Fred Seibert Drops Knowledge, Perspective at New York Web TV Meetup

Late last month we hosted our New York Web TV Meetup at NYU’s Cantor Film Center. Fred Seibert – former first-ever Creative Director at MTV, developer of Nick-at-Nite, past President of Hanna-Barbera, present cartoon mogul, Founder of new media studio NextNewNetworks

, and possessor of a pristine, white wardrobe that would make Gatsby jealous – was kind enough to sit down and talk with Jamison for a few.

If you’ve never heard Fred speak, you should make it a priority.

Multiple times during the fireside chat I looked around the screening room to see everyone in the audience busy writing down whatever it was Fred had just said, trying to capture the pithy branding advice or entertainment industry insight that can only come from someone who’s spent several decades succeeding and failing in the media biz. Hearing an individual on stage opine on the opportunities new media provides means a lot more when that individual was in on the ground floor of the cable industry when network television considered the fledgling medium nothing more than a mediocre irritation. Needless to say, Fred has some sick perspective.

The key takeaways for the night were nothing that we haven’t heard before:

1) You don’t need all the equipment/personnel/whatever it is you think you need. Just do it.
2) But make sure you’re just doing something you love doing. If you’re good at it, others will love you for it.
3) There’s no one stopping you from realizing your aspirations aside from yourself.

It’s the way they were conveyed that was different. Fred’s a sweet storyteller with an intensely creative spirit and a genuine zest for imaginative minds. Couple that with his expertise, and you can’t help but be compelled to take notes whenever the man opens his mouth.

Many thanks for Fred Seibert and everyone who made it out to the New York Web TV Meetup. We’re locking down the details of our next event and will be announcing very soon (Teaser: the guest is going to be ridiculously awesome). Be sure to sign up for the mailing list to stay up-to-date and stay tuned.