Studio Blog
Welcome to the Demand Studios Blog – a resource for writers, contributors and freelancers alike! Come here for answers to your questions, Studio news, writing tips and more.
Studio Blog
Guest blogger Greg Perlstein is the Coordinator of Strategic Alliances at First Book, our nonprofit partner that provides new books to children in need and addresses one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books.
Here at First Book, we could not be more excited about all that we’ve accomplished with Demand Media Studios in the past few months. First Book is a nonprofit organization that has put more than 70 million brand new books into the hands of kids in low-income communities. In the past year alone, Demand Media Studios has helped us get 40,000 of those new books to children in need across the United States.
In August, the incredible writers and editors at Demand Media Studios came together to launch the most successful Write for a Cause campaign yet. The articles you all created in just two weeks triggered a donation of more than 15,000 books to underserved kids from California to Virginia. Our First Book recipient groups could not have been more thrilled – check out what they had to say about your generous help:
More recently, I personally had a chance to spend time with the Demand Media Studios team at BlogWorld, the largest social media conference on the planet. During the Expo, I was really excited to learn about the Blog Distribution Network and the Talent & Experts Network. Demand never fails to impress me with the new, innovative ways that it supports and showcases the members of its community. The guests at BlogWorld were quick to scoop up pamphlets about becoming part of the Demand team – and it wasn’t just because Demand had great notebook giveaways at its booth!
First Book is very grateful to have the support of Demand Media Studios and its kind-hearted, dedicated network of writers and editors. Over the past year, your support of education and literacy has made the young recipients of 40,000 brand new books very, very happy. We can’t wait to see what the second year of our partnership holds!
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Media Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators — writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers — and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.
My name is Brooke Bartlett, and I have been a hobby writer for many years. When I decided to leave my career as an English teacher to raise my four children, I was a bit anxious about the prospect of losing my professional identity as well as my income. Demand Media Studios offers me the best of both worlds. By day, I am “super mommy.” By night, I am “writing for pay,” able to write about interesting topics, supplement my family's income and still stay home with my kids. Working for Demand Media Studios gives me back the part of myself I thought I lost when I left the classroom, and that is an incredible feeling.
My name is Brooke Bartlett, and I have been a hobby writer for many years. When I decided to leave my career as an English teacher to raise my four children, I was a bit anxious about the prospect of losing my professional identity as well as my income. Demand Media Studios offers me the best of both worlds. By day, I am “super mommy.” By night, I am “writing for pay,” able to write about interesting topics, supplement my family's income and still stay home with my kids. Working for Demand Media Studios gives me back the part of myself I thought I lost when I left the classroom, and that is an incredible feeling.
Each week we will feature a DMS community member who we feel goes above and beyond what is asked of them to make our community great. We want to spotlight those who are active and positive contributors in our forums, on our Blog, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. It's our creators who make us great and you deserve to be recognized!
This week we want to give Community Kudos to Studio writer, JonathanB1! He is an active presense in our forums and has turned our 'Demand Motivation' section into the success that it is today. His energy is infectious and he inspires his fellow freelancers to set and hit their own goals. Thanks for all your hard work and encouragement in the forums, Jonathan! We definitely appreciate it. If you run into Jonathan in the forums be sure to give him kudos for all his hard work!
Community Kudos
This week we want to give Community Kudos to Studio writer, JonathanB1! He is an active presense in our forums and has turned our 'Demand Motivation' section into the success that it is today. His energy is infectious and he inspires his fellow freelancers to set and hit their own goals. Thanks for all your hard work and encouragement in the forums, Jonathan! We definitely appreciate it. If you run into Jonathan in the forums be sure to give him kudos for all his hard work!
Congratulations Jonathan!
PM us with your contact info & we'll send you an I ♥ DS shirt & some other goodies to say,
Thank You!
PM us with your contact info & we'll send you an I ♥ DS shirt & some other goodies to say,
Thank You!
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Media Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators — writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers — and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.
My name is Stevie Donalds. I am an award-winning author of three books on dog care and training. I’ve also written for a local news magazine and had a short story and quite a few niche magazine articles published. I’ve written online content for about five years, and I feel privileged to have worked at Demand Media Studios for more than two years. This gig has helped me become a more versatile writer; I’ve learned a bunch from my fellow writers and CEs. I love that I can write an article before work to pay for gas and lunch or spend days between other gigs making decent money. Thank you Demand Media Studios.
