An educational presentation which looks at the way the web series 'Beached Az' has changed the model for independent/emerging content creators to share and monetise their content without the need for traditional content distributors/commissioners. Created for a New Media Distribution module as part of the Graduate Certificate in Screen Culture at AFTRS, 2011. All rights of the Beached Az characters belong to their creators The Handsomity Institute and have been reproduced here for illustrative and educational purposes only.

1. Beached Az
A presentation for the AFTRS Grad Cert Screen
Culture New Media Distribution module, 2011

2. The Beached Az Story
Three friends in media production
who are between jobs decide to
create the first video (then known as
'Beached Whale'), post it to YouTube and distribute
the link to friends. It quickly becomes a viral video
success.
About the time the video receives
its millionth hit, they decide it's time to
start monetising the property.

3. The team start printing Beached Az T-shirts
with an online company that also
distributes direct to the consumer,
meaning overheads are low. They
are making thousands of dollars
a month as a result.
The clothing chain Supre then approaches
the team and makes an offer to print and
distribute Beached Az shirts through
their stores. It quickly becomes
the stores' most popular line ever.

4. The Supre opportunity allowed the team to
go to the ABC and have a series
commissioned, broadcast and
distributed via online and mobiles.
They have since released iPhone and iPad apps, a
game, had a second season of 21 episodes
Produced/broadcast and had both
seasons released on DVD.
The original video now
has over 6 million views.

5. Distribution vs. Storytelling
The distribution method affects
the storytelling by the need to make the
content short, sharp and 'snackable'.
Content is still king though.
“It’s very much designed to be consumed though social networks.
Snack media is how we describe it. It doesn’t matter how good
your publicity is, it doesn’t matter how good your social media
strategy is, it doesn’t matter how many Twitter friends you have, if
you don’t produce good content with a good idea you are never
going to go too far. In fact you are probably going to go less far
than you would before the days of social media because people
talk now easier and quicker to find out what's hot and what's not.”
-The Handsomity Institute, creators of Beached Az

6. Beached Az
This means the traditional model has
been flipped from this...
Commissioning
Production
Broadcast
Merchandising
Home media distribution

7. Beached Az
To this...
Production
Distribution (Online [Free!])
Merchandising
Acquisition
Distribution (FTA + DVD)
"The hybrid economy is basically, 'invest in the physical to
support the digital'. It's merchandise and on the net you can get
merchandise for pretty much everything as long as you have a
strong enough brand." -Dan Illic, Hungry Beast presenter

8. Beached Az
References
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/comics-killer-line-tv-is-dead/story-
e6frg996-1226071300708
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/beached-az-trio-make-whale-of-a-business-
out-of-mocking-kiwis/story-e6frez89-1225942119188