Gary Vay•ner•chuck: From Maven to Mogul

When I met Gary Vaynerchuck in April 2007 – just days after Tilzy.TV had launched – the wine-retailer-cum-video-star already known for erudite descriptions of flavor guaranteed me twenty-thousand hits the very next day.

Indeed, the next day, Tilzy.TV was charmed by a mention on Wine Library TV. Gary’s magnanimoy is not for lack of purpose: he earned his reputations as brilliant wine seller and charasmatic video host by hustling hard, and if energy is any indication of success, Gary’s only just begun.

So, how to turn a niche wine show into a media empire? Copy Oprah, of course.  Gary’s latest venture, Obsessed, is a series of in-depth 30 to 40 minute interviews hosted by author and TV correspondent Samantha Ettus, with guests that appeal to 25 to 55-year-old women, TechCrunch reports.

It’s a simple, surefire concept attached to two fitting names, and a perfect product for a demo that’s been under-served by new media. But I wornder, are middle aged women ready to injest long-form video content on the web?  Will this play with the Momversation crowd?

Obsessed TV is co-owned by Ettus and Vaynerchuck who, likely in addition to production and marketing support, will close each show with 3-minutes of wine tasting.

“Only three minutes?!?,” you lament. Sorry, Vaynerchuk’s got to get going.  His many other projects include gary vay•ner•chuk, a vlog about marketing, a T-shirt search engine and Corkd, a wine rating site, but that’s not nearly enough for this overactive, earnest, charming egoist.

“I need to own as many media properties as possible,” Gary has gallantly proclaimed.