ROB Barnett found his calling the first week of college, when he discovered the school radio station and was “hooked.” After graduation the Brooklyn native worked as a deejay at stations in Boston and Los Angeles before moving back to New York to take a job with MTV. He spent 11 years as a producer there and at VH1, then became head programmer for CBS Radio before realizing he craved a less corporate environment.
With no start-up money but all the creative connections in the world, Barnett began pitching his idea for My Damn Channel, an online video channel where musicians, actors, comics and filmmakers can show their work unedited.
One year later, after partnering with such talents as actor Harry Shearer and music producer Don Was, he launched the channel. We caught up with Barnett, 47, to find out where the idea came from, and why he thinks it’s better to keep the corporate types away from the creatives.
What’s the concept behind My Damn Channel?
My idea was to give this medium over to the most talented and creative artists and comedians. In environments like MTV and CBS they’re used to having senior vice presidents sit around a room and say things like, “That’s a great idea, but why not do it this way?” And what you get in the end is this watered-down version of what the creative person wanted to do.
So my idea was to get all these people together and let them do exactly what they want. I mean, these are people who have made movies and television shows and radio shows, so why is it that so many executives nitpick them to death?
So, you really don’t give any creative input?
Nope. My deal with each artist is “no notes.” We do meet to discuss each project before we sign a deal. But it goes something like this: Let’s say you’re David Wain. You come in here and say, “Here’s my idea. I want to do a series of short films called Wainy Days about my worst dates in N.Y.” And I say, “Great, how much do you want for it?” Then we negotiate a price. Once that’s been settled, I stay out of it completely.
Then what exactly do you do all day?
At this point, my days are spent reaching out to potential talent, speaking with investors, pitching future investors, following up with our technology team and our Web design team, and, most importantly, reaching out to our fans, who tell us what sucks and what doesn’t. This is all about building a loyal community of fans, and knowing what they think is the most important thing.
Was it always your goal to run your own company?
I thought about it a lot over the years. There were many times I would watch my friends leave the corporate world to start their own businesses, but I was always wondering if I had enough experience. You need to have all the right partners involved. Once I had that, I was ready.
Do you regret waiting this long?
Not at all. I learned a lot from MTV and VH1. But I also think the corporate environment is very tough, even at a place like MTV. You come into your job with all that creative spirit, but even then you have the corporate ladder and all the crap you have to get through. Maybe you have to act a certain way or write a memo a certain way – whatever it is, you’re conforming. We had this two-second meeting the other day about a music video for our Web site. If this had been in some big ivory tower, then that meeting would’ve been going on for six months deciding who the drummer should be or whether the video should be black-and-white or color. It’s amazing how fast things happen when you get out of the way and trust your talent.