Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi all,

I`m completely new to this, so please be patient with me. This is the first time I`ve posted here, and the first time I`ve even posted to a forum or site such as this.

So here goes...

I`m launching a new business that will be a film production company playing host to an internet based "Round the World Travel" TV show and then a full length feature film/documentary DVD. I`m just now planning the first season, which begins in 08, but I would like to do this every year.

I`ve coined the idea "Travel 2.0". The reason for this is the travelers on the show have complete control. In fact, they even get involved financially. I already have the entire crew created and each of them will be responsible for their own food/expenses. Something they have fully agreed to. In return, they get to plan the entire journey and have a financial interest in the project. I plan to find sponsors to pay for the rest of the project.

I have a production company that will do all the filming/editing/directing, and I have studied the travel industry, specifically the entertainment side of things and I think I`ve picked up on why it is lacking. With this in mind I`m confident I`ll be able to take the baton, regardless of wether or not they`re handing it to me.

This is user generated content at its finest.

Who is the targeted market? Hardcore travelers. Not your typical retirees who like to sit and watch Travel Channel tell them they need to choose $300.00 a night hotels. Not the people who read "budget travel" guide books who only recommend companies who will PAY to be included in the book.

No, I`m after the hundreds of thousands and even more people who are out roaming the planet. Exploring cultures, writing for national geographic, studying abroad, etc. Believe me when I say, it`s a chunky market that has yet to be touched.

In fact just two days ago we launched a FaceBook account for the project and instantly picked up several hundred members who were drooling over the concept. We plan on hitting MySpace, and we`ve put together press lists that include pretty much every major travel media source on the planet.

I`m a blog consultant by trade, so I`ve been able to study internet trends and social networking in ways many have not. I understand where it is, where it is going, and where it will be. I`d like to harness this new found power and milk it for everything it`s worth.

Here is where I am. I`ve built an entire site. I have a production company signed on to work on commission. I have the crew put together. I have a high profile travel photographer from New York ready to pack his bags. And I`ve printed out my idea, sealed it up in an envelope and sent it to myself via certified mail.

Now, where the heck do I go from here? I would love to get others involved in the business side of things, but have no idea where to start. I know I need a business plan, marketing plan and all that jazz, but right now that kind of thing is completely foreign to me.

I`ve got 15 months before the she crew departs for the journey, and I have no idea what should come next.

Any thoughts? Any advice or people interested in getting involved?

I very much look forward to hearing your opinions.

Best Regards,
Eric Odom

Globe Roamer TV
www.globeroamertv.com


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"The real journeys are the ones where you bite off more than you can chew, and then live through it"

First of all, 15 second impression of your site - LOVE IT! It`s really very nice.

You business plan is cake. It doesn`t have to be a novel. Just outline your next year and read some of the business plan guides on this site.

Your marketing plan - you`re already in the works! If you`re a blogger, you know how to get the buzz going. Just write a timeline for how you`ll market things, where you`ll market them, who you will market them too, etc. And do it. Make your marketing plan. You already have a brand going on the site, and it`s awesome.

Sounds like a really great plan. Go for it!

One thing to ponder - how is this thing going to make money?

Thanks for the quick site review! It`s a long way from finished, but I think/hope it`s on the right track.

I`ll be browsing the business plan section this weekend and see if I can put something together. This is a learning process for me.

The show will profit in the same way I make money now... online advertising. Remember the guys with the Diet Coke and Mentos? The used a video or two to generate $30,000 in just a couple months. All from ads. Now they work for Coca Cola traveling the world doing the sill Diet Coke and Mentos shows.

Or how about Where the hell is Matt? His video made national news and to date has had more than 15,000,000 views worldwide. Check out this neat interview where he talks about the bubble gum company that sponsored him when he returned home with the original video.

There is already a full length documentary that is selling quite well all things considered. It`s called Map for Saturday. I know of MANY who have bought the DVD, including myself. The problem he had though was he limited himself by not marketing the product before and during the project. He created it and then tried to market it. I think it was too little, too late. Or at least he missed out on a lot of buzz.

Also, there was a show called Endless Europe that tried this, only they went about it totally wrong. They didn`t market it to the media, they had no Public Relations machine, and their site had no form of revenue. They got funding up front and blew it partying their way through Europe thinking that YouTube alone would make the show a success. In fact they cut the season short and their website vanished.

No, I intend to work this into a buzz machine long before we leave. I want to use MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites, but I don`t want to limit it there. Which, in all honesty, is what Endless Europe did.

Plus, I`ve brought on a professional writer, professional photographer, and a very good film crew. We plan on having the Web TV show generate revenue through the site, revenue from DVD sales, and revenue from a REAL guidebook that will be written by the crew. We`ll also syndicate columns to travel publications around the world.

This is the plan anyway...

Hope it helps.

-Eric


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"The real journeys are the ones where you bite off more than you can chew, and then live through it"

I think you have a lot more already planned out than you think you do.

Just get it down on paper and you`re golden.