Meet Melissa! Melissa Schneider is our new Director of Production, joining the My Damn Channel family with the experience, energy and cred we need to help produce over 30 new original series in the months ahead. She's also the lead producer for our new 2012 mega show with YouTube...
My Damn Channel: Live
Melissa expands our management team in the NY office where
Jesse Cowell (Director of Content) and
Molly Templeton (Director of Talent & Audience Development) work with
Rob Barnett (Founder/CEO) to oversee more killer original comedy and music than legally allowed on the Interweb.
"Melissa brings awesome experience, talent and spirit to our team as we prep to make 2012 the year My Damn Channel delivers more new original programming than ever before," said Rob Barnett. He added, "She's developed and produced over 30 original digital series and branded entertainment campaigns and over 30 independent music videos, commercials, and short films. She worked for David Chase for god's sake!"
Melissa graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and went on to work for The Public Theater / NY Shakespeare Festival during George C. Wolfe’s tenure. She left the theater to work in (wait for it) The Sopranos...in the writers' office for creator David Chase, and writers: Terence Winter (creator, "Boardwalk Empire"), Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess (creators, "Blue Bloods") and Matthew Weiner (creator, "Mad Men").
Melissa went digital...producing online content for Macy’s, XBOX, Vuguru, Nickelodeon, Swanson, Verizon FiOS, CJP Digital, and Summit Entertainment to name a few. She was the Director of Production at Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) in New York City, where developed and produced digital series and branded entertainment campaigns.
More announcements on our new series, stars and launch info for My Damn Channel: Live hits this space soon.
Today on Daily Grace:
It's raining men cameras.
Hallelujah! It's raining men cameras.
Hallelujah!
Seriously. She's giving three sweet Powershots away to three of YOU who helped make her King of The Web!
Hallelujah!
(PS: Now that song is stuck in your head, too. You're welcome.)
(Stuff You're Looking For On This Blog)
You guys search for a lot of info about
Daily Grace and
Mememolly. And that's cool.
But I'm not Grace or Molly. Sorry. My name is
Maria.
(Sorry. Not blonde.)
I am My Damn Channel's "Social Media Voice," which means I write My Damn Channel's
Twitter,
Tumblr,
Facebook and
House Blog, among
other things. Yes, it's my fault that the
photoshop is bad and
the jokes aren't funny and
no one comments. So, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm pretty good at my job.
What other kinds of things would you like to see here? What other things would you like to know?
Tell me. Let's TweetTumblFaceBlogSquare together. Leave some comments. Talk to me on Tumblr and Twitter and Facebook and stuff. I posted a picture of myself with a
light switch, for God's sake. If that doesn't scream "you can
talk to me" I don't know what does.
Posted in
Maria,
Mark Malkoff,
Portlandia,
You Suck at Photoshop with tags
Put A Tony Danza On It,
#PutATonyDanzaOnIt,
Put A Bird On It,
Portlandia,
You Suck At Photoshop,
Photoshop lessons,
Photoshop games,
Tony Danza,
who's the boss,
80s sitcoms,
meme,
Mark Malkoff,
"Free Cab Rides",
fun with Photoshop on 9/29/2011 7:00:00 AM by
Maria
After watching Mark Malkoff's
"Free Cab Rides" video, we were particularly struck by the part where Mark and his driver Sean decide to "Tony Danza" the cab.
Brilliant.
An ode to Tony Danza's turn in
TAXI, sure, but why not an ode to Tony Danza
in general? We're ashamed to admit that we think about
Who's The Boss? on almost a daily basis. Like, who WAS the boss? That question has boggled us since we were seven. So, we thought, let's Tony Danza some sh*t.
(Jeff Bezos "Put A Tony Danza" on the Kindle Fire!)
(Wanna make How To Make It In America a better show?
"Put A Tony Danza On It!")
Here, maybe you wanna "Put A Tony Danza On It" yourself?
Go for it! You know how on
Portlandia they
"Put A Bird On It?" Well, maybe the rest of us should
"Put A Tony Danza On It." Maybe you want to help a new generation embrace a beloved 80's sitcom star due to an obscure but indefatigable movement to put his likeness in unexpected places!
Or, you know, maybe you're just bored and
you don't suck at Photoshop. Either of those reasons could lead to a perfectly acceptable decision to "Put A Tony Danza On It." Just be sure to
let us know if you do.
We have a
foursquare page!
We debuted it in stealth mode a couple of weeks ago, but we figured it would be a good time to tell everyone about its existence today since
Mark Malkoff would be checking in all over New York City.
So you should follow us on foursquare. We're
making lists of places you should go, curated carefully by our staff. We're giving you
tips on what to do to ensure maximum fun time. And since our staff are the ones making these lists, you might even run into one of us
having a drink somewhere,
or just laughing really hard at with our friends.
We'll also use the page to
tell you when we're doing fun things and carrying around free My Damn Channel swag to give away to our friends.
