

I’ve definitely taken a crash course in the school of hard knocks with my move into entertainment this past year, but things are getting better. The industry is without question one of the most challenging I’ve worked in. Just as I feel I’ve got some element figured out, another five things crop up that I never even thought of.

Internet business is so incredibly easy. It’s almost nothing to start a site, and you don’t really have to work for traffic, since gaming page views and unique visitors can be very easily done. Ad networks handle the financing. All you need to do is show up.

TV business, on the other hand, is this gigantic cluster mess that you need to unravel.

I know that for most of TVWeek’s readers, it might not seem that way. But coming into the business from the outside, holy cow. It’s a little like I’m staring at the Matrix. It’s both terrifying and awesome. I’ve not sold a project yet, but you can bet I’m working on it. I think the progress has been pretty good, considering.

A year ago I was an Internet executive marveling at the term “leave behind” and Google-searching for info. Today I’ve got a pretty solid understanding of how the industry works and, more importantly, how to take your best shot at it. Once you start to get this kind of sense, it’s not so overwhelming. I’ve gotten to a point where I can talk shop about how to do things, share what works and what doesn’t.

I can say that I enjoy the work so much more now that I understand it. If nothing else, that’s progress.