This is a big night for Nate Houghteling and Kai Hasson. After months of training, theya4ぎa4вe going to face each other in the boxing ring &8212' and the match will also serve as the climax of the Web TV show they star in, White Collar Brawler.
The show is a full-time job for Houghteling, Hasson, and the two other members of their production company Portal-A Interactive. Over the course of 22 episodes (so far), the show has followed the pair as theya4ぎa4ёe gone from being out-of-shape, white-collar workers to buff(-ish), semi-serious boxers. There have been detours like a massively popular fan video for the San Francisco Giants set to a version of a4ぎADona4ぎa4д Stop Believinga4ぎ, as well as the Tech Beat Up, where tech employees fought each other while wearing inflatable gloves. (I was thoroughly defeated by Zyngaa4ぎa4г Rick Johanson).
Behind the scenes, Houghteling said the team has been experimenting with how to turn the show into a profitable enterprise. The company runs ads before each episode, but Houghteling said he sees more potential in events. He and Hasson hold weekly workout sessions that fans can join, and 10 to 20 people show up each time. Between 200 and 250 people attended the showa4ぎa4г kickoff event, 400 people came to the Tech Beat Up, and Houghteling estimated that 500 or 600 will show up for tonighta4ぎa4г bout.
Not all of those events were moneymakers for Portal-A &8212' the workouts are free, and the Beat Up raised money for charity. But Houghteling said the turnout shows that White Collar Brawler is onto something in its efforts to cross over from the Web to the real world.
a4ぎAIt started to become more apparent to us that people have a desire to come out to real events,a4ぎ he said. a4ぎAThata4ぎa4г something the Web hasn&'t really tapped into.a4ぎ
Events also sound like a more effective way to make money from a small, passionate fan base (and one thata4ぎa4г largely based in the San Francisco Bay Area) than advertising. The Giants video has received more than 2 million views, but an average episode gets between 2,000 and 10,000 views on YouTube, and about the same amount on Blip.tv. (Houghtelinga4ぎa4г observations also match what tech blogs like VentureBeat seem to be doing, where a lot of our revenue comes from conferences.)
As for what comes next, Houghteling said hea4ぎa4г definitely thinking about season two, and that fans can expect a formal announcement about the future of White Collar Brawler early next year. The showa4ぎa4г first season was funded in part by an outside investor. Houghteling said that at this point, hea4ぎa4г more interested in sponsorships than further investment.
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Companies: Portal-A Interactive
People: Kai Hasson, Nate Houghteling
Companies: Portal-A Interactive
People: Kai Hasson, Nate Houghteling
Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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