So follow us, friend us and hang out with us. Unless that restraining order is still in effect (you know who you are).
(Intern Josh, wondering forlornly how he ended up here)
EDITOR'S NOTE: It's Josh's last day as an intern for My Damn Channel! I asked him to write up a post telling you what it was like for him this summer!
Coming into My Damn Channel as an intern I thought all I was gonna learn was how to file papers and fill out reports. Boy was I wrong! Friday will be my last day and I still haven't correctly filled out a single report. My boss is always saying that it drives him crazy how long it's taking me to get the hang of the office duties, but I can tell he's just joking. How I treasure that agonized look he gets trying so hard to hold back laughter.
What I learned though was way more valuable than any college education. I would say it was worth about $230,000, a couple hundred more than four years' tuition at Wesleyan. What I learned was the value of making the effort to gain the respect of your peers.
Before I ever set foot into that office, I had my work cut out for me. My future co-workers had already started gossiping that I only got the internship because of my family connections. After failing for three years to strike any gold, my great-great-grandfather started My Damn Channel during the California Gold Rush as a burlesque show designed to entertain entrepreneurs who had given up on trying to find gold and started companies catered to the needs of the gold miners. Grandpa Schmulie Meisel. I can't believe that was such a popular name back then — Grandpa.
My first day at work the guy sharing my cubicle got mad at me for unplugging his computer. "What do you need a blender for?!" he irrationally snarled. "How else are you gonna make computer smoothies silly? By hand?!" I chucked his computer into my oversized blender. He must've thought I was awfully spoiled, not making my computer smoothies by hand. I really had an uphill battle ahead of me if I wanted to gain anyone's respect.
A couple of days in I got the courage to pitch a show idea to the head of development. It was a parody of "Friends" called "Friends." He looked at me like I was an idiot. "You just handed me a bunch of "Friends" scripts. I think I know now why the printer's out of ink. Look, why don't you hold off for a bit before you make any more pitches." Apparently my scripts had gone right over his head. And "Friends" was a pretty accessible show. The guy I shared my cubicle was a rube, our head of development was dense as a neutron star, and my boss was an incorrigible prankster. My situation was less than ideal to say the least.
Halfway through the summer things had only gotten worse. I was miserable. My only friend was the janitor, and he was a Roomba! I'd cry myself to sleep every night, and when I wasn't feeling that sad I would get my butler to cry me to sleep. My job was a major disappointment. It wasn't at all like that show "The Office." We had TWO guys named Dwight, and the prettiest girl wasn't dating the most handsome guy (me), but instead this guy Jim who's so inexperienced with women that when I asked him to share some girlie stories he just laughed.
All I could do was trudge along until my five weeks were up, filing away papers wherever I could cram them (I may not get the job done pretty, but I'm damn fast). And just when I had given up on ever gaining a single ounce of respect from any My Damn Channel employee, a stroke of luck bolted me right in the face.
I'll always remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was only yesterday today. Jim's girlfriend (I think her name was Xamela) told him he needed to go somewhere to sign some forms. She couldn't give him a ride because she was busy. He asked if anyone else could take him, and I shot out of my chair like I was sitting on a lit match (which for the one of the first times I wasn't). Jim didn't see me at first; his eyes scanned the room for someone to drive him but everyone pretended to be hard at work because they were too lazy to take him. Finally he saw me and said "Fine let's go Josh." And fine it was. Everyone looked up at Jim and smiled at him. Their smiles seemed to say, "I'm really happy for you that you get to go on a fun/crazy/cool ride with Josh." But the smiles had a little menace behind them that signified jealousy.
When I got back my boss laughed with mirth, patted me on the back, and said, "Good job sonny." All I ever wanted was for my boss to think of me as a son, but life isn't easy. I had to put in my time to get what I wanted — let's just say I don't think I could've earned the luxury of being treated by my boss like his own flesh and blood if I hadn't given Jim that ride. And now, in these last couple of months before my summer ends and I have to go back to hitting the books trying to eventually earn my GED, I can look back at my time at My Damn Channel atop my pool float, computer smoothie in hand, and know that that one lesson I learned was well worth all my trifles. Plus it helped that I was making more than the rest of the office combined.
Thanks, Josh, er, Sonny! We will miss you! We know it will be tough going back to Stanford to get a world-class education, but it's better you than us!
We fully intend to continue stalking following you and your writing as @artsypriest and as a writer for The Stanford Chaparral.
PS: If any of you, dear readers, for some strange, maddening reason, would like to be an intern for My Damn Channel, please send an email to info@MyDamnChannel.com, and be sure to include links to your blog, Twitter and Tumblr accounts, or any other writing samples you might have! In the immortal words of the Jersey Shore kids in Italy, "Arrivederci, summer!"
Today we introduce a new feature we'll call "Searching for 'My Damn Channel.'" Have you ever searched your own name on Google and come up with a bunch of results that have nothing at all to do with you? Yeah, it's like that. Our favorite thing is to search through Twitter for "My Damn Channel" (note that the phrase in quotation marks is the key) and see what amazing people are angry at their television sets and remote controls. It's mind-boggling how many people like to yell at their TV via Twitter.