My name is Stevie Donalds. I am an award-winning author of three books on dog care and training. I’ve also written for a local news magazine and had a short story and quite a few niche magazine articles published. I’ve written online content for about five years, and I feel privileged to have worked at Demand Media Studios for more than two years. This gig has helped me become a more versatile writer; I’ve learned a bunch from my fellow writers and CEs. I love that I can write an article before work to pay for gas and lunch or spend days between other gigs making decent money. Thank you Demand Media Studios.
Your weekly update on what’s happening now. Each week the editorial team will highlight trending topics that are creating buzz on the Web and what you should keep an eye on in the coming week. For more information on how to best use this information, log in and check out the community forum post located here.
Five Trending Topics:
Five Trending Topics:
Veterans
Hurricanes
Pro Sports
Space Shuttle Launch
Black Friday
Five Breakout Topics:
Hurricanes
Pro Sports
Space Shuttle Launch
Black Friday
Five Breakout Topics:
Hulu Plus
Windows Phone 7
iTunes Ping
Economic Policies
Thanksgiving
Windows Phone 7
iTunes Ping
Economic Policies
Thanksgiving
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Media Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators — writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers — and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.
I’m Edward ‘Ned’ Millis, a guy who’s been filled with the urge to write since my high school journalism classes and college concentration on literature. My early commercial ventures included published articles by national trade magazines in the areas of tennis, golf, marketing and sales. Since those early efforts, I have written and published three novels and recently completed my fourth. Writing for Demand Media Studios gives me the freedom to work at my own pace and in the time frames I choose. With a broad range of interests, Demand Media Studios lets me turn my writing skills in multiple directions.
I’m Edward ‘Ned’ Millis, a guy who’s been filled with the urge to write since my high school journalism classes and college concentration on literature. My early commercial ventures included published articles by national trade magazines in the areas of tennis, golf, marketing and sales. Since those early efforts, I have written and published three novels and recently completed my fourth. Writing for Demand Media Studios gives me the freedom to work at my own pace and in the time frames I choose. With a broad range of interests, Demand Media Studios lets me turn my writing skills in multiple directions.
It's Writer Wednesday! Each week we ask our writers a question via Facebook and Twitter. The answers, stories, and overall response have been so great that we want to feature them on our blog! We'll highlight the most creative, intriguing and engaging responses and let those who are featured bask in the limelight just a little bit. Check back each week to see what question we ask, answer it yourself, and see who gets featured! This week we posed this challenge:
Finish this sentence: "If I weren't a writer/copy editor I'd be..."
Some of our favorite answers,
Thanks to everyone who participated this week. It made for some great reading!
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Media Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators — writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers — and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.
My name is Tabatha Goodwin. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing. I have experience as a newspaper reporter and special projects manager. I currently freelance for a couple of different publications. A friend referred me to Demand Media Studios. Demand Media Studios works for me because I am currently a stay-at-home mom. It allows me to pick interesting assignments to work on in my spare time and allows me to bring in extra income to supplement my husband's job.
My name is Tabatha Goodwin. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing. I have experience as a newspaper reporter and special projects manager. I currently freelance for a couple of different publications. A friend referred me to Demand Media Studios. Demand Media Studios works for me because I am currently a stay-at-home mom. It allows me to pick interesting assignments to work on in my spare time and allows me to bring in extra income to supplement my husband's job.
Dan O'Brien: Cracked (dot com) Revolutionary
Posted by Will "the Stainless Steel Rat" Charpentier | November 9, 2010 | Comments (3)
Shortly after Greta Garbo had achieved the height of her cinematic popularity, someone, it may have been Virginia Woolf, described the actress as “some new type of criminal.” Okay, it may have been “some new type of outlaw,” and perhaps it was Gertrude Stein who essayed the quote, but you get the idea. That description of Garbo may come to mind when you encounter the work of Dan O’Brien, a talented writer/performer who qualifies as one of the more interesting souls working with Demand Media. At first glance, Dan’s background doesn’t suggest anything out of the ordinary. He majored in English and pre-med at Rutgers, and might have pursued a medical career or written the proverbial “next great American novel,” but then Cracked.com intervened to change all that. In his current role, Dan regularly delivers his offbeat, off-center, off-everything column, "Dan Dan Revolution," and the in-touch but totally out-of-its-mind video series, "Agents of Cracked,” to a growing army—of eager fans. He recently took time off from looking at the world through a funhouse mirror and sat down at his keyboard for an email interview.Will: We'll start with a simple question. Rutgers—what is that, a small school in Hoboken? And those courses: English—creative writing specifically—pre-med, plus a minor in music. I assume you picked that mix so if music didn't soothe the savage breast, you could cut it open and install a working sonnet, right?
