With the Web swamped by a morass of puerile videos of cats at play and the like, New York-based startup MyPod Studios has set out to build a digital oasis for viewers who are selective about what they watch. CEO Jay Miletsky says his platform only hosts content that he and the staff decide are worth posting. This gated approach sacrifices video quantity but Miletsky says it appeals to viewers—and brands that use the medium for marketing—who want content focused on their interests. “We reject 75 to 80 percent of all the content that gets put in front of us,” he says.
MyPod Studios, founded in late 2010, is populated with user-generated content, as well as videos sponsored by brands that use the platform for marketing. The site currently hosts about 8,000 videos, and Miletsky says he does not plan to accept more than 20,000 videos. “That is still more than anyone wants to watch in their lifetime,” he says. “It keeps the quality of the network higher.”
The website is supported by advertising in addition to paid sponsored content. For example, videos from Motorsport.com can be found on the site and Miletsky says he has approached The Hersey Company to bring more food and drink videos to his platform.
Because videos are screened before they appear on MyPod Studios’ platform, Miletsky believes viewers will more readily find content that appeal to their interests. The company chooses videos, based on creativity and how watchable they are, though it still boils down to the staff’s preference, Miletsky says. The website’s lineup includes videos for entertainment, fitness, gaming, and style.
Getting accepted by MyPod Studio is only part of the battle for would-be seekers of Web video fame. Content providers are limited to two gigabytes of space for storing videos on the platform. “Once they hit that, if they want to put a new video up they have to take an old video down,” Miletsky says.
Furthermore, the site will pull the plug on unpopular videos. “We’ll send the content provider a letter telling them they have a few months to get page views up otherwise