Today we present @little_booPINK:
Lol, indeed, @llittle_booPINK, that ain't right.
And here's @JennDesi, who's a little angry at QVC:
Seriously, indeed, @JennDesi, that ain't right.
Oh, did we forget to mention that via significant and detailed analysis and study we have determined that the absolute correct answer and response to all of these tweets is "That ain't right?"
Try it:
That ain't right, @sashieeee_!
Or here:
Uh, no, @SimplyLexxis, that ain't right at all.
So, we'll post a few of these on a semi-regular basis from now on. If you see something that we should post, send it to your tired blog writer at Maria [at] MyDamnChannel [dot] com, who writes most of these posts in first-person plural on purpose even though there's only one of her. We think.
Posted in
Coolio,
David Wain,
Maria with tags
David Wain,
Coolio,
Wainy Days,
Cookin' With Coolio,
Cooking With Coolio,
Coolio Cooking Show,
The State,
Stella,
Role Models on 8/1/2011 10:43:37 AM by
Maria
Yesterday was OUR birthday, today is the birthday of two My Damn Channel stars: David Wain and Coolio!
Did we know this when we started working with them? No!
Does this mean anything to anyone but us? No!
Are we glad that these things all seem relevant enough to put into a single blog post? Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!
In honor of the anniversaries of their birth, here are our (my) favorite Wainy Days and Cookin' With Coolio episodes:
"Donna"
and "Caprese Salad"
Happy Birthday to everyone who has a birthday to today-- even if you aren't a successful comedian/writer/director/cult-comedy icon or a rapper/actor/chef/juggalo!
Posted in
David Wain,
Filmmakers,
Hollywood,
Horrible People,
Josh Meisel,
My Damn Channel,
New Series,
NTSF,
Wainy Days with tags
NTSF:SD:SUV::,
NTSF,
Paul Scheer,
Jonathan Stern,
David Wain,
Wainy Days,
Adult Swim,
New Series,
Josh Meisel,
celebrities,
Martin Starr,
Children's Hospital,
Horrible People on 7/21/2011 9:18:43 AM by Josh Meisel
The hilarious new National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle, aka NTSF:SD:SUV:: premieres tonight on Adult Swim with the epic first episode, “Mexican Space Shuttle.” So break out the no-doze, because when the clock strikes 12:15 am, NTSF:SD:SVU:: will go from being a fictional television show on the hospital drama spoof Childrens Hospital to real-life police procedural spoof. To put it simply, NTSF:SD:SUV is to CSI what Childrens Hospital is to Grey’s Anatomy.
Like the show it spun off of, NTSF:SD:SUV:: (whose full title looks like it belongs in the now-defunct analogies section of the SATs) is chock full of performers who are no stranger to My Damn Channel. For example, here's NTSF cast member Martin Starr getting all his teeth knocked out by David Wain. Plus, Executive Producer Jonathan Stern is one of the men responsible for both Wainy Days and Horrible People, writing and directing a number of Wainy Days episodes, including this one.
So watch it every Thursday night at 12:15am on Adult Swim!
Posted in
Maria,
My Damn Channel,
My Damn Channel Blog Network,
Nick Douglas,
Slacktory with tags
Slacktory,
Slacktory.com,
blog network,
Cheezburger,
Awl,
Nick Douglas,
internet culture,
pop culture,
comedy,
planking,
cats on 7/12/2011 3:00:00 AM by
Maria
Today is a new day in the world of My Damn Channel because we officially launch the My Damn Channel Blog Network with
Slacktory (http://slacktory.com).
Slacktory is helmed by one of our favorite internet users,
Nick Douglas, former editor of
Valleywag and
Urlesque, where he helped us navigate the vast internet with humor and wit. We were so impressed by him, naturally we
stalked followed Nick on Twitter and Tumblr and when he mentioned briefly that he was looking for a new challenge, we pounced. Social Media: it works!
(Nick!)
Now Nick and his merry band of writers are all part of the Damn Family. We always wanted more brothers and sisters, but Mom said "over her dead body," so this is, like, the
best kind of compromise. We get some new playmates and Mom's still alive.
Make sure you visit
Slacktory.com daily to find out what shenanigans that crazy internet has gotten itself into this time! Today, we have stories about Jessi Slaughter, a Harry Potter/Book of Mormon parody, a visit to Jack In The Box with Tom Waits and a weekly column from Mark Zuckerberg that Mark Zuckerberg has nothing to do with at all.
But, don't worry! We haven't forgotten our online video roots! Slacktory will curate, remix and mashup videos at
MyDamnChannel.com/Slacktory. Our first Slacktory
video has cats, babies and Hitler explaining "Planking," so, you know, there's something for everyone!
Slacktory is just the beginning. We're coming for you, Internet. Please continue to do ridiculous things so we always have something to talk about.