6 Ways To Rock The Tubefilter Web TV Meetup! (Without Cheating)

Back in July, we shared 4 Ways To Get The Most Out of the Tubefilter Web TV Meetup. But that was July, when 4 was all you needed. This is 2010 people and its all about 6 Ways now. Trust us, we’ve done the research.

Now as we count down to the January Tubefilter Hollywood Web TV Meetup on Thursday January 21—it’s all about the FU—EPIC FU that is, as creators Zadi Diaz and Steve Woolf join us to launch the EPIC FU Network! They are extending their award-winning web series brand into a network of like-minded series, all under the EPIC FU banner. And to see them first, before anyone else in the world, you’ll have to be at the Meetup.

And HP and Intel is sponsoring the evening, providing free beer and wine for Meetup attendees and giving away and HP Envy laptop and HP DreamScreen. And The Bui Brothers will be shooting some of their signature high-end photography of web video’s finest, so make sure you’re looking good. Tickets are still available, though we have a good feeling they will be sold out very soon. (Remember last time we had free beer and wine?)

A Special Evening with EPIC FU

Thursday, January 21, 2010

7:30 pm – Panel / 8:45 pm – Mixer

Location:

Busby’s East (Mid Wilshire)

5364 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036

So we’ve taken the four tips from last time first, updated them for 2010, and added two more that will come in handy.

1. Do Your Homework!

This time you have a lot of homework to do, since EPIC FU traces its origins to the early days of online video series in 2006. Back then the ‘hyperfast-paced pop culture newscast’ series was called JETSET, scored a deal with Next New Networks, was then poached by upstart Revision3 and eventually went off on its own once again. To get a feel for the series make sure to watch at least a half dozen episodes from throughout their history. Pay attention to how the show evolved, added new features and became the well-known (and well-watched with over 35 million views) indie web series brand that it is today.

2. Ask Smart Questions

Each month we try to bring a selective group of speakers that you want to hear from, and they are there to connect with you guys. So have some thoughtful questions ready during the Q&A with them. Don’t worry if you think you’ll look stupid for asking what’s on your mind. Odds are you aren’t the only one who wants to know the answer. Zadi and Steve are veterans of web series production and have seen the highs and lows of building a brand in this growing space. Make the most of their attention and ask what’s on your mind!

3. Be a Connector

This is essential to good networking anywhere. If you’ve been coming to the Web TV Meetups for a

while now, you still remember your first one. You know, when it seemed like everyone knew each other and you didn’t? Well now you can be the connector. Introduce people you know, or just met, to one another. Introduce them not only with their name but with a brief background to go with it. Think: “Hey Julie, have you met Todd? He’s the creator and star of the hit series Todd Eats Too Much which just passed 2 million views on YouTube. Todd, Julie is a development exec at NBC Digital and a total foodie, you guys should chat.”

4. Bring Plenty Business Cards

Business cards still rock. They’re cheap, unique to your brand and are still the easiest way to exchange info and keep track of who to follow up with after the Meetup. If you’re a show creator, having a separate card for you show is really helpful in showing people what it’s about and where to watch it.

5. Watch Each Other’s Shows

Now that you have these business cards from other people’s shows, make sure you go watch them. Critique each other’s shows and stay up to date on the latest series that people are making. The Meetups are full of early adopters of web series, and most people love to watch what’s out there. But it’s a two-way street. If you want people to watch and critique your work, you have to return the favor. And through that, this whole new medium and the community that makes it gets better, stronger and more connected.

6. Follow Up With Each Other

Our email inboxes these days are monsters of their own, but after meeting someone you want to continue to correspond with, it’s smart to send a brief follow up. Don’t get discouraged if it isn’t returned back right away, and sometimes a follow up beyond that is in order. But be tactful, if you’ve sent a pitch to someone at a company you’re looking to work with, don’t be that guy that follows up every single day. For me personally, email is less effective since there’s just so much of it coming into our news room. But I do read tweets send @marchustvedt, and I tend to find that Twitter allows for a fairly decent asynchronous communication with new contacts.

And the “Without Cheating” part? Bonus: Don’t be a spammer!

Yes, we’ve seen some in-real-life (IRL) spammers run around the Meetups shoving their promo materials in the hands of people deep in conversation. It’s fine to bring promo material for shows and talent, but it’s all about tact. If you just interrupted a group of people just to slap your shwag in their hands, then you haven’t made a connection. Even worse, you come off as amateur.

Time to get cracking and RSVP now if you’re going to be anywhere near Los Angeles next week. Can you feel the FU??