A few months ago one of my favorite bloggers launched an online show where she’d try out different fitness classes in the Orlando area. But she wasn’t just putting on this show herself, she was doing it through a relatively new company called Izon Orlando. A site CEO Will Rodriguez calls his “love affair” with the city.
I’ve been keeping my eye on Izon for a while and when another one of my favorites, J’s Everyday Fashion, started her own show I figured not only was this site changing the Orlando perspective, but giving bloggers a chance to spread their little content creator wings.
So I obviously had to talk to Will. And not only did we chat our faces off for over an hour, but we also discovered we had lived in the same small Connecticut town!
This post is what Will had to say about his baby Izon. And all I gotta say is – this is the future, y’all. The next step for bloggers. Video is not only where it’s at, but well produced, quality shows can help bloggers lift their profile, show off their skills and make money.
Interview with Will Rodriguez of IzonOrlando
How did you manage to come up with Izon?
My background is broadcast TV, having worked NBC/Telemundo. I left in 2005 and started Trisolt Video & Web Productions. While we specialized in typical video production – commercials, corporate/ training videos – more and more people came to us looking for web video. It wasn’t my forte, but I started doing research on what it took and why more people were looking. Turns out, Google LOVES video, and the second biggest search engine in the States is YouTube. Learning that sparked an idea in my head to move more into online formats.
When I moved to Orlando a few years later, I was surprised. Everyone wasn’t walking around wearing Micky Mouse ears. The city has it’s own culture; it’s own lifestyle. With help of my wife, I was introduced to a different side of of the city. One day, we saw poster for a scavenger hunt we would have liked to go to, but had missed. That’s when we decided Orlando needed an online events calendar. That calendar morphed into a show on things to do, which morphed into Izon. Turns out, the thing the city really needed was a local video gateway that catered to the Florida market.
And how did you first start working with bloggers?
Our first foray into bloggers was via Daily City, a hugely popular art and culture blog. We started reaching out to popular area bloggers and offered to make a “video version of their blog.”
What’s the process like?
In terms of the creative, it would be extremely foolish of us to tell someone how their show is going to go. The blogger is always the expert. So Meghann of Meals & Miles reaches out to places like Vixen Fitness or Aerial Arts. She chooses the location and coordinates with me for a production crew. Ultimately she controls the content, we control the quality.
Why is video such an important part of having a web presence?
Video helps get the message out. Period. With Izon, we’re helping a city get the message out and in the process are helping bloggers build their brand, their SEO and helps users find similar sites on topics they love.
How are you monetizing Izon? How are bloggers making money?
Our business model goes back to the old TV days. A show would stop and the host would talk about Campbell’s soup or Tetley. In all the research I’ve done, studies say people video ads have more than twice the retention than in television commercials. So Izon uses private placements by integrating a product or brand into show.
For example, in the first episode of J’s Everyday Fashion, we were planning to shoot at Stella Luca. While the location was chosen before filming, we gave the store own the option to be the official location sponsor. Through that sponsorship they got a featured interview in the show, Google ad placement, links back to their site, etc.
We sort of have a cross between old fashioned TV advertising and the new internet banner model. The most effective advertising is putting the message within the show.
(And while most of our video “talent” would do this purely out of love, we do have an revenue share model in place. Meaning they get a cut of the action.)
How have you spread the word about Izon?
Well, we haven’t paid a dime for advertising. All viewership comes from word of mouth, programming and social media. We have a robust Facebook page, modest Twitter following, and the ability to leverage the networks of all of our bloggers. And we we obviously have a YouTube channel, which is primarily for promotional videos to help drive site views.
At the end of the day, we’d love to help Orlando grow. Culturally, spiritually, commercially. It’s such a dynamic city and no one knows how amazing it is. As great as Universal and Disney are for the area, they do cast an awfully long shadow on the area. Izon is a love affair for us.
How freaking adorable is that? I couldn’t be more obsessed with Izon and I forsee some great things from them. And if you take anything from Will’s interview, do this: VIDEO IS THE FUTURE. And present. Whatevs.
Finally, travel blogger Rachelle is just launching The Road Less Traveled and her promo makes me want to move to Orlando. That, or have my own webshow.
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