Bedrocket Properties, the online video incubator co-founded by former Huffington Post head Ken Lerer, has shown a great knack for cultivating quality YouTube channels, considering it was one of just six Partners that received funding for three or more channels from the YouTube Original Initiative. Now, it looks like that investment was only the start for Bedrocket. The company has received an addition $15M from the New Enterprise Associates to fund its future investments into online video startups.
Bedrocket itself lacks a YouTube presence, but several of the channels it helped create have acquired a large following. The three YouTube Originals under its banner include Look TV, a DIY fashion channel; network_A, an extreme sports collection; and Official Comedy, a locus for the material of big names like Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia, and Joss Whedon.
One of the great advantages Bedrocket has working in their favor (and surely a big reason why they received so much money) is that they have a wide vision. They’re focusing not just on YouTube but what they call “next-generation” media. To that end, the company also has a film in its production resume. Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me, which (if film festival buzz and the quality of Birbiglia’s routines is to be considered) is pretty damn funny.
The investment in Bedrocket by NEA comes on the heels of Bedrocket’s own investment in VHX, an online video viewing experience and self-distribution platform for high-profile programming.
All this cash flowing into the industry is definitely a great sign for anyone in the online video space. It’s also a sign that Bedrocket will most likely soon be looking for more quality online video content creators who know how the common gal should dress, an array of cool tricks, or how to do the sex.
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