Dan O’Brien: Rutgers is actually a pretty large school in New Brunswick, NJ. They do have a campus in Newark and Camden, but nothing in Hoboken, so whoever told you otherwise is a liar. As far as my kind of all-across-the-board studies, no one forced me into it, I just couldn’t really decide. I liked playing music, but I knew I didn’t have the training or proper discipline, so I minored in music to get a better understanding of theory. I wanted to be a writer, so I studied English, but I also know that plenty of people want to be writers and few are lucky enough to catch a break, so it seemed smart to have something to fall back on. I had the crazy idea that, if I couldn’t be a writer, I’d be a doctor, partly because I wanted to, but mostly because I got really into the show Scrubs. I’m thankful that I got a job working for Cracked before I had to start applying to med school, because I would’ve been a terrible doctor.
Will: It was some guy from the University of Connecticut who called Rutgers “a small school.” Let’s sue him. Other than a paycheck and a chance to write what you want, what do you get out of writing for Cracked.com?
Dan O’Brien: Well, I like writing, so it’s pretty fulfilling on a personal level. I get to make a living doing what I love doing. Additionally, the site is designed in a way where we can take a writer with a good idea and get them an audience, get them paid and get them experience. We don’t care how old you are or where you’re from or whether or not you have a degree; if you’re funny enough and talented, we want to turn you into a professional writer. I started out freelancing. I know how intimidating and terrifying it can be, and so does everyone else on the editorial team. It’s important to us to make our process as comfortable and as welcoming as possible, and I like being a part of that.
Will: Where did the inspiration for "Agents of Cracked" come from? What was the genesis of the series?
Dan O’Brien: The inspiration came from us having no budget for actors, sets or anything, really. We were told to make a show as cheaply as possible, so we a) cast ourselves to save on actors and b) shot it in the office to save on locations. Once we knew it would star the two of us as coworkers, it was just a matter of figuring out characters that played to our strengths; Michael has elevated being an idiot to an art form, and I’m just naturally awkward and socially inept.
Will: How would you explain the series to someone from another planet?
Dan O'Brien: A traditional workplace sitcom in a very non-traditional workplace.
Will: Sometimes "Dan Dan Revolution" reads like a wordsmith's ramble through old copies of Mad Magazine. Where do you come up with the ideas for each column?
Dan O’Brien: No clue where the ideas come from. With a weekly column, all you can do is constantly think about it. I read the news, I watch TV, I talk to people, and I always keep my eye out for something interesting or ridiculous that might someday make a column. If there's nothing going on in the news or pop culture that I can talk about, it's harder to come up with something. Often I'll go for a run or do something else that's mindless and mechanical, so I can clear my head.
Will: Where is Agents of Cracked going?
Dan O’Brien: Plot-wise, we have no idea. I wish I could say we have an epic, six-season-long arc that's all been precisely mapped out, but we we're going day by day on the show. The tide on the internet can turn so quickly that, one day, we might just not have an audience for the show. Right now, we have a very dedicated and passionate audience that wants as many episodes as we can make. And we're happy to oblige.
Will: In a perfect world, where might the series lead? More DVDs? A feature?
Dan O’Brien: In a perfect world, we keep making the show as long as A) people want to see it and B) we’re still proud of it. I would hate it if we had to keep making the show after we felt like we’d already told the best stories we could tell, or that we’d taken the characters as far as they could go. Similarly, I’d hate it if we didn’t have the good sense to not overstay our welcome, like if we kept making season after season after the audience had clearly moved on. In a perfect world, the show ends when everybody wants it to end.
Will: If the Agents of Cracked are all that stand between us and certain doom, what does that say about the future?
Dan O’Brien: It says nothing about the future, because if that’s the case, there is no future. Michael and Dan are in no way capable of handling any disaster, either in the show or in real life.
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Media Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators — writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers — and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.
I'm Joel Pratt, and I have spent six years as a writer on the Internet. I like Demand Media Studios because I have been able to turn my talent and love of writing into a nice little income that I earn in my spare time.
I'm Joel Pratt, and I have spent six years as a writer on the Internet. I like Demand Media Studios because I have been able to turn my talent and love of writing into a nice little income that I earn in my spare time.
