Join Grasshopper New Media - The Chief Speaks!

Chris Brogan is Founder and Chief Content Officer at Grasshopper New Media, but I just call him 'Chief.' He's got ideas, he's doing great stuff including co-founding Podcamp, and he offered to talk to us too!

What's your 30 second description of Grasshopper New Media?

Grasshopper New Media is a collection of audio and video shows available on the Internet. We create shows to specific "channels," including GNMParents, GNMBusiness, GNMHealth, and GNMCommunity.

Where's the name come from?

The name Grasshopper means several things: it refers to the Grasshopper and the Ant, the classic fable of a bug who wants to play all day while the ant works. It refers to the TV Show, Kung Fu, where Grasshopper was the student. And think about it: grasshoppers are green, which means growth, life, learning, and yes, hopefully, money.  : )

It's early to talk business model. Are you just building great content and ways to get it out, and letting the business part develop organically, or . . . ?

The model is simple, and I've shared it since Day 1. Think of this new radio and tv space as a magazine rack. There are TONS of people servicing the tech, the marketing, and the music spaces. I'm going after areas that aren't as well served, and I'm enticing all kinds of first-time voice and video talents into taking their thoughts into a digital conversation. Extending the conversation. Now that we have one nicely paying sponsor, JigsawHealth.com, I intend to continue validating my premise all over the map.

Venture capital or not?

Not a chance. My problem with the VC model is the exponential growth requirement. I see this as something we can grow wide and short, where VC's want to pop up like bamboo and own the vertical. Angel investing, on the other hand, is something I'd entertain, were the opportunity there. Right now, we're still growing the content, tending our gardens.

So, do you want to comment on your dream job? Is it a day job or in synch with GNM?

My dream job (aka working for Pulvermedia and Network2.tv)  is to build the ecosystem within which something like Grasshopper New Media thrives. This ecosystem requires bringing traditional media and related industries into a conversation with new media types. It requires understanding the legislative issues that threaten this new marketplace. In the work I do in a given day, 90% of it relates directly or indirectly to what I've started with Grasshopper New Media. I'm just thankful that my new boss, VoIP godfather and entrepreneur Jeff Pulver, has vision about the impact of broadband internet on the future of tv and film. It makes doing what I do a lot easier.

OK, let's say I'm a smart person who is planning on developing great content. Let's say I'm going to start a podcast next week. Is GNM interested in me, and why would I be interested in GNM?

We love helping people develop their internet radio or tv shows (or podcast, if you must). Our first mission at Grasshopper is to extend the conversation. When I say that, it means to me, "Help people get their voice or their image out onto the internet, and invite a conversation around the person's topic of choice." The benefit to joining with Grasshopper is that you can easily slot your 3-5 minutes of audio or video into one of our existing shows and "get your feet wet," instead of building a show from the ground up.

Then, when you're ready we'll help you get that developed into a full fledged show. Why join us? Because we're developing full channels of content which should appeal to audiences looking for variety, as well as to sponsors looking for a better return on their investment in new media. You COULD do this on your own, but we've already set things up to make it easy to plug you in. Why not come along and give it a try?

Thanks Chris - we'll be watching, and I'll keep submitting my podcast sections to the Great Big Small Business Show!