EnTrends

Growing up in New York, Thompson says that
he and his friends would race over to one of
two houses in their neighborhood that had
MTV to watch the latest music videos. Thus
began his interest in pop-culture television.
Years later, Thompson attended Colegate
University and then the Rhode Island School
of Design where he studied painting.

Upon graduating, he became discouraged by
the New York art scene. Thompson began to
do sets for independent films in Rhode Island
and he acted as the art director for several
music videos. In 1991, Thompson took part in
the set dressing for the movie "My Cousin
Vinny." However, Thompson soon became
discouraged by the film industry as well. He
was "tired of seeing fifty people stand idly by
while the director had lunch with the star."

He moved on to television and did celebrity
lifestyle pieces for a time. Soon after, he met
up with an old friend from camp. Each had
done work in the television industry and saw
the large investment opportunities it had to
offer.

The two friends, both age 28, started a
company called Spin The Bottle. They came
up with a concept where true, behind the
scenes facts, would "pop-up" on the screen
while music videos were played. This would
give viewers an opportunity to learn all about
their favorite band and what truly goes on
during the making of a music video.

During the last two
decades, there have been
two major cable T.V. music
channels competing for
the pop-culture audience.
One of these is MTV, and
the other one is VH1. One
of VH1's star programs is
"Pop-Up Video." The
program was co-created by
entrepreneur Woody
Thompson.

It took Thompson and his partner one and a
half years before they found a company
willing to host their idea. Viacom, which puts
out VH1, agreed to produce the concept.
Thompson and his partner then sold the
rights for their idea to Viacom and began
working for hire on the new show called
"Pop-Up Video."

"Pop-Up Video" premiered in October of 1996
and has been a hit ever since. This spring, the
200th episode will air on VH1. Thompson
says that "popping" is so successful because
it is a concept. By itself, it does not have
characters that die out over time or a story
that can be exhausted. It can be adapted to
any television show.

Thompson is working to use his
company's assets and reputation to
venture into new media and other
outlets. He is currently pitching several
show ideas in the U.K. and he is also
pitching shows in Los Angeles. Some of
the shows involve dating and others are
centered around beauty pageants. There
are even some that would involve
interactive prediction. While some of the
projects will incorporate the pop-up
concept, others are completely separate.

Thompson says that he enjoys being an
entrepreneur because he has a hard time
working in an environment that someone
else has created. He enjoys working on
his own projects and creating a fun
environment for himself and his
employees. As for his lifestyle, he lives
conservatively. He prefers to put any
excess profits back into the company.

When EnTrends asked Thompson what
advice he would give to other
entrepreneurs he responded, "Start as
small as you can so you have a sense of
what you need. Do not hire your friends
and do not hire people if you don't think
you'll need them. Also, don't have a
hierarchy of management too soon.
When you do hire people, don't choose
them necessarily because of the
experience they appear to have. Hire
smart people that you know will be a
benefit to your company."

Thompson has a team of researchers that find
the information presented in each pop-up
bubble. One writer does all the research for a
particular video and thus becomes an expert
on that video. Thompson says that some of
the best information comes from people who
were on the set during the video's filming and
have knowledge of things the producers and
directors won't tell you. Sometimes this means
interviewing the stars' limo drivers or the
Kraft service guy.

Thompson says his new company was
created as a hub for ideas. It is an
environment where people can experiment
and get excited about their creativity. "There
are so many avenues for young people to
express themselves through text, video, and
other interactive media. That's what what I'm
trying to foster," says Thompson.

"Now is the best time for young people to
make their own things and present them to
people," according to Thompson. With easy
access to broadcast-quality video
equipment at home, many young people can
easily express their creativity and share it
with people who are interested. Thompson
says that MTV's show "Jackass" is a prime
example of how executives latched onto
young creativity. Thompson said he would
rather hire people in other fields who are in
search of more creative outlets, than those
who boast communications degrees.

At this time, Thompson has several
ideas for some non-traditional concepts.
One of these is for interactive wireless
programs that teens can access on their
cell phones. He also has ideas for a new
sandwich spread, a helicopter
commuting service, and a solution to the
New York City public restroom crisis.
EnTrends is not at liberty to divulge the
specifics of his ideas at this time. You'll
just have to wait and see what pops up
